Why do cables get tangled so easily?

benol · Post by **benol** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:15 pm

If cables are just lying on top of each other, within a week you have a tangled mess! How does this happen? And does anyone have any un-tangling tips?

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:09 pm

Try rolling them up..

benol · Post by **benol** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:13 pm

Valium wrote:Try rolling them up..

I didn't mean tangle prevention tips, I meant detangling tips.

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:21 pm

Better to not have to deal with it in the first place.

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:25 pm

Yes i will roll my acitve 30m mains cable in a nice loop.

Huh, what an induction coil.

benol · Post by **benol** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:40 pm

Valium wrote:Better to not have to deal with it in the first place.

But I DO have to deal with it. That's why I'm asking!

Ben Cebhrem · Post by **Ben Cebhrem** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:41 pm

Why do you have a 30 meter power cable in the first place? That's not a good idea for somewhat sensitive electronics.

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:46 pm

Start at one end till you get to the other end?

benol · Post by **benol** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:49 pm

Valium wrote:Start at one end till you get to the other end?

I mean tricks to get it done easier, not how it's done!

Adam G · Post by **Adam G** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:04 am

benol wrote:I mean tricks to get it done easier, not how it's done!

Unplug all the cords you can
Start with the shortest cord*
*If you don't know the lengths, start with the thinest**
**If you can't work with the thinest, try the most flexible
A helping hand is always good***
***Try promising a little brother/sister a quarter if they do it for you
Trick a friend into doing it

I might add more later...

~Adam~

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:13 am

CFC Fodder wrote:Why do you have a 30 meter power cable in the first place? That's not a good idea for somewhat sensitive electronics.

You are talking to the guy who has a 30m (yes 30m) coil of vga cable under his bed because he is too lazy to find a 6m one.

Just, shhh.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:38 am

Yes, tangled wires are a real pain, I probably spent longer on my project untangling wires than getting them in place in the first place. only tip is to use different coloured wires where possible, then when they do tangle it is easier to know what wire is where.

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:06 am

...or in my case all are white, damn apple and their style

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:04 am

Best solution to untangle them is to have them unplugged, and if short let them hang then work one loose at a time. If they're long try having them laid out on the floor and pull one loose 'til you have to work it loose.

There is no easy way to get cables untangled. If you want to keep them from tangling in the future, try lining up all your cables and securing them to the floor/wall with some duct/100mph tape.

Post by **bicostp** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:52 pm

The best thing to do is take out all the wires, detangle them somewhere you have a lot of room to work in, and re-wire everything from square one. Bundle up the extra slack and tie it up with those velcro straps or some string. (Really long, thin wires could even be coiled up into a toilet paper tube or a Pringles can.) There's no easy way to detangle them, especially if you don't have anywhere to work.

Between my UPS, power strips with way-too-long cords, about 8 wall warts, 30' of Cat-5, an Ethernet switch, a KVM switch, and countless power cords (5 or 6), I know from experience that starting over is easiest.