Currently they’re in types in ziploc baggies but there must be a better way
the baggies:
- USB A > USB C
- USB C <> USB C
- USB A > USB B Micro
- Ethernet
- HDMI to different sized HDMI
- HDMI to USB B
- HDMI to other USB
- HDMI to HDMI
- USB female to male and extenders
- Dongles, converters, and USB hubs
- VGA
- USB A to lightning bolt
- A few old ipod charging cables
Not pictured: separate drawer for guitar cables, XLR, headphones jack to jack and adapters, phono and midi; separate duffel bag for long power cables; separate baggie in another drawer for international adapters and plugs
I joined the conversation only to post this question. To it, you beat me
I may be dull, but I’m certainly not organized or motivated!
It’s the one with the spare cables in it is how it’s organized. I think there’s an old clock, an airbrush and a couple long expired sectional charts in there.
How are you organizing your spare cable drawer?
Should I be?
Buy a refrigerator box, write “CABLES” on every side and put all cables in the box
Sorted
No drawers in the server closet, so 3D printer to the rescue:
Just wanna say, this is gorgous
mind sharing those .STLs?
Sure! Here are the cable organizers and “magazine”.
The magazine is for a gridfinity setup but I modified it to work with my printed Skadis panels, which are in turn a heavily modified version of this openscad model with a custom “wedge” mount to lock the panel tighter onto the wedges as more weight is added. My customizations aren’t shared anywhere, but if you’re interested, I’ll put them up on printables.
For those that haven’t yet discovered them, reusable cable ties exist. They make keeping cables properly coiled a lot easier. No more rat kings!
If you have Ethernet cables that are old or have damaged ends in your pile just sacrifice them to make your own cable ties. Cut it into pieces as long as you need to wrap your other cables and in each section you cut you get four twist ties.
Cheap, readily at hand, and if the cables were bad you can call it recycling.
You can also just buy an entire reel of velcro tape and cut pieces as needed.
Organize?
Are you kidding me? I have 21 drawers of cables and bs.
(Not all of these are filled / bottom right are empty)
I was about to ask if you could show off some of your assorted cables, then I couldn’t stop thinking of Professor Farnsworth
Prof. Farnsworth: Let me show you around. That’s my lab table and this is my work-stool. And over there is my intergalactic spaceship! And here’s where I keep assorted lengths of wire.
Fry: Whoa! A real live spaceship!
Prof. Farnsworth: I designed it myself. Let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I used.
Michael’s store sells thee 16 5x7 photo organizers in a carry case.
It’s called Simply Tidy: Photo and Craft Keeper. Also fits 3.5 inch HDDs.
Organize?
I used to have a big plastic tub that I just tossed all the cables into. After a few years, it was literally all one piece; no matter where you pulled, the entire thing would come out. It took 5 minutes of untangling to get anything out. My brother called it an abomination.
I bag each type separately, as you do. I have fewer audio cables, so they are also bagged in the same bin, quarter and eighth inch phone cables separately. No Apple stuff. Extras like DE9 serial and MIDI cables. IEC power cables are in the bin, extension cords coiled, hanging from the basement ceiling.
Rubber band everything and throw them in a series of different drawers of varying sizes with a vague organizational scheme
Mine is a cable storage tub, but same way. Baggies.
It’s a box. It’s full of cables.
I just get a big ziplock and stuff cables in it till its full and get a new one.
I just go through looking for a cable by going “hmm would this be a 2015-2020 cable or a 2010-2015 cable?”
My system is undoubtedly flawed, but it works well enough to not fix it.
