Coiled extra wire

[Tom Bachman]

Ok, the next order of business is this mess of wires that go to the control box. The question is; Is there some reason to keep the lead wires so long and coiled up? Or should I/can I safely, cut them off to a manageable length? Seems to me that they shouldn't be coiled up like that.



What is the consensus?

[steve_g]

I was told that coiled wire can crosstalk more easily than random balling of the wire… if you are absolutely sure of the lengths you need, I’d shorten them. At the least, wind them in a figure “8”.
SG.

[scottp55]

Personal experience with coiling everything super neatly together causing crosstalk, separated main power cords away from the USB cables and got sloppier, and things got solved.
Pretty jumbled up in my back corner now, but no funky behavior now.

[Tom Bachman]

Thanks guys, that's what I had heard/read. I have some cable management chain on order to control the wires up and down the x axis. As soon as I get that, I'll have an idea the length I need. I also built a cabinet to house the control box and computer. I mounted it up underneath the x,y96 end of the Bot. I also built a sliding shelf to mount a full motion monitor mount at that end, so everything will be concise.

[jTr]

I could use a replacement cable for my Z-zeroing plate's coiled cord. I've had a couple incidents in which I've had to solder back together, and don't really need full Z-zero kit SB sells. Any direction towards a replacement?

Jeff

[steve_g]

Back many years ago… in another life… I needed coiled cords for a project. The cheapest solution for me, at that time, was to use coiled telephone handset cord and RJ-22 connecters.
As tangled at my Z-zero wires get, I have actually thought about eliminating the coiled cord…
SG

[Tom Bachman]

This is the cabinet I built to house the Control box and the computer. The 6" wide melamine board sticking out the the right is where I will clamp the monitor mount arm. It slides in and out. I also cut holes into the sides for a cabinet fan to circulate the air. I bought an auto air filter to filter the air.

The box before I cut holes.



After the holes were cut and the fan (on the left side only) was mounted and the filter in place. There is an identical hole on the right side for fresh air 'In' .




Went up the the auto parts store and picked out the smallest filter they had that would cover the 4 1/2" hole (6 1/2 x 8 3/4) made the frame out of 1/2" Melamine, rabbeted the edges and screwed them to the cabinet sides. The filter fits snugly, but will slide in/out for replacement or cleaning. I only put one fan blowing out of the cabinet. The 4 1/2" hole on the other side is also filtered. Hopefully this will help keep the dust and dirt out of the cabinet. Next up is the wire grommets, I'll seal those as good as I can too.

[Tom Bachman]

Cut the wires today, and straightened out the wiring. The inside of the cabinet is clean and uncluttered. Now all I need is to get the control box back and hook things back up.

[dana_swift]

Interesting thing to think about. If a cable is connected at both ends, a coil in the cable becomes an inductor. If one end is disconnected, it acts as an antenna. So the question about shortening the length is really the one to think about. Either way, the effect should be very small when there is no significant metal inside the coil.

One other thing to consider, if the cables are shielded, the inner conductors should not act as either an inductor or as an antenna. That is what the shield does, divert magnetic fields around the inner conductors.

The rats nest approach will still make a nice antenna, and probably a better one than the coil. Thats basically what they do with the antennas in our cell phones, they are all wadded up internally. They work better than the old "rubber ducky" antennas that were neat little coils encased in rubber.

Thanks for the food for thought..

D

[Tom Bachman]

So, did I do the right thing? I know it will be way easier to keep clean.