Crys1s_Gam3r
My only gripe is in it's advantage -- it would be near impossible to remove the wire

Ha! Yes, the glue thing is a one-way ticket.  Stoopid customers!

What ratio heatshrink do you use?  It's looks like 2:1 to me.  Have you tried 3:1 and 4:1?  Have you ever tried other materials like Kynar or Fabric or Teflon?  I'm dying to try some Teflon (love the stuff), it's as tough as nails, but I heard it's hard to shrink right.

Have you worked with dual-wall stuff?  I've used it, and it's great, but maybe not for show pieces like this.  The adhesive can ooze out and look messy.  It's also much stiffer.  But you got mad skilz, so maybe you shrink it 'mo better.  I've had the adhesive form a nice looking bond to the sleeving.

I_Know_God

great great guide, for those of us that are going to resleeve our own psu cables and not buy cable, can you suggest a kit that works the best for removing the connectors and such ?

Thanks, I've found the "staple method" works best/most consistently on tough pins. Copied this from a post I made a while ago: Get two staples, then bend them so they form an "L". Insert the long end of the staple onto between the sides of the pins and the connector. Push them down far enough that they push the metal tabs in, then pull the cable out. Obviously easier said then done, so here's a quick illustration I made in Illustrator: 

If the wire won't come out by pulling it, and the staples are pushed all the way down, get a small jeweler's screwdriver and put it into the pin. Then grab it with some needlenose pliers and push it down.

Hope that helps

mcochris

Crys1s_Gam3r
My only gripe is in it's advantage -- it would be near impossible to remove the wire

Ha! Yes, the glue thing is a one-way ticket.  Stoopid customers!

What ratio heatshrink do you use?  It's looks like 2:1 to me.  Have you tried 3:1 and 4:1?  Have you ever tried other materials like Kynar or Fabric or Teflon?  I'm dying to try some Teflon (love the stuff), it's as tough as nails, but I heard it's hard to shrink right.

Have you worked with dual-wall stuff?  I've used it, and it's great, but maybe not for show pieces like this.  The adhesive can ooze out and look messy.  It's also much stiffer.  But you got mad skilz, so maybe you shrink it 'mo better.  I've had the adhesive form a nice looking bond to the sleeving.

The heatshrink I use is 4:1 actually . If you ever get your hands on any of the stuff you mentioned I'll might be interested in a small sample though. Haven't tried the adhesive lined/dual walled hs, IMO it would be too stiff and, again, a pain to remove. The stuff I use now is strong enough to hold the sleeve, but if I need to I can cut it off easily and frustration-free.

Nice chatting with you

zimbambadu

Amazing, thank you!

Glad you like it!

I want to cable sleeve my Front Panel Cables, I was looking at probably 3/8" sleeving and heatshrink. Since the connectors are the same diameter as the wires, do I have to still remove them?

I was going to use this stuff. If I want to sleeve my USB and Firewire cables, I'd probably use a 1/4" sleeving, right?

I was planning, if I could, put all my front panel connectors (Pwr, reset, leds) into one sleeve.

HellFighter06
I was planning, if I could, put all my front panel connectors (Pwr, reset, leds) into one sleeve.

That sounds like a good idea.  Hope you can share some pics when it's done.

You may run into problems pulling the sleeve over the connectors.  The connectors can bunch up or twist or snag the interior of the sleeve.  If you can shove the connectors into a McDonalds straw (they seem largest), then you can push/pull the sleeve over the straw to avoid snagging the conns.  If the conns won't fit in the straw, you can use making tape to cover the conns.  This helps you use the smallest diameter sleeve possible.

Crys1s_Gam3r thanks a million for this guide. I've been getting ready to make my own cables.

One question. I Googled for 18 AWG wire and ordered a 100 feet of it. No where does anything mention the thickness of the plastic around the wire. The stuff I order is like twice as thick as what was originally with the PSU. (The inner part is exactly the same thickness which I'm guessing is what the 18 AWG means) By the time I heat-shrink with 1/4 inch shrink it doesn't fit into the connector. Is there a way to tell how thick the wire is with its plastic coating? Something with a really thin out coating(I'm not sure of the proper term for this part of the wire) would probably be OK since it also has the sleaving to protect it.

I'm about to order another 100 foot spool. I'm thinking of going with 20 or 22 AWG wire this will be much more flexible and easier to work with IMO? Will this be OK for the 24 pin?  Or could that cause problems because I'm not using 18 AWG?



Thanks.

mcochris

HellFighter06
I was planning, if I could, put all my front panel connectors (Pwr, reset, leds) into one sleeve.

That sounds like a good idea.  Hope you can share some pics when it's done.

You may run into problems pulling the sleeve over the connectors.  The connectors can bunch up or twist or snag the interior of the sleeve.  If you can shove the connectors into a McDonalds straw (they seem largest), then you can push/pull the sleeve over the straw to avoid snagging the conns.  If the conns won't fit in the straw, you can use making tape to cover the conns.  This helps you use the smallest diameter sleeve possible.

Got it done the other day!





I got the USB and firewire cables into the green sleeve. But, it got so big, I couldn't get the heashrink over the sleeve. I just tucked the ends in and will keep an eye out for any fraying. The other black sleeve has the PWR, reset, ect., and everything worked out there.

One more question. The braiding Crys1s_Gam3r is using...what type is that. The stuff I orded from performance pc(1/8th inch) isn't nearly as good looking. It doesn't have the tight triple thread per braid thing. Is that a certain brand or style I should look for?

shuyananah
Are teflon usually stiffer than standard pvc?

Yes, somewhat stiffer,but not enough to cause any problems.  18ga seems thin.  If you can use 16, that would be better.

shuyananah
Can you recommend a pair of quality strippers? The cheap $9 pair I purchased are do nick the conductor sometimes. I have to use the 16 AWG whole.

I use scissor-type strippers manufactured by Ideal, they work fine.  Klein is also good.  These Stride are supposed to be good according to AnaLog, but I've never used them. I have not had luck with pull-type (aka "auto") strippers like link on teflon.  They are probably great on PVC.  They are kinda like pliers that grab the insulation and try to pull it off the wire.  You can't do that with Teflon, it's way too tough.

MCM Electronics is a good place to buy tools.

You need good hand and tool technique to not nick the wire.  Teflon is harder to strip because it's so strong, you have to cut thru more of the insualtion (touching the conductor with the tool is a no-no) before you can seperate it from the rest of the insulation.  Hold the tool perpendicular (90 degrees) to the wire.  It's ok to slowly spin the tool around the wire once or twice, but be careful not to let the blades contact the wire.  Don't "wag" or jerk the tool in an attempt to break off the insulation.  Try pushing to tool off the wire with the thumb that's holding the wire rather they pulling the tool off the wire with your tool-holding hand.  Practice a bunch of times.

Let us know how you like the Teflon!  Are you gonna solder the wire to the connectors?  That a whole other topic!

Thanks for all the feedback. My plan has changed a bit. I just order a Seasonic x750 gold and $100 worth of mdpc-x sleeving. I may still need to make a longer 8 pin ATX cable but until I see how long the cables are that come with this thing I probably won't need to make any of my own cables.

I'll definitely be posting a work log. Gonna start with the Sleeving then do some mods to my Cosmos(probably powder coat, and wc setup) to get it ready for a EVGA (x58,480,i7 930) build in June/July.
 

Awesome as always!

btw this is a link that is all focused with sleeving. this explains how to do sata cables and others. mebbe u should check it out crysis!! *hint* sell sleeved sata cables *hint* lol
http://www.xtremesystems....howthread.php?t=202639

thats very nice sleeving . i might have to have you do my cables for my build im doing now .and your in rochester only 45 minutes away ! +1

nice guide  I have enjoyed thanks alot