Worked 3 plus decades in the ER. Early on I learned that technique to make cardiac monitor leads readily available. Works well for long lengths of oxygen or suction tubing or any cable inside an ambulance.
Never would I ever think I'd enjoy watching a video on properly wrapping cable, but the extension cord in my garage thanks you. For once it 'sticks' together instead of flopping apart as soon as I wrap it.
I have watched a bunch of videos showing this technique: this was the only one explaining why it's over and under. In a matter of seconds i got it! Thank you.
Outstanding! Best explanation ever! The thumbs pointing towards each other, and showing how you are grabbing from each *side* of the hanging cable, was key for me. Thanks!
Thanks! I watched several "under over" posts and yours locked it in for me. I'm slightly dyslexic. So simply watching the motions still confused me in other videos. It was when you talked about where the thumbs should be that made everything stick in my brain. Then it was second nature. Thanks man! Initially I was looking to coil extension cords, but I'm also a musician. So your video makes the most of both worlds. Thank you again
Great voice BTW. I used to exclusively CW twist each loop, which produced a neat coil but didn't play out (unravel) well unless it was on a spool. This treatment for the even loops -- the CCW twist (twist in the CounterClockWise direction) and tuck -- solved that. Now, I can throw the cable and it has no coiling. Good job!
I'm a gigging musician with my own sound system. I've watched several over-under cable coiling videos but I never really got fluent at the procedure and my cords confirmed it when I unwrapped them - until now. Your explanation of the thumbs pointing in the same direction then in the opposite direction did it for me. I just coiled 20 xlr cables and this time everything fell into place. thanks for a very effective video!
Glad to hear it helped out. Just as a heads up, should you accidentally unwrap your over-underfed cable in the wrong direction, you will actually put a knot in it every other wrap. You might have been wrapping it correctly with your other attempts and just got unlucky. While I don't have a video about it, you can stack all your knots in the same direction and run the cable through all of them at once to pull the knots through. It's an extra benefit of the method that I didn't add because the video was getting long. Hop that helps.
Oh man. I remember being 17 and begging to learn from an audio engineer and getting yelled at by a seasoned set up guy for wrapping an XLR cable from hand around elbow. Then I felt like such an idiot when I struggled to get the “over under” technique. When I finally stopped looking at the wire and came up with the “thumb tips” then “touch wrists” mantra I started to find my rhythm. Thanks for this video though! Properly wrapping cables truly is life changing in the music and A/V industry! All the best! 🤙🏼
Glad to hear it! I actually thought about using the "touch wrists" verbiage but decided to keep things related to the thumbs for consistency. I also had to resist the urge to describe the arm rotation maneuver in the under loop as feeling like a disco dance move.
David McKenna yeah you did it perfectly. As they do it they’ll figure it out for themselves anyway lol. And lmao!! The accuracy! Indeed it does. Especially when breaking things down and wrapping cords in a hurry after a gig. And they say disco is dead 😂
Velcro is expensive - use some stage line (black cotton tie line). Cut a piece with ample length on each “tail” to make it around the coiled cable bundle at least twice. Attach the line to the cable near the male (or outlet or panel) end with a clove hitch or a cow hitch at the midpoint of the tieline. Then, wrap around the bundle and tie like a like a shoelace. Lasts for years for pennies. Hartford cordage is the best place if you’re looking for a large spool of the stuff.
Dear David thanks a million from Malaysia for making this video,been struggling with coiling cables as my job requires me to coil cables after a customer tries a guitar.
Excellent. And considering this was 10 years ago really got too treat those FireWire cables right they're not gonna be around for a long and they're so useful.
One preparatory help. If the cable has been coiled improperly and has twists, lay the cable out on the ground in one straight line. Place a cloth covering the open palm side of the "left" hand ("right" hand for left-handed people). Lay the cable on the cloth. Cover the cable with the cloth leaving the cable draped over the crotch of the thumb and index finger of the left hand. Lightly grip the cable with the left thumb pressing the cloth to the cable as you pull the cable through the cloth. The cable should bend over the left index finger as you pull. Pull the cable over the left index finger all the way to the other end. The kinks will mostly be gone. Repeat the process, if necessary, for a stubborn cable. The cable should now be in good shape to apply the above well-demonstrated and successful "over-under" method.
I have been using this for a few years and find it protects the couplings better if you first double the cable so that both connectors are in your hand to start. Then do the over-under method, but with two strands at a time. I do the same with electric extension cords so that they don't twist. Then, just grab the plug ends and throw the cable out onto the floor with no kinks!
I leave the final loop fairly loose. If you want to make that more secure against crimping, then when tying up the coil (which I do with velcro ties) then leave one end of the loop outside of the tie.
Thank you X a million. Finally, a vidio that we can send our wives (etc.) to since they aren't inclinded to take things seriously from us (me anyway). I learned the over/under from an AV company years ago. After the initial "try brushing your teeth with the other hand", it was remarkable how fast it became normal (without thinking). I now do it with everything but flat cords and string;-) Bravo 👍
Love the instruction. I would add that there is an important warning against passing either of the ends through the coil before uncoiling as this creates one overhand-knot for every two coils... and that if one picks these knots up in one hand, all facing the same direction, the working end may be passed through all the knots at once instead of resolving them one at a time. Also, once this method makes sense in the mind, there is no need to drop the cable each time. If one keeps one's thumb pointing towards the hand holding the coil with the fingers wrapped over the cable, the fingers may be rolled away (over the top) as the hand slides and the new coil picked up by the holding hand, and then the fingers may be rolled back towards onesself while the hand slides with a little snapping motion to throw the coil back over the hand before the coil is picked up by the holding hand. Please also stress NEVER plugging cable ends into one another, the importance of largish loose natural coils, and leaving the free ends long enough to dangle below the coil to preven the overhand-knot issue.
Also, another good tip, especially for obnoxiously long cords... start in the middle and coil one half of the cable, then rotate the coil so the 'back' is now at the front, and coil the remainder. :)
Yes, the matter of how to correctly UNwrap the cable is worthy of its own video (like how to correct all the knots in one go). I used to wrap cables just twisting them back and forth as you suggest, but I always got the feeling I was stressing the cable in the process. I've found this method (minus the throwing the cable bit at the intro which I've regretted ever since) yields the least stress. And yes, people who plug the ends into each other are foolish. We use color-coded velcro relative to cable length. All the Best.
@@davidmckenna858 Gotta be honest. I wasn't fussed by you tossing it out there. Have folks been giving you grief? When teaching the technique, I'll usually have one of the students or a friend walk the other end out, but if the area is safe and I'm sure of the wrap and we'd benefit by just getting on with it, I'll toss it out with just the right amount of force for it to go so-far-and-no-further. You know your coil and you know your cable and you know how to get 'er done without causing harm. Granted, maybe you don't want your students emulating you, but there was no cringing on my end. I'll often re-wrap it up the tried-and-true, dad-taught-me-this-in-the-nth-grade, method of over-over-over with large gentle loops and then have someone walk out the other end far enough to show the full-twist per 2-loops, but not far/tight enough to nudge the sheath or shield free of the conductors. Nothing makes me cringe more than doing tear-down and some helpful-fellow comes up and tells me, "I used to be a roadie for so-and-so back in the N-ies." and start cranking a cable around his wing. You're preaching the good news to the unwashed :) "I'm grateful you want to help, but could you please, slowly, keeping your hands where I can see them, place the cord on the ground and take two steps backwards?" If he then goes for the multi-pin snake.... flying tackle! :) I thank heavens not just for the velcro wraps but also that they are available longer and cost a fraction of what they cost 10 years ago. I used to grumble at the abuse of that one orange power cable that looks like it was shorn from the peyot of a particularly devout orthodox jewish friend (the best simile I could think of), but now I'm glad to have at least one at church and one in my own work kit because nothing drives home the rational better than a cord that will never again be made to look like anything other than the circa 1979 purchased at 25' (now 60') coil-spring telephone handset cable in the hallway of a house with three dating teenagers who want to be private on the phone in some other room of the house (better simile?). If I ever catch another friend in the contracting biz who over-over-over coils his pneumatic tool air hose in small loops and then leaves them in his steel truck-bed toolbox in a sub-zero Missouri winter again, I hope to remember not just to help him by teaching him how not to destroy the replacement hose, but also to cut off a few sample sections before he throws the old one away. That was a missed opportunity. :) Best to you too. Grateful for this video.
This is great fun , thanks for posting, I started wrapping cables as an apprentice engineer, Way back in 1979... in Dublin Ireland. I can't believe this is the first time I've seen a you tube video, actually detailing how to wrap a cable, Yet I have seen soo ! many guys trying to wrap a cable and making a complete balls of it, yet if I ever tried to explain how to do this properly, I was normally received with a ' Fuck you , as if " who the fuck do you think you are " type of attitude. Was it me, I don't know , What I do know was that I was taught how to wrap a cable as part of my learning. The "roadies " on the way Pro, were also able, but the heads, with amature stuff, who weren't ... well !! ?? , Is this why this video has finally been released and posted.. Well done and thank you for posting, I am vindicated...
I made the video for my intro audio students here at UCLA. If they are going to go out into the real world and carry my name on their backs in the process, I wanted to be absolutely certain they did not make a hash out of it. Glad this vindicates you!
I have used both ways for coiling cords for years, both work equally well and effective, but when elbow coiling you have to make a loose loop between your index finger and thumb to keep from distorting the cable. If you hold the cord tight while elbow wrapping, it will cause internal distortion and eventual damage. When hand looping you should also be aware of how you coil, you should coil it as you would a garden, or air hose, because each of these has it's own natural twist, even though it may be slight, so as you coil the cord, allow it to roll between your fore finger and thumb, or cause it to turn slightly with it's natural twist. Also, before you begin coiling you should make sure you have the knots, kinks, or hangs out of it, and it should be stretched out!
What's the technique for properly elbow coiling? If you don't have some equivalent for countering the twist like over-under you will necessarily (there's a whole branch of math around this) either leave the cable twisted under stress while coiled or cause twists/knots when uncoiling (or some of both).
Great demo David. One thing I would add is that if your cables have had lots of abuse by students (or stage hands) coiling them incorrectly, what may happen is that internal torque can be built up so that making those nice coils becomes difficult. You touched on that when you needed to roll the cable slightly between your fingers to get that tension/kink out. Thing is, on a long cable, even rolling will only push the internal tension down the line. What we do with abuse cables is to lay the cable out on the floor fully extended and then gently work from one end to the other, rolling the cable between the fingers so it becomes free of any internal twists. Try to do this in a warm environment, in other words, don't do it in the winter on a stage or in a studio that is cold. Best when warmer temps prevail. This only has to be done once and from then on, if the over-under methods is always used, the cable will remain relaxed.
Thanks for the suggestion. While this was always intended to be a basic mechanics demonstration, I may have to create a supplemental video to cover some of the minutiae. To your point, I was wrapping several 100' cables this past weekend and I found that the internal torque problem you describe could be countered by starting at the OTHER end of the cable. If I found myself fighting after only two or three loops, I'd just put it down and walk to the other end. Granted, in the cases of long abuse, I'm more of the mind one should just chop the cable into shorter ones and solder new ends. Which is of course what this video is about trying to prevent in the first place!
You are very welcome! Always wanted to go to Chile as apparently it has the closest climate to California in the world (and I love the California weather). All the Best my weather brother!
I do the over under with the male facing towards me, in my right hand. It just feels more natural. I also set the male end with the velcro strap. That way, it makes it easier to just tell people how to unroll it, without having to show them how to do it.
I have some students who also prefer to do the wrapping with the left hand. Diff'rent strokes. Regarding the Velcro strap, I always have that on the female end so I can add a layer of security at the mic stand. On boom stands it's not as important, but for straight tripods it's a good ounce of prevention beyond just wrapping around the stand.
I always wondered want happened to Chuck Norris. Apparently he made himself young again and now goes by: McKenna, L.A. Film School. [Cue the Walker theme song!] In the eyes of this Wrapper, the unsuspecting cable; Had better not be tangled left or right; 'Cause the over/under looping keeps the kinks out! Any knots you make he's gonna see! When you're on his production, don't use your elbow! 'Cause that where the wire shielding tends to break.
Unlike "stiff" XLR cables, guitar cables are softer and usually 20 ft or less. I wrap mine in perfect circles with slight adjustments to keep the lay of it like it was the day u bought it. My guitar cables can be thrown the same way. But i will definitely try this with the stiff XLRs/ Thanks
I've always done the same. I learned how to coil high pressure hoses years ago, which are also finicky and critical, but I've never used the over/under method. All my cables I just wrap like it came when I bought it, and they still look like that years later. I've never tried throwing one across a room to see if it unravels without knotting, but I suspect they would. With high pressure hoses, each col got one twist. IF you got the twist wrong, you would know it because the coil shape would get screwed up, and 300' of high pressure hose, forcing it into shape without the twist is not even a possibility like you could with a garden hose. I've been doing the same with my cables and had no problems. My coils are perfect like new. I've also worked on loads of productions, been asked to "wrap cables" and when inspected, my wrapping has always passed without a problem. On one occasion I was asked if I used the over/under method, which is what prompted me watching this video, but that was the end of it. There was no complaint or re-wrapping of that cable. I'm going to have to do some experimentation to see if the end result is the same. Is the over/under method the ONLY correct way to wrap a cable? Why am I not experiencing any problems? My extension cords re even perfect. I can't not wrap a cable like a hose, so learning this technique is not intuitive for me.
I'm right handed, but I can over/under in either hand and with the connector facing either way and from either end. On long runs, I even sometime start in the middle.
Remember that when you started the coil, it began with the jack/plug facing you so the end of the coil has the jack/plug facing away. When you take the cable out of storage, begin by unwrapping your coil from the facing away end. That should prevent the problem most times. However it's still possible that the jack/plug managed to get itself through all the loops and create a long series of knots. In which case, you can actually stack all the knots on top of each other (have them all facing the same way) and then run the jack/plug through the middle of your stack of knots to untie them all at the same time. I thought about covering that info in the video but I figured it was already getting a bit long. Hope that helps.
As someone who used crochet when I was a young live-gigging engineer, I've found that crochet puts a LOT of tension on an audio cable and can significantly reduce its life. One argument for crochet is when you only have one really long AC extension cable but only want to use a small portion of it while keeping large sections of it still looped. At that point, you are trading off incremental cable life for the time of not having to re-wrap100' of cable every time. Of course, the real solution is to have cables of multiple lengths so you have the right one for the job. I have 6'/10'/15'/25'/30'/50' cables that are all color-coded. A bit overkill, but when you are dealing with cables all day long it saves time. Another reason people may gravitate towards crochet is the fact that the cable is "contained" and cannot get tangled with itself or others. To that argument, I just say that I have velcro ties on all my cables to achieve the same end AND I get the added benefit of velcroing the cable to the mic stand to ensure a mic absolutely never hits the floor unless it takes the whole stand with it. Hope that helps.
It's literally easier to copy as a lefty. The verbal instructions are identical. You just have to mirror what he does instead of having to flip yourself around.
this video was made in 2013!? this kind of "trick" usually only known by professionals in their world which is the most efficient way to do stuff. i'm surprised on how low the number of likes of this video.
Thanks for the kudos. In fairness, I never promoted the video as it was made for my students at UCLA. Given the I only have about 100 students a year in my audio program, that makes about 43,300 more views than expected.
Once your cable has bad memory with stiff kinks that won't come out, there is already irreparable damage to the ground braid inside. In such an instance, don't just throw out the entire cable. Instead, cut around the problem areas and solder on new connectors to create two (or more) shorter cables. Remember, the shortest cable run is the quietest cable run, so there's no point having a 25' cable when you only need to go 6'.
What has worked for me is trying your best to coil them properly and let them sit on the sun for a good 2 hours. Ideally in 80 - 85 degree weather. Then bring them back in and store them. Next time you have a gig they will be molded to the new coiling. It works pretty good. But you have to be careful.
Constructive comment, per your request: If possible, if you could have the camera looking over your shoulder, from the back (or from the side maybe?) it would make a big difference to the seriously dyslexic, such as myself. Yeah, the concept should be stupid-easy enough to apply. It's not exactly a big leap, but dyslexia can confound the simplest things. It's maddeningly frustrating. Otherwise it's a good video, and thanks for sharing!
I know that videos are time consuming and are not easy to get everything in to but when possible to work the dyslexic angle in I bet that a lot of folks would appreciate that. Thanks, Dave. @@davidmckenna858
That's interesting. We use over-under for all our stingers here at UCLA Film. If your production house wants it over-over I guess that's their call. Where over-under works really well on production is that you can set the stinger coil on the ground and just walk it to whatever gear needs it without getting any "pig-tail" effect over that distance. The only place I recall seeing over-over is for the TV Camera cable for short cable runs on the studio floor. Once it got to long camera cable runs we switched to figure-8s.
@@davidmckenna858 Thanks for your response, actually I have always done over-under..[I teach it that way]..I saw over-over for the first time on a RUclips, someone brought it to my attention...took me back....I never had anyone say otherwise...ruclips.net/video/oymnMuXe9f4/видео.html My response was...that's interesting.
If you reverse the cable in your "nondominate" hand (xlr connector on the thumb side of your hand) you can under over without releasing your grip on your dominant hand. Meaning you dont have to have to do any yoga with your grip. Just twist your thumb and index finger forward to under and twist back to over.
Technically you can do that in the other direction as well; however, when you create the coils by twisting you are adding torque to the cable that over time will fray the internal ground shield. That said, there is a way of not releasing with your dominant hand that I consider an "advanced" way of doing it (but it uses a lot of "yoga" and also a bit of "zen" so I don't show that here) And yes, I know that by me throwing the cable at the start of the video that I lose all credibility when I talk about issues of maintaining cable life.
Visually it will look very similar with two distinct "unseen" differences. The first is that by alternating the wraps the braided shield on the inside stays straighter and increases the life of the cable. Striaghter is a relative term here in that with each warp you are veering in a particular direction just a little. So with over-under, it's like driving your car turning slightly one way and then turning slightly the other. Over-over would just keep turning in one direction which ultimately puts tension on the braided shield that can lead to fraying. The other difference is that -try as you might- there will always be the time when you accidentally unwrap the cable from the wrong end and you create a string of knots. With over-under, you get half as many knots to untie as over-over. There's actually a method of stacking the knots so it's not such a chore, I just did not have time to cover that as well in this video.
Perfect, But I like to end up with both of the XLR connectors roughly opposite each other so that when I put the velcro strap and then get the cable out tomorrow, I avoid the risk of having one of the connectors shooting through the loop and starting a series of knots. Also, talk about 100 metres of 20 way multicore. You have to over under on the ground. Therefore, garden hose is worth practising on. (BTW, been a sound engineer for 42 years)
Interesting bit about the ends. So by that do you find yourself having the last loop either a little short or a little long as the situation merits? Funny you mention the multicore... I used to work at Oakland Coliseum and we'd have races from home plate to the left field and right field walls down the base line = 330 feet. Two big spools of camera multicore on home plate, grab an end and run to the wall, then over-under the entire cable on the way back to home plate, then run BACK to the wall without tangles. The wraps had to be your entire wingspan and your arms were completely on fire by the time you hit the infield. Thankfully, I won, largely because I never tangled.
@@davidmckenna858 Yes the last loop or two might be a little shorter than the rest in order to get the XLRs to sit right. Camera cable is now tri-axial fibre and much easier to deal with. But it still needs to be wound onto a drum, or figure eight-ed.
I've been doing the over/under coiling for years now. I still now and then get a knot even though I try very careful to do it properly. Do the knots have to do solely with the XLR ends and where they end up after coiling or can something else cause knots?? I'm going crazy here I always do the over/under so carefully!!
Over long cable runs (20+ feet), you will get a kind of "pigtail" effect as you run the cable out using only overs. By alternating the wraps, it returns the cable to a relaxed state on the floor. This ultimately extends the life of the cable and makes for less of a tripping hazard. Hope that helps.
I'm wrapping the 25' orange AC extension cables . . . I just did under, under, under . . . and it appears to have the same results as "over / under" . . . the cable always comes out between the two, before the next wrap . . . I didn't do any "over" . . . This seems simpler than having to say "over / under" in your mind, and remember where you were . . . any comments?
While not one of the focal points of this video, by alternating over/under you get a net 0 torsion on the cable. This means you could set the cable down, grab an end and walk to the device you want to plug in without the cable wanting/needing to rotate in your hand lest it start to curly-q like a pig's tail. As far as "remembering" where you are, after enough practice it eventually becomes second hand such that you never get lost. Even if you do, you can look at where the cable is resting (inside or outside the loop) and just perform the opposite. Whenever I can't easily tell due to a REALLY long cable, I just unwrap one or two winds until it becomes obvious.
Thanks for the info. This is one of the most useful things I've learned in a long time! I wonder why they don't put these kind of instructions on the cable packaging. I re-tried doing "over-under" on a 25', 14 gauge extension cord. I threw it 10', and it had some tangling. If I do "under-under", and throw it 10', it's curly, but no tangling. I can then pick it up, and reduce the curliness. The width of it when wound up "under-under" also seems less. This way of winding it makes it like a spring. Do you think there could be any reason to do one or the other, based on the wire gauge? It seems like another way of saying what's going on with "over-under", is that it's accounting for how there needs to be a slight twist in the wire, to keep it from kinking up. It seems like to teach "over-under": do the whole wire "over-over" . . . then "under-under" . . . see the difference . . . then do "over-under" What I'm thinking is: Over-Over is standard for most people, and tangles . . . Over-Under is good for thinner cables . . . Under-Under is good for thicker cables, like 14 gauge
Wait, I see how the twist works, better, in this vid: How to coil cable - RUclips . . . This method works for garden hoses, too! . . . The twists cancel each other out, resulting in no net twist . . . ruclips.net/video/-qO36-CfZKg/видео.html She holds the end away, and you see the wire as a circle, not head on . . . Also shown is how "over-over" gives you a tangled wire I also now see from my own try, how "under-under" gives you a curly pig-tail wire.
@@slack7638 In retrospect I regret throwing the cable in this video. For one, it can easily damage connectors on the cable. For two, it does require some practice to not get tangles. It is best to just set the cable on the ground and walk out the desired length so that it remains partially coiled and less obtrusive in the work environment. Again, the curling you are noticing is undesirable torsion that can decrease the overall lifespan of the cable. Regarding cable gauge, thicker cables like 6 core tend to be wrapped using a large figure of 8. As this video was intended for my film and audio students here at UCLA using thinner cables, there was no point in mentioning that.
Torsion, how do you explain that - makes me think of this video, where they can simulate all kinds of sea "waves": The Navy's Indoor Ocean - RUclips . . . ruclips.net/video/YKx1Rbqpaog/видео.html I'm just thinking, for me to learn, it helps to see the big picture first - all the possibilities - and then just focus in on what you want, or the right way to do something.
This video is easier to follow if you're lefty. The instructions are identical except you get to mirror his movements instead of having to flip it around in your head. There's nothing directional about his instructions.
Preferably not. If you are cramming, that is probably an indication that you can make the wraps smaller in diameter. True, you will have to make more wraps, but at least the shield of the cable is not damaged in the process. In many cases you can go to about as small as a soda can in diameter and still be okay, which would be much smaller than needed to fit in the pouch of a back-pack. In this video I talk about using a "face-sized" loop for when you plan on hanging the cable on a peg (which we do here in our studio) so as to have enough wraps to help support the weight cable. If the wraps are too large, the weight of the cable on the peg results in a kind of egg shape that puts excess strain on the inflection point. The video was already getting a bit long, so that extra detail seemed less essential.
@@davidmckenna858 You shouldn't throw the cables in order to avoid damage to the soldered joints due to the impact created when male/female end hits the ground. Not to mention the plastic ends cracking or the clip mechanism snapping off.
Dear @@billfallon2372. You are 100% right about this. I have regretted that demonstration for years -especially as I am the one who has had to re-solder all those cables after enough abuse.
I am not a technician. But if I am not mistaken, David's method is creating a coil which cannot and should not be used when electric current is passing through the loops made by him. Such coil generates heat and magnetic field, and can be dangerous especially when the current passing through the loops is great. Thus, David is not wrong in telling how to keep the cable. Yet people should know the danger during using and should uncoil completely during use.
As a side note to this post, technically any time you make a loop in an audio or video cable you create an antenna that will introduce noise into your signal. So unless you are in a well-shielded studio, you will want to completely uncoil your cables when in use. This of course begets the question, "But what about any leftover slack?" Answer: Always use the shortest cable possible to minimize the excess. Then hopefully you do not need to make so many loops.
If you're desperate, you can double the cable back on itself, rather than coiling it, so the EM fields cancel out rather than amplify, using the tightest bend that's healthy for the cable. The longer cable will still add resistance, reducing your signal, but at least keeping the noise relatively similar. As David mentions, coiling will make it an antenna, amplifying any RF noise received or transmitted. But the cable won't heat up meaningfully more when coiled (and if your cable is heating up you're running WAAAAAY too much power). And the cable would melt far before it had enough power for the EM field to be even vaguely dangerous.
Word of warning...if you pull the connector you start with through the loop and attempt to unwind your masterpiece... you will get a series of perfectly spaced knots and spend the next three to four minutes un-knotting them. And I think David made this overly complicated with the description. I guess thats how you make a 2 minute video last almost 6 minutes.
The issue with the knots can be frustrating; however, if you stack all the knots facing the same way and then run the cable end through all of them at once you can clear this problem in 20 seconds. I thought about doing a separate video for that very process because, as you pointed out, this video was already a bit long to include that information here. Sorry you felt my description was too complicated and took too long. I genuinely made this video for my audio students at UCLA expecting 50 views a year. The internet had other plans.
Хобби
Worked 3 plus decades in the ER. Early on I learned that technique to make cardiac monitor leads readily available. Works well for long lengths of oxygen or suction tubing or any cable inside an ambulance.
Over-under helps save lives! Pure awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Awweeesuuummmm
Never would I ever think I'd enjoy watching a video on properly wrapping cable, but the extension cord in my garage thanks you. For once it 'sticks' together instead of flopping apart as soon as I wrap it.
Richly satisfying.
I have watched a bunch of videos showing this technique: this was the only one explaining why it's over and under. In a matter of seconds i got it! Thank you.
Glad I could help!
Outstanding! Best explanation ever! The thumbs pointing towards each other, and showing how you are grabbing from each *side* of the hanging cable, was key for me. Thanks!
Glad to help! I remember I had to do the movement in slow motion and really break apart the components to be able to explain it in this way.
Thanks! I watched several "under over" posts and yours locked it in for me. I'm slightly dyslexic. So simply watching the motions still confused me in other videos. It was when you talked about where the thumbs should be that made everything stick in my brain. Then it was second nature. Thanks man! Initially I was looking to coil extension cords, but I'm also a musician. So your video makes the most of both worlds. Thank you again
I too am dyslexic! Maybe that's why I thought to teach it in the way I did. It genuinely makes my day that I could help.
@@davidmckenna858 Same for me. The other videos were of no help at all. Thanks for the instruction.
@@effigies7896 Thanks for the kind words. Glad I could help!
Great voice BTW. I used to exclusively CW twist each loop, which produced a neat coil but didn't play out (unravel) well unless it was on a spool. This treatment for the even loops -- the CCW twist (twist in the CounterClockWise direction) and tuck -- solved that. Now, I can throw the cable and it has no coiling. Good job!
Glad it helped out!
I'm a gigging musician with my own sound system. I've watched several over-under cable coiling videos but I never really got fluent at the procedure and my cords confirmed it when I unwrapped them - until now. Your explanation of the thumbs pointing in the same direction then in the opposite direction did it for me. I just coiled 20 xlr cables and this time everything fell into place. thanks for a very effective video!
Glad to hear it helped out. Just as a heads up, should you accidentally unwrap your over-underfed cable in the wrong direction, you will actually put a knot in it every other wrap. You might have been wrapping it correctly with your other attempts and just got unlucky. While I don't have a video about it, you can stack all your knots in the same direction and run the cable through all of them at once to pull the knots through. It's an extra benefit of the method that I didn't add because the video was getting long. Hop that helps.
Oh man. I remember being 17 and begging to learn from an audio engineer and getting yelled at by a seasoned set up guy for wrapping an XLR cable from hand around elbow. Then I felt like such an idiot when I struggled to get the “over under” technique. When I finally stopped looking at the wire and came up with the “thumb tips” then “touch wrists” mantra I started to find my rhythm. Thanks for this video though! Properly wrapping cables truly is life changing in the music and A/V industry! All the best! 🤙🏼
Glad to hear it! I actually thought about using the "touch wrists" verbiage but decided to keep things related to the thumbs for consistency. I also had to resist the urge to describe the arm rotation maneuver in the under loop as feeling like a disco dance move.
David McKenna yeah you did it perfectly. As they do it they’ll figure it out for themselves anyway lol. And lmao!! The accuracy! Indeed it does. Especially when breaking things down and wrapping cords in a hurry after a gig. And they say disco is dead 😂
After 13 years in the DJ Business I have learned how to properly coil my XLR Cables!!! Thank a lot David!! You're the man!
You bet! Glad to help.
Exactly like me but I was a percussionist/drummer before that and now I can sleep well lol. Thank you so much for the video!
Thanks. A little late in my life but we're always learning. I used to hang cords out of the windows on seventh floor...
Velcro is expensive - use some stage line (black cotton tie line). Cut a piece with ample length on each “tail” to make it around the coiled cable bundle at least twice. Attach the line to the cable near the male (or outlet or panel) end with a clove hitch or a cow hitch at the midpoint of the tieline. Then, wrap around the bundle and tie like a like a shoelace. Lasts for years for pennies. Hartford cordage is the best place if you’re looking for a large spool of the stuff.
I battled with this, but your explanation is the best I've seen. The thumb alignment was the ah-ha part.
Glad it helped!
"I'm not going to keep saying this over and over again"
You mean over and under again?
HA! Well played!
Dear David thanks a million from Malaysia for making this video,been struggling with coiling cables as my job requires me to coil cables after a customer tries a guitar.
You are very welcome. I have extended family in Malaysia who I don't get to see enough of - such fantastic people!
Well done sir, I am going to show this to all of my promo techs at our stations that have a tendency to DESTROY our audio cables. Thanks.
Glad you liked it. Just tell your techs to not throw the cable as I do in the video. That can have a tendency to break solder connections over time.
David McKenna Going to start teaching them to repair the cables as well. They break em they can repair em
NICE!!!
These kinds of teachers is what the world needs more of!
THANKS!!
Excellent. And considering this was 10 years ago really got too treat those FireWire cables right they're not gonna be around for a long and they're so useful.
Great explanation!
Thanks!
Thanks David! Great video - explained very well.
this was a great video
Thanks!
Best explanation. Others tried and failed
Making it very confusing.
Thanks. Glad it helped!
I'm learning this after countless destroyed earphone cables. Cheers mate, thanks!
Cables Wow so 40 years ago get you some airpods
One preparatory help. If the cable has been coiled improperly and has twists, lay the cable out on the ground in one straight line. Place a cloth covering the open palm side of the "left" hand ("right" hand for left-handed people). Lay the cable on the cloth. Cover the cable with the cloth leaving the cable draped over the crotch of the thumb and index finger of the left hand. Lightly grip the cable with the left thumb pressing the cloth to the cable as you pull the cable through the cloth. The cable should bend over the left index finger as you pull. Pull the cable over the left index finger all the way to the other end. The kinks will mostly be gone. Repeat the process, if necessary, for a stubborn cable. The cable should now be in good shape to apply the above well-demonstrated and successful "over-under" method.
I have been using this for a few years and find it protects the couplings better if you first double the cable so that both connectors are in your hand to start. Then do the over-under method, but with two strands at a time. I do the same with electric extension cords so that they don't twist. Then, just grab the plug ends and throw the cable out onto the floor with no kinks!
Interesting concept. How do you avoid crimping the middle of the cable in the process?
I leave the final loop fairly loose. If you want to make that more secure against crimping, then when tying up the coil (which I do with velcro ties) then leave one end of the loop outside of the tie.
Thank you X a million. Finally, a vidio that we can send our wives (etc.) to since they aren't inclinded to take things seriously from us (me anyway). I learned the over/under from an AV company years ago. After the initial "try brushing your teeth with the other hand", it was remarkable how fast it became normal (without thinking). I now do it with everything but flat cords and string;-) Bravo 👍
Yeah, it's the string that lets when you know you've gone too far.
TTTHAANKS!!!! A technical information.
Great instructor.
much better video than the one I watched before this one on RUclips
Thanks.
Love the instruction.
I would add that there is an important warning against passing either of the ends through the coil before uncoiling as this creates one overhand-knot for every two coils... and that if one picks these knots up in one hand, all facing the same direction, the working end may be passed through all the knots at once instead of resolving them one at a time.
Also, once this method makes sense in the mind, there is no need to drop the cable each time. If one keeps one's thumb pointing towards the hand holding the coil with the fingers wrapped over the cable, the fingers may be rolled away (over the top) as the hand slides and the new coil picked up by the holding hand, and then the fingers may be rolled back towards onesself while the hand slides with a little snapping motion to throw the coil back over the hand before the coil is picked up by the holding hand.
Please also stress NEVER plugging cable ends into one another, the importance of largish loose natural coils, and leaving the free ends long enough to dangle below the coil to preven the overhand-knot issue.
Also, another good tip, especially for obnoxiously long cords... start in the middle and coil one half of the cable, then rotate the coil so the 'back' is now at the front, and coil the remainder. :)
Yes, the matter of how to correctly UNwrap the cable is worthy of its own video (like how to correct all the knots in one go). I used to wrap cables just twisting them back and forth as you suggest, but I always got the feeling I was stressing the cable in the process. I've found this method (minus the throwing the cable bit at the intro which I've regretted ever since) yields the least stress. And yes, people who plug the ends into each other are foolish. We use color-coded velcro relative to cable length. All the Best.
@@davidmckenna858 Gotta be honest. I wasn't fussed by you tossing it out there. Have folks been giving you grief? When teaching the technique, I'll usually have one of the students or a friend walk the other end out, but if the area is safe and I'm sure of the wrap and we'd benefit by just getting on with it, I'll toss it out with just the right amount of force for it to go so-far-and-no-further. You know your coil and you know your cable and you know how to get 'er done without causing harm. Granted, maybe you don't want your students emulating you, but there was no cringing on my end. I'll often re-wrap it up the tried-and-true, dad-taught-me-this-in-the-nth-grade, method of over-over-over with large gentle loops and then have someone walk out the other end far enough to show the full-twist per 2-loops, but not far/tight enough to nudge the sheath or shield free of the conductors.
Nothing makes me cringe more than doing tear-down and some helpful-fellow comes up and tells me, "I used to be a roadie for so-and-so back in the N-ies." and start cranking a cable around his wing. You're preaching the good news to the unwashed :) "I'm grateful you want to help, but could you please, slowly, keeping your hands where I can see them, place the cord on the ground and take two steps backwards?" If he then goes for the multi-pin snake.... flying tackle! :)
I thank heavens not just for the velcro wraps but also that they are available longer and cost a fraction of what they cost 10 years ago.
I used to grumble at the abuse of that one orange power cable that looks like it was shorn from the peyot of a particularly devout orthodox jewish friend (the best simile I could think of), but now I'm glad to have at least one at church and one in my own work kit because nothing drives home the rational better than a cord that will never again be made to look like anything other than the circa 1979 purchased at 25' (now 60') coil-spring telephone handset cable in the hallway of a house with three dating teenagers who want to be private on the phone in some other room of the house (better simile?).
If I ever catch another friend in the contracting biz who over-over-over coils his pneumatic tool air hose in small loops and then leaves them in his steel truck-bed toolbox in a sub-zero Missouri winter again, I hope to remember not just to help him by teaching him how not to destroy the replacement hose, but also to cut off a few sample sections before he throws the old one away. That was a missed opportunity. :)
Best to you too. Grateful for this video.
Amazing!
Always wrapped my extension cord around my elbow and it always twists and knots, so this is a revelation to me, thanks.
My Dad raised me on the elbow method. Makes me wonder what else he told me was wrong...
This is great fun , thanks for posting, I started wrapping cables as an apprentice engineer, Way back in 1979... in Dublin Ireland. I can't believe this is the first time I've seen a you tube video, actually detailing how to wrap a cable, Yet I have seen soo ! many guys trying to wrap a cable and making a complete balls of it, yet if I ever tried to explain how to do this properly, I was normally received with a ' Fuck you , as if " who the fuck do you think you are " type of attitude. Was it me, I don't know , What I do know was that I was taught how to wrap a cable as part of my learning. The "roadies " on the way Pro, were also able, but the heads, with amature stuff, who weren't ... well !! ?? , Is this why this video has finally been released and posted..
Well done and thank you for posting, I am vindicated...
I made the video for my intro audio students here at UCLA. If they are going to go out into the real world and carry my name on their backs in the process, I wanted to be absolutely certain they did not make a hash out of it. Glad this vindicates you!
I have used both ways for coiling cords for years, both work equally well and effective, but when elbow coiling you have to make a loose loop between your index finger and thumb to keep from distorting the cable. If you hold the cord tight while elbow wrapping, it will cause internal distortion and eventual damage. When hand looping you should also be aware of how you coil, you should coil it as you would a garden, or air hose, because each of these has it's own natural twist, even though it may be slight, so as you coil the cord, allow it to roll between your fore finger and thumb, or cause it to turn slightly with it's natural twist. Also, before you begin coiling you should make sure you have the knots, kinks, or hangs out of it, and it should be stretched out!
What's the technique for properly elbow coiling? If you don't have some equivalent for countering the twist like over-under you will necessarily (there's a whole branch of math around this) either leave the cable twisted under stress while coiled or cause twists/knots when uncoiling (or some of both).
No. NEVER elbow loop!
Finally got the method down, thank you
Glad I could help.
Well done!!
Great demo David. One thing I would add is that if your cables have had lots of abuse by students (or stage hands) coiling them incorrectly, what may happen is that internal torque can be built up so that making those nice coils becomes difficult. You touched on that when you needed to roll the cable slightly between your fingers to get that tension/kink out. Thing is, on a long cable, even rolling will only push the internal tension down the line.
What we do with abuse cables is to lay the cable out on the floor fully extended and then gently work from one end to the other, rolling the cable between the fingers so it becomes free of any internal twists. Try to do this in a warm environment, in other words, don't do it in the winter on a stage or in a studio that is cold. Best when warmer temps prevail. This only has to be done once and from then on, if the over-under methods is always used, the cable will remain relaxed.
Thanks for the suggestion. While this was always intended to be a basic mechanics demonstration, I may have to create a supplemental video to cover some of the minutiae. To your point, I was wrapping several 100' cables this past weekend and I found that the internal torque problem you describe could be countered by starting at the OTHER end of the cable. If I found myself fighting after only two or three loops, I'd just put it down and walk to the other end. Granted, in the cases of long abuse, I'm more of the mind one should just chop the cable into shorter ones and solder new ends. Which is of course what this video is about trying to prevent in the first place!
I trully thank you. Love from Chile, keep safe
You are very welcome! Always wanted to go to Chile as apparently it has the closest climate to California in the world (and I love the California weather). All the Best my weather brother!
@@davidmckenna858 I'm from Chile too! You need to come to the 4th region (Coquimbo's region) and see the beatiful valleys. Btw thank for the video!
@@Jonathan-jm8ns Chile is rapidly moving up my list of places I want to go! Thanks for the recommendation.
very informative video
THANK YOU
I do the over under with the male facing towards me, in my right hand. It just feels more natural. I also set the male end with the velcro strap. That way, it makes it easier to just tell people how to unroll it, without having to show them how to do it.
I have some students who also prefer to do the wrapping with the left hand. Diff'rent strokes. Regarding the Velcro strap, I always have that on the female end so I can add a layer of security at the mic stand. On boom stands it's not as important, but for straight tripods it's a good ounce of prevention beyond just wrapping around the stand.
I always wondered want happened to Chuck Norris. Apparently he made himself young again and now goes by:
McKenna, L.A. Film School.
[Cue the Walker theme song!]
In the eyes of this Wrapper, the unsuspecting cable; Had better not be tangled left or right; 'Cause the over/under looping keeps the kinks out! Any knots you make he's gonna see! When you're on his production, don't use your elbow! 'Cause that where the wire shielding tends to break.
thank you
If the camera were placed above your head, the hand movements would be an easier concept for the viewer to grasp.
Unlike "stiff" XLR cables, guitar cables are softer and usually 20 ft or less. I wrap mine in perfect circles with slight adjustments to keep the lay of it like it was the day u bought it. My guitar cables can be thrown the same way. But i will definitely try this with the stiff XLRs/ Thanks
I've always done the same. I learned how to coil high pressure hoses years ago, which are also finicky and critical, but I've never used the over/under method. All my cables I just wrap like it came when I bought it, and they still look like that years later. I've never tried throwing one across a room to see if it unravels without knotting, but I suspect they would. With high pressure hoses, each col got one twist. IF you got the twist wrong, you would know it because the coil shape would get screwed up, and 300' of high pressure hose, forcing it into shape without the twist is not even a possibility like you could with a garden hose. I've been doing the same with my cables and had no problems. My coils are perfect like new. I've also worked on loads of productions, been asked to "wrap cables" and when inspected, my wrapping has always passed without a problem. On one occasion I was asked if I used the over/under method, which is what prompted me watching this video, but that was the end of it. There was no complaint or re-wrapping of that cable. I'm going to have to do some experimentation to see if the end result is the same. Is the over/under method the ONLY correct way to wrap a cable? Why am I not experiencing any problems? My extension cords re even perfect. I can't not wrap a cable like a hose, so learning this technique is not intuitive for me.
I'm right handed, but I can over/under in either hand and with the connector facing either way and from either end. On long runs, I even sometime start in the middle.
VERY impressive. You should take that act on the road!
@@davidmckenna858 My act has been on the road for 47 years. Every gig ends wrapping cables.
@@alcraig1 Solid.
How do you UNWRAP the cable without getting knots in it?
Remember that when you started the coil, it began with the jack/plug facing you so the end of the coil has the jack/plug facing away. When you take the cable out of storage, begin by unwrapping your coil from the facing away end. That should prevent the problem most times. However it's still possible that the jack/plug managed to get itself through all the loops and create a long series of knots. In which case, you can actually stack all the knots on top of each other (have them all facing the same way) and then run the jack/plug through the middle of your stack of knots to untie them all at the same time. I thought about covering that info in the video but I figured it was already getting a bit long. Hope that helps.
@@davidmckenna858 Thanks! Mucho! But don't be afraid to add that part to the video.
How do you feel about the crochet method or wrapping cord?
As someone who used crochet when I was a young live-gigging engineer, I've found that crochet puts a LOT of tension on an audio cable and can significantly reduce its life. One argument for crochet is when you only have one really long AC extension cable but only want to use a small portion of it while keeping large sections of it still looped. At that point, you are trading off incremental cable life for the time of not having to re-wrap100' of cable every time. Of course, the real solution is to have cables of multiple lengths so you have the right one for the job. I have 6'/10'/15'/25'/30'/50' cables that are all color-coded. A bit overkill, but when you are dealing with cables all day long it saves time.
Another reason people may gravitate towards crochet is the fact that the cable is "contained" and cannot get tangled with itself or others. To that argument, I just say that I have velcro ties on all my cables to achieve the same end AND I get the added benefit of velcroing the cable to the mic stand to ensure a mic absolutely never hits the floor unless it takes the whole stand with it. Hope that helps.
Thank you
Very welcome.
Where's the "flip horizontal" button for lefties? (holds phone to mirror)
It's literally easier to copy as a lefty. The verbal instructions are identical. You just have to mirror what he does instead of having to flip yourself around.
this video was made in 2013!? this kind of "trick" usually only known by professionals in their world which is the most efficient way to do stuff. i'm surprised on how low the number of likes of this video.
Thanks for the kudos. In fairness, I never promoted the video as it was made for my students at UCLA. Given the I only have about 100 students a year in my audio program, that makes about 43,300 more views than expected.
What do you do with stiff cables that have a coil memory?
Once your cable has bad memory with stiff kinks that won't come out, there is already irreparable damage to the ground braid inside. In such an instance, don't just throw out the entire cable. Instead, cut around the problem areas and solder on new connectors to create two (or more) shorter cables. Remember, the shortest cable run is the quietest cable run, so there's no point having a 25' cable when you only need to go 6'.
David McKenna Thanks very much for the info.
What has worked for me is trying your best to coil them properly and let them sit on the sun for a good 2 hours. Ideally in 80 - 85 degree weather. Then bring them back in and store them. Next time you have a gig they will be molded to the new coiling. It works pretty good. But you have to be careful.
Daniel La Russo would have been doing this all day if Mr. Miyagi was his intern in a studio; between brewing pots of green tea of course.
Hmmm, trying to think about the enemy attacks that these two motions would defend against...
Constructive comment, per your request: If possible, if you could have the camera looking over your shoulder, from the back (or from the side maybe?) it would make a big difference to the seriously dyslexic, such as myself. Yeah, the concept should be stupid-easy enough to apply. It's not exactly a big leap, but dyslexia can confound the simplest things. It's maddeningly frustrating. Otherwise it's a good video, and thanks for sharing!
Mike, as a dyslexic myself, I can relate. I'll try and keep that in mind for future videos (which I have planned but never have the time). Best.
I know that videos are time consuming and are not easy to get everything in to but when possible to work the dyslexic angle in I bet that a lot of folks would appreciate that. Thanks, Dave. @@davidmckenna858
Does this method apply to production stingers? I was told that with stingers is should be over-over ?
That's interesting. We use over-under for all our stingers here at UCLA Film. If your production house wants it over-over I guess that's their call. Where over-under works really well on production is that you can set the stinger coil on the ground and just walk it to whatever gear needs it without getting any "pig-tail" effect over that distance. The only place I recall seeing over-over is for the TV Camera cable for short cable runs on the studio floor. Once it got to long camera cable runs we switched to figure-8s.
@@davidmckenna858 Thanks for your response, actually I have always done over-under..[I teach it that way]..I saw over-over for the first time on a RUclips, someone brought it to my attention...took me back....I never had anyone say otherwise...ruclips.net/video/oymnMuXe9f4/видео.html My response was...that's interesting.
If you reverse the cable in your "nondominate" hand (xlr connector on the thumb side of your hand) you can under over without releasing your grip on your dominant hand. Meaning you dont have to have to do any yoga with your grip. Just twist your thumb and index finger forward to under and twist back to over.
Technically you can do that in the other direction as well; however, when you create the coils by twisting you are adding torque to the cable that over time will fray the internal ground shield. That said, there is a way of not releasing with your dominant hand that I consider an "advanced" way of doing it (but it uses a lot of "yoga" and also a bit of "zen" so I don't show that here) And yes, I know that by me throwing the cable at the start of the video that I lose all credibility when I talk about issues of maintaining cable life.
i love you david
What is the end product supposed to look like? I don't see a difference in this and is Over-Over.
Visually it will look very similar with two distinct "unseen" differences. The first is that by alternating the wraps the braided shield on the inside stays straighter and increases the life of the cable. Striaghter is a relative term here in that with each warp you are veering in a particular direction just a little. So with over-under, it's like driving your car turning slightly one way and then turning slightly the other. Over-over would just keep turning in one direction which ultimately puts tension on the braided shield that can lead to fraying. The other difference is that -try as you might- there will always be the time when you accidentally unwrap the cable from the wrong end and you create a string of knots. With over-under, you get half as many knots to untie as over-over. There's actually a method of stacking the knots so it's not such a chore, I just did not have time to cover that as well in this video.
@@davidmckenna858 thank you.
Hope not to late to say thanks.
Not at all. Happy to help.
Perfect, But I like to end up with both of the XLR connectors roughly opposite each other so that when I put the velcro strap and then get the cable out tomorrow, I avoid the risk of having one of the connectors shooting through the loop and starting a series of knots. Also, talk about 100 metres of 20 way multicore. You have to over under on the ground. Therefore, garden hose is worth practising on. (BTW, been a sound engineer for 42 years)
Interesting bit about the ends. So by that do you find yourself having the last loop either a little short or a little long as the situation merits? Funny you mention the multicore... I used to work at Oakland Coliseum and we'd have races from home plate to the left field and right field walls down the base line = 330 feet. Two big spools of camera multicore on home plate, grab an end and run to the wall, then over-under the entire cable on the way back to home plate, then run BACK to the wall without tangles. The wraps had to be your entire wingspan and your arms were completely on fire by the time you hit the infield. Thankfully, I won, largely because I never tangled.
@@davidmckenna858 Yes the last loop or two might be a little shorter than the rest in order to get the XLRs to sit right. Camera cable is now tri-axial fibre and much easier to deal with. But it still needs to be wound onto a drum, or figure eight-ed.
I've been doing the over/under coiling for years now. I still now and then get a knot even though I try very careful to do it properly. Do the knots have to do solely with the XLR ends and where they end up after coiling or can something else cause knots??
I'm going crazy here I always do the over/under so carefully!!
My bandmates look at me like I'm just being a d*** when I try to get them to do this...
GAH! I know your pain.
👍 from 🇸🇪🎸🎹🎤
i don't understand the advantage of this method, i always try to twist the cable when winding it up, but i actually always use the over hand method
Over long cable runs (20+ feet), you will get a kind of "pigtail" effect as you run the cable out using only overs. By alternating the wraps, it returns the cable to a relaxed state on the floor. This ultimately extends the life of the cable and makes for less of a tripping hazard. Hope that helps.
@@davidmckenna858 thank you for explaining, feels weird but I'll practice it
I'm wrapping the 25' orange AC extension cables . . . I just did under, under, under . . . and it appears to have the same results as "over / under" . . . the cable always comes out between the two, before the next wrap . . . I didn't do any "over" . . . This seems simpler than having to say "over / under" in your mind, and remember where you were . . . any comments?
While not one of the focal points of this video, by alternating over/under you get a net 0 torsion on the cable. This means you could set the cable down, grab an end and walk to the device you want to plug in without the cable wanting/needing to rotate in your hand lest it start to curly-q like a pig's tail. As far as "remembering" where you are, after enough practice it eventually becomes second hand such that you never get lost. Even if you do, you can look at where the cable is resting (inside or outside the loop) and just perform the opposite. Whenever I can't easily tell due to a REALLY long cable, I just unwrap one or two winds until it becomes obvious.
Thanks for the info. This is one of the most useful things I've learned in a long time!
I wonder why they don't put these kind of instructions on the cable packaging.
I re-tried doing "over-under" on a 25', 14 gauge extension cord. I threw it 10', and it had some tangling.
If I do "under-under", and throw it 10', it's curly, but no tangling. I can then pick it up, and reduce the curliness.
The width of it when wound up "under-under" also seems less. This way of winding it makes it like a spring.
Do you think there could be any reason to do one or the other, based on the wire gauge?
It seems like another way of saying what's going on with "over-under", is that it's accounting for how there needs to be a slight twist in the wire, to keep it from kinking up.
It seems like to teach "over-under": do the whole wire "over-over" . . . then "under-under" . . . see the difference . . . then do "over-under"
What I'm thinking is: Over-Over is standard for most people, and tangles . . . Over-Under is good for thinner cables . . . Under-Under is good for thicker cables, like 14 gauge
Wait, I see how the twist works, better, in this vid:
How to coil cable - RUclips . . . This method works for garden hoses, too! . . . The twists cancel each other out, resulting in no net twist . . . ruclips.net/video/-qO36-CfZKg/видео.html
She holds the end away, and you see the wire as a circle, not head on . . . Also shown is how "over-over" gives you a tangled wire
I also now see from my own try, how "under-under" gives you a curly pig-tail wire.
@@slack7638 In retrospect I regret throwing the cable in this video. For one, it can easily damage connectors on the cable. For two, it does require some practice to not get tangles. It is best to just set the cable on the ground and walk out the desired length so that it remains partially coiled and less obtrusive in the work environment. Again, the curling you are noticing is undesirable torsion that can decrease the overall lifespan of the cable. Regarding cable gauge, thicker cables like 6 core tend to be wrapped using a large figure of 8. As this video was intended for my film and audio students here at UCLA using thinner cables, there was no point in mentioning that.
Torsion, how do you explain that - makes me think of this video, where they can simulate all kinds of sea "waves":
The Navy's Indoor Ocean - RUclips . . . ruclips.net/video/YKx1Rbqpaog/видео.html
I'm just thinking, for me to learn, it helps to see the big picture first - all the possibilities - and then just focus in on what you want, or the right way to do something.
Oddly enough, I'm right handed.... but start with the connector IN my right hand, and with the pins facing AWAY....
I've found that if someone does everything exactly the opposite as what I describe here, it still works. Different strokes for different folks.
✔
related to Terence McKenna?
Nope.
Nobody's made a video about this for lefties. How about "flip horizontal" and upload for lefties? I'm ambidextrous and do this left handed.
This video is easier to follow if you're lefty. The instructions are identical except you get to mirror his movements instead of having to flip it around in your head. There's nothing directional about his instructions.
Then...after you properly coil it.....cram it in to a bag or a back pack.
Preferably not. If you are cramming, that is probably an indication that you can make the wraps smaller in diameter. True, you will have to make more wraps, but at least the shield of the cable is not damaged in the process. In many cases you can go to about as small as a soda can in diameter and still be okay, which would be much smaller than needed to fit in the pouch of a back-pack. In this video I talk about using a "face-sized" loop for when you plan on hanging the cable on a peg (which we do here in our studio) so as to have enough wraps to help support the weight cable. If the wraps are too large, the weight of the cable on the peg results in a kind of egg shape that puts excess strain on the inflection point. The video was already getting a bit long, so that extra detail seemed less essential.
@@davidmckenna858 You shouldn't throw the cables in order to avoid damage to the soldered joints due to the impact created when male/female end hits the ground. Not to mention the plastic ends cracking or the clip mechanism snapping off.
Dear @@billfallon2372. You are 100% right about this. I have regretted that demonstration for years -especially as I am the one who has had to re-solder all those cables after enough abuse.
I am not a technician. But if I am not mistaken, David's method is creating a coil which cannot and should not be used when electric current is passing through the loops made by him. Such coil generates heat and magnetic field, and can be dangerous especially when the current passing through the loops is great. Thus, David is not wrong in telling how to keep the cable. Yet people should know the danger during using and should uncoil completely during use.
As a side note to this post, technically any time you make a loop in an audio or video cable you create an antenna that will introduce noise into your signal. So unless you are in a well-shielded studio, you will want to completely uncoil your cables when in use. This of course begets the question, "But what about any leftover slack?" Answer: Always use the shortest cable possible to minimize the excess. Then hopefully you do not need to make so many loops.
@@davidmckenna858 Good to know. I did not know this.
If you're desperate, you can double the cable back on itself, rather than coiling it, so the EM fields cancel out rather than amplify, using the tightest bend that's healthy for the cable. The longer cable will still add resistance, reducing your signal, but at least keeping the noise relatively similar. As David mentions, coiling will make it an antenna, amplifying any RF noise received or transmitted. But the cable won't heat up meaningfully more when coiled (and if your cable is heating up you're running WAAAAAY too much power). And the cable would melt far before it had enough power for the EM field to be even vaguely dangerous.
Don't white knuckle it.......white knuckles it. Dangit!
Word of warning...if you pull the connector you start with through the loop and attempt to unwind your masterpiece... you will get a series of perfectly spaced knots and spend the next three to four minutes un-knotting them. And I think David made this overly complicated with the description. I guess thats how you make a 2 minute video last almost 6 minutes.
The issue with the knots can be frustrating; however, if you stack all the knots facing the same way and then run the cable end through all of them at once you can clear this problem in 20 seconds. I thought about doing a separate video for that very process because, as you pointed out, this video was already a bit long to include that information here. Sorry you felt my description was too complicated and took too long. I genuinely made this video for my audio students at UCLA expecting 50 views a year. The internet had other plans.