What sort of cable is this?

06
2014-04
  • KJ O

    I have no idea what this cable is. I have searched high and low looking for the name for about three weeks. Sorry about the pictures; I'm no photographer.

    enter image description here

    Before anyone asks: No. I would imagine these don't generally have light switches on them! I needed a switch and that's all I had.

    • Answers
  • Tonny

    This is certainly not a standard computer cable.
    Even without the light-switch :-)

    Looks like a straight 12-pin cable, could be used for anything.

    Occasionally you will see such cables between motherboard and front-panel in OEM systems.
    (For audio-jacks, power/reset-switches, LEDS, sometimes USB or Firewire.)

    Standard of-the-shelf motherboards have standardized connectors for those, so they match up with the standard connectors on of-the-shelf normal system-cases.
    But OEMs sometimes saves a couple of dollars by using non-standard wiring.
    (They often use custom cases and custom motherboards they design themselves, so they can do whatever they want.)

    You frequently find non-standard wiring in servers as well. There is far less standardization in servers when it comes to form-factor and internal cabling so more or less anything goes on those.

  • Scott Chamberlain

    That looks like it is just a generic 12 pin female Free Hanging, Panel Mount connector.

    You will need to perform some mesurements to see exactly which one you need but you can go a parts supplier website like DigiKey to buy one.


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    organization - Cable management techniques
  • cornjuliox

    Possible Duplicate:
    How to declutter and organize the cables on and under my desk?

    How do you manage the giant jungle of cables behind your PC? When you have 2 or more PCs next to each other, you wind up with this giant mess cables that's a pain in the neck to clean especially when both computers are running 24/7 and any fidgeting with the cables is likely to cause data loss and/or angry users. So far I've tried masking tape, cable ties and plain old string but none have been very effective.

    The masking tape kept the cables in place, but over time they ended up leaving this awful sticky residue on the sides of the cables that just won't come off gets all over your fingers and is horrible horrible horrible. I have nightmares about that stuff.

    We used cable ties and 'folded' up some of the longer cables so that they weren't any longer than they needed to be, but this meant that the position of some of our devices like the keyboard and the mouse were essentially 'fixed' until we removed the ties. The string didn't work much differently and required that we tie them properly or risk it coming loose.

    I would switch to a wireless keyboard and mouse, but I don't want to have to deal with the added expense of batteries, even the rechargeable ones. Plus I don't want them to die on me at a crucial moment (happened to me once while playing Firearms >_<).

    I know that there are people out there with home/office networks a thousand times more convoluted than mine, so


    • Related Answers
  • rlb.usa

    LifeHacker (link here) has a slew of posts/pages/tips on this, from DIY to articles and ask-the-reader. Includes :

  • MDMarra

    Velcro velcro velcro

    Cut one inch strips and bundle your cables with it. It won't leave a residue like masking tape and it is easily adjusted without having to get wire snippers like cable ties need.

  • BillN

    At home, I use "Cup Hooks" on the underside of the desk. These are hooks designed to hold small tea/coffee cups, and are similar to the kind of hook you'd see holding a lamp, or potted plant from the ceiling, but they have a small flap of metal covering the open part of the hook (think of the hook that holds the shoulder strap on a bag). This keeps the cables in, but I can remove a single cable without messing with all the rest. I ran a series of them on the bottom side of the desk, about every 8-10 inches, this way if a cable is too long, I can loop it around two or more hooks and get a length that is within 4-8 inches of perfect.

  • ssvarc

    Here is something that, admittedly, I've never tried, but seems like it should work. Use ShopVac hoses cut to the right size using a sharp utility knife.

    Cables should easily fit through it and the hose should make it easy to keep things separate. You can get creative and drill holes through a desk and attach the hoses to them using a coupler (either a ShopVac, plumbing, or special desk grommets).

    Hope this helps!