Cable Sleeving Guide

[Kayin]

For curosity's sake, what convinced you guys to unisleeve everything in the first place? (This is more pointed at Nils and crew than everyone else...) I bought my MDPC sleeving, sleeved a lot of stuff (and it all looks fantastic) but when I did stuff like my 8-pin EPS and the 24-pin ATX I noticed that I was creating bulk, not getting it out of the way of my airflow. To be perfectly honest, I'm the kind of person that would rather not see wires at all. But I thought that while sleeving certainly was an aesthetic choice, it was also designed to control the wires in a build, which unisleeving doesn't do.

I am not saying the rigs don't look great, I just wonder about that (I tend to do a LOT of my modding dictated by perfomance first and aethetics second, which is why they all take so blasted much planning.) Anyone care to weigh in on that?

I finally figured out a way to sleeve my stuff in such a way that it provides benefits not unlike bundling it with floral wire as well as reducing its profile to get it out of the way of airflow, though it's probably not everyone's cup of tea (though neither is this, so we're even) and when I get my SS Zeus finished I'll post pics (in another thread, so as not to derail this one) so people can say if they like or don't.

[Xien16]

If you like to have no cables at all - go ahead and build a system without cables (where you don't like to have them)

I have to admit - for me performance comes later than design BUT till now I didn't have any loss of performance because of any "design-thing"
But if you like less cables this might show you how it could be done:





There are only these few short cables to Power the MB and VGA card visible

But even in a system with all wires visible I didn't have any problem with the air...
As you can see there is only the CPU cooler between the front (where the cold air comes from) and the rear fan...



I think what you need to do is just finding the best way to rout the sleeved wires in your PC...
This brings me to one question: Do you have any pictures of this system you talk about?

[junkun13]

Link removed.

it seems a lot more thicker than mdpc sleeves, fail

[dualbrain]

For curosity's sake, what convinced you guys to unisleeve everything in the first place? (This is more pointed at Nils and crew than everyone else...)

Kayin
At the end of 2007, Charles (my secret brother^^) built the murderbox 001 and if you remember the days before Charles made this marvelous system - it changed the aesthetics of "modding" (a word which we don't like to use for such systems) a lot. Before there was mostly "bling" added to systems and the designs were rather "cartoonish". I love all designs though, no matter how it looks, as long as the builder had a vision and executed towards this vision.

He sleeved his 24-pin, because the standard PSU cables of the 24-pin were a visual distraction from the rest of the design. So he tried to get a subtle and uniform look to the chaotic 24-pin wires. The solution is what changed the cable-designs a lot. See the system here: http://www.million-dollar-pc.com/sys.../murderbox.htm

I also have to laugh, when I read product descriptions of "modding-shops", when they refer to "it enhances your cooling, airflow ... and brings you more girls". To Charles and me, it was always a different perspective: Design and aesthetics of the most annoying thing in a system ... little wires which never had design in mind and were too thin to create controlled "shapes and lines". Cable sleeving is of course not needed for anyone who wants function and performance. Only fools and stupid shop guys would tell you about "technical advantages". You all know these fool-shop-owners who do everything to sell their items, because they are so desperate to earn their bucks.

So ultimately and personally I say: It's an option to perfectionize designs if cables are visible (of course not with extensions, where you have to hide the original-cable-clutter somewhere ... which is double nonsense for people who want to have form and function combined). I actually see design of cables as something, where you use cables to create flow through lines and shapes. To add color, where color is needed ... I see computers like a 3D painting and cables allow you to use something which is technically needed to create "the strokes". With other items, you don't have the freedom to work "3D", because you can't just take your GPU and bend it ... or other hardware.

@Junkun and Janik: What a joy to be free of these "buy from me, pleeeease buy from me, hello here ... buy from me" people and their postings here at XS. May into never turn into the mess we see in other forums

[Kayin]

I really appreciate that answer. I think I get exactly what you mean-it's integrating wiring into a cohesive whole, rather than trying to plan around it. By that logic, I agree 100% with what you're doing.

I started modding in the days of flat ribbon IDE and SCSI cables and completely ridiculous amounts of wires. I don't know how many cables I flat folded to hide. We were always told that getting them out of the way "improves airflow" and was necessary to get the most out of your system. As time has worn on, fan power and fan placement made what might have been true then a non-issue.

I asked because I was sure there was a good answer-and there is. When I get my system cabled up and ready to show off, I'll send you a link to what I came up with-it's different, but it allows much the same thing. Is it MDPC good? I think you can answer that better than I. But I took my skillset and applied it here, and I personally like the results (which is really what modding is about.) But I have to tell you-my experience with the MDPC-X sleeving was excellent, and I would not hesitate to use it again in the future if I thought it fit the design. I'm glad you took my question as just that and didn't think I was insinuating something against your sleeving. Just as a painter puts down one brush and picks up another, I see it as a different way to do the same thing.

[dualbrain]

I'm always happy to have a nice conversation too (rare these days in most other forums, because a lot is about money, promotion, sponsoring ... resulting in "putting others down in order to look better yourself" ... you know these people - mostly affiliates of shops/companies or shop owners themselves) getting more and more. We both agree on the most important aspect: It only matters what you think and feel about your own work. If you can impress/surprise yourself with your own abilities, because you know "I (you in person) could not have done it better", then you have achieved something, which many humans never experience. And it has nothing to do with computers. So don't care what others think about your systems, don't think about MDPC, don't think about Oscars ... only think about "what could I have done better ... and why don't I just do it better?"
At least that's my personal attitude. Maybe it makes sense

Thanks for being such a nice and thoughtful XS member!

[Manicdan]

short answer, because of how long and how hard it is to do, you really appreciate the way it looks afterwords.
its also good bragging rights to say, "yes, i made all those wires" lol.

[Martin S]

[Kayin]

Thought I'd post my sleeving since I got it done and partially installed. And Nils, I'll get better pics tomorrow if weather permits. I'm not taking my mod outdoors in a thunderstorm.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...33#post4910433

The thread explains why I chose what I chose, and I'm still looking for an unsleeved 8-pin connector to fix that cable length issue. I just used what I had. Of course, it's also far from done.

[AllAgainstPaul]

Most cable sleeves are designed for 18 gauge wire, will MDPC-X small sleeve fit over 16 or 14 gauge wire?
What is the difference in diameter between the SATA and USB sleeves that MDPC-X sells?

[lowfat]

You can use 16 gauge wire but i don't recommend it. It is hard to crimp. And the extra diamater can make issues for molex connector after sleeving.

[RealTelstar]

Possibly my new mainboard:


and my chosen sleeving:

+ some black and silver.

[guilleguillaume]

Perfect combo but then you need Gold Bitspower fittings!

[kskz_91]

I wanted to try somethig new and i went over some paracord, i like the benifis that you can crimp it on together with the pins, that i dont need to use any heatshrink at all, the look of it is just fantastic and very unique, sofar i havnt seen anybody sleeving like this and i wanted to share this with you, i hope you like it so far...
Feel free to give me a comment on my projectlogg, and if you wanna see more or if you like me dont forget to subscribe and rep me!

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthrea...=211895&page=1
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...09#post4923009




http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/dsc0083wk.jpg/

[guilleguillaume]

I can't see the pics.

BTW you're not the first crimping the sleeving together with the cable, tadzik1231 showed us months ago the MDPC-X crimped together with the cable here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...zik&highlight=


Waiting to see the pics.

[kskz_91]

I can't see the pics.

BTW you're not the first crimping the sleeving together with the cable, tadzik1231 showed us months ago the MDPC-X crimped together with the cable here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...zik&highlight=


Waiting to see the pics.

I know, the bandwith is full, need to extend my photobucket pro but i dont have my creditdard with me her in kosovo -.- damn!

AWSOME! Then we are two about it :P, i have also done it 4-5monts ago with djungelapa's Fabric look sleeve...there are some pics about that some pages back

BTW: Thats not mdpc-x sleeve...Mdpc-x sleeve has a diameter of 5mm...the one he uses is 3mm as the same as i used but in fabric look, but with the fabric look sleeve you dont need pins with longer clamps

[kroks]

photobucket
you know you can host pictures for FREE on imageshack.us and many other sites?

[kskz_91]

photobucket
you know you can host pictures for FREE on imageshack.us and many other sites?

Yeah i know but i started using photobucket...imageshack is the same as photobucket with the same limited bandwith!
what more sites are they some with free unlimited bandwith???

[Alexandr0s]

Imgur.com seems to be free of bandwidth limitations.

[kroks]

ImageShack allows unlimited bandwidth for images, videos, and slideshows when viewed from our landing page, as well as unlimited bandwidth for registered users

[kskz_91]

Imgur.com seems to be free of bandwidth limitations.

ahaa okey

ImageShack allows unlimited bandwidth for images, videos, and slideshows when viewed from our landing page, as well as unlimited bandwidth for registered users

no it isnt, you have to upgrade for unlimited bandwith

but i fixed it now

[Furball Zen]

Actually i believe i came up with the shrinkless paracord, or at least the first execution of it, and i dont use the crimps, glue or any kind of chemicals. But arguments aside enjoy

You an pull as hard as you want on the paracord, and it will never come off, so it can be as tight as you want it to be.





The color fills the connector all the way up

[kskz_91]

Actually i believe i came up with the shrinkless paracord, or at least the first execution of it, and i dont use the crimps, glue or any kind of chemicals. But arguments aside enjoy

You an pull as hard as you want on the paracord, and it will never come off, so it can be as tight as you want it to be.





The color fills the connector all the way up

I have done it for a while now, first when i tried with a 3mm thick sleeve that i got from a friend more than one year ago , then with www.djungelapa.se's Fabric look sleeve which is the same size 6 months ago, there are pics on this thread on it, and now with the paracord 550 it really looks clean and neat ! I will go for this style all the way ;D

But how do you make when you do shrinkless sleeving ??? if you not use the crimps/pins, glu or anything else???

please show me a/some picture/s...would have been very interesting

and btw, dont forget to stretch the paracord, it looks awful when its not!

[iHannes]

It looks like shoelaces to me. I'm all for the premium look and feel of the MDPC-X sleeve.

[mav2000]

^^^I agree....................