A USB Cable Corral

**rgsparber** · May 25, 2021, 08:18 AM

This has to be one of the simplest and most obvious homemade tools:

I have a number of USB cables on my desk. They have a mind of their own and will not stay in one place. I cut off 1.5 inches of 4 inch PVC sewer pipe and placed it on my desk. Each cable is loosely coiled up and placed in this "corral." As the cable relaxes, it locks in place.

Rick

**DIYer** · May 26, 2021, 04:11 AM

Thanks rgsparber! We've added your USB Cable Corral to our Storage and Organization category,
as well as to your builder page: rgsparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

USB Cable Corral by rgsparber

tags: cable, organizer

**Toolmaker51** · May 26, 2021, 10:33 PM

Round up at the USB Corral, yeehaw!
Gol dang PVC is an addictive material. Rick proves it at least five times in a row. Or has a corner on the market...
With sharp HSS cutters, machines so well to be astounding; mill, thread, bore, slip to press fits, whatever.

**mklotz** · May 27, 2021, 08:48 AM

I use a small basket for the same purpose so I can recommend a possible improvement to Rick's design...

Glue a bottom of some sort onto the ring so all the cables can be easily moved aside when one needs the desk space or wants to search the coils for the needed cable.

Some other hints for the myriad connector/recharge cables that we all acquire...

Label each cable with a color-coded label, e.g....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The color coding, (e.g. cameras-yellow, phones-red, others-white) will let you find the needed one quickly.

Mark the "up" side on USB and other connectors with a colored Sharpie marker to make it easy to determine how to orient it to insert in the mating socket. I use a gold Sharpie for high contrast on black cables, black on white ones.

**Toolmaker51** · May 27, 2021, 09:37 AM

a) Color coding is a terrific idea.
b) Are we sure range of available colors sufficiently numerous?

**mklotz** · May 27, 2021, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Toolmaker51

a) Color coding is a terrific idea.
b) Are we sure range of available colors sufficiently numerous?

One of the options on the Amazon page I indicated is ten assorted label colors. If you make broad enough categories that should be adequate. The ultimate designation comes from what you write on the label.

For example, I use yellow for anything camera related but write the camera type on the yellow label. Then, when searching, I can ignore any color except yellow and have to only read yellow tags to find the one I want. I write the designation on both sides of the label so I can read it no matter how it lies in the basket.

I suppose one could get only white labels and then use a Sharpie-based color scheme to write on the labels but I prefer my approach.