Neat and Orderly: The Benefit of Cable Ties

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Cable ties may not seem like a big deal to many people but any time you’re dealing with a lot of wires I strongly urge that you consider using them. When I first setup a number of devices in a new entertainment center, when we moved into the apartment, I only used cable ties on a few devices and I regretted it ever since.

More recently, when moving to a new entertainment center, I decided that I would use cable-ties on everything, and I’m already glad that I did. Trying to route new cables can quickly become a chore when they get hung up on other cables and you’re having to feel your way through the various problems.

The Velcro Brand One Wrap Thin Ties I had purchased, from Amazon.com, of course, worked perfectly for this job. It has 100 ties rolled together. I used a large number of these on the latest project that involved pulling everything out of one entertainment center and setting those devices up in a new one…

Admittedly, I used them only after being unable to find them, stealing a bunch of cable ties from rolled up cables in storage, and then stumbling upon them later, about two-thirds of the way through finishing this project.

Just do it. Yes, it’s a pain. Yes, it might add a good half-hour or more to setting up your electronics, but… it… is… worth… it. This is a case of where a little bit of extra work on the front-end will save you a significant amount of time and frustration down the road.

But think it through a little. For example, I primarily used the cable ties simply to tidy up excess cable length. There were very few cases where I actually tied different cables together because doing that can actually make it a pain to remove a single cable down the road.

I’m sure you can find better deals with a higher volume of cable ties, but this particular set worked great for my needs.

Easy Accessory Power Switch for a 2008 Chevrolet Impala

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I used a dashcam, phone charger and bluetooth adapter in the car for a while but I grew tired of having to manually unplug those devices when not in use or when I turned the car off. Unfortunately, in my 2008 Chevrolet Impala the vehicle would continue to provide power to any plugged in accessories even when the engine was off. Most of these devices are low power but even a dashcam, given enough time, could eventually drain the vehicle batter, especially if the car wasn’t being used for several days.

Re-wiring the electrical system and messing with fuses is beyond my experience so I decided to see if I could find an automotive power strip that would have a built-in power switch and sure enough I was able to find the perfect device.

The EUGIZMO Cigarette Lighter Splitter only costs about $16, offers three DC outlets, four USB power ports, a large power switch for the unit and also a very good visual indicator to show whether or not it is on.

I chose to mount this upside-down, just below the vehicle’s built-in DC power ports. This placement moves most of the power adapters and cables out of the way; whenever I turn the car on or off it’s very easy to just reach down and hit the large power button.

Car-Power-Strip

At first affixing the unit beneath the dash was a bit of the problem as the first type of velcro that I had used simply wasn’t holding and it would often come loose during the day. Eventually I ended up using some VELCRO Exterme Outdoor Strips and it hasn’t come loose since.

Updated 04/18/2018: The splitter and power button continue to work perfectly. In addition, the VELCRO has held; it hasn’t come loose yet.