The shapeless tangle of wires from various devices that lives under the desktop is affectionately called by computer scientists as cable Cthulhu. Sometimes it grows to such a size that trying to untangle it is reminiscent of fighting the undead: you pull out one “tentacle”, and ten more follow it, winking with the red light of the surge protector. A smaller tangle often forms somewhere in a drawer of chargers, USB cables and mini headphones. To avoid having to “expel Cthulhu,” you just need to learn how to properly store wires. More precisely, not correctly, but conveniently.
Modern, neat, technologically advanced
Do you know how to determine that the owners of an apartment paid a tidy sum for renovations? Everything is simple - there are no protruding wires visible anywhere. We thought about how to hide them at the design stage.
One of the useful features is a USB socket in the desk drawer. It turns out to be a place for recharging gadgets, hidden from the picky eye. Convenient, beautiful, functional - and no wires in sight!
Four ways to save your lightning cable
Lightning was introduced to the public with the release of the iPhone 5. Then it seemed that there was nothing better in the world among analogues, because the ability to install a cable on either side was not supported by any other connector. Over time, the situation turned against fans, who began to massively complain about the fragility of the device. 3.5 years after the announcement, the situation has not changed. That's why I want to tell you how to preserve lightning and make it “live” longer.
At a presentation in 2012, Apple presented the lightning cable as a technological breakthrough. It is worth remembering at least the image depicting Phil Schiller and the list of the main advantages of the device.
Then its “advantages” included an 8-pin connector, an adaptive interface, improved wear resistance, the possibility of reversible use and dimensions that were 80% smaller compared to the old cable. But the company kept silent about the fact that lightning is a product related to the environmental protection program.
Actually, this is the very reason why the cable bends and breaks over time. In order not to harm the environment, Apple makes the device I am discussing from special rubber.
If the user wants to throw it in a landfill, lightning will not decompose over a long period of time, but much faster, and without much harm to the Earth. This is the reason for the fragility of the famous cable.
It’s worth saying right away that the methods described below can only be used on whole lightning. If your cable has already broken and the wires are visible to the naked eye, then it is better to throw away such a device. Otherwise, the owner of such lighning will expose himself to danger in the form of a possible electric shock.
Let's start looking at the successful and unsuccessful ways to save lighthing that Apple users came up with over several years of using this cable.
Method #1 – hopeless
Most of my friends who have an iPhone/iPad don’t particularly bother with lightning repairs. The easiest way is to take electrical tape and wrap it around the bending points on the cord: near the connector and USB. The problem is that the tape's adhesive can dry out over time. You can also accidentally tear off a piece of it, which will lead to further unwinding. But the result is the same - you have to either remove the old electrical tape or apply a new fresh layer, and this is completely unaesthetic. I believe that such an elimination of the problem, although it has the right to life, is not the best. That's why read on.
Method #2 – conditionally unsafe
In this case, you need to have a regular spring available. You can get one by unscrewing the handle. It is worth saying right away that it is better to take a spiral in dark shades, since the colorless metal oxidizes over time and can leave marks on the hands of the lightning owner. The cable repair process itself is quite simple. You need to squeeze out one of the ends of the spring and put it on the wide part of the cord near the connector itself. Next, move the spiral to the last one and begin to slowly wind the spring onto the cable base. After 30-60 seconds of labor, you will get an almost eternal lightning, because the spiral will prevent bending and tearing. This procedure can also be done near USB. What I like about method #2 is that once it's done, the cable is always straight (even if you try to rotate one of its ends 90 degrees or more). But the main “disadvantage” is the presence of sharp ends of the spiral, which can easily be scratched, and, if desired, also pierce your finger.
Method #3 is the best
This approach was first chosen by people who clearly understand electronics. Personally, it would never even occur to me to put heat shrink tubing on the damaged part of the lightning. It is worth remembering the different densities and the possible presence/absence of an adhesive layer inside it. To repair an 8-pin cable from Apple, it is better to take the most stable and reliable copies. The rigid tube will be pressed more tightly to the cord when heated by a hairdryer and will not slide off, which is fraught with additional breaks in the area of the connection between the heat shrink and the intact part of the lightning.
Convenience for $1
To prevent the wires from getting tangled, each of them should have its own place.
“Parking” for cables can be organized in several ways:
- buy special rubber, silicone or plastic holders;
- use regular office clips;
- make cuts in a heavy piece of wood and insert cables into them.
This storage option is worth choosing for those extension cords, cables and chargers that you use every day.
A bunch of useful lifehacks for your smartphone
Today, a smartphone is not a luxury and absolutely everyone has one. Often, users are not limited to just making calls using this truly sophisticated gadget, which is being improved every day.
Huge corporations around the world release new, even more advanced models almost every week.
But you don’t have to constantly chase new models - a few life hacks for smartphones will help make your outdated device more familiar with modern realities.
Are you in a hurry, but your mobile phone is running low? To speed up the charging process of your smartphone, you should turn on airplane mode, or turn off your gadget altogether. A simple but very useful tip that will make your life a little easier.
- The phone charges much faster through a charger, rather than through the USB port of, for example, a personal computer.
If you have lost your mobile phone charger, do not rush to go to the store for a new one. Contact your nearest hotel and tell them that you forgot your device a couple of weeks ago. At the reception, you will be provided with a variety of chargers to choose from. Console your conscience with the fact that most of these charges will never be returned, but they may find a new owner.
To do this, place the mobile device in an empty jar or glass. This life hack was tested with push-button phones, but your modern Android or iOS smartphone won’t be offended if you stuff it into a jar.
The calculator is an excellent and very necessary application on any modern smartphone. And it has its own secret capabilities.
For example, on an iOS device, holding your finger on the input line will clear the field, and on some Android smartphones, holding your finger will copy the value to the clipboard.
The simplest life hack for a smartphone, which, meanwhile, will help out many students and schoolchildren.
Got caught in the rain or dropped your cell phone in the water? Just follow these instructions to save your device:
- Remove the SIM, flash card and battery (if removable),
- Wipe the gadget with a well-absorbent cloth,
- Place the mobile phone in a bowl with rice or silicone gel for a day,
- Turn the device over frequently so that the cereal or gel absorbs all the water.
If advertising banners often appear in a game or program, you should simply turn off your Internet connection. Brilliant?
Got a message you don't want to respond to? You need to go to the Notification Center, the full text of the SMS will be displayed there, but the read mark will not appear, that is, the interlocutor will not know that you have read the message. A simple lifehack for a smartphone that will allow you to quickly get rid of an annoying interlocutor.
To turn your mobile device into an excellent light source, you should place a bottle of water on it, thereby dispersing the light from the screen or flash throughout the room.
It is enough to activate automatic call answering on your smartphone and leave it in the right place. When necessary, we simply call the abandoned device to check what is happening. Lifehack is perfect for parents who have an old smartphone lying around that is still in working order. But you should not wiretap strangers - this is criminally punishable.
Handy tools such as a regular lens from an old camera or a laser pointer will help improve the quality of your photographs. To do this, the lens must be attached to the camera lens, secured with a regular elastic band or hairpin.
Source: https://68bit.ru/2017/12/kucha-poleznyh-lajfhakov-dlja-vashego-smartfona/
Everything unnecessary is out of sight
If the socket in the desk drawer has not yet started, but your soul is drawn to minimalism, there is an alternative solution.
What is missing in your interior is a special box with slots. Inside you can store a surge protector (extension cord) along with the countless wires that come from it. Forks, connectors will peek out of the slots or holes - in general, everything that ends up with hidden wires.
We recommend: 9 ways to fold your headphones so they don't get tangled
Why do headphones get twisted?
Headphone wires may become kinked due to daily use and frequent repositioning. Simply placing them on a table or storage bag without folding them properly can cause them to curl and become tangled. Kinks and slight turns will not correct themselves unless you adjust them manually.
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Strategic reserve
In almost any home there will be devices and wires that are used very rarely: spare cables, extension cords, chargers from “previous” phones, garlands, some strange wiring that was included with the gadget... You never know what else! It is better to store all this stuff in one place - suddenly a miracle happens and some of it is still useful.
This is exactly why organizers were invented:
- handbags and briefcases;
- boxes with sections;
- hanging canvases with pockets.
Craftsmen, of course, are ready to offer a lot of homemade options. Everything goes into use - from shoe boxes and pieces of chintz to toilet paper rolls.
It is better to sign each wire or cable that is sent for long-term storage: after 3-4 years you are unlikely to immediately remember what it is intended for.
How to store wires and chargers so they don't get tangled
Cables get tangled when kept cluttered. Thin wires from headphones and chargers suffer greatly. They often break off and the insulation deteriorates. Result: replacement is required.
Do you keep your chargers and cables in order?
Not really
Storage rules:
- keep separately. We try not to throw them into one pile;
- we remove the excess. It's time to conduct an audit, throw away unused, old, non-working chargers. When purchasing a new phone, tablet, or fitness bracelet, they will not be needed;
- fold it carefully. Do not twist or bend, do light winding.
To store various wires, charges, and cables, special organizers, clamps, staples, and fasteners are used. Many accessories are easy to make with your own hands from scrap materials.
Life hack: how to keep your iPhone charged
Apple accessories are expensive and not always of good quality. The most vulnerable point of Apple smartphones is the breaking and deforming cable. Since the surface of the Lightning cable is glossy, it is not always easy to grip and many people often pull on the wire. RIA.
com offers a way out of this situation! If your cable is tired, do not rush to AliExpress or Taobao, because Chinese charging can play a cruel joke on your smartphone. Native charging is important for an iPhone, so let's try to preserve it.
We offer you three budget life hacks to extend the life of the cord!
Lifehack No. 1 - electrical tape
If charging cord , remember the good old electrical tape. We rewind the break point of the cord with electrical tape and rejoice at the result! Perhaps, with such a “repair” of the cable, the esthete in you will be upset, but from a practical point of view, electrical tape will come to the rescue in an emergency.
Life hack No. 2 - spring
A simple life hack will help you prevent your Lightning cable from breaking at home. To do this, we need two springs from ordinary ballpoint pens. We take the handles and take out the springs from them, bend them at both ends to make it easier to wrap around the cable.
The cord often bends at the base, so we attach a spring there and screw it onto the cable. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the insulation. To completely protect the cord, we perform the same manipulations on the other side of the cable. After such a little trick, the cord will not bend enough to damage the contacts.
It is worth remembering one thing: this procedure should be carried out with the cable not yet damaged, so that there is maximum benefit.
Life hack No. 3 - heat shrink tube
If the Lightning cable is already damaged, then resuscitation with springs will not help it much. This is where heat shrink tubing comes to the rescue - a thin-walled plastic tube for insulating wires and other electrical items.
You can find this miracle device in any hardware or electrical store, it costs a penny. The tube should be slightly smaller than the size of the cord being repaired and have an adhesive inside. The tube is put on a cord and you will need a hairdryer to fix it.
After heating, the heat shrink tube shrinks tightly. As a result, you will get a cord that is aesthetically pleasing and practical to use.
Now the solution to the problem with deformed cords is up to you. But if there are no problems with the cable, and the iPhone has stopped charging, check the charging connectors for dust and dirt. Do this with a toothpick, but be careful not to damage the contacts. Take care of your iPhone!
Source: https://ria.com/articles/kak_prodlit_zhizn_kabelia_ot_iphone.html
Shelf or box for remote controls
Another item that constantly gets lost and disappears in an unknown direction is the TV remote control. Yes, if only he were alone! In a modern home there are usually at least two televisions, but there is also a tuner, a DVD player, a stereo system and many more devices that are controlled by a special remote control.
And all these light, music and television control systems usually lie where the owner left them - that is, anywhere. Today, special plastic mounts are sold for remote controls of a certain size, which can be easily and simply attached to the wall. But, you must admit, a whole row of such mounts above the sofa will look somehow too “high-tech” and inappropriate.
But one shelf or box for all the remote controls in your home in the most convenient place is just right. Moreover, you can build it yourself and decorate it in accordance with the interior design style of the living room.
This remote control box is easy to build yourself. And if it seems too rough and simple to you, you can always paint it, decorate it using decoupage or textiles
