Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

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Blackhawk
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Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

Does anybody have a handy trick for locking two cords together? I've got some cords (USB, etc) that I use an extension with, but they hang vertically and I'd like to keep the weight of the cords themselves from unplugging them when jostled. I can think of ways of locking them together permanently (or semi-permanently.) Zip ties would work for that. But I need to be able to unplug them from time to time by hand, so I need something that can be removed and put back. I've seen commercial solutions, but they're expensive.

Has anybody solved this particular riddle?

/edit - this is electronic cords, not shop cords. I'm not interested in tying them in a knot and degrading the expensive cables.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

I may actually have thought of a solution after posting.

I'm going to take two zip ties, form one into a small loop, and use the other to fasten the loop right behind the plug on each cable. So each cable will effectively have a round ring right where the wire goes into the plug (so the rings will be a couple of inches apart when the two are plugged together.) Then I can get a velcro cable tie and hook the two loops together, pulling them tight. If done right, it will transfer the force - or a good bit of the force - around the plugs' connection (which is just friction), and I would just need to remove the velcro to 'unlock' them.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by dbt1949 »

I have a USB cable that is spring retractable. Just that one but such things do exist.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=retractable+ ... doa-p_2_15
Last edited by dbt1949 on Sun Feb 28, 2021 5:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Isgrimnur »

I've seen binder clips used to good effect.
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Unagi
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Unagi »

Can you tie a single knot into the two cord ends, and then attach them to each other. (This is not a tight knot)
I do this with my electric leaf blower, to its main extension cord.
So that I can put tension on the cord while using it and not yank it free.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

Unagi wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:39 pm Can you tie a single knot into the two cord ends, and then attach them to each other. (This is not a tight knot)
I do this with my electric leaf blower, to its main extension cord.
So that I can put tension on the cord while using it and not yank it free.
No chance. I've done the same thing with power cords, but this is for a VR headset, and the cords are expensive.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by TheMix »

They make zip ties with a little circle on the end for a screw. I got one from somewhere, but I haven't actually tried using the screw. But it might let you zip tie the cords, and then screw the zip tie into the wall below the devices to hold it stationary.

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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Paingod »

Plug the two ends together and then delicately wind an entire roll of electrical tape up and down the cables, radiating out from the point of contact. Layer this until you've run out of electrical tape.

... the only good suggestions I had were already posted or ruled out. :think:
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by The Meal »

I have a suggestion in the other direction, but I'm not sure how well it may apply. But how about a connection that is magnetic-only that has the intention of disconnecting as easy as possible (ensuring no damage to any cabling or attached devices in the case of the cord being stretched too far).

I had a different end-goal in mind, but I recently changed over my devices-which charge to this product:

The obvious-to-me downside is that this device only allows charge to carry through, not data. The particular product I linked also only changes the interface at the device (i.e., replacing the mini-usb connection with their own magnet connector), but maybe something similar exists for whatever mid-way connections you're already using (or at the VR headset device plug-in, if it's not a hard-wired cable). The final obvious downside is that this product costs money (though is not particularly outrageous, IMO, but your financial situation is your own and I don't imply how you should be spending your money—just listing an alternative option for you to consider).
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, some of this was my fault for vague descriptions. I originally wrote the text for elsewhere where I don't want nosiness and just copied it here.

As I mentioned, it's for VR. It's one USB 3 cable and one DisplayPort cable (so it's data, and USB-only solutions won't work), and it will be running vertically from a PC tower on the floor to the ceiling to use with a cable management system in a few weeks.

Sorry if the badly worded question led to wasted effort. You may commence the beating of the me.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Enlarge Image

Enlarge Image

3M Command Cord Bundlers may help, and tend to be affordable and widely available in retail stores.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by gilraen »

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:21 pm Zip ties would work for that. But I need to be able to unplug them from time to time by hand, so I need something that can be removed and put back.
Can't say that I've tried it, but in theory you may be able to use reusable cable zip ties (something like this) in a similar fashion as regular zip ties.

P.S. Talk about a permanent solution :D
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by LawBeefaroni »

Wrap the end (plug area) of each cable with a velcro tie, keeping hook or loop exposed (same for each cable). Use adhesive to secure to cable if necessary/preferred.

With a wide piece of the opposite hook or loop, wrap both cables, securing them together.


In essence it's like duct taping them together except you can remove the velcro.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Jaymon »

There is a product

https://tethertools.com/product/jerksto ... sion-lock/



I haven't used it personally, but it seems to do what you need. Lock two cables together so they don't pull apart, but you can still undo it by hand.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Unagi »

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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

LawBeefaroni wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 1:54 pm Wrap the end (plug area) of each cable with a velcro tie, keeping hook or loop exposed (same for each cable). Use adhesive to secure to cable if necessary/preferred.

With a wide piece of the opposite hook or loop, wrap both cables, securing them together.


In essence it's like duct taping them together except you can remove the velcro.
That's an excellent solution. Basically coat both plugs with one side of the velcro, then use a wide piece of the other to wrap them! It beats my idea.
Jaymon wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:12 pm There is a product

https://tethertools.com/product/jerksto ... sion-lock/



I haven't used it personally, but it seems to do what you need. Lock two cables together so they don't pull apart, but you can still undo it by hand.
I'd seen those. I'm not 100% confident they'll fit, though, and they're expensive enough that I don't really want to experiment and hope they'll do the job (they also may be too bulky.)
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Blackhawk »

Unagi wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:15 pm The hive is a wonderful mind.
Yes. Yes it is.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Kasey Chang »

No need to go such fancy extremes. You just need two hook-n-loop cable ties (or 4 if you want to double up)

Put one on each end of the cables you need to mate. Use the hole provided so they form a loop around the end so they don't come off. Make them tight too.

Now just pull and bend until one end overlaps the other. Hook to loop (or vice versa. Overlap as much surface as possible.

If you need extra security, add two more hook-n-opp cable ties, then double up on the OTHER end as well. Now when you try to pull them apart, they won't due to the overlapped pieces of hook-n-loop, but you can undo quite easily.
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Re: Keeping (USB, etc) cords from unplugging from extensions?

Post by Kasey Chang »

The Meal wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:44 pm I have a suggestion in the other direction, but I'm not sure how well it may apply. But how about a connection that is magnetic-only that has the intention of disconnecting as easy as possible (ensuring no damage to any cabling or attached devices in the case of the cord being stretched too far).

I had a different end-goal in mind, but I recently changed over my devices-which charge to this product:
FWIW, I have the EARLIER generation of this product, the one with the flat head, not the round head, and those are data AND power.
I think these round head ones are often referred to as Gen 3, and the flat head type as "Gen X". I can confirm Gen X is data and power, at least for MicroUSB and USB-C, not sure about Lightning.
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