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Computer Cable Management on the Cheap
by thirdspaced on January 30, 2009
Table of Contents
Computer Cable Management on the Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Intro: Computer Cable Management on the Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Step 1: Unplug, Untangle, & Gather the Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Step 2: Mount the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Step 3: Routing the Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Step 4: Route Cables to Dedicated Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Step 5: Finished Product (Comparison) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
Intro: Computer Cable Management on the Cheap
This will show you how to clean up that cable mess below your desk . I have read multiple articles on this site about great ways to manage your cables. I believe this
method is extremely flexible for various cable paths and extremely cheap!
Materials:
1) Large (2 inch) Binder Clips - under $4 for a box of 12
2) 3/4" Wood Screws - under $1 for a box
3) Washers - under $1 for a box
(Optional)
Velcro Straps
Tools:
Screw Driver or Power Screw Driver
Step 1: Unplug, Untangle, & Gather the Supplies
Unplug all the devices and separate the cables from each other.
Gather your supplies. I am using 3/4 inch length screws because my desk is 1 inch thick. It is important that you take the time to measure your desktop. Pick a
screw length that is at least 1/4 inch shorter than the thickness of your desktop. A sure fire way to ruin your day is to finish the project and find that you now have 8
screws sticking up through your desktop.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
Step 2: Mount the Hardware
Power Strip:
I would recommend mounting your power strip first. Mount the power strip in a centralized location. I typically place it closer to the wall in the middle of the desk.
**Tip - Use a pencil and scrap paper to make a map (rubbing) of the mounting holes on your power strip. Then when placing the screws, screw them right
through the paper into the desk. When you are finished placing the screws then rip the paper away.
Clips:
I like to place multiple clips around the power strip because this is going to be an area with lots of cables. Then place other clips where you need them.
Step 3: Routing the Cables
Now you can route the cables through the mounted clips. If you are a purist, you can take the time to mount enough clips to separate out your power cables. This might
keep your power cables from causing distortion in your other cables. I didn't do this because I have never found it to be an issue.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
Step 4: Route Cables to Dedicated Areas
I routed my cables to designated areas. In this case, I am routing cables for my PC and an Xbox 360. I have mounted a clip in the back above these areas. This allows for
a cleaner look by grouping the cables.
Step 5: Finished Product (Comparison)
After I plugged everything back in, I added some velcro straps to keep the bundles tight.
Thanks for reading.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
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Comments
37 comments Add Comment
Jrob420 says: Nov 17, 2010. 3:58 PM REPLY
Great idea very creative nice
Also should never ever place any form of electronics on top of your subwoofer especially anything containing a hard drive the huge magnet thats in
subwoofers fries nearly any hard drive it comes in touch with
A good safety measure is at least a good 2 feet of distance between sub and whatever it is your using,in this case xbox,depending on size of sub though
distance will vary.
thirdspaced says: Nov 17, 2010. 7:08 PM REPLY
Thanks for the info. I did not know that! Lucky for me, I moved the Xbox to the top of the desk shortly after creating the instructable.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
chongyixiong says: Feb 1, 2009. 8:18 PM REPLY
Wow, those look like 2007wfps you have there. And dual monitor set up too! Great work, how hard would it be to dismantle everything if let's say one of the
peripherals, for example a mouse spoils.
thirdspaced says: Feb 1, 2009. 8:47 PM REPLY
Thanks for the feedback. It is not hard at all to get a peripheral free. I think this is a strong point for this system. You just have to compress the clip and
remove your single cable. I actually removed a webcam this morning (cannot get it to work with windows 7 beta). It only took me about a minute to
disconnect and remove it. Nice eye on the monitors!
PCfreak says: Nov 9, 2010. 11:00 PM REPLY
im surprised your not using the Cable/Phone/Ethernet surge device thats built into your surge protector cuz i noticed that you have your Xbox hooked
up with an ethernet cable
thirdspaced says: Nov 11, 2010. 7:07 PM REPLY
I have the main ethernet feed for the room going through a surge protector before it goes into an 8-port switch. All the network cables in the room
are all surge protected. Thanks for viewing.
chongyixiong says: Feb 1, 2009. 10:06 PM REPLY
Alright, by the way I gotta say that was a great job on using cheap and practical stuff instead of those expensive and useless cable tube
thingymajigs.. Man, you should work for IKEA and implement this system into their current production computer tables or anything along that line.
Kudos!
tebbybabes says: Aug 28, 2010. 6:54 PM REPLY
This is an excellent instructable and an excellent idea. I got so tired of my own rats nest, and found this page. Well, after 2 hours of work, including the
shopping, I'm more than happy with my space under my desk! Thank you!!
thirdspaced says: Aug 28, 2010. 11:14 PM REPLY
Awesome! Your setup looks great!
tebbybabes says: Sep 5, 2010. 4:26 AM REPLY
Thank you. It's the bees knees. And I have you to thank for giving me the idea!
kevin_kane says: Jul 28, 2010. 3:53 PM REPLY
Thirdspaced, how did your mount the UPS in place? What is holding the UPS up underneath the desk? Thanks, great job.
thirdspaced says: Jul 28, 2010. 4:52 PM REPLY
Many of them have mounting holes on the back. I just attach screws to the desk and mound. I have some pics of this in Step 2.
Thanks for the feedback!
David McWhite says: Mar 7, 2010. 2:00 PM REPLY
Genius. That is the simplest most effective thing I've seen on here in awhile. Thank you!
MrOctober67 says: Feb 7, 2010. 1:22 PM REPLY
I wish i could do that, however I got a glass top. So I can't mount anything. My main problem is that all the cords are either too long or too short. Bugs the
hell out of me. Ill eventually get something so I can do this
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
thirdspaced says: Feb 7, 2010. 4:46 PM REPLY
If some of your cables are too short, you can look for extension cables at Monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com . They have about every type of cable
you can think of, good quality, and low cost . Thanks for the feedback.
sawatzky says: Oct 21, 2009. 10:49 AM REPLY
speechless. Thankyou.
albylovesscience says: Aug 7, 2009. 6:56 PM REPLY
sweet setup i have 4 awsome souround sound speakers the fisr pare are insignia speakers the second pair are two sharper image surround sound speakers
with a sweet media center am/fm cd player by sharper image then a 17 by 13 inch envision monitor almost as cool as your setup
jonfleck88 says: Feb 5, 2009. 5:43 PM REPLY
The best way to organize cables and wires is to use carabiners and Velcro straps.
liables117 says: Jun 2, 2009. 12:20 PM REPLY
carabiners and ZIPTIES lol
thirdspaced says: Feb 5, 2009. 6:15 PM REPLY
Not a bad system. Might hang a bit too low for my desk. I guess I could try mounting the carabiners differently. How expensive are the carabiners?
jonfleck88 says: Feb 5, 2009. 7:06 PM REPLY
There $0.99 at Home Depot or Lowes.
rednhez says: May 3, 2009. 9:40 PM REPLY
I have to admit when i first looked at the supplies i thought this was going to be stupid. but like a great Instructable i found myself making that " ahhh " noise.
very clever, mounting the clips to the bottom of the desk is a great idea.
BlackHatCracker says: Mar 28, 2009. 10:19 AM REPLY
I agree! Great Idea... Although mine looks worse than yours... I need to try this and see if I can get mine to lool as clean as yours...
Harmodius says: Mar 14, 2009. 5:26 PM REPLY
This is very clever. These fasteners are very much cheaper than carabiners. Hook and loop fastener has disappointed me because the adhesive backing lets
go in time when heated, as by power adapters, USB or FireWire hubs or other items one might want hidden underneath a desk or table. This method lets the
cable conduits (the fasteners) trick the cables themselves into holding up the hubs or power adapters. Very well done indeed (and frugal).
tyler_sav says: Feb 21, 2009. 1:52 PM REPLY
this is an awesome idea I will incorporate it into the computer desk I'm building by the way logitech rocks
Hiroak says: Feb 7, 2009. 10:58 AM REPLY
This is a great idea, a why didn't I think of that idea. Why do you have your monitor long way's?
thirdspaced says: Feb 7, 2009. 12:28 PM REPLY
I usually view web pages and documents on that one. It allows me to see most of the page without scrolling. Thanks for you comment.
Padlock says: Feb 1, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY
Wow. That's one heck-of-a setup. Nice Computer(s).
impulse94 says: Feb 1, 2009. 10:21 AM REPLY
Awesome -- I'll be doing this one this afternoon.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
redhornet says: Feb 1, 2009. 9:13 AM REPLY
good idea i must do it to my pc cables... thanks 4 sharing...
cheeze69 says: Jan 31, 2009. 8:45 PM REPLY
Great idea with good results. Simple and cheap too. I'll have to try this out for the rats nets of cables crammed behind my desk.
DanAdamKOF says: Jan 31, 2009. 2:53 PM REPLY
Oh wow, this looks really easy to set up. I'd try this myself if my computer desk allowed for it (my keyboard tray would get in the way).
cflowers says: Jan 31, 2009. 2:44 PM REPLY
Very nice system! I featured in on The Daily Hack . Keep up the great work! :)
Charlie Flowers
DailyHack.net
twitter.com/charlie
Lurch says: Jan 31, 2009. 10:02 AM REPLY
I'd be a bit concerned about all my power plugs falling out every time the desk gets a knock, particularly the wallwarts.
thirdspaced says: Jan 31, 2009. 10:10 AM REPLY
I have been using this system for 4 - 5 years and I have never had one fall out yet. I have 4 similar setups throughout my home. A couple of them have
wallwarts and again no problem. That may be credit to the APC strip b/c it has a tight fit system.
Lurch says: Jan 31, 2009. 11:37 AM REPLY
Fair enough, I stand corrected, and surprised!
firehazrd says: Jan 31, 2009. 10:20 AM REPLY
this is a wonderful idea! Beats messing with zip ties or spiral wrap. If gravity did ever pose a problem, jus add a long velcro strip under the power strip and
wrap around the wallwart.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Computer-Cable-Management-on-the-Cheap/
