JOURNEYMAN
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ust because you’re a gadget junkie doesn’t mean you
have to be a sloth. We know that managing the power
cords for your PDA, cellphone, MP3 player, and digital
camera can create a tangled mess on your desk, so we’ve
devised a way to keep your chargers elegantly organized
to avoid scaring off the ladies (image A).
For this project, you’ll need a sizable box that can
fi t a power strip, heavy-duty scissors or a cutting blade,
some craft glue, some small decorative frames, and the
aforementioned power strip (image B). We picked up a
nice-looking storage box from a craft store, but a plain
shoe box will do if you don’t care about aesthetics. We also
bought our tiny decorative frames from a craft store. We’ll
use these to stylize the ports of our charging station—just
keep in mind that each hole has to be large enough to fi t at
least one end of your charging cable.
Using a metal frame, stencil several holes on the lid of
the box, where the charging cables will eventually emerge
(image C). Also stencil a hole on the side of the box for the
power strip’s power cable. Using the markings as a guide,
score the box with a sharp blade. The box we bought was
pretty thick, so it was impossible to cut through with one
pass. Instead, we glued the frames on top of the scored ar-
eas before making deeper cuts to punch out the holes—the
frames help guide our cuts and hide any imperfections.
Once the holes are created, plug your gadgets’ chargers into the power strip. You
should bundle and tie up the cables for each charger with a zip tie as well, so cords
aren’t tangled with each other in the box (image D). String the other end of each charger
through a hole. For USB-powered devices, we plugged a generic powered-USB hub into
the power strip (Belkin sells one for $20) and wired USB cables through the box lid.
With the box fi nished, you can accent it with stickers or labels to match your
desktop setup.34 | MAXIMUMPC | JUL 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
T
he unkempt mess of cords and cables under
any power user’s desk is a horrifi c no-man’s-
land of dust and disarray. The easiest way to
sheathe and organize computer cords is to use
foam pipe-insulation. We found a 6-foot-long tube
at a local hardware store for less than $2!NOVICE
Ij[abj^ Oouh CaXb[iStart by deciding
which cables to
bundle together.
Power cables should
never be bundled
with audio or video
cables, since AC
current distorts
sound and video
signals. We recom-
mend grouping your
USB and peripheral
cables, your power
and network cables,
and your speaker
cables separately.Measure and cut off a section of insulation tube
that’s long enough to house your cables while leav-
ing about a foot of slack at each end. Some tubes are
precut or perforated along their ridges, while others
will have to be sliced open like a hot dog bun. Lay the
bundled cables down along the length of the foam
tube. When you release the walls of the tube, they
will envelop the cables, keeping them out of sight.The great thing
about these tubes
is that the cables
can “exit” at any
point, so they don’t
all have to come
out at one end. Use
some strong tape
or staples to affi x
the tube under-
neath your desk.
Who knew cable
management could
be so easy?!b
c
Once the holes are created, plug your gadgets’ chargers into the power strip. You
should bundle and tie up the cables for each charger with a zip tie as well, so cords
aren’t tangled with each other in the box (image D). String the other end of each charger
through a hole. For USB-powered devices, we plugged a generic powered-USB hub intod
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