wearing out cable connections?

[guynexdoor]

I am a teacher and I use a laptop and projector everyday for my lessons. However, I have to plug in and the vga cable everyday, and pull it out everyday, since I don't have the projector mounted, and I cannot leave it out overnight.

Will this routine damage my cable? Or more importantly, the port that the cable goes into, both on the laptop, and the projector?

 

[wwswimming]

i started using computers back when they had "MGP" (monochrome
graphics with a parallel printer port". i guess VGA came along in
the ... well let's just say the Windows 3 system i got in 1990 had
a VGA connector. some of my LCD monitors still use VGA connectors.

never had one go bad; never heard a corporate IT guy where i
worked as an engineer kvetch about one going bad.

as long as you don't leave the "solid rectangular box" part of
the cable, for example hanging over the edge of a table, and
then accidentally walk into it ... in other words, as long as you
don't torque the mated connector pair, you should be all right.

 

[guynexdoor]

OK, great! Thanks!

 

[Zepper]

VGA connectors (D-Sub HD15) really aren't designed for continuous reconnection cycles. I'd get some short extensions and hook them to both ends and use the extensions' connectors to repeatedly disconnect. When they wear out, get a new pair of extensions. bgmicro.com and computergate.com have 6 footers at low prices. CablesToGo.com has shorter ones but at 4 times the price or more.

.bh.

 

[bruceb]

I agree with what Zepper says .. Get an extension cable .. they are cheap and will protect
the connector on the computer from excessive wear, which could lead to a costly repair.

 

[Zepper]

Yeah as bruceb says, probably all you need is an extension on the computer side (the female socket) as the male side should hold up OK as long as a pin doesn't get bent or broken. Being a fan of the "belt and suspenders" approach to mishap prevention, I would use something on both ends. Using the screws to hold the ends together takes stress off the contacts.

.bh.