rounding IDE cables w/ heatshrink...need help...

[fluxcapacitorMB]

I rounded off my IDE cables, followed the directions over at CaseETC. Today I just picked up some heatshrink from Fry's, but I'm absolutely clueless as to how the hell you put it on the IDE cable. The product description at CaseETC says, "Slip the heatshrink on the wire, do the soldering, work the heatshrink over the soldered area, then use a heat gun or hair dryer to shrink the tubing making a tight fit around the wire. Remember to put the heatsrhink on before you solder. " What the hell? How do you just 'slip the heatshrink on the wire?' I got some that is 3/8 expanded and 3/16 retracted. Is that too small? And what exactly do you solder? I don't get it. I'll prolly get a bunch of flame replys w/ the usual LOL's but I'd REALLY appreciate if anyone can explain this to me in layman's terms and preferably point me to some pic's. The rounding cables guide at CaseETC stops at the point where cover the wire.

 

[sygyzy]

The way heatshrink works is like this. You have whatever you are connecting the wire to. Let's say a switch E. ------- (wire)oooooooo (heatshrink). First you slide the heatshrink over the wire. Then when you are done soldering you slide the heatshrink over. So Eoooooooo-----

The problem with rounding IDE cables is both ends are so large, how do you put the heatshrink over. The way I would do it is twist the end so it's colinear with the wire. So instead of having E-------E it would be -----------. Then wiggle the heatshrink over. Then use a hotair gun or hair dryer and heat it up. Then it will shrink. Good luck.

 

[LYHTSPD]

sygyzy... i love your wiring diagrams!

 

[WarCon]

easier ways than heatshrink, I just tie wrap every 1 or so with small ties. I split them every 5 or so for floppy and IDE. And every ten or so with ATA66/100 cables(don't bundle these real tight).

 

[Losty]

wierd...syzygy...haha...gregarinians...hmmmm but where did you get sygyzy?

anyhow...i was thinking of rounding my cables last year...but i changed my mind...
instead i just cut every 5 or 8 for 40 pins and place them back to back ...tape it up and it's pretty flat and thin...looks neat...

depending on the reason why you want rounded cables...i got for neat...but roudning it takes too much effort for me...

good luck on the shrinking...(haven't looked into it though)

 

[Samaro]

Check this rounded cable

 

[Phunktion]

If you want to round your cables this site's explanation worked better and looked better for me.. no heatshrink though cuz I wanted it to be free so I just used cable ties..

 

[sygyzy]

Syzygy is Latin and it's a term use in astronomy, something to do with the alignment of planets. Sygyzy is another way of writing syzygy - they are both correct. But most importantly, it's the title of an episode of the X-Files.

 

[Losty]

interesting...sygyzy is also used in parasitology for the life cycle of gregarinians...
it's like "foreplay" for the parasitic stage...before entering a host...
has something to do with astronomy? i like x files..


so how did the heatshrinking go?