any tricks for using bigass pc's?

Well kelly I am used to dealing with "behemoths. very large diameter, very heavy" cords that you are refering too. Its tricky but once you get the hang of it, it ain't too bad, and the ladies love it ;) I hear you though I have one power cord that is so large in diamter and so stiff that I can use it to toast marshmellows over an open flame and it won't sag, from 6 feet I might add.(for those who wonder I hold the IEC end, how would I get 3 marshmellows to stick into the IEC socket with out burning my fingers taking them out, duh?) Fortunatly in my rack(which has much less gear then yours, thank the good lord I couldn't deal with much more) I have room to wrench the cords out and around, though it is sometimes hard to make a secure connection to the wall, from the angle it approaches at. Life is rough.
Tim

Hi Kelly,

I use tie wrap mounting pads available at Home Depot. These pads have slots that are ninety degrees apart, and will accommodate one (possibly two) tie wraps each. The pads are clear or white, and the wraps themselves are available in at least black and white, with the UV black being my favorite.

After mounting the pad, draw a tie wrap through the slot and pull past the resistance of the click lock, until the audio cable is suspended without any strain.

Mistakes in length may be quickly corrected by clipping the tie wrap with side cutters, and trying again. Trial and error is the only way to find the perfect strain relief point for each cable.

Extra long lengths may be had by looping two or more tie wraps together to reach the next comfortable pad mount.

In extensive listening tests, I have not experienced any performance loss with these snugged up to my cables. Many high end cables are already black finish, making the wraps almost invisible, particularly at the back of a shelf. The only negative with this system is the sticky back on the pads. If the surface is not perfectly clean, or the cable is extremely heavy (like my Purist Dominus), a screw must be passed through the center of the pad to hold the weight. Not possible with some stands or shelves.

only in your dreams, tim. i just heard from an unimpeachable source that you were rejected as an extra (in an outdoor crowd scene) for “boogie nights." :o) -kelly

albert: many thanks. is there a brand name for tie wrap? i assume they're in the "electrical" section, close by the many varieties of nylon cord collectors? -kelly

The ones I purchased were GB cable ties, and are USA made. I think Tie Wrap is a brand name like Kleenex, that get abused when attempting to describe a similar product.

There are different size cable tie blocks. There techinical name is a 4-way self adheasive mounting brace, I have lots of them at work we use them all the time, if you would like I can put a bunch in an envelope and send them out to you, let me know. I think the brand we use is 3M, like Albert said the mounting surface must be VERY clean or they will not stick, and if you "overload" them they will fall off regardless of how clean the surface is.

thanx guys. i've a drawerful of gb cable ties in every imaginable color and length. use 'em for everything. HINT FROM HELOISE: they make putting away and packing xmas tree lights an easy task. -cfb

Another technique is to use corian two by two samples with an old Navcom isolation device with the sliver ring seated on top of the corian. This works with most power cables. With a tall amp you may need two corian samples stacked.

Hope this helps, Al

I fabricated some support blocks from lefover 2X4's, experimenting a bit to get just the right height. If necessary, file or saw a small rounded indentation notch at the top of the woodblock which fits directly with the cable being supported. Slip it under the cable first, then bottom the block onto the component shelf. The block lifts the cable just slightly as it "snugs" into place, holding it & the cable nicely in place. I didn't even bother to paint the blocks; can't be seen from the rack front anyway.

Cardboard tubes cut to length also work fairly well if the weight isn't too much. Paper towel tubes, T.P. tubes, wax paper or kitchen foil cardboard tubes do the trick, & form their own rounded notch under the cable as they're slid into place. I used to have one under an amp's heavy AC cord; the bottom of the tube rested directly on the floor behind the rack.
These tricks work best with *heavier* components of course.

I just buy a $1 piece of that gray pipe insulation from Home Depot. Comes in 6 foot lengths. I then cut a piece just large enough to fit b/w where the cord goes into the gear and my rack. This is very good b/c you don't have to glue things to your rack and if you change cords or adjust your rack it's really cheap to cut another piece. Plus I use it to seperate the digital cable/ICs from being too close to each other and PCs. PLUS, I use it to keep speaker cable off the carpet, Plus....well for $1 per 6 foot run I use it for lots of stuff! ;~)