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Somewhere in your house there’s probably a twisted, writhing mass of cables for all sorts of devices — I know this because I have several stashes of wire dating back at least 20 years, if not older. For me Spring cleaning This year, I’m getting rid of everything I no longer need, so I’ll be sharing some helpful tips as well as what to send to the thrift store.
Tips for cutting rope clutter
Don’t be afraid to throw away less common wires – even if you accidentally throw away a wire before finding yours Vintage iPod – Alternatives are readily available at thrift stores and specialty stores.
Let’s start with some basic steps to help you decide which ropes to keep and which to get rid of. Orphaned wires are an easy target because they no longer have a compatible device to power, charge, or plug your computer into – think about that Smartphonesinternet routers, Desktop computersCD players, etc.
Next, you want to target add-ons and backups. There’s no reason to keep every Ethernet cable from every router you’ve bought since time immemorial. This is especially true when all devices using this type of wire already use one. For example, I use several Ethernet cables in my smart home test to connect various hubs and base stations to my router. They all came with their own cords, so I didn’t even need the 5 backups I had on my machine Junk drawer.
However, I don’t see a problem with keeping one spare item of a certain type just in case, which brings me to my third recommendation: a little organization goes a long way. Store spare parts individually in bags, using twist ties or rubber bands to prevent them from stretching around the waste drawer. This way, you can avoid creating a tangled mess while searching for batteries or pencils that share the same space.
Take an inventory of your cable array
Start by taking inventory of your wires, cables, and adapters.
What you choose to get rid of depends on your personal circumstances. Most people probably don’t need to keep as many wires as technology reviewers, vintage electronics enthusiasts, or technology conservatives. However, here are some categories of cables and adapters to consider – this is not an exhaustive list.
Power adapters and cables
I’ve reduced my collection of wall warts from 12 to 4.
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Wall warts: Wart is not a term of endearment, as we all stress that AC adapters block other outlets or protrude from the wall. But they’re also the larger items in any junk drawer — with the possible exception of old TV remotes, which probably need to be gotten rid of, too. I’ve reduced my collection from 12 spare wall warts to just 4.
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Stray power cords: As I looked through the cords, I discovered four desktop power cords, the type that also works with monitors, projectors, and some TVs. A year ago, this would have been fine, but I finally donated three old monitors from a previous home office design to a thrift store in the last couple of months. Now I have one spare projector in stock.
Audio/video cables
If there’s an AV cable that has seen widespread use in the last 40 years, I probably have it in my junk drawer.
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Coaxial, RCA, Component and S-Video cables: The move to HDMI more or less sounded like the death knell for standard definition (SD) AV cables. While these are still important in the older society of CRT TVs, VCRs, and older consoles, some modern TVs don’t even have the correct ports.
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Auxiliary cables and cheap wired headphones: While aux cables are still relevant for some devices designed in the past 15 years, they are losing ground every year as Bluetooth technology becomes more reliable and affordable. The same goes for cheap wired earbuds, which are the types they still distribute to airlines, not the old-fashioned ones Sennheiser studio quality – Especially if they are wearing. If you still want a wired option, you can find a decent pair of USB-C earbuds or a dongle to use with a better pair.
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Tape deck adapters: If the last time you saw tape in your car was more than a year ago, there’s a good chance you won’t need this tape adapter anymore.
Data cables
Older USB cables are becoming less and less important with each passing year.
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Micro USB, micro USB, USB-B, and USB-A cables: As USB-C rewrites the rules of what to expect from a USB cable, older types of USB cables are becoming less relevant with each passing year. I have an old external hard drive that uses Mini USB, but I don’t need more than one cable because I rarely use that drive anymore. Likewise, different external drive, digital piano and Printer (recently deceased). It was the only technology that still used USB-B, so I have no idea why I had six cables.
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iPhone cables: Lightning is still useful for some iPhones, but there’s unlikely to be a reason to keep the fancy-named 30-pin connector, unless you’re still using an iPod.
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RJ45 telephone cables: I can’t think of a single instance where RJ45 phone cables would be useful when Ethernet cables do most of the lifting these days.
Dongles and adapters are your friends
To get the most connectivity in the smallest possible space, you should consider replacing a few USB-C adapters.
As I looked into the cords, I discovered that most data cables and almost anything that uses a DC power supply have an affordable USB-C alternative. In the case of data cables, you can find dongles for Micro USB, USB-A, and Lightning at One set With common smartphone connectors. While Mini USB and USB-B are unlikely to appear in cell phone kits, adapters are easy to track down.
But what changed the game for me was the realization that I could use USB Power Delivery (PD) to power almost anything with a USB-C cable, including older USB devices and laptops that use barreled DC connectors. The secret is a specialized USB-C cable with adjustable voltage settings and interchangeable connector tips. I picked up a Yetadneth model Which supports voltages between 3V and 12V, a polarity adapter cable, and a USB-A cable with some extra adapter tips to cover almost everything I need.
Most of the ones I own have positive center polarity, but this old audio recorder uses negative center polarity.
The most important thing to get right is the voltage and polarity, which you can usually find next to the power port of the barrel connector. While voltage is straightforward, polarity is a little diagram with a positive plus sign (+) and negative minus sign (-) on either side of the circuit. Any symbol that connects to the center of the circle (instead of the edge) is the correct polarity. If you need to reverse the polarity, a Polarity switcher converter It will do the trick.
Also, you need to USB PD wall adapter This is powerful enough to support the required voltage, as these transformers step down the voltage to the appropriate level (they cannot increase it). For example, a 100W PD wall charger can support higher voltages than a 65W PD adapter, so be sure to double-check the power requirements (and whether you have the right adapter) before purchasing.
If all you need is a simple 5V connection, you can use a Simple adapter cable without step down feature. However, keep in mind that these adapters lack data connections, unlike the dongles I mentioned above.
With a little luck, you’ll free up some space in your junk drawer.
