How to wrap your EVSE/other cables! (You're doing it wrong!)

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TLeaf said:
A great bit of cable management wisdom! I've been wrapping my cables and hoses like this since the late '80's when I was shown the correct way by a local television crew.

Added trivia: indeed, multi-strand audio and video cables are wrapped over under, but set-electric (lighting-electrical dept) cords are coiled one way about the diameter of a basketball for storage, however, while usually stored the same way, the larger cables, known as banded, 00# and 0000# are figure 8 coiled while under load (to avoid AC transformer effect and heating due to the same).

Some of the generally accepted practices of the past would horrify some, like intentionally shorting two heavily charged DC charged carbon rods, while wearing welding gear, together, to simulate lightning (impressive and quite dangerous as a shower of hot carbon sparks pluming and the 500 amp generator strains under the load)--nowadays done with xenon strobes instead. Given there was usually a rain rig in operation, at least the DC was less deadly.

Why not over under and this way when it makes no sense? The because rule: because "that is the way we do it"?
 
There is no "transformer effect" when using banded or multiconductor cable. Now, if you are using singles, and for whatever reason, they aren't run as a group, this may be possible.

For heating reasons, you don't want any wrapping, you want it spread out. A "serpentine" layout is best.

"Old habits die hard"; People in-general definitely resist change and prefer to do things "the way they've always done it". This obviously includes buying cars powered by petroleum.

-Phil
 
HarryHouck said:
On long extension cords I do the elbow/hand method with a figure eight. Works on smaller diameter wires over a Vulcan hand salute.
This is still a lot of internal twisting, and not good long-term, especially for large cabling like our EVSE's have.

-Phil
 
Very instructional video.

The advice is excellent.

But for an audio "expert" adept at wrapping up the band's XLR cables, the audio on this video presentation is absolutely abysmal. The hum and ambient noise indicate the expertise ends at the XLR3 plug.

;-)

But, sincerely, thank you for the "over/under technique" video!

That's a wrap!
 
DoxyLover said:
Over-under is the proper way to wrap cables. If you worked on a TV crew working with the (older) many-conductor cables, you learned to do over-under or were reassigned/fired. Those cables were expensive, full of small gauge wires, and hard to repair.

Former broadcast engineer here... Yep, over/under was the only way to handle any video/audio/data/power cable (if cable reels were not being used). Anyone volunteering to help strike cables after an event were quickly trained on proper technique, or invited to go 'help someone else' if they did not cooperate.
 
I worked in the oilfield as a diver and that's exactly how we coiled our ultrasonic gear, camera cables with the over and under method but when called for on a much larger format on our surface supplied dives we would figure 8 the air hoses right on the deck, basically the same principle of “relaxing the lay” this technique also was used for our diving bell umbilical lines (multiple lines taped together), knots are not your friend . Over and under is such a foreign concept to the unfamiliar, they look at you funny but some can get the hang of it.
 
Thanks for the info, I haven't wrapped cables elbow over wrist for a long time, I just used that little velcro strap that comes with the portable evse to hold the end then I begin, and just spool the cable hand over hand like a hose or cable reel does, and I spooled it out in reverse. I tried the over under method with some 6 gauge wire we had laying around at work and it was kind of hard to get it to wrap up and form a coil. It seems to work better with the more flexible cables. I think I'll put this over under method in my toolbox of skills though. It's a very good way to do it. But I will still remember the hand over hand coiling method, because in some situations it works better too.
 
As this thread is quite old now (recently added to) I'd be interested in knowing how folks have got on in practice with this technique.

The reason I ask is because I was using this from the outset with my leads but found it was not hugely efficient. It may be effective, but you only need a half dozen loops in a 5m cable. So by the time you made the first loop or two in a 'non-clever' way just lifting and coiling it, you've already done a half of the cable.

So I dropped the technique shown above for EV cables and I simply roll and rotate the first couple of loops, place that in the boot of the car while I go fetch the other end and do likewise, then fit the one half coil on top of the other. This allows for the cable to be lifted off the ground for more of the operation, keeping it cleaner. You have to note the loops and rotate the coils as you unwrap it, but I just found that the stiffness and relative shortness of EV cables did not particularly lend itself to this technique in the long run, and noticed that I was still getting kinks in it even though I was being very careful to wrap the cable only in the manner that put least twisting tensions on it.

Ultimately, you still can't avoid kinking entirely because every time a multi-core cable goes from straight to bent the interior cores have to shift very slightly relative to each other (else it wouldn't bend!). So over time these inner cores 'walk' and, as mentioned above, you have to warm the cable up, apply the minimum tension on it, then shake it back and forth so it flaps whilst also applying a gentle opposite twist to allow the cores to come back into their original relative positions, free of any residual forces between the cores and the sheath.
 
^ I find it quite easy to use this technique on my 8 meter Nissan/Panasonic EVSEs (I have two, both upgraded to 240 Volts). Except when the cable is very cold (-20ºC) and stiff, in which case I gently fold it into the car for coiling later when I can warm it up. I also use the over/under technique on my extension cords.

I do have trouble with using it to coil my long garden hoses because it is difficult to hold and loop a cold, stiff 25 meter hose at the same time. But it is worth the effort because the hose doesn't tangle when I later stretch it out for use.
 
I just saw a picture of EVSE cord that made me shudder so I giving this thread a kick to get few more people to see it.

Here are a couple of more YouTube videos on using "over under" to avoid wrecking cables:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74OEVUOKOw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjdYpyGh3zM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

arnold
 
Yes, we get units in for upgrade often that are really bad.

We've had to repair units several people sent in due to the cord getting so twisted it ripped apart inside! Unfortunately there's really no fixing the cord. It will eventually fail in the middle somewhere.

-Phil
 
It is interesting that I learned to do what is effectively the over under a different way.

I was wrapping a cord around my elbow (like pa showed me) and realized it did not work well. you can feel the twisting in the wire.

so I tried to just "coil" it but the line "resisted" and it dawned on me that it "wanted to go the other way" so I would turn my coil hand around to the other side and "no more resistance" every other coil. one side then the other.

basically over under the long way. I am definitely going to start using this method. looks a lot faster and the same result :)
 
I've been using the over under method for a long time, but my cord is still really twisted. Is there any way to un-twist it? It's hard to even tell which direction the twist is in.
 
rslatkin said:
I've been using the over under method for a long time, but my cord is still really twisted. Is there any way to un-twist it? It's hard to even tell which direction the twist is in.
As I mentioned above, I don't think this is ideal for EV leads in the long run. It's preferable to an elbow wrap, of course, but over time the internal wires will move and 'walk' around.

I have found it is better to make a couple of loops from one end, rotating the coil you are holding at each loop to prevent the cable 'fighting' the coiling, rather than backward-looping the cable as you draw it in. In that way, you are rotating the coil to the cable rather than rotating the cable to the coil which does cause the internal wires to 'creep' just a little. Once you have manipulated the coil from one end, then drop those couple of coils in the trunk and then do the same from the other end. As you are rotating the coil rather than the cable, you are not causing any twist on the cable now hanging over the boot lip. You can then bring the two halves together by placing the second coil on top of the first. This way, you are introducing no twists at all, whereas in the backward twisting method you do introduce a very subtle twist (due to the 'pitch' of the coil you are making) each time the opposite direction coil is made.

I realise that I am probably not making myself quite clear, but if you do the reverse loop method all the time you will eventually find at some stage you are fighting the cable to twist whether you are going for a 'normal' loop or a 'reverse' loop, and at that point you have a cable poised for a terminal decline.

(Difficult to explain a complex task like this in words - If it would help if I re-explain any of that, then please let me know.)
 
DoxyLover said:
Over-under is the proper way to wrap cables. If you worked on a TV crew working with the (older) many-conductor cables, you learned to do over-under or were reassigned/fired. Those cables were expensive, full of small gauge wires, and hard to repair.

Having worked for ABC-TV Network for the last 37+ years, this is absolutely the way cables are to be wrapped! In fact, if a rookie tries to do it any other way, either they are gives a pile of cables and told to master it, or they are not invited back to play the game!
 
I've been wrapping the over-under method for cables and hoses for about a year now. The only complaint comes from someone unaware of the method trying to spool the cable out accidentally pulling the wrong end through the center. You'll end up with perfect half hitch knots evenly spaced on the cable. Mitigating this requires leaving enough of the ends dangling down below the loop so there is less of a chance of pulling through the center unintentionally.
 
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