3 ms·

> If I care about what it looks like and want to precisely arrange my cables, I always lace. It's time-consuming, finger-aching work, though and I'm not as good

by ilyt 4y ago

> If I care about what it looks like and want to precisely arrange my cables, I always lace. It's time-consuming, finger-aching work, though and I'm not as good at it as I was when I was younger[0]. I just use zip-ties. What is the advantage of lacing ?

krupan 4y ago
The linked article has your answer
- brycedriesenga 4y ago
  It says the following, but I still don't get it. How does a hook-and-loop tie add that much more obstruction that it could be an issue? "This old cable management technique, taught to generations of linemen, is still used in some modern applications since it does not create obstructions along the length of the cable."
  - chiph 4y ago
    If you try and pull a bundle of wires out (like through an opening in a floor tile), Velcro loops will snag on anything with a edge to it. Zip-ties will definitely snag on the head and sometimes on the body. Lacing cord is continuous and flat, so it won't snag. I'm not saying Velcro and zip-ties don't have their place. If I'm securing a bundle to a wire support on a rack, I'll use Velcro because I know that sooner or later it'll get touched again.
gregsadetsky 4y ago
I'm not a pro at this at all, I've only done amateur small-scale cabling jobs. If I understand correctly, the arguments against zip ties are that 1) it's easy to overtighten them, which can lead to damage to network cables 2) they're obviously irreversible so less flexibility in the future? Am I overthinking this? There must be standard cable management practices (that are either pro/against zip ties)... can anyone recommend a guide? --- For what it's worth, found this: https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/res2/Best-practices-guide-for-cabling-data-center.pdf https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/res2/Best-practice... Use cable ties to hold a group of cables together or to fasten cables to other components. Choose Velcro-based cable ties versus zip ties, as there is a tendency for users to over-tighten zip ties. Over-tightening can crush the cables and impact performance.
- wl 4y ago
  If you're using a lot of zip ties, you really need a zip tie gun. Not only do you get a consistent tension, but you also trim the excess at the same time.
  - cuSetanta 4y ago
    Love those things, a lot of fun to use and always get perfect results. They have some very nice ones with spinning heads to reach ties in difficult locations too.
  - katbyte 4y ago
    Still get the sharp edges
sandworm101 4y ago
Zip ties move. Lacing points are all attached. They don't slide along a cable like loose zip ties.
readingnews 4y ago
The person that comes behind you (or you) who cuts the ends of the zip ties off has never stuck their hands back in there, I bet. In tight spaces, the cut off zip ties become nice little knives, and will cut your hands when the zip ties are large. We did this on industrial equipment panels, and had to stop due to techs coming in after us and cutting themselves up in tight spaces.
- 2ICofafireteam 4y ago
  Have you tried twisting them to break them?
cuSetanta 4y ago
In the space sector the mass savings over a whole spacecraft can really make a difference, and lacing doesnt introduce and hard edges that can lead to fraying or wear from vibrations. Additionally, lacing cord typically can handle much higher temperatures than space-rated zip ties.
mdip 4y ago
> What is the advantage of lacing It's a "pros/cons" thing to me. The big disadvantage is that it's far more time-consuming. The advantages are mostly aesthetic. For example, I have a 7.2.2 home theater setup with an AVR ... basically 14 cables going to the back of a device that is located in a place in my family room which makes it hard to obscure the cables. I purchased white speaker cables to match my white wax lace, laced the speaker cables each at ~1.5". The lace is coated in wax, so it will coerce the cables into the right position by wrapping it around an extra 2-3 times when needed. It's more invisible than zip ties -- there's no "nub". If you're lacing the way I was taught, there's no knot. Each cable in the bundle is individually tied, as well as the bundle which means "it stays where you tied it" far better than zip ties do. This also means you have to do almost all lacing "in place" because you can't fix mistakes after the fact. The result looks like one larger cable, made from 9 others in a horizontal row behind my receiver which makes a sharp turn directly into a port in the wall. I can remove my receiver and the 9 cables remain roughly in the same position because the lace holds. I used black lace to cover the black power cables (separated from the speaker/signal wires).

by ilyt 4y ago

krupan 4y ago

The linked article has your answer

brycedriesenga 4y ago
It says the following, but I still don't get it. How does a hook-and-loop tie add that much more obstruction that it could be an issue? "This old cable management technique, taught to generations of linemen, is still used in some modern applications since it does not create obstructions along the length of the cable."
- chiph 4y ago
  If you try and pull a bundle of wires out (like through an opening in a floor tile), Velcro loops will snag on anything with a edge to it. Zip-ties will definitely snag on the head and sometimes on the body. Lacing cord is continuous and flat, so it won't snag. I'm not saying Velcro and zip-ties don't have their place. If I'm securing a bundle to a wire support on a rack, I'll use Velcro because I know that sooner or later it'll get touched again.

gregsadetsky 4y ago

I'm not a pro at this at all, I've only done amateur small-scale cabling jobs. If I understand correctly, the arguments against zip ties are that 1) it's easy to overtighten them, which can lead to damage to network cables 2) they're obviously irreversible so less flexibility in the future? Am I overthinking this? There must be standard cable management practices (that are either pro/against zip ties)... can anyone recommend a guide? --- For what it's worth, found this: https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/res2/Best-practices-guide-for-cabling-data-center.pdf https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/res2/Best-practice... Use cable ties to hold a group of cables together or to fasten cables to other components. Choose Velcro-based cable ties versus zip ties, as there is a tendency for users to over-tighten zip ties. Over-tightening can crush the cables and impact performance.

wl 4y ago
If you're using a lot of zip ties, you really need a zip tie gun. Not only do you get a consistent tension, but you also trim the excess at the same time.
- cuSetanta 4y ago
  Love those things, a lot of fun to use and always get perfect results. They have some very nice ones with spinning heads to reach ties in difficult locations too.
- katbyte 4y ago
  Still get the sharp edges

sandworm101 4y ago

Zip ties move. Lacing points are all attached. They don't slide along a cable like loose zip ties.

readingnews 4y ago

The person that comes behind you (or you) who cuts the ends of the zip ties off has never stuck their hands back in there, I bet. In tight spaces, the cut off zip ties become nice little knives, and will cut your hands when the zip ties are large. We did this on industrial equipment panels, and had to stop due to techs coming in after us and cutting themselves up in tight spaces.

2ICofafireteam 4y ago
Have you tried twisting them to break them?

cuSetanta 4y ago

In the space sector the mass savings over a whole spacecraft can really make a difference, and lacing doesnt introduce and hard edges that can lead to fraying or wear from vibrations. Additionally, lacing cord typically can handle much higher temperatures than space-rated zip ties.

mdip 4y ago

> What is the advantage of lacing It's a "pros/cons" thing to me. The big disadvantage is that it's far more time-consuming. The advantages are mostly aesthetic. For example, I have a 7.2.2 home theater setup with an AVR ... basically 14 cables going to the back of a device that is located in a place in my family room which makes it hard to obscure the cables. I purchased white speaker cables to match my white wax lace, laced the speaker cables each at ~1.5". The lace is coated in wax, so it will coerce the cables into the right position by wrapping it around an extra 2-3 times when needed. It's more invisible than zip ties -- there's no "nub". If you're lacing the way I was taught, there's no knot. Each cable in the bundle is individually tied, as well as the bundle which means "it stays where you tied it" far better than zip ties do. This also means you have to do almost all lacing "in place" because you can't fix mistakes after the fact. The result looks like one larger cable, made from 9 others in a horizontal row behind my receiver which makes a sharp turn directly into a port in the wall. I can remove my receiver and the 9 cables remain roughly in the same position because the lace holds. I used black lace to cover the black power cables (separated from the speaker/signal wires).