Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
being the biggest offenders.

In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
relax the kinks.

But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.

Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
I figure this should be OK for the cables?

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
> [...]
> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
> relax the kinks.
>[...]
> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
> I figure this should be OK for the cables?

Shouldn't be the end of the world. But why not hang them from one end,
rather than trying to hold them?

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|_|O|_|
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1 E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

On 1/12/2023 5:59 AM, Dan Purgert wrote:
> On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
>> [...]
>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>> relax the kinks.
>> [...]
>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>
> Shouldn't be the end of the world. But why not hang them from one end,
> rather than trying to hold them?

I don't hold them. I referenced "tolerate holding" as a metric
by which to decide if I've heated them too hot. I.e., heat, hold,
decide if it's "had enough" (sorry, that may not have been clear)

On Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 5:29:15 AM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:
> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
> being the biggest offenders.
>
> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
> relax the kinks.
>
> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>
> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
> I figure this should be OK for the cables?

Would it be practical to set up something like the old clothes lines? You evidently don't have
to worry about ice forming on them.

On 12/01/2023 13:33, Dean Hoffman wrote:
> On Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 5:29:15 AM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:
>> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
>> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
>> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
>> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
>> being the biggest offenders.
>>
>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>> relax the kinks.
>>
>> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>>
>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>
> Would it be practical to set up something like the old clothes lines? You evidently don't have
> to worry about ice forming on them.

Kites would be more fun.

--
Cheers
Clive

On 1/12/2023 6:33 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
> On Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 5:29:15 AM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:
>> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
>> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
>> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
>> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
>> being the biggest offenders.
>>
>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>> relax the kinks.
>>
>> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>>
>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>
> Would it be practical to set up something like the old clothes lines? You evidently don't have
> to worry about ice forming on them.

I have places from which they can be hung. My concern with that
approach in the non-summer months is how *long* they would have to
be there. I.e., if the outdoor temperature is essentially the
same as indoor, then why not hang them *indoors* (i.e., there's
no benefit from hanging them in "cool" weather).

The hot air gun gives me results in a few minutes -- as long as
I don't overdo it... (OTOH, if the jackets could tolerate
100+C or more, then I could speed this up considerably by using
a higher heat setting on the gun)

On 2023-01-12 14:41, Don Y wrote:
> On 1/12/2023 6:33 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
>> On Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 5:29:15 AM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:
>>> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
>>> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
>>> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
>>> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
>>> being the biggest offenders.
>>>
>>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>>> relax the kinks.
>>>
>>> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>>>
>>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>>
>> Would it be practical to set up something like the old clothes lines? You evidently don't have
>> to worry about ice forming on them.
>
> I have places from which they can be hung. My concern with that
> approach in the non-summer months is how *long* they would have to
> be there. I.e., if the outdoor temperature is essentially the
> same as indoor, then why not hang them *indoors* (i.e., there's
> no benefit from hanging them in "cool" weather).
>
> The hot air gun gives me results in a few minutes -- as long as
> I don't overdo it... (OTOH, if the jackets could tolerate
> 100+C or more, then I could speed this up considerably by using
> a higher heat setting on the gun)
>

I once made the error to hang scope probes where they could be
seen by the sun. After a while, they got rigid. Don't do that!

Jeroen Belleman

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA512

On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
> On 1/12/2023 5:59 AM, Dan Purgert wrote:
>> On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
>>> [...]
>>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>>> relax the kinks.
>>> [...]
>>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>>
>> Shouldn't be the end of the world. But why not hang them from one end,
>> rather than trying to hold them?
>
> I don't hold them. I referenced "tolerate holding" as a metric
> by which to decide if I've heated them too hot. I.e., heat, hold,
> decide if it's "had enough" (sorry, that may not have been clear)

Oh, that makes a lot more sense. I read it as "I'm gonna hold them
while blasting them with the hotair gun.

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--
|_|O|_|
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: DDAB 23FB 19FA 7D85 1CC1 E067 6D65 70E5 4CE7 2860

On 2023-01-12 15:36, Jeroen Belleman wrote:
> On 2023-01-12 14:41, Don Y wrote:
>> On 1/12/2023 6:33 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:

>> The hot air gun gives me results in a few minutes -- as long as
>> I don't overdo it...  (OTOH, if the jackets could tolerate
>> 100+C or more, then I could speed this up considerably by using
>> a higher heat setting on the gun)
>>
>
> I once made the error to hang scope probes where they could be
> seen by the sun. After a while, they got rigid. Don't do that!

I have an "earth wrist" with black coiled connection wire, similar to
those in telephones handsets, where the plastic is rotten. Sticky and
peels off.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 1/12/2023 1:59 PM, Dan Purgert wrote:
> On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
>> On 1/12/2023 5:59 AM, Dan Purgert wrote:
>>> On 2023-01-12, Don Y wrote:
>>>> [...]
>>>> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
>>>> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
>>>> relax the kinks.
>>>> [...]
>>>> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
>>>> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
>>>> I figure this should be OK for the cables?
>>>
>>> Shouldn't be the end of the world. But why not hang them from one end,
>>> rather than trying to hold them?
>
>> I don't hold them. I referenced "tolerate holding" as a metric
>> by which to decide if I've heated them too hot. I.e., heat, hold,
>> decide if it's "had enough" (sorry, that may not have been clear)
>
> Oh, that makes a lot more sense. I read it as "I'm gonna hold them
> while blasting them with the hotair gun.

I have a "clip" that is located almost at the end of my upstretched
reach. I place one end of the cord in that and let the balance dangle.
Then, move up and down the length (concentrating on the areas of
greatest deformation) with the hot air gun. While hot, I "unbend"
the cable -- which is how I gauge if it is "too hot to handle".

On 1/12/2023 2:08 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2023-01-12 15:36, Jeroen Belleman wrote:
>> On 2023-01-12 14:41, Don Y wrote:
>>> On 1/12/2023 6:33 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
>
>
>>> The hot air gun gives me results in a few minutes -- as long as
>>> I don't overdo it...  (OTOH, if the jackets could tolerate
>>> 100+C or more, then I could speed this up considerably by using
>>> a higher heat setting on the gun)
>>>
>>
>> I once made the error to hang scope probes where they could be
>> seen by the sun. After a while, they got rigid. Don't do that!
>
> I have an "earth wrist" with black coiled connection wire, similar to those in
> telephones handsets, where the plastic is rotten. Sticky and peels off.

I've heard that described as the plasticizer failing, oozing out.

Sun products have a tendency to have their "rubber feet" turn to that
sort of sticky goo -- worse than freshly chewed bubble gum!

[Some of my older GPUs exhibit similarly sticky surfaces -- usually
because the manufacturer wanted to "decorate" the item. <frown>]

And, if the feet were being relied upon to protect the surface
on which the item sat, you now end up with the item *adhered*
to that surface and a gooey mess that doesn't easily clean off.

[I remove feet, as a matter of course, from kit to avoid this.
Instead, I place self-adhesive felt feet on the items. So,
I can put an item on a piece of furniture or other surface
that I'd not like to get mucked up or scratched]

On 2023-01-12, Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
> being the biggest offenders.
>
> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
> relax the kinks.
>
> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>
> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
> I figure this should be OK for the cables?

should be - most PVC cables a are good to 60C or more continuous
it's usually written on the cable.

--
Jasen.
pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ sʇɥƃᴉɹ ll∀

Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
> Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
> it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
> particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
> coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
> being the biggest offenders.
>
> In the Summer months (April-Sept), I just hang these
> from one end, outside, and let gravity and the sun slowly
> relax the kinks.
>
> But, now it's cool (75F) and that's less effective.
>
> Hot air gun is my fallback. As long as I limit the
> temperature to something I can tolerate holding,
> I figure this should be OK for the cables?

I do the same, heat up cables with a heatgun and let them relax with
gravity. PVC is quite tolerant of this. As long as you back off when they
get rubbery you're fine. It takes way more heat before they melt.

On Monday, January 16, 2023 at 4:02:39 AM UTC, Cydrome Leader wrote:
> Don Y <blocked...@foo.invalid> wrote:
> > Most jackets seem to be PVC, nowadays. Unfortunately,
> > it exhibits a fair bit of "memory" when left in a
> > particular position for long periods of time. E.g.,
> > coiled back on itself "in storage". Power cords
> > being the biggest offenders.
[snip]

Hi Don, How about the hot-box approach?
Hang the cables in a broom closet or
tall stack of cardboard boxes, to get an air-tight-ish
container. Feed the hot air gun, or in my case,
the wife's hair dryer into small opening.
Wake up the next morning with straight warm
cables. Mm-mm. What could go wrong?
- ;-) RS

On 1/16/2023 12:18 AM, Rich S wrote:
> Hi Don, How about the hot-box approach?
> Hang the cables in a broom closet or
> tall stack of cardboard boxes, to get an air-tight-ish
> container. Feed the hot air gun, or in my case,
> the wife's hair dryer into small opening.
> Wake up the next morning with straight warm
> cables. Mm-mm. What could go wrong?

Do you *really* need to ask? :> Aside from the obvious
safety issues, have you considered the "who took my
hair dryer?" repercussions? ("You're using it for WHAT???")

If I was just dealing with one (or two?) cables, I wouldn't
mind. I could either "unbend" the "memorized kinks" in the
cables *or* use the hot air gun -- carefully.

But, most often, this comes about as a need to rearrange
(or augment) existing equipment and there are half a dozen
(or more) such cables involved. Letting Mother Nature
do it has always been a win (in Summer) as all I had to do
was remember to put them outside in the morning and, by
the time I needed them, they were suitably "relaxed".

[I have a lot of kit so am very wary of needlessly large
"service loops". Where possible, I use cables that are
sized-to-fit... 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft, 4 ft, 6 ft being the
common *short* lengths. E.g., each workstation is powered
by a UPS that sits atop the workstation (towers) so a
1 ft power cord is "just right". Connecting the UPS port
of that UPS to "its" workstation can be accomplished by
a 2 ft USB cable. Etc. Using 6 ft variants of each of these
would just leave "puddles" of cord on the floor behind
each workstation]

On Monday, January 16, 2023 at 1:25:29 AM UTC-8, Don Y wrote:

> [I have a lot of kit so am very wary of needlessly large
> "service loops". Where possible, I use cables that are
> sized-to-fit... 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft, 4 ft, 6 ft being the
> common *short* lengths. E.g., each workstation is powered
> by a UPS that sits atop the workstation (towers) so a
> 1 ft power cord is "just right".

Yeah; my snarls got a lot neater when I splurged on RJ45 stranded
cord crimp-ons, and started making custom Ethernet lengths (from a too-long-for
anything 100foot cable that was attractively priced per inch).

If it matters, the connectors were LCSC.com part# "C405299". Two-part model,
the stranded wires jam into an alignment block which keeps 'em orderly during
end trimming.

On 1/16/2023 5:19 PM, whit3rd wrote:
> On Monday, January 16, 2023 at 1:25:29 AM UTC-8, Don Y wrote:
>
>> [I have a lot of kit so am very wary of needlessly large
>> "service loops". Where possible, I use cables that are
>> sized-to-fit... 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft, 4 ft, 6 ft being the
>> common *short* lengths. E.g., each workstation is powered
>> by a UPS that sits atop the workstation (towers) so a
>> 1 ft power cord is "just right".
>
> Yeah; my snarls got a lot neater when I splurged on RJ45 stranded
> cord crimp-ons, and started making custom Ethernet lengths (from a too-long-for
> anything 100foot cable that was attractively priced per inch).
>
> If it matters, the connectors were LCSC.com part# "C405299". Two-part model,
> the stranded wires jam into an alignment block which keeps 'em orderly during
> end trimming.

I've "secured" my network cables to the underside of the workbench
with D-rings. So, they climb out from underneath to connect to
hosts located ON the bench... and drape down to connect to hosts
located beneath.

A small service loop is necessary -- cuz I can't reach to the back
of the bench to access the backs of kit located on top; and can't
reach *over* the kit sited on the floor to reach their backsides.
So, slide them out, a bit, to expose the connections on the rear.

The problem with this approach is that it effectively *fixes*
the positions of the cable endpoints. So, if you decide to move
a piece of kit, you may not be able to continue to use THAT
cable (ditto for all of the below).

[I mark each cable with a single character identifier -- long ago used
up the alphabet! Then, keep a cheat sheet that tells me how long
each cable is so I can guesstimate where it "ends" on the bench.
In this way, I can just ADD cables, as needed, and leave the abandoned
cables in place for some possible future addition/relocation]

Add to that:
- power cords for each device
- "spare" cords (to handle other devices on a temporary basis)
- wall warts (for devices that don't have power cords)
- keyboard
- mice
- motion-controllers
- digitizing-tablets
- scsi cables for SCSI disks
- SAS cables for disk shelfs
- other USB peripherals (scanners, MIDI boxes, etc.)
- USB cables to recharge cordless devices
- odds-n-ends (e.g., serial from TS to PROM programmer, GPIB, etc)
and its just a frigging nightmare of wires!

On 1/16/2023 7:08 PM, Don Y wrote:

> Add to that:
> - power cords for each device
> - "spare" cords (to handle other devices on a temporary basis)
> - wall warts (for devices that don't have power cords)
> - keyboard
> - mice
> - motion-controllers
> - digitizing-tablets
> - scsi cables for SCSI disks
> - SAS cables for disk shelfs
> - other USB peripherals (scanners, MIDI boxes, etc.)
> - USB cables to recharge cordless devices
> - odds-n-ends (e.g., serial from TS to PROM programmer, GPIB, etc)

- video cables from headed hosts to monitors
- USB cables to those same monitors

> and its just a frigging nightmare of wires!