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The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

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Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#71

Post by drivers99 »

janders wrote: post #45
crysin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.velcro.com/legal-and-privacy/dontsayvelcro/

This is wild. It's perfectly logical what they're doing but I'm used to seeing this kinda thing after the trademark has lapsed (Kleenex, Xerox, etc). But to see a company release a pretty funny youtube video begging you to say their name less, well, it's just a weird thing to see.

Ah, thanks for mentioning it's a funny video. With just the link posted, it just looks like a typical "say it our way so we don't lose the trademark" thing like [1]. It makes a big difference in the decision to click on it.

[1] https://www.lego.com/en-us/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-p...

> If the LEGO trademark is used at all, it should always be used as an adjective, not as a noun. For example, say “MODELS BUILT OF LEGO BRICKS”. Never say “MODELS BUILT OF LEGOs”.

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#72

Post by johnnycab »

crysin wrote: post #39
adestefan wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ban nylon ties and get the Velcro ones. They’re as fast as using nylon ties, are reusable, and are soft and wide enough to save the insulation.

https://www.velcro.com/legal-and-privacy/dontsayvelcro/

This is a case of 'genericisation'.

A Very Short Introduction” of a man in 1990 who filed for a trademark on his red, white and blue assortment of “Stealth Condoms”, with the tag-phrase “They’ll never see you coming.” Northrop, the maker of the B-2 “stealth bomber”, sued to stop him, claiming that the man had purloined and even harmed the reputation of their trademark. He went bust.

https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2017/09/09/why-comp...

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#74

Post by close04 »

wstuartcl wrote: post #41
close04 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One big problem with lacing is that it's one long string of knots instead of many individual tie points. You can always cut a zip tie and replace it with another. For lacing that was cut in the middle fixing is a slightly more involved process. So unless it's a final install it could bring some headaches. It's very unforgiving if you realize you got something wrong. With regards to the material used, I have never use…

> For lacing that was cut in the middle fixing is a slightly more involved process. Only if you are speed lacing and do not knot the intermediate restraints. If there is any chance that you will need to break apart mid line you add a stable knot at each intermediate and can simply break between any tie.

True and this may help if you just want to detach 1m of cable from one end (perhaps to route it another way). But replacing one cable in such a bunch is either a nightmare or a serious time sink, depending on how you look at it.

Zip ties are cheaper and faster, velcro might not be cheaper but still faster and a lot more flexible. This being said if I want to send a rover to Mars (so definitely a final install) I will not use zip ties :).

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#75

Post by jedberg »

daveslash wrote: post #65
jedberg wrote: post #63

I use pipe cleaners as my cable ties. Color coded, soft and flexible, strong, easy to remove, doesn't hurt your fingers. Here's[0] the last one I did, reddit's last datacenter before we moved to EC2. [0] https://i.imgur.com/DlaX4.png

Very cool. I love the color-coding idea. Speaking of alternative materials, the article notes "traditionally made of waxed linen" , so I wonder how dental floss would work for small home projects (like under my home-workstation desk).

Dental floss is too small. It would cut the sheath of the cable.

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#76

Post by mikestew »

dsb5 wrote: post #69
nimbius wrote: post #64

Speaking as an automotive engine mechanic, sometimes we use lacing in long-haul tractor trailers. Wiring for sensor modules along the air-slide fifth wheel, near the attic, or especially around the air brake dryer are always laced. The reason for this is zip ties will quickly fail after freeze-thaw cycles. professional drivers in wisconsin or Minnesota cannot get stuck due to an electrical failure on the side of a re…

I had a rodent problem in my garage where rats and mice ate through wiring in my motorcycle and garage door wires. When I had them repaired after eradicating the problem, both my motorcycle mechanic and garage door repairman said that ya the wires they are making in china are made with something especially tasty for rodents.

something especially tasty for rodents

Soy-based wiring insulation: https://www.thedrive.com/news/20878/rodents-are-feasting-on-...

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#77

Post by teachrdan »

crysin wrote: post #52
TurkTurkleton wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was going to say "found the Velcro employee"-- excuse me, I meant "employee of the company Velcro BVBA"-- but surely a Velcro employee would know that Velcro BVBA makes Velcro-branded hook-and-loop-fastener cable management products.

I was just poking fun at Velcro's absurdity. I in no way endorse their view of their branding. I just saw someone say Velcro and I never have had an opportunity to share that lovely page. Seemed tangentially relevant.

Examples of alternatives to trademarked names:

* "Velcro" -> "hook and loop"

* "Kleenex" -> "tissue paper"

* "Dumpster" -> "garbage bin"

* "Frisbee" -> "flying disc"

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#78

Post by Balgair »

Aside: I work in med-tech. One of the largest complaints of doctors and nurses, especially in the ICU, is the cables and tubes. There are just SO MANY cables and tubes in a working ICU. Nurses and docs are constantly stepping on them, pulling them out, choking off blood/saline/urine/air in some tube, knocking power off of another, etc. Most of the machines can't do wireless, as some of the machines will 'jam' that particular bandwidth to operate (MRI, etc).

As this article seems to be collecting a lot of great people that know their cabling, is there anything we can do to reduce or eliminate the headaches that are cables and tubes in a panicked ICU? Anything may help, and I'd love to know some more ideas.

EDIT: One thing I've found for cable bundle twisting issues is that 'N-in-hand' braiding the cables helps relieve some of the stresses when they inevitably get twisted up. Think 30 wires/tubes all twisting about as the patient/machine is whirled about. Braiding the cables helps the wires on the outside of the bundle not twist and pull out as much as they are on the outside radius of the bundle. The braiding helps, in that over enough distance, all the wires spend equal 'time' in the inside and the outside of the cable's width.

Does anyone know of a good resource on cable/tube twisting and how to help with it?

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#79

Post by mikestew »

gotts wrote: post #59
_Microft wrote: post #11

Here's cable lacing visible on a Mars rover: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/MER-2_On...

I'm wondering if zip ties are used at all in a project like this one.

Leave plastic out in the sun, exposed to UV radiation: plastic degrades. Sub-zero temps? Plastic snaps. Snip the end, they leaves sharp edges. Zip ties are great for most conditions under which humans can survive. Now, NASA could have special "space zip ties" that are formulated to resist such conditions, but I would imagine they would bear little resemblance to the ones at Harbor Freight that comes in bags of 100 for $3.

Re: The Lost Art of Lacing Cable (2018)

#80

Post by kbutler »

crysin wrote: post #39
adestefan wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ban nylon ties and get the Velcro ones. They’re as fast as using nylon ties, are reusable, and are soft and wide enough to save the insulation.

https://www.velcro.com/legal-and-privacy/dontsayvelcro/

He capitalized it, showing it as a proper adjective. That's pretty good casual trademark use in my book. :-)

I really like genericized trademarks - fun to look over lists like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericize...

The problem is when the either the brand becomes so dominant ("Kleenex(tm) facial tissues") or the item really lacks an easy, generic noun (Velcro(tm) "hook-and-loop-fasteners". Yeah.)

Escalator(tm) ... motorized staircase?

Trampoline(tm) ... spring jumping pads? Oh, "Rebound tumbler".

Dry Ice(tm) ... solid carbon dioxide?

Dumpster (tm - who knew?) ... large dump-able garbage bins? Bet they really don't like Dumpster(tm)-diving or Dumpster(tm)-fires.

And patents exacerbate this "problem" behavior, because for for the life of the patent (17+ years) the product class is uniquely associated with the brand, so there's no need for anyone to use a generic term (Velcro(tm), Aspirin(tm) acetylsalicylic acid, Xerox(tm) photo-copies).

So the lesson is, when you create your innovative new product, don't just give it a catchy name, also give it a catchy descriptive name, and make sure you promote both.

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