I have been making cables for a little while since I was having trouble getting those awesome wrapped ones on KBD / OTD. After some people expressed interest I started making some cables for people on GH. I figured it was time to show some of my work over here at DT so here are a couple pics of what I have been doing
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 05:08
by whiskerBox
Also I get a lot of people asking why there is so much shrink wrap on the mini ends and the reason is because they are made to be flexible so that you don't need angled cords
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 05:38
by Trent
These are very cool! Would you be able to do a USB <-> SDL cable? I've seen them for sale on eBay but I would LOVE To see something that is a bit more interesting/colorful. Either way I would be interested in them for my external HD.
Hm, IMO, you've done great work sleeving them, but, no offense to you, the sleeves look awful.
Some are so bad they look like a garden fence.
Especially the last one, you can see the original cable just too good which is bad.
If you are looking for quality sleeves and shrinks, I can strongly recommend you a German guy called Nils. He also ships internationally.
Not to forget his custom drawings for every delivery
Edit: I just saw he only opens his shop for internationals at certain times. So if you want to browse his shop you have to visit for Germany.
[/threadcrapping]
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 05:53
by demik
DeathAdder wrote:Hm, IMO, you've done great work sleeving them, but, no offense to you, the sleeves look awful.
Some are so bad they look like a garden fence.
Especially the last one, you can see the original cable just too good which is bad.
He used techflex to purposely show off the custom sleeving. That is not "the original cable".
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:03
by Acanthophis
[threadcrapping]
Spoiler:
Had to google techflex only to find out this is an actual German brand I never heard of. But the word 'Kabelschutz' does mean something to me
Damn you google.de. Gave me the German site of techflex. Company is still american^^
If you say techflex you mean a big sleeve which bundles many cables? As in pic #2 bottom left?
Then no, thats not what I meant.
I meant the last pic. You can actually see the red coating under the blue sleeve.
And for me that's an awful sleeve.
[/threadcrapping]
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:06
by whiskerBox
demik wrote:
DeathAdder wrote:Hm, IMO, you've done great work sleeving them, but, no offense to you, the sleeves look awful.
Some are so bad they look like a garden fence.
Especially the last one, you can see the original cable just too good which is bad.
He used techflex to purposely show off the custom sleeving. That is not "the original cable".
Yes demik is correct. I tend to use different colors and layers to create new colors and textures
The particular cable you think looks awful is actually a color shifting cable which makes it hard to take a pic of. There are actually two colors going on here which are both UV reactive (neon blue, neon red) which together give that purple / blue color that shifts.
Hopefully this picture will clarify:
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:12
by Acanthophis
[threadcrapping]
Spoiler:
Ok.
So instead of taking a dense purple sleeve you mix a dense red and a **** (can't find the opposite of dense) blue cable and mix them?
Despite of the double material cost and double work, exactly what hidden advantages are there?
I hope you don't feel offended, I am just curious
[/threadcrapping]
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:22
by whiskerBox
DeathAdder wrote:Ok.
So instead of taking a dense purple sleeve you mix a dense red and a **** (can't find the opposite of dense) blue cable and mix them?
Despite of the double material cost and double work, exactly what hidden advantages are there?
I hope you don't feel offended, I am just curious
No your good
Basically it gives you kind of a shimmer effect and in this case kind of a color shifting effect. This allows for many different color combinations as well. Personally my favorite combination is paracord with techflex over it which gives great color combinations and texture.
It is double the work, but its the details that count in the end
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:31
by Acanthophis
Ah, ok. Thanks for clarification.
[threadcrapping]
Spoiler:
I like clean dense sleves better, but thats just my taste. For me they have a more 'quality look'.
Nils (the German sleeve guy) had once a special sleeve offer.
This sleeve also shifted colour in relation to the viewing angle, so acutally the same effect as your double sleeve, but just with one sleeve. Sells them not anymore, though.
[/threadcrapping]
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 06:38
by litster
DeathAdder, no offense, you are threadcrapping. Really, no offense.
Why don't you include more links to other places where we can find all other custom-made USB cables, right here on WhiskerBox's thread where he talks about his own custom-made USB cables?
No offense, but you are threadcrapping.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 07:21
by Input Nirvana
I tried to go back and look at what Deathadder is talking about, but I don't get it? No matter.
In any case, I think these pics look great, pretty sharp what you can do with something that is so plain with some effort and creativity.
I'm thinking of a black cable with red ends/accents....
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 07:24
by whiskerBox
"No Offense"
Haters gonna hate I guess
Custom USB cables (whisker)
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 07:30
by captain
Do you cut the cables to get the shoe laces on, and then re solder? I want to do this with a 6' right angle cable, and shrink it down to 1', plus pretty orange cover.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 07:37
by Input Nirvana
Whiskerbox is inspiring me to get a bold, one of a kind, detachable cable for my Kinesis....
red home keys.jpg (50.45 KiB) Viewed 7847 times
Kinesis keyboard.jpg (22.18 KiB) Viewed 7847 times
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 07:40
by Trent
So, USB <-> SDL version? Can you make one?
If so you have a buyer (me)
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 16:06
by nanu
captain wrote:Do you cut the cables to get the shoe laces on, and then re solder? I want to do this with a 6' right angle cable, and shrink it down to 1', plus pretty orange cover.
That's generally how these are made, to my understanding. If someone is willing to create the connector for least one end from untainted, more basic parts, that item could be considered higher quality—because of no break in the cord (and shielding). If you were to advertise that method, you'd probably get more business. But since (probably) no one does it that way, there's no need to advertise this method that would get less business because it's a fairly simple (but laborious) mod to do.
re: Threadcrapping
Obsessive modders tend to be elitists, nothing new.
EDIT: "this" -> "that"
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 16:24
by ripster
My Filco camo wrapped cable is ultra stiff. Actually my favorite is my Topre USB cable. THICK. UGLY Manuf labeling. Big toroid. Bitches like thick toroids.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 16:52
by mkeeley
So who's adding this [threadcrapping] rubbish, is it the mods? If so then is this going to happen every time someone makes non complimentary comments? If so not a good way to go. Not saying I agree with him but basically censoring threads seems a bit childish.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 16:57
by ripster
It's the latest thing at Geekhack. Even when it's a classifieds and the OP is a mod.
I like OCN's silent mods better myself.
Personally I'm a fan of free form ThreadRapping. It's when it turns into ThreadRaping the mods should intervene.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 17:01
by off
mkeeley, untill we hear otherwise from DA; assume he did it himself after lits' suggestion, all those posts were edited by him, at least according to phpBB. on topic: I approve of the fake purple cable.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 17:14
by Acanthophis
mkeeley wrote:So who's adding this [threadcrapping] rubbish, is it the mods?
Don't worry, it just was stupid me.
Posted: 15 Apr 2012, 17:24
by ripster
If it makes you feel any better I'm not a big Techflex fan either.
I'd concentrate on upgrading the connectors where it counts.
The last purple cable looks amazing. >.< Now I want one!
Keep up the amazing work!
Posted: 16 Apr 2012, 11:09
by 002
They look great whiskerBox.
My only concern would be the durability of the heat-shrink tubing (if that's what it is?). Probably a non-issue as a keyboard cable doesn't generally get moved around much.