How to distinguish and easily find your devices' usb cords using zip ties

turn a cord mess into an awesome organized cord success. ok, I'll be showing you guys a cool and inexpensive way to distinguish your device cords and find the correct one easier. You can do this by just using a few zipties of different colors. The approx. time to make this is less than 5min. when you have all of the materials. Anyway, lets move on to what we'll need to do this.

Step 1: Materials

1. usb cords
2. zip ties (use different colors for different cords)
3. scissors

Comments

[DanYHKim]

Nice idea, but the instructions seem to be a bit much. I mean, your instructions seem to show how to close a zip tie in excruciating detail. I don't really mean to be negative, since the basic idea is actually pretty useful. I would suggest using a knife or scissors to trim the sharp corners of the projecting bit of the Zip tie so they are not sharp.

BTW, I have found that a White-out pen is good for marking the ends of USB cables and other cables with white dots, lines or writing. I have used such markings in a way similar to this one. Also, the molded plastic casing around the ends of USB cables can be notched with a knife, and a code of notches can be used to identify cables as well.

[izea97sk8ter]

Thank you very much for your feedback. I will keep in mind what you have told me for future instructables.

[benjamenjohnson]

Great idea, I've also been saving the plastic bread bag tabs to use as cable labels. I think this color coding idea will compliment that well I also like the idea of putting dots of paint on the devices like I8nite mentioned.

[servant74]

I have been using 'bread wrapper' plastic tags (little flat pieces with a capture 'notch' cut in it, and write on it with a colored sharpie. put one on each end of a cord and it helps know which is which.

Especially good for larger cables rather than little ones like these small power cords. For the small power cords, I make a loop and put two rounds through the plastic tab, just to give the tab more to hold onto.

Still, good thought.

[l8nite]

u can buy packages of multicolored zipties at the dollar store, my problam is knowing which pwr cord goes to what device so a zippie or 3 at eaither end ? as an artist I solved it by using spots of paint, one on the device and one on each end of the cord/s, this also helps me tell which way the cord plugs into my camera or whatever w/o having to locate my glasses (the dot is up or facing out) I also zip or tape cords together, so the pwr and usb cords for the external hd are zipped together near the hd.

[izea97sk8ter]

cool. I will try that. you could also create a paper labeled with the patterns too. it helps a lot!

[Phil B]

You tagged each cable or charger with a different color of nylon tie. How do you know which color of tie indicates which device? Can you buy assorted colors of ties in one package, or do you need to buy multiple packages of ties, of which you use only one or two per color? What happens when you have more cords than you have colors?

My solution to this problem has been to place each charger or cord into a clear plastic sandwich bag with a small piece of paper for a note. I write on the paper what device uses that cord. All sandwich bags holding cords or chargers goes into a cardboard box I keep on a shelf. Cords I use most often tend to be near the top of the box. It is simple and has worked well for me.

[izea97sk8ter]

well, this is.just a solution for a few cables at a time. also, I said at.tge end that if you were to have alot of cable that you could create a chart for colors. you could even separate you cables into categories with this system. it was not really designed for exact labeling or for a lot of cables. thanks for your advice though! constructed critisicm always helps make things better.

[Phil B]

Thank you for your response. I was just wondering how it works.