Web User - UK (2019-06-12)

Cable identifiers make

it easyto mark a cable

to see where it belongs

Cable clips can helpkeep your desktop tidy

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Cable identifiers
If you havea lot of similar looking
cablesyou use in close proximity
(USB or HDMI cables,for example),
telling them apart can be tricky.
Colour-coded cable identifiers can
be clippedtoa visible part of the
wire,soyou can seeata glance
where a cable originates from.

MINI WORKSHOP

Keep your cables organised

with thesesolutions

1

Velcro ties are the simplest and cheapest

wayto bundle groups of wirestogether.

They oftencome packaged in a block – just

pokeyour fingernail in the gap and pull one

free.With the shiny side up, placeyour cables

in thecentre, poke thetongue through the

hole and pull it tight.

2

Cable sleeves are a good solutionfor

a thick bunch of wires around the back of

a television or desktop computer.There are

different typesavailable, but theexample

shown above is typical, made of thick

neoprene material with a zipfastener on

either side. Placeyour wires down the length

of the sleeve.

3

An extra convenience is thatyou can wrap

the sleeve aroundyour wires without

havingto unplug them first.Fold the sleeve in

half lengthwise, thenconnect thefastener

and zip it up. Depending on how many wires

you have jammed in there, it might be a bit

snug, but the material isstretchyenoughto

accommodate 8-10comfortably.

Cheap and free options

You can bindyour cablestogether

for freebywrappingsticky tape

around them. Getting the cables

free again isn’t alwaysso easy,

however. Another option istouse

twisty bag ties (plasticcoated

wires).You can buy large numbers

of thesefor areasonable price,but

the chances areyou’ll havesome

lying around from previous

electrical item purchases.You

can also use a bulldog clip,

if you haveone.

If you wanttokeep

wires under a desk and

off the floor,you could

consider using an old

papertowel roll

attachedtothe

underside. If necessary,

you can slice it open,

place the cables inside,

and then tape it back

up. A similar, more

robust solution isto

use the cardboard

tubefound inside

kitchenfoil.This is

obviously nowhere

near as flexiblea

solution as a neoprene

sleeve, but it might be

allyou need.