[tlug] Care and Feeding of Cables (was Re: Laptop and Macbook related query)

[jep200404@example.com]

On Sun, 4 Oct 2020 09:11:25 +0900, Lyle H Saxon <llletters@example.com> wrote:

> Regarding power cables.  The less they get bent, the better.

Amen brother!

> For the area near where the DC plug is, never bend that at all.

Yup!

I have gotten laptops because owner bent cable sharply especially
near the ends and eventually broke the cable inside. There is often
an intermittent phase where it works only when the cable is held
at the right angle. After telling them what was likely wrong and
how it could be fixed, sometimes, they just decide to buy a new one
and give me the dead/dying laptop. I remember with one where the
cable was bad near the brick, that I opened up the brick, cut off
a few inches of the cable and resoldered good cable back. It was
all good after that. I was lucky that the strain relief did not 
stick to the cable, so I reused it by just sliding it up the cable
before cutting off the bad part.

bad:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P7M72JX
    Notice tight bends for S-curve in middle of cables.
    The video shows gently coiled cables, which is good.
    _Maybe_ it is just clueless marketers bending the cables
    sharply to make it look tidy for the pictures.

good:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030KWM30
    nice gentle bends
    no sharp bends, especially near ends

Also, unplug cables by pulling on the connector, not the cable.