Custom Length PSU Cables

[Gnrl Kitty]

Please read this post carefully. If not, there's a good chance you're going to recommend something I've already addressed in this post.

To get the right cable management look I want, I've decided to make my own custom length PSU cables for my AX1200i PSU. I'll be sleeving it later with MDPC sleeving and I'm using Nils' recommendations for wire that I believe I've found here:

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Wire/18-Gauge-100-ft-Primary-Wire/8216418.p

I'm trying to find a guide for making custom length cables from scratch but I can't seem to find anything. Does anyone have a guide for this?

I'm aware cable extensions exist. However I'm looking to shorten the length of my cables, not extend them.

 

[awktane]

You can get tools to pop the connectors off the end of all connectors. You then need to solder the special tips on to the wires so they'll go through the connectors and plug into everything properly. The one and only build where I did completely custom replacement wiring made me think I would never do it again. It takes forever and is a real pain in the butt. Does that sound like what you're trying to accomplish?

I will mention as well that it's possible to get sleeved cables from Corsair directly for your power supply. They are a little expensive but they do look really nice. http://www.corsair.com/us/power-supply-units/psu-accessories-1.html

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

Yes that's what I want to do. I know about Corsair's sleeved cables but I'm going with MDPC. "No Compromise."

 

[MattNo5ss]

There's no need to solder anything. The pins are made to crimp onto the ends of the wire using a crimping tool.

Just cut the wire to length, crimp the pins on, sleeve the wire, then put the housings on the ends.

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

Yep this is what I want.

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

I want to make sure I got this right while I'm asking about it... I can use the cable type I listed in my first post for EVERY wire in the 24-pin, 4+4-pin, PCI-E 6+2-pin as well as the SATA power cables?

 

[Automata]

Can you? Sure. 18 AWG is quite a bit overkill for low power draw items, such as hard drives, optical drives, fans, etc. For these, I use 20/22 AWG. I only use 18 AWG on high draw items, such as the 24 pin connector (doesn't really need it) and the video cards. The thinner wire also has the added benefit of being smaller and much more flexible.

I made custom cables for a AX1200 for SeeThruHead (a member here). You can see all the photos here. I used to do a lot of custom wiring here and got to make some fun ones. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

Yeah for low power draw it would be overkill but I don't plan to custom length anything else in my case. I have a 900D and the front panel cables are pretty much the right length already so I figured I'd just use the 18 AWG on the SATA power cables rather than buying more cabling.

 

[scoutcamper]

Out of sheer curiosity, why would you not simply use the existing cables and only trim them? then there is no nasty connector crimping to deal with?

IE take the 4pin molex, cut 6" off from the middle, strip and solder the 2 ends together, electrical tape / shrinkwrap them, and move on. it would take some precision measuring but it seems to me it would be faster than wasting time on the connectors...

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

It won't look nearly as good.

 

[Automata]

It won't look nearly as good.

That is one facet. Another would be that you can change the cable however you want. Did that cable not have enough SATA connections and you would need to use two? Make a cable with what you need.

You can also change the length of the cable to match exactly what you need. Instead of having excess and needing to hide the extra, you can make it perfect. Alternatively, if the cable is too short, it would allow you to run it differently through the case; making it look cleaner.

 

[scoutcamper]

It won't look nearly as good.

You see, i put all of my pc power cables inside of black loom and zip-tie the loom out of sight, so for that scenario it would be alot faster/easier to just cut the wires....

 

[Gnrl Kitty]

You could do that if you don't mind how the cabling looks. Personally I can't stand the black loom around PSU cabling.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

THIS guide is fairly extensive.

 

[larrymoencurly]

If you splice cables in the middle, consider staggering the splices on the 24-pin cable so that there won't be a fat bulge in one spot.

The cheapest, easiest, and best looking way to shorten the cables would be by unsoldering them inside the PSU. To make sure the shortened cables go into the correct holes, cut them off 1/4" from the circuit board, leaving the insulation on the board. However some PSUs have several wires going into a single hole and bundle them together with a crimp-on tip. Also some PSUs have the wires spliced inside the case, a few inches above the circuit board, in which case you should probably splice the shortened cables there.

Some crimping tools are junk because their jaws don't fit together exactly right. You don't need to pay tons for a brand like Paladin, but some no-name and Ebay stuff won't give good crimps. Radio Shack's crimpers are good, but I don't know about Harbor Freight's.

 

[Automata]

The AX1200(i) is fully modular. There is no need to splice any cables.