Storing spare cables/components?

Devrij

Devrij

Devrij

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I'm sure most of us have a box of cables and spares for those "just in case" moments where you might need a VGA cable/spare gfx card etc. I'm trying to organise all my PC bits, as it's starting to pile up a bit with spare stuff. I'm thinking a large plastic container would suit for the majority of it, but how do I stop it from turning into a huge spaghetti maze on top of a bed of loose screws?

I tried using selotape to keep the coils of cable together before, but over time it degraded and left a sticky residue over all the cables, which in turn collects loads of dust, and cable ties are too much of a pain for when I want to use them. I kept all of the original boxes for my components in case I wanted to sell them on, but that had to go with all the space they took up. It's all got to be in the study with my desk, so space is a premium.

What do you guys do to organise your PC bits and bobs?
 
I agree it cant be done, you can put them in there all neatly, in their own little casing, put the lid on for 2 seconds...take it off again....and BOOM

Cable spaghetti
 
A couple of plastic boxes for the bits (I say a couple, I'm at about 5:p), try to sort them so you've got a box with one or two of the most common cables/connectors so they're handy, and the rest sorted roughly into another box.

For cables get a roll of Velcro cable ties, you can buy either a roll of 10mm by 5m (basically 25 end to end) at about a tenner for 4 packs, or a 5m roll that you cut to size for about a fiver.
They are great for holding cables together neatly in storage, or even behind your computers/in your computer :) (they hold them securely, yet are easy to undo and reuse).
 
I had tried rubber bands before (they age and snap, also not good for big cables), but perhaps for the little cables I'll use those. Velcro straps sound like the way forwards! I feel like I need to buy a bunch of tupperware containers for all the small boxes of spares and screws, and then some sort of container for the components, and then I can dump the lot in one big plastic tub.
 
For small screws, one of those boxes you get assortments of wall fixings/picture hanging stuff in are pretty good :)

I use an old multi compartment parts organiser (can't think what it's called, but it's got about 8 compartments the same size, then a long one and a fat one), with most of the spare screws/standoffs* in little baggies, sorted by head and thread, it's quite handy being able to grab a HDD screw etc without having to go though a pile to find the right one :p


*Always store them with the correct screw:p
 
Werewolf said:
For small screws, one of those boxes you get assortments of wall fixings/picture hanging stuff in are pretty good :)

I use an old multi compartment parts organiser (can't think what it's called, but it's got about 8 compartments the same size, then a long one and a fat one), with most of the spare screws/standoffs* in little baggies, sorted by head and thread, it's quite handy being able to grab a HDD screw etc without having to go though a pile to find the right one :p


*Always store them with the correct screw:p
Click to expand...

I'm starting to get the impression you have what I need. And also that your spares/cables are organised how I'd like mine to be. :p Pics! Pics of your organisation!
 
I have a bag of PC stuff (cables, spare mice, more cables, Wireless NIC card) that i really should just throw away, i mean i've not used any of that for like 3 years so what are the chances I will ever need it again?
 
the local poundland here sells a perfectly reasonable compartmentised screw organiser, with adjustable divisions and everything.
I won't tell you what price it is, hopefully you can guess
 
apeksdiver said:
Rubber degrades and snaps, cable ties are the way to go
Click to expand...
Cable ties are a pain to undo though :p



Zogger said:
the local poundland here sells a perfectly reasonable compartmentised screw organiser, with adjustable divisions and everything.
I won't tell you what price it is, hopefully you can guess
Click to expand...

£2.99?


Devrij
I'm better at planning the organisation than I am at actually keeping to it :p
every now and then I tidy the boxes, make sure everything is away neatly, and then about 2 weeks later I need to get something like that Video out cable for an Asus Geforce 3, which happens to be at the bottom of the box, cue the cables getting put back in slightly less tidy:p

It's easy enough with commonly used parts/cables, but gets harder for the ones you don't use much.
I currently have a small box each of "common" video/audio cables/adaptors, "common" fan bits (currently about 4x 120mm fans, 2x 80mm ones, some odd sizes for heatsinks, various fan guards etc), and then the two big boxes with things like old NIC's (about 6-8*), sound cards, a few spare IDE hard drives, AS Bags, long cables, old video cards....
I only threw out the Creative Labs Geforces (geforce DDR's no less!), and Hollywood+ cards earlier this year.


*Going back a few years I got fed up of buying them in a hurry in town, at exorbitant prices whenever I needed one myself, and bought a bunch cheap enough I was able to just fit them in machines I was fixing to do updates etc and leave them in (back before almost every motherboard had an NIC, having spare Realtek 8139 based NIC's was a godsend when it came to making sure a machine was up to date after a reinstall).
 
EyepodI said:
Some of you have too much time on your hands or have OCD. Spaghetti boxes are where it's at man :cool:
Click to expand...

NO :mad::mad:!

Have you ever needed a specific cable at a specific time and then had to resort to fishing around a maze of cables, finding the right one then pulling it only for the other end to snag in the mess of other cables?

It is faff, faff is not needed in the heat of the moment!

Velcro cable ties > *
 
I have similar issues

I use spiral cable wrap , I cut it into small 3" sections and use that to keep
the coiled cable together , best part , they are reuseable
 
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