If this is in the wrong forum, point me toward the right one! Looking at my component rack and the back of my tv, I see the usual spaghetti mess of wiring. As of now I have all the extra cable lengths coiled and wire tied individualy to try to keep them neat. My question is this: What do professional installers do with all the wires? Should I try to keep them neat but seperate to avoid signals being "crossed"? Or are audio and video cables nowdays all shielded to prevent this? What I'd like to do is take all the cables going to the rear of the tv and "bundle" them all together with wire ties so I'd have just "one" thick cable going from the component rack to the tv. I know that some A/V racks require all the cabling to go through a small center hole in the rear, not mine though, but isn't this the same idea?
Bundling wires/cables
-
LIVE: AVSForum Tech Talk Podcast with Scott Wilkinson, Episode 5 Click here for details.
-
Enter to be our Home Theater of the Month Click here for details.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Well, most audio interconnects, composite / component video cables, HDMI /DVI, and coax cables are shielded these days. Speaker cable is not, but that's because it largely doesn't need to be.
I dunno, I'm sure many people do use the hole in the back of the stand and route everything together in one big lump. I've always preferred more open racks, as they let air flow and I can route the calbes better. I at least try to route the power cables seperate from the signal wires. Do you NEED to? Probably not, unless there is a specific problem you are seeing.
The way I see it, with an hour's time, some velcro straps and some other little organizing accessories*, why not tidy up the wires?
* I like the adhesive- backed squares that have a slot in them for a zip tie...
I dunno, I'm sure many people do use the hole in the back of the stand and route everything together in one big lump. I've always preferred more open racks, as they let air flow and I can route the calbes better. I at least try to route the power cables seperate from the signal wires. Do you NEED to? Probably not, unless there is a specific problem you are seeing.
The way I see it, with an hour's time, some velcro straps and some other little organizing accessories*, why not tidy up the wires?
* I like the adhesive- backed squares that have a slot in them for a zip tie...
I generally will fabricate the cable harness to the length I need it. It takes a little time, but there is minimal excess cable to deal with.
I just got a new Sony LCD tv and I'm researching ways to manage the cables which are currently dangling under the tv. I don't necessarily want to put holes in the wall to hide the cables so I've been looking into paneling or track systems to hide them. My question is in regard to something I saw in the manual for the TV which said I should not bundle the power cord with the rest of the A/V cables. Why is this? What would I risk if I did bundle them all into a single track? Currently I have a set of component cables, 2 HDMI cables and a single RCA video cable running to the tv, not to mention the power cord.
Thanks for any advice.
Thanks for any advice.
Most of the time you will not have probems with hum, buzz or RF interference. You might try pulling all the cables together with wire ties and seeing if there is a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowshred /forum/post/11845319
I just got a new Sony LCD tv and I'm researching ways to manage the cables which are currently dangling under the tv. I don't necessarily want to put holes in the wall to hide the cables so I've been looking into paneling or track systems to hide them. My question is in regard to something I saw in the manual for the TV which said I should not bundle the power cord with the rest of the A/V cables. Why is this? What would I risk if I did bundle them all into a single track? Currently I have a set of component cables, 2 HDMI cables and a single RCA video cable running to the tv, not to mention the power cord.
Thanks for any advice.
Most of the time you will not have probems with hum, buzz or RF interference. You might try pulling all the cables together with wire ties and seeing if there is a problem.
Joined
·
1,979 Posts
im looking into a solutions to bundle my speakers wires with my co-axial cable...the adhesive-backed squares look like a good solutions since it will secure than on the floor against the floor. but i may need to remove them in the future if i like to rearrange my tv or furniture. are the easily removable? and where can i get them or how much would it cost?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penarin /forum/post/9568543
* I like the adhesive- backed squares that have a slot in them for a zip tie...
im looking into a solutions to bundle my speakers wires with my co-axial cable...the adhesive-backed squares look like a good solutions since it will secure than on the floor against the floor. but i may need to remove them in the future if i like to rearrange my tv or furniture. are the easily removable? and where can i get them or how much would it cost?
Zip ties are a BAD idea for organizing cables. Two main reasons are:
1. You can't easily pull cables out, swap cables, or add cables, without cutting all of the zip ties and starting over.
2. Zip ties cinch down tight, and can compress the insulating layer. That results in damage to the cable and disruption to the information transmission.
Purchase some velcro tie-wraps from Home Depot or some bulk velcro from someone on-line (like campmor.com) and use that - the velcro is reusable, easily adjustable, and almost to pull too tight.
--tkr
1. You can't easily pull cables out, swap cables, or add cables, without cutting all of the zip ties and starting over.
2. Zip ties cinch down tight, and can compress the insulating layer. That results in damage to the cable and disruption to the information transmission.
Purchase some velcro tie-wraps from Home Depot or some bulk velcro from someone on-line (like campmor.com) and use that - the velcro is reusable, easily adjustable, and almost to pull too tight.
--tkr
I have hundreds of cables in racks on my current show tied with zip ties. Maybe even thousands of cables. None of them have any "transmission" problems. Our show would not go on with "transmission" problems. Every major pro install I have ever been a part of has used zip ties.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkr /forum/post/12610103
2. Zip ties cinch down tight, and can compress the insulating layer. That results in damage to the cable and disruption to the information transmission.
--tkr
I have hundreds of cables in racks on my current show tied with zip ties. Maybe even thousands of cables. None of them have any "transmission" problems. Our show would not go on with "transmission" problems. Every major pro install I have ever been a part of has used zip ties.
Joined
·
1,979 Posts
yes i went into a store a found the self-adhesive square tubes....but it is only 6 ft. long. what happen if i need something longer than that? would it be able to connect to another 6 ft. or not?
It is possible with a ziptie to compress a video, RF or digital cable too much. The compression affects the geometry and therefore the characteristic impedance at that point, creating a reflection at each zip tie. The effect would be slight and probably unnoticable in most cases but care should be used with zipties.
Quote:
Originally Posted by speco2003 /forum/post/12610433
I have hundreds of cables in racks on my current show tied with zip ties. Maybe even thousands of cables. None of them have any "transmission" problems. Our show would not go on with "transmission" problems. Every major pro install I have ever been a part of has used zip ties.
It is possible with a ziptie to compress a video, RF or digital cable too much. The compression affects the geometry and therefore the characteristic impedance at that point, creating a reflection at each zip tie. The effect would be slight and probably unnoticable in most cases but care should be used with zipties.
Joined
·
20,735 Posts
That's my reaction too. Zip ties are the standard tool in the industry. Wires are really quite resiliant, and while it's possible I suppose to compress a wire enough with a zip tie enough to cause a problem, you'd really need to be tightening heavy-duty zipties with like pliers or something to do that. You could certainly damage very small wires like mini coax with zip ties, but you use common sense not to do that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by speco2003 /forum/post/12610433
I have hundreds of cables in racks on my current show tied with zip ties. Maybe even thousands of cables. None of them have any "transmission" problems. Our show would not go on with "transmission" problems. Every major pro install I have ever been a part of has used zip ties.
That's my reaction too. Zip ties are the standard tool in the industry. Wires are really quite resiliant, and while it's possible I suppose to compress a wire enough with a zip tie enough to cause a problem, you'd really need to be tightening heavy-duty zipties with like pliers or something to do that. You could certainly damage very small wires like mini coax with zip ties, but you use common sense not to do that.
If you're talking about the ~1" squares with adhesive on one side and a place to secure a zip tie on the other: they're virtually impossible to remove cleanly as the adhesive tape separates leaving one adhesive layer attached to the wall. They may also not be strong enough to hold heavy speaker wire without being screwed down.
Here's some other ideas:
You may be able to tuck single runs in the crack between the base board and the carpet. I do this a lot. But there's not enough space for more than one or maybe two especially if they are large.
Zip ties are fine for most bundling. Just don't cinch them too tight, especially if there's Ethernet in the bundle. As another poster mentioned, however, if you need to make changes, you need to start from scratch. Velcro ties or even twist-ties are more servicable.
There's split tubing than can be opened to add/remove cables.
There's also rigid channel (plastic or metal) that can hide cables. These can be notched to break out cables where needed.
I'm fortunate that I have a crawl space under my living room. I go down through the floor at the baseboard (just pull back the carpet a little) and up on the other side of the room.
Power cords don't normally cause problems when bundled with analog audio lines. In my pro audio world, I often run AC 150' next to the mic snake and have never had hum or buzz. But there MAY be problems with power-line induced hum/buzz into unbalanced audio/video typically used in home A/V systems. You'd just need to test it before you make it permanent. You'll know immediately if there is a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vincentnyc /forum/post/12608234
im looking into a solutions to bundle my speakers wires with my co-axial cable...the adhesive-backed squares look like a good solutions since it will secure than on the floor against the floor. but i may need to remove them in the future if i like to rearrange my tv or furniture. are the easily removable? and where can i get them or how much would it cost?
If you're talking about the ~1" squares with adhesive on one side and a place to secure a zip tie on the other: they're virtually impossible to remove cleanly as the adhesive tape separates leaving one adhesive layer attached to the wall. They may also not be strong enough to hold heavy speaker wire without being screwed down.
Here's some other ideas:
You may be able to tuck single runs in the crack between the base board and the carpet. I do this a lot. But there's not enough space for more than one or maybe two especially if they are large.
Zip ties are fine for most bundling. Just don't cinch them too tight, especially if there's Ethernet in the bundle. As another poster mentioned, however, if you need to make changes, you need to start from scratch. Velcro ties or even twist-ties are more servicable.
There's split tubing than can be opened to add/remove cables.
There's also rigid channel (plastic or metal) that can hide cables. These can be notched to break out cables where needed.
I'm fortunate that I have a crawl space under my living room. I go down through the floor at the baseboard (just pull back the carpet a little) and up on the other side of the room.
Power cords don't normally cause problems when bundled with analog audio lines. In my pro audio world, I often run AC 150' next to the mic snake and have never had hum or buzz. But there MAY be problems with power-line induced hum/buzz into unbalanced audio/video typically used in home A/V systems. You'd just need to test it before you make it permanent. You'll know immediately if there is a problem.
Joined
·
1,979 Posts
split tubing...interesting...would u have a link for what it looks like and where i get it? i see this split tubing in a computer store before..1" aslo..dont know if this is the self-adhesive one? the color is like skin color. the have one 6' long and one that bend around the corner which is 2".
this split tubing...how would u secure it against the wall if you need to put it against the wall on the ground?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwindrem /forum/post/12768925
...
There's split tubing than can be opened to add/remove cables.
...
split tubing...interesting...would u have a link for what it looks like and where i get it? i see this split tubing in a computer store before..1" aslo..dont know if this is the self-adhesive one? the color is like skin color. the have one 6' long and one that bend around the corner which is 2".
this split tubing...how would u secure it against the wall if you need to put it against the wall on the ground?
Assuming no XLRs, we used to use rg-59 and rg-6 cut to lenght with compression fittings for just about everything but speaker wire. However now we have been using Planet Wave wire and connectors. Real cool, the connectors are reusable, and go right on, it is just that the wire is expensive.
BTW, we use thousands and thousands of zip ties to lace racks. Just remember to label each and every cable end, or you will be in a world of sh1t.
BTW, we use thousands and thousands of zip ties to lace racks. Just remember to label each and every cable end, or you will be in a world of sh1t.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
AVS Forum
A forum community dedicated to home theater owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, TVs, projectors, screens, receivers, speakers, projects, DIY’s, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
Join now to ask and comment!
