Cable braiding advice.

setter · 21 Oct 2009 at 17:54

Im about to braid a few fan cables and the cables from an akasa junior fan controller. I was wondering if.

1. should i use cable ties on the ends of the braid then put the heatshrink on over them (thinking it may be more secure).

2. Whats the best heat source to use to shrink the tubing, im wary of using a lighter in case i melt something important.

Thanks for any advice/tips.

PGdude · 21 Oct 2009 at 18:58

Heat-shrink works fine. Heatgun is appropriate, but being careful with a lighter works.

setter · 21 Oct 2009 at 19:03

Cheers, i do have a heat gun that i use at work, ill give it a go.

PGdude · 21 Oct 2009 at 19:07

setter said:
Cheers, i do have a heat gun that i use at work, ill give it a go.

You've seen online tutorials, I presume? They always clear up any woes I have, just in case I feel uncertain.

setter · 21 Oct 2009 at 19:15

Yep mate, had a glance at a few tutorials.

StevenG · 21 Oct 2009 at 21:10

a decent hair dryer (if you have a gf, mother, sister etc) will shrink it down for you.

saves melting/burning your braid / connectors.

StevenG

G-Dubs · 21 Oct 2009 at 21:12

I've always used a hairdryer and its worked a treat with the added bonus that you're not going to set fire to anything or melt anything you didn't want to.

If doing many cables, try to keep all heatshrink lengths the same about 15mm seems to look right for some reason

you can use cable ties if you like, they're not really necessary but can look good if used right, or if you need extra grip.

I advise taking all connectors off then braiding as you can get a much better finish, unless of course you want to shrink over the connectors also, but you'll find that if the heat shrink is wide enough to go over the connector it's too wide to get good shrinkage on the cable.

Modded one myself along with a few other cables

setter · 21 Oct 2009 at 21:21

StevenG said:
a decent hair dryer (if you have a gf, mother, sister etc) will shrink it down for you.

saves melting/burning your braid / connectors.

StevenG

Yep i can get a hairdryer, dfinitely better than the heat gun i have which i use at work for stripping paint.

G-Dubs said:
I've always used a hairdryer and its worked a treat with the added bonus that you're not going to set fire to anything or melt anything you didn't want to.

If doing many cables, try to keep all heatshrink lengths the same about 15mm seems to look right for some reason

you can use cable ties if you like, they're not really necessary but can look good if used right, or if you need extra grip.

I advise taking all connectors off then braiding as you can get a much better finish, unless of course you want to shrink over the connectors also, but you'll find that if the heat shrink is wide enough to go over the connector it's too wide to get good shrinkage on the cable.

Modded one myself along with a few other cables

The way you have the black 8 pin connector mate is the way i was considering using the cable ties, looks very secure, ill probably take the connector ends off as it would be to much hassle trying to get the shrink tube over them, and like you say the tubing wont shrink properly then. Thanks for the advice guys.

Diggsy · 21 Oct 2009 at 21:46

I tried the hairdryer trick and found it just wasn't hot enough to get the heatshrink to reduce fully.

I found the best way for me was to use a good solid candle, and hover the cable ends over it, turning them constantly to avoid any melting. Shrinks the heatshrink completely within a few seconds.

Also using a solid, stable candle means you have both hands free to work with the cables.

han_solo · 22 Oct 2009 at 22:47

hair dryer works fine for me... you need to use the adaptor that narrows down... and then put it on max heat but you need to point really really close to the heatshrink for it to be hot enough to shrink.

PhillyDee · 22 Oct 2009 at 22:48

I use a gas soldering iron, but instead of a soldering bit, it is just a small nozzle.

PioneerFX · 23 Oct 2009 at 01:25

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=202639

Comprehensive guide to anything you need regards cable braiding

setter · 23 Oct 2009 at 01:36

Thanks guys some good advice and link.

Muel · 23 Oct 2009 at 08:33

Please tell me if I'm being daft, but where do you get the braided sleeve stuff from? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

AMG · 23 Oct 2009 at 13:30

from a competitor

also for the sockets like little 3 pin fan sockets how would you go about putting braiding on? my idea was to cut the braid than shrink it back together again, I m being silly again I m guessing

Muel · 23 Oct 2009 at 14:55

You can remove them too I believe? Or it says you can in that guide posted before...

Would someone mind PMing me where I can get some from? I want to do my SATA cables too so I need 3/8" apparantly, but dont seem to be able to fine any

I've spent too long looking at google now...

Nem · 23 Oct 2009 at 15:58

I'm going to go out on a limb here and put up this link:

http://en.mdpc-x.com/

Mainly as I've just ordered some from there, but also it really is JUST selling braiding, and a couple of screws and fittings. Not something which OCUK stocks at all.

It's just such a specialised site I hope I'm ok with the 'no competitor' rule on this one. I'll happily consider myself slapped if it's still not allowed and is removed tho.

xiphrex · 23 Oct 2009 at 16:14

Pretty cool site there Nem, thanks.

Ive used a hairdryer before and it just wasnt hot enough.

Tried a lighter and almost burnt my fingers and Im pretty sure I burnt the wire as well but that PC is long gone now.

Muel · 23 Oct 2009 at 17:43

Nem said:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and put up this link:

http://en.mdpc-x.com/

Mainly as I've just ordered some from there, but also it really is JUST selling braiding, and a couple of screws and fittings. Not something which OCUK stocks at all.

It's just such a specialised site I hope I'm ok with the 'no competitor' rule on this one. I'll happily consider myself slapped if it's still not allowed and is removed tho.

Cheers for that! Don't worry you'll be find linkiing to that, they're not a competitor.

Can someone tell me if this kit would be a good idea? http://en.mdpc-x.com/mdpc-sleeve/sleeve-kits-+-tools/sleeve-kits/mdpc-sleeve-kit.htm

I would normally look through the site and add up everything I needed then get the cheapest, but at the moment I'm getting 13KBPS internet speed, so I don't think I'll bother waiting for it...

Also I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm planning on doing a case mod at some point between now and the end of time, so it'd be rude not to. The sleeving on my PSU isn't too bad, but you can see through it. It's a Corsair TX650W so comes ready braided, but you can see the yellow and red showing through.

Nem · 23 Oct 2009 at 22:54

The way I'm doing it is by sleeving a 24pin extension cable, and the 12v cable and a couple if pci-ex extension cables. Rather than cut the stock sleeving off my nice new 1000w corsair unit.

That way you get the benefit of the sleeving, but you can change / replace psu if needed, and you've not voided any warrenty.