How does one shape newly sleeved cables?

Lachrymal · February 25, 2014

Used teleios on my pcie-6 and 8 pin...Going to do something about the 24-pin soon. Any tips?

L.E.D · February 25, 2014

Maybe build some kind of fixture to hold them in the position you want, heat VERY lightly then let sit for a day or two.

Edit: Heating may not be necessary

alpenwasser · February 25, 2014

Several ways to do this: Wire combs, lacing, or simply training the wires and

making sure their natural routing is perfect. For training the wires (basically

bending them into the right shape until they stay that way) you might need

a bit of time and effort until they stay in the right shape (and it might not

always work).

Wire combs are a bit easier, and you can get transparent ones which don't

stand out too much, but some people still don't like their looks. Lacing is

the most stable of the three IMO, but it also takes the most time to get right.

If you pick thin, transparent thread you can make it almost invisible though

(or you can pick a coloured thread for having some contrast, that's what

I've done in my builds so far).

lutro0customs · February 26, 2014

How To Train Your Sleeved Cables?
– How do I train a sleeved cable to bend a certain way and look cleaner? Also, how do I get the same look as the cables that I see in your pictures?

I get asked the latter question all the time. If you have read through the FAQ you will know by now there is a huge different between an extension and OEM sleeving.

An extension by design simply extends the existing cable, this allow for a perfect 1-1 pinout that goes straight from one connector to the other. This allows for a perfect looking cable and is one of the reason my sleeved cables pictures look perfect and rainbow or “flow” exactly the way I want them.

OEM psu sleeving (sleeving the existing cables) however will be a harder task as you are at the mercy of the PSU maker and the pinout they have used. This can make training your cable very difficult. However read the following tips for producing a better result.

There are eight tips for achieving a good looking cable in terms of organization and training it to “flow” properly.

1. Tighten the sleeve as much as possible! This will work with plastic sleeve the best - but is still totally possible with paracord if you stretch it right. If you get the right stretch down and do it consistently – the full cable will hold its shape better.

2. As you are sleeving and putting the wires back into the connector, bend and train the cable as you finish each row. This will give you an upper hand when you end up training the whole cable. To train the cables - simply hold the row in your hand and do slight bends in the direction you want the cable to go all the way from the front of the cable to the back. If done properly it will make the final training of the full cable much easier.

3. Train, train, and train the finished cable, then come back and do it some more. Do this before you put it in the system and after. For example hold all the rows together and bend in the direction you have been training them by doing slight bends from the front to the back. Once the cable is in the system do the same thing until you get the desired result.

4. Zip-ties are your friends! If you get handy with some zip ties this will make it easier when its placed into the system - a few well-placed goes a long way. For example, a zip-tie behind the case on a 24pin will bundle the cable some and allow you to train it easier on the facing side.

5. Learning about wire lengths and how to use them to your advantage will help a long way into getting the cable to bend the way you want. This however takes time and trial and error. For example making one row slightly longer on the outer bend will give you some extra slack to bend the cable in the right direction. This however is mainly for extensions or pcie/ eps cables.

6. The wire you use will affect how easy it is to train the cable. Try different kinds until you find a stiff cable that is easy to sleeve. However always stick to 18awg or a custom 16awg, just look for different wire coatings. I would stay away from solid core as they are harder if not impossible to get a good crimp.

Here is a link to the wire section on Lutro0 Customs that was custom made by LC for the purpose of cable management and for heatshrinkless sleeving both in 18awg and 16awg - which is the first time cable has been made just for sleeving and a usable 16awg has been offered.

http://lutro0-customs.com/collections/types?q=Wire

this is an example of the 16AWG wire made for hearshrinkless, you will notice that the diameter is smaller so that you will have an easy time sleeving but the thick wire will allow you to train your wires super easy.

7. If you are doing an OEM PSU you will have to train the parts that are seen and tuck away the other side. This is due to the OEM Pinouts. For example, use a zip tie to hide the twisting and double wires of a 24pin to the back of the case. Then train the exposed cables until the desired effect is achieved.

8. Make yourself a set of extensions to add onto your OEM sleeved cables. This is the perfect way to get your cables to look professional and get the look you always wanted. This will include making custom length OEM cables and then using the extensions to get the perfect bend. Its more work for sure, but for those that desire nothing less than perfect – this is the only way to go.

I will be honest however, training a cable is an art. It will take tons of trial and error and practice until you get it down. Even then sometimes with OEM sleeving (sleeving the original cables) the PSU makers pinout will make it very hard and sometimes almost impossible to get a perfect “flow”. But, with enough practice you can make it look pleasing.