Good morning,
I am curious to know how schools keep their V5 smart cables organized in their classrooms. Putting them in a bin or tote does not work well when a student needs one. I have come up with one idea and am including a photo here. Want to know if anyone else has discovered a better way to store them. Thank you.
3 Likes
Although our organization is not a school, but rather a community team, I can share a couple ideas with you.
For our V5 cables, we use industrial cable racks like these: https://www.amazon.com/Pomona-1508-POM-Holder-Diameter/dp/B00JXPSKX2
For IQ cables, we used to use a bin rack like this, make from PVC gutter.
But since IQ Gen2, we have since just let each of our teams take care of their own cables, and provided each team with a organizer system. More details on that at the end of this document, if you’re interested in a non-school workspace: Team VIRUS workspace 2023.pdf - Google Drive
3 Likes
Wouldn’t separate bins for each length work?
I found it more efficient to color code the ends for each length using a Sharpie Marker, then coil with a twist tie and separate into bins within one of the larger Stanley Sortmasters. Blue 300mm, green 600mm, yellow 900mm, orange 1200mm, and red 1600mm if i remember correctly. Unfortunately I dont have a photo.
I’ve tried a few things, and have not yet found a great solution. I like the original idea in the photo by @Korndog , but with additional single guides staggered for the bottom of the cables. This might reduce the overlapping tangles and encourage sorting them by length. If anyone uses something similar, let me know how it works before I sketch up and print my own.
I use colored electrical tape. I then shove all the cables of the right size into a sandwich sized baggie, and then all of those baggies go into a tub.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-x-20-ft-multiple-color-electrical-tape-6-piece-59743.html
I use double colors (ie RED GREEN) on the super long ones.
2 Likes
What do you think of something 3D printed like this…
I’ve printed the first test (2x5 as shown) and it seems to work well, but I have not put it to use with students (bottom bracket is still printing).
It would protect the clips and keep cables as organized as you like. you could…
- clip into both a top and bottom bracket (help sorting lengths)
- clip only one end and let them dangle (probably tangle some)
- cilp both ends into matching spots on just a top backet
Any suggestions… (other than longer 2x10 and 2x15 versions which are planned) I will eventually post to thingiverse.
1 Like
Looks great. I suspect kids would not clip bottom 
1 Like
I love your three D printing skills.
Assume end A of cable is attached to top holder. Assume other end (B) is attached to bottom holder.
Plot the mean time until a roboteer grabs that cable and rips either end off in the holder.
I have an old school tie rack, a strip of wood with wooden pins coming out of it. I use it to drape test leads over.
You might want to look at this design, it may work for the motor/sensor wires.
2 Likes
The prefab cable hangers are decent options, but I was always annoyed with how free the wires and clips were to move and rotate. End clips would catch and wires would turn into a bit of a tangle. and beside… why buy something when you can draw it up and print it. 
Foster has a good point about kids possibly ripping the wire out if you clip it into a top and bottom bracket. Playing with my first test print, it seems to work well with just a top bracket (with either a single clip in, or with 2)
I like how this design keeps the end firmly in place and how you can release any of the clips in the line, not just the first one.
I’ll probably put together a few variations and post them next week if anyone wants to test them.
1 Like
Color coding and some sort of wall mounted solution works great for large number of wires and looks cool in the large multi-team lab,
But if you have just a few wires for a single team Foster’s solution of small zip bags, probably, works the best both for storing them in your build place and taking them on the road.
Another alternative to small bags would be transparent disposable food containers. They are perfect for storing round wire bundles, rubber bands, or any other small mechanical items. They are stackable and easy to pack, setup in the work area, or put away.
3 Likes