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Author Topic: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk  (Read 633 times)

K7MPZ

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Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« on: August 30, 2020, 04:03:07 PM »

On my desk I have 4 radios, a tuner, 2 digital boxes. an ac/dc ps, a bridge, a small pc, a monitor, 4 speakers, and a scope.  Can you imaging what the cabling looks like, but this
was all a mock-up.  Now it's time to make it right.  My plan is for 4 parallel troughs, one for a/c, one for coax, one for data/signal/usb, and one for dc.  I can separate them about 
10'' apart.  I am keeping an eye on what layout will help or hinder the battery backup
system in a month.  I bet you can send me some good tips.
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KC6RCM

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2020, 04:28:31 PM »

Hi Dale;

Had a good laugh when I read; "Rewiring the jungle".  As you know, it's often difficult to avoid the mess of wires with ham radio.  I was going to mention convoluted tubing, but it sounds like you have it all figured out.

I have my radio desk near the wall and the wire mess is behind and fortunately, out of sight.

Good luck,

Doug
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W6MK

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2020, 04:31:10 PM »

I have my radio desk near the wall and the wire mess is behind and fortunately, out of sight.

Out of sight out of mind. My desk is on wheels. When I need to delve into the jungle, I pull it out from the wall and have at it. Simple and effective.
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K7MPZ

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2020, 05:13:27 PM »

My desk is huge and heavy, and it's on 4" casters. A method I learned years ago
is to fasten big curtain rod hangers.  You can easily pass small connecters thru,
and for something big they pop open.  I'm trying to decide which lines need the most separation.
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KE0ZU

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2020, 09:17:07 AM »

I run all my cables through these 2" PVC pipe "rings".   The cabling still looks messy, but I have fairly long "service loops" so I can change out any piece of equipment with something else, from the front of the bench, in a minute or two.

The bench has 6 stations, and the cabling to each is "STANDARD"  with short cable adapters if needed, permanently attached to the radios.       


(click the pic for more)
« Last Edit: August 31, 2020, 09:26:31 AM by KE0ZU »
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Regards, Mike
https://mikeharrison.smugmug.com/
Pics and bold print are usually links.

K7MPZ

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2020, 11:37:12 AM »

Nice shot. I see ferrites, are they on any specific cable type?  Have you
separated any specific cables?  I think running the coax and ac in separate
runs would be good, and putting all the dc and data cables in their own run.
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KC6RWI

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2020, 11:38:34 AM »

I got a jungle in a box, its all my wall warts with every kind of adapter ever thought of. Its a tangled mess, and so many times the adapter has less milliamps than I need.
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K7MPZ

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2020, 11:41:21 AM »

 ;D  ;D  ;D
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KE0ZU

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2020, 08:34:53 AM »

Quote
...Nice shot...
No Ferrites, just a lot of extra wire and connectors.

I set-up the bench with cables long enough to allow me to swap out any transceiver, transmitter, or receiver from the front of the table in about a minute.



« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 08:41:26 AM by KE0ZU »
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Regards, Mike
https://mikeharrison.smugmug.com/
Pics and bold print are usually links.

K7MPZ

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2020, 04:17:50 PM »

Beautiful, some of those rigs bring back memories.  I have all the connectors to do a super nice job, but I am waffling
on the wire'm tight, or leave enough slack to pull them forward.  Everything is loose as I wanted to do the ergonomic
thing, placing the most used items from the center to the right, with stuff like the pc and tuner on the left.  Everything sits on a 4' shelf 6" above a big desk.  The desk has a big notch cut in it, just off center to the right, and the big hf rig sits
there, angled up.
 
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KE0ZU

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2020, 04:00:53 PM »

Quote
...I am waffling on the wire'm tight, or leave enough slack to pull them forward...
Loose or tight you have to have access to the rear of the bench.   My solution was to mount my benches on some heavy duty castors so I can pull'em out, make cabling additions, etc, then push back against the wall.

I much prefer to be able to just pull a radio forward, disconnect the cables, plug in the replacement, and push it back into position.  Needless to say you have to have a variety of connectors so there's no mix-up on interface.
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K1KIM

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2020, 04:13:52 PM »

Quote
...Nice shot...
No Ferrites, just a lot of extra wire and connectors.

I set-up the bench with cables long enough to allow me to swap out any transceiver, transmitter, or receiver from the front of the table in about a minute.



I like the D-104 on the lamp arm boom. Ingenious. Did you change out the element to match the impedance for the older tube and hybrid rigs?
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So Many Toys.......So Little Time!

K7MPZ

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2020, 04:30:54 PM »

Right now the desk is setting on 4" casters, and sliding it is perfect.  In two years I'll have a new desk, a big thick slab, sitting on 2 short file drawers with 4" casters.  My current desk is ergo-perfect, my keyboard, monitor, key, and hf radio controls are all accessed with a level forearm, it makes a real difference. 
I have miles of convoluted tubing, because I worked in a surgery unit, and we had to ditch so much respiratory stuff.  I prefer curtain rings, the kind John Candy sold in Trains, Planes, and Automobiles. My concern is still if I run 4 horizontal runs, one for rf, one for ac, one for digital, and one for dc, and separate them at least 4" will I I be doing the most I can do?  I can make it neater, but I'll be mixing the different kinds of cables.
Flexibility, I keep telling myself :)   
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Dale Fiorillo
Sequim, Wa
K7MPZ

KE0ZU

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Re: Rewiring the jungle behind my desk
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2020, 08:34:38 PM »

Quote
...Did you change out the element...
No, just ran the twisted shielded pair to a Balanced Fet input buffer driving an isolation transformer.



As far as cabling in concerned, I just ran everything together, DC/RF/Audio.   AC power cords are in the mix at some locations as well but most are just draped over the back and down to the power strips.   No problems thus far.  One thing I do do however, is transformer couple all audio sources and destinations.
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Regards, Mike
https://mikeharrison.smugmug.com/
Pics and bold print are usually links.
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