Confession: I suck at cable management

The problem: A giant mess of cables. The solution: watch and see :) Head to www.squarespac... to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEBULAPHOTOS
==Links / Resources==
Cable Racks: amzn.to/3u3xmFK
Brother Label Maker: amzn.to/3QmmDxM
SmartComponents Cable Organizers: www.etsy.com/s...
Pegasus Saddle Powerbox: bit.ly/3Msz4ab
Playlist with my previous videos on cable management: • Cable Management
This video is sponsored by Squarespace.

[@calimark7448]

Dude... I feel your pain. Cables can be such a mess. For constantly changing setups the saddle mount looks pretty slick.

[@DSOImager]

When I first saw the thumbnail, my thoughts immediatly conjured up images of "server rooms from hell", lol. Looking forward to your NYX101 review. CS!

[@alanbirdsell9591]

I totally resonate with your story. I keep coming up with ways to organize my gear and even "modularize" and it works good until something happens just like you said. The quest continues!

[@PantherBlitz]

I like how the labeler is labeled at 3:37

[@Dwarf-Encounters]

Use Velcro tape to help bundle the power lines! It seems to work fine for me. I have more than 1 rig for a night session. Nico, I how you get it right, as you are the best! You're being nice and honest about your problem as we all have setbacks! Thanks. Ron 😮

[@MrDlt123]

Ive had many years of dealing with cable issues as I am also a reasonable competent musician and sound engineer, and run a full music studio in my home along with a home observatory. The below may not apply for those who dont operate a permanent home setup. I easily employ 10 times as many music cables as astro cables. Cable management systems (e.g. cable ties and wraps) generally suck unless you rarely have to swap cables out. Ive learned to bundle only the cables that rarely get changed. The only reasonably successful method Ive found is to label cables and store them in an organized way when not in use. The most important task is to remove cables from paths of travel because eventually you or someone else will destroy a cable, or even worse, an expensive piece of equipment. You can use cable runners, rugs, or luminescent tape, or as I have done, extend cables to the ceiling in reasonable situations so they can be accessed from above (as long as you plan for the equipment to remain more or less stationary). That works well enough for power cables, less so for data cables as the longer length may induce latency and signal fade/errors. Sorry for the TLDR material! 😊

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

Having installed temporary instrumentation and control systems cabling in the past I totally agree with your comments.

[@ericpitt3876]

I imagined you having a cable management process like the Dewey Decimal System. 500 class cables for power cables, 510 for usb-c cables, 520 for telescope to camera cables, etc. All contained in a wooden card catalogue cabinet just waiting for someone to check one out.

[@PafMedic]

😂😂😂

[@confuseatronica]

cables for recharging sex toys or weapons available if you ask the librarian

[@samchasingstarlight]

Great video and points. I also label everything and store things by cable type in a large 2.5 gallon ziplock bag - that too is labeled. I also label commonly used hex wrenches for what they are used on - say a hex wrench for the saddle plate for my MYT or the hex screws on my Mach2 (AP uses the same sized hex screws on a lot of different parts luckily). Saves a ton of time.

[@astroazores]

By the end of the video, listening to your plans for the future, I realized you're going to need more boxes for cables!

[@vedranb87]

Oh wow, your confession in the intro hit hard. :D I feel the same about putting my life together in general. I come up with a plan, stick to the routine, and it works for a while, and then just one thing out of the blue and everything falls apart. I guess I need to start labeling stuff, and have places for stuff.

[@pattimaclaughlin8059]

Great idea for a video!!! At some point we ALL go through this. Maybe not to your extent, but these are great ideas for cable management!! Thanks*** LOVE the cable organizers that were sent to you! I use the colored velco wire wraps!!!

[@shaunozs1ra92]

I relate. You have given me some great ideas, thank you. I am so bad at organizing myself that I have taken to buying 4 separate cameras, mounts, telescopes, OAGs, guide cameras, everything so that I can keep each setup separate and not need to cannibalize any of my setups. I am still struggling to find short USB-B3 and USB-C to UCB-A cables and decent quality short male/male DC cables.

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

Following a recent storm, my house has just been flooded out. Luckily my scopes which were built up for imaging complete with cabling escaped damage but my box full of spare cables, adapters etc. was wiped out along with some DSLR kit lenses, finders and an old ETX80. That power saddle looks like it would be a good addition to my Star Adventurer GTi, which due to my current situation is likely to get a lot of use this winter. Final point, it might seem obvious, but make sure all your gear is insured because as I have just found out, freak events can and do happen when least expected. Even though the gear I lost had not been used for a long time, my insurer has confirmed they will pay out on it.

[@mikem9246]

Good advice on the backup cables. USB cables are usually terribly unreliable when you use them out in the field, and especially when its cold out. You definitely don't want to be 5 hours away from home at a campsite and find your USB cable has died. :)

[@ferenc-x7p]

Don't feel bad, I got this kitchen organizer mini-closet with 4 drawers and each is filled with every kind of cable you can imagine in a giant bird nest mess. It has to do that I switch between 4 telescopes and I do the same ritual of taking systems down and putting another together. I also organized it at least 10 times in 2 years, but I keep making a mess from them, despite they are all nicely rolled up with velcro rings around them. I end up looking for something and within minutes, it's a mess all over! Recently I keep one rig always assembled, because I got tired of spending 30 minutes searching for the right cables. I also got a bunch of useless cables that I should be throwing away, but somehow they always survive. I also got cables that I am not sure what they are for and I'm afraid to throw them away lol! That saddle power distributor is nice and smart idea, although rather expensive.

[@jackwmes]

i too am awful at cable management so it's reassuring to hear that even the pros struggle with it😉 great stuff as always nico

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

I tend to buy cabling when I need it off Amazon, so I have a lot of duplicates. I bought a pack of 1000 tiny rubber bands, and I use these to bind my cables for storage. When I put cabling on a scope build, I use these neoprene sleeves with a zipper to gather the wires, according to their source and destination, all of my scopes have a very clean set up with no dangling wires and my cable drawer is very organized. This is worked for me for well over a year now.

[@hotflashfoto]

I am starting to acquire a few cables. I like the idea of labeling them, so while I have "only a few", this is a good time to start, while it's easy. As I add more, hopefully not many and not often, I can just add a new label as I do and keep things tidy. Great idea, thank you!

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

My cable management is shockingly bad even in the wires in the observatory are bad due to having some power drop issues so I had to make up a temporary system for it to work, but for now it's doing its job so I think I'll leave it as it is until late spring. I like some of the cable clamping ideas onto the camera & the powerbox built into the puck is a great idea. I also look forward to the review of the Pegasus mount as I do quite like their products. Clear skies!!

[@gregmac8268]

Welp, almost didn't click as I didn't want to recognise myself in the video... I did tho and it was a welcome slap to the face. Cheers Nico

[@confuseatronica]

a lot of "cable management" is for looks or to demonstrate one's IT skills, so it gets kicked up a level when it actually needs to connect across more than one joint without binding or swinging around. How long before cameras and mounts use wifi or a power/data bus system? One change I made to my setup is to get rid of as many black cables as possible after I spent a whole night troubleshooting a guiding issue that was caused by a black cable snagging on something in the dark. USB and Ethernet is easy but I still have black power cables for some things. Little bits of glow in the dark tape help and I don't THINK they are bright enough to glare into the exposures as long as they stay out of the fov of the scope. Bonus tip- i put little glow tape spots on the tripod feet to keep me or spectators from kicking them.

[@Mrpaulgs]

I have a similar problem, I struggle with organization. I now think it is ADHD as both of my kids have been formally diagnosed with it and it is genetic. I had a professional organizer come in and sort everything out for me, it only lasted about a year and then decayed into chaos again.

[@souvikroychoudhury8698]

Is it you????? I thought it is me the way you described yourself at the beginning !!!!

[@AstralviewsUK]

That's great, Nico. I suck at KZbin. I think sucking at cable management is the better of the two.

[@greatpix]

I use gallon size zip lock bags to sort cables. Each bag is labeled and holds cables with the same two connectors.

[@vidholf]

I'm very curious to hear what you think of the Pegasus Power box Saddle. I got the Nyx-101 as my first equatorial mount - and so far have my power needs managed with direct plug in to batteries - but definitely have my eye on the Power box Saddle.

[@williamshaw9950]

Very useful - thanks! I'm thinking of getting one of these saddle powerbox units, and doing a custom adaptation to another mount not supported by Pegasus. I wondered if you could tell me the spacing between those four M5 holes in the base that are used to connect to the NYX101 or the other pucks?

[@anata5127]

I have two bunches of cables. One is two cables from power box to power source and computer. Both are on ground. Second power box to dew heater, focuser and camera/filter wheal. I change these two branches between scopes. No problem. Problem always was guide scope. But, now I don’t guide any moreover, mount stops if cable is tangled.

[@GhostSenshi]

That saddle is a game changer. Wow

[@edjones3390]

I have hundreds of cables, my biggest tip is to keep stored cables in zip lock plastic bags! you can label the bags, keep similar cables grouped together and they don't get in a tangled mess!

[@DavidSilesIT]

I am also terrible at cable management. I think I will purchase the camera gadget to tidy up a bit the mess. Thank you!

[@HR91360]

PVC pipe is a great way to hide tons of cables. Simply cut them to fit the area, Place the cable inside with one end going out of each side of the pvc tube. Shove the excess cable inside the tube, either rolled, folded or messy... Or, like i like to do, Wrap the excess cable around the pvc pipes exterior. Its a cheap-ish way to have a really clean setup. Also really easy to adjust later for more equipment or reorganizing/rearranging.

[@mikehardy8247]

That sounds like it adds a lot of weight.

[@fazergazer]

What are the cable racks made from? Looks like what I need too!❤

[@foc2241]

Great! Hope this works out for you! Imma get some cable organizers as well cuz my box looks even worse than yours😂😂

[@dw.in.michigan]

Everybody has their "thing" that they aren't super organized about. The fact that you had them all contained at least indicated that you had some organization, even if only the knowledge of what they are and how they're used. Definitely keep a backup of each cable, but you should have more than one backup. Keep a set of cables most likely to be used, in your car. Keep at least the most expensive and/or difficult to find in a store in any travel bags or cases, so that you're not in the middle of nowhere trying to replace a specialized cable at a gas station or truck stop. I don't have near the stuff you do, so my modest efforts at cable (and other gear) management work well enough, but I could do better. Since I have only one ZWO hockey puck camera, everything that I have for that has red velcro straps, so that I don't mix it up with my DSLR cables. I have labeled some of my cables, but I just use bright yellow gaffers tape (so I can see it more easily in the dark) and a marker. I'll also label the rear caps of my lenses, and any front caps that aren't 77mm, but I've upsized most of my lenses to 77mm so that I don't have to futz around in the dark looking for the right front cap. I use a white marker to write or mark on other gear that I can't use tape on, for better visibility in the dark - like the lineup point of attachment on my lenses that have only a small dot on the end, or distinguishing between a 77mm hood and an 82mm hood. The other thing I've done, which doesn't help with organization so much as just being able to find things, is put either reflective tape or glow in the dark tape on anything I might bump into, or drop and otherwise not be able to find when out in the field. I also put glow in the dark tape next to the power switch on any device, where it's either too small to find and/or the device has multiple switches side by side.

[@janetwillson3502]

I use colored zip ties on the cords. Pick a color for each telescope and use the color tie on the cables.

[@torstenselle]

On the subject of cable management: Here's the professional approach from my local electrical wholesaler. I was looking for a >MINI

[@torstenselle]

Addendum: we use this 8th winding as a defect marker

[@torstenselle]

Oh oh one more Maybe it would also make sense to look for a USB cable tester in the Brazilian mangrove forests. (Why exactly are we playing here in the comments column Missing Link)

[@torstenselle]

Greetings from the rabbit hole. This video was just suggested to me. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4eTZHmcmbV7hdk Only applies to USB-C Btw the observatory looks great - clear skies

[@justklaas4703]

Yep. Very happy visual dob owner here, who never suffers from cable OCD.

[@mikehardy8247]

Crazy! What I've seen on KZbin videos is what I've done earlier that day, uncanny. It's generally known that brilliant people are disorganized. Not saying I'm brilliant, but I'm a disorganized slob, while attempting order. I live alone. If something is where I normally stick it, that's where I'll find it next time! I have a lot to say, so this won't be my only comment.

[@JeliSpace]

Hey @Nebula Photos Shameless plug but I happen to geek out with cable mgmt as well as packing solutions I have a couple videos on each if you would like to check them out! I was thinking on doing a full video on my packout system that I use.

[@skylinevspec000]

haha before I even got 10 seconds in I had typed "the best thing I ever got was a 3d printer" then here we are a few mins later on

[@keithatrochdale]

How is your observatory build progressing?

[@SVI_999]

How many times have you bought a special cable or adapter because you coudn`t find in your “mess-cable-box” and after having the new one the former cable suspiciously appears?

[@RyanSultemeier]

Buy plastic or mesh pouches, label the pouch for each cable type, keep them all in a case/milk crate/storage

[@RyanSultemeier]

And buy bongo ties

[@donondre7314]

The dreaded cable box. When I tip mine over, the cables come out as one single solid block 🙂

[@glaurung666]

You don't have to be ashamed of it. Everyone have problems with cable mangement. At least I've never seen a man who didn't have it. My guitar cables are always look like a bunch of spiders, entangled with each other. Same with my audio system: no matter how neat I try to lay cables from/to amp/speakers/lp player/blu ray player - they will always be chaotically twisted. As for my data cables - the situation much better but only because I don't have that indane number of cables.😅

[@joeparham2889]

Do you think cables will go the way of film? Now that a lot of things are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi etc.

[@fritzarken74]

ciao si ho visto questa soluzione, ma sinceramente io ho solo 2 cavi che devo veramente gestire, l'alimentazione di asi air, e il cavetto eqmod, tutti gli altri son cablati direttamente sul telescopio.

[@KingLoopie1]

My old cable and equipment management system - Throw everything into piles, then get frustrated and throw stuff around when I can't find something.... New cable and management system - gently put everything in piles, then get frustrated and throw stuff around when I can't find something... 🤔🙄

[@AnotherAmateurAstronomer]

I only have two cables. One from my camera to my computer and one power cord to my telescope. But, I do not do astro-photograhy. I only do EAA.

[@TheGameAdventurers]

Hey I have a question, Is a Nikon P90 Good for astrophotography? I’m looking at different options for cameras that I could use for astrophotography

[@NebulaPhotos]

It doesn’t have raw support so that is a bit limiting. If you already have access to it, go for it. The most important thing is dark sky preferably on a moonless night if shooting the stars.

[@TheGameAdventurers]

@@NebulaPhotos thank you!!!

[@philshorten3221]

Someone needs to "invent" a LEGO Connection system to replace "floppy" cables. I'm sure it must be possible to create a 3D std at least based on kit from the same manufacturer? 🤔 The Astro Observers are, on the whole, a pretty smart, innovative bunch. Wouldn't it be so cool if you could put together a bunch of modules that allowed all the "stuff" to plug directly in! I'm not into Atronomy yet, but I know about, and hate cables, so when I see a telescope draped in a spaghetti mass of cables, with the potential for bad / intermittent connections I shudder at the thought. There MUST be a better way? (oh and if anyone makes millions from a LEGO brick system they design, please remember to buy me a coffee or two! 😂)

[@billvinson7859]

We all suck at cable management. ❤

[@Bonspieler]

I am anal with a capital A about cable management. When first starting out, I saw a pic of an APer 's rig we all know. It looked like someone dumped a pot of spaghetti over their scope. Wires everywhere. I swore I would never have my rig look like that. I order the proper length cables so I don't have loops and loops of a 6 foot cable when I only need a foot, or six inches. C'mon, they're cheap enough. Then when setting up a new rig, I use those wire sandwich bag ties to group them all together. Once I'm happy with everything, I put a cable shroud over it all to clean it up. The cable rack is a means to an end, but makes my OCD scream bloody murder. It still looks like a mess. Sorry. I use plastic ammo boxes from Harbor Freight. I probably have a dozen of them for each type of cable I need and label them with a Sharpie. The Dynamo labels don't stick to them very long. Easy Peasy. Looking forward to your review of the NYX mount. I talked to the guys at NEAF last April and am excited to see it go through its paces. Clear Skies!

[@TheReadDesultory]

❤😂 nuff said

[@SpaceRocksandStardust]

I thought bad cable management was standard for all of us in the hobby?😂

[@mikehardy8247]

Someone mentiod getting just the right length cable. Where can we get such cables, and ones that stay suppl in freezing temperatures? Manufacturers, we'll pay for a selection.

[@007janos]

I mean, this is the reason why astrophotographers sooner or later wish to end up with a permanent observatory 😅

[@rudyastro]

My current solution is bundling up the slack cable with a ziptie and wedging it in the gap between my main scope and guidescope 😭 horrible solution but it works

[@mikehardy8247]

That's basically what I do. Ok for now.

[@chrisplayle2631]

Hi my name is Chris playle from Wales in United Kingdom, as you know Orion is is coming back, i really want to try and get an image of the orion complex with my 50mm cannon prime lens at f1. 8 and a star adventurer 2i Pro tracking mount my camera is a 1300d dlsr unmodified canon camera. Your help would be appreciated, by the way another great video.

[@mikehardy8247]

Don't block me from too many entries. My hobbies have outgrown my house! I wouldn't have anywhere to put those cable racks.

[@kevins8575]

My cables are much more highly organized; one rat's nest of usb c cables and a larger rat's nest of everything else😅

[@ThePred2009]

zip ties are your friend!!!

[@hael8680]

Confession: those who think are good at cable management create a huge single bundle of wires that creates tracking issues just because of its inertia and weight. It is better not to be too good at it.

[@mikehardy8247]

YUP !

[@terrizittritsch745]

Not a lot here… seemed a bit more sales pitch for this expensive Pegasus stuff than cable mgmt.

[@MarcelBlattner]

Entropy at its best :-).

[@philwachocki7958]

I can help you and show you an easy way to keep it clean

[@XPFTP]

i do also... no worries haahhaha there is no one right way to string ur scope

[@huf67]

Cable management ?? Hahaha.....I suck at life management 🫤