Comments on: Coiling Your Cables … You’re Doing it Wrong.

By: audio cables

audio cables — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:00 +0000

Thanks, I really love this post and a great description of how to coil cables. Most home users won’t think about why they need to coil audio cables in a particular way since they are more concerned with tidiness (in my opinion). Keep up the good work.

By: audio cables

audio cables — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Brilliant post, and thanks to the maker of the video. I’ll be sharing this amongst a few friends who don’t believe there is a "right way" to put cables away.

By: Terrence W. Blanton

Terrence W. Blanton — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:02:00 +0000

What’s the difference between a sound guy and a lesbian?

By: David Parrott

David Parrott — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Some really insightful comments here, so not much more needs be said. I’ll just add that the care needed when coiling a cable correlates with the complexity of a cable. For instance, power cables, especially heavier gauge ones are less likely to fail* if coiled roughly than audio cables. 15 foot USB cables are pretty much the most sensitive cables I can think of, and should be coiled with great care.

*but should still be coiled correctly, not just because of wear and tear, but also because if you’ve got a power cable hooked up to an ARRI 10K, and it’s coiled wrong, you’ll burn yourself, or wind up with a puddle of molten metal and plastic. Induction is crazy.

By: Kim Long Vo

Kim Long Vo — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:28:00 +0000

I think I misspoke, You can still loop it counter-clockwise (starting with the connector pointed away from you) and slightly twist the cable clockwise as you go, the same way the wire components inside are wound.

You’re right, twisting it counter-clockwise would be bad.

By: Thomas Lawn

Thomas Lawn — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:45:00 +0000

Over/under is bad for certain applications. I know this from boating – if you are trying to spool line from a pile it won’t run if it’s over/under.

By: JP Zajackowski

JP Zajackowski — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:58:00 +0000

Oh ya! Definitely not fun cleaning triax or CCU! Luckily (usually) we get ours on a spool with a crank

By: Peter Covell

Peter Covell — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:24:00 +0000

Untrue. Because of the direction that cables are spun inside, you have to coil them clockwise, especially if you don’t over/ under the cable (which, of course, you should). Otherwise, the twists inside will untwist and cause the cable to eventually fail…or the shield in this case, at least.

By: Ryan Riegner

Ryan Riegner — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:56:00 +0000

I don’t understand why electricians hate over/under. Over/under preserves shielding effect from twisted pair, but it doesn’t do anything bad to cables that aren’t shielded. I coil everything over/under because it’s easier to run without untwisting it.

By: Michael Velardo

Michael Velardo — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:38:00 +0000

I just drag them like long garden hoses, gather them up, and stuff them in a studio closet where they belong. Not really. Good tip. I did not know this either. But it makes perfect sense. Thanks.