Introduction: Tangle - Prevent Your Earphones From Getting Tangled - Ever!!

About: Find my maker profile on alpha.makeystreet.com/maker/alex/

Hack yourself a solution to prevent your earphones from getting Tangled.

In reality the solution is so simple that you dont need this instructable. One look at the solution and you will be able to make it yourself. 

Here is the simplest solution to tangled earphones.

If you would rather get a finished product head over to www.getatangle.com

Step 1: The Solution - Our Thoughts ...

There are many solutions to tangled earphones. A lot of them are interesting and very cool. But we found one fundamental flaw with them. Non of them has emerged as the universal solution for tangled earphones.

We were wondering with so much solutions that already exists for tangled earphones and tangled earphones being a real problem, why is any one of them really be known as the universal solution for tangled earphones. We think the reason for it was that each of these solutions was not ready accessible. 

Yes tangled earphones is a frustrating problem but its not a problem for which a lot of people would not wait a week for someone to ship the product to you after you find it and buy it online. After all the research for existing products in market, we also think that the reason why no one solution has taken over the world is because non of the solutions are so simple that it solved the problem in 5 mins, when you have the problem. 

So ya here is our solution to tangled earphones. Its a card based solution and we have been inspired by many card based solutions that already exists such as https://www.instructables.com/id/Tangle-free-earphone-cord-wrapper./
https://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-cable-earphone-or-headphone-organiser/?ALLSTEPS

We call our solution "Tangle"

Advantages of Tangle compared to other designs.
- No slits, cuts or sharp corners. No edge will get stuck and deform the card. 
- Universal solution - Works for almost all earphones. It will work for your existing earphone. 
- Simple Card based solution
- Customize it to match your style and personality

Links to solutions that already exists.
Card based solutions 
https://www.instructables.com/id/cord-organizer-1/?ALLSTEPS
https://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-way-to-keep-ear-bud-cords-from-tangling/?ALLSTEPS
https://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-cable-earphone-or-headphone-organiser/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Uncard/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Earbud-cord-wrapper-in-5-minutes-or-less!/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Cord-Wrap-from-Used-Giftcard/

Other solutions 
https://www.instructables.com/id/No-more-dropped-or-tangled-earphones/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Earphones-Cord-Organizer/
https://www.instructables.com/id/3d-printed-6th-gen-nano-watch-band-w-earphone-org/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Corkwrap/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Anti-Tangle-Earbud-Storage/?ALLSTEPS

Step 2: Lets Make One

Materials needed to make a Tangle:
1. Cardboard
2. Scissor
3. Pen
4. Sharp object to poke ( like a screw driver)

Step 1

1) First cut a small piece of rectangle, roughly the size of a credit card from the piece of cardboard that you have.

Step 3: Making the Holes

Now take a sharp object like a screw-driver and make four holes on one of the longer sides of the card that you just cut. These holes are for your earphone cord to be stitched into place later:

These are the holes that you will pass the end of the wire after winding in a stitching motion. Stitching motion has a lot of friction. It will keep your earphone in place.


Then make a hole approximately at the centre of the other side of the card. Enlarge it using a pen. A bigger hole helps as some earphones have a mic or a volume control in the middle, which would need to pass through this hole
This hole should be big enough to let your earphone connector through but small enough to lock your earbuds.

Step 4: Making the Notches

Your Tangle is almost ready, but not yet. The earphone cord can very well pass through these holes and keep it from getting entangled, but the coiled cords might just slip out of position. So cut a notch on each of the shorter sides of the card. These notches will keep the coils in place.

Your Tangle is ready. You may want to enlarge the size of some of the holes depending on the type of earphone that you use.

If you do have access to a laser cutter, then you can make yourself a much more finished product. Use the corel draw file attached to cut out a Tangle from a standard credit card. Laser when it cuts through credit cards, it will give you a very fine finish, but it will give you burnt marks on the Tangle. So you might want to spray paint your card. In the image shown (Orange Tangle) , we even pasted a vinyl sticker.  Experiment with paints and vinyl and make your Tangle more awesome.


Step 5: Make a Style Statement With Your Tangle

We have shown you how to make Tangle yourself and eradicate  your frustration with tangled earphones immediately. 

But if you want a Tangle with more stylish and want it to reflect your personality, get yourself a Designer Tangle from www.getatangle.com

Tangle can be used for branding your events instead of a Tshirt. Tangle was used by TEDxkids@rspuram to brand their event. 

Right now we are running an Indiegogo campaign. So you can now get 2 designer Tangles for the price of one. Also I am maker and big fan of the maker movement. I am building a search engine for maker parts. The problem that we are addressing is - "how do makers around the world find and discover parts for their project/makey?". The money that we raise from this campaign will go into making makeystreet. So help us help the maker in you. 

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tangle/x/1767072

Get yourself a bunch of really cool designer tangles, and help build a maker revolution. 

If you are a artist or a graphic designer, and would like to make a tangle, drop me a mail at alex@makeystreet.com and we will send you the designer instructions. 

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