Is electrical tape good enough for covering cords?

[josekortez]

I have a great six-button Sega Genesis joystick with the turbo controls on it that I found at a thrift a few years back, but I've been hesitant to just get a roll of electrical tape and wrap that around the section of the cord that's frayed.

I'm not really handy, having never done any mods of any type, so will it be okay if I just wrap electrical tape around the frayed section on the cord or is it dangerous? It doesn't seem that any of the internal wires are exposed, just the black part of the cord in a small section that looks like it may have been broken or chewed, possibly by an animal (maybe a toddler?).

I really want to play some Street Fighter: Championship Edition, so could someone please let me know if this is a good enough repair method or not? Thanks.

[klausien]

That's what it's for man.

[josekortez]

That's what it's for man.

I'm just concerned about the wires possibly sparking or setting a fire or something. I don't want to burn my apartment building down.

[dendawg]

I wouldn't worry too much, it's only 5 volts, +/-2 volts coming from the joystick port.

As long as you specifically use electrical tape, you should be fine.

[Ro-J]

I fixed a frayed NES adapter cord about 15-20 years ago with electrical tape and it still works for me. No sparks, no fires, no problems.

[aclbandit]

I'm just concerned about the wires possibly sparking or setting a fire or something. I don't want to burn my apartment building down.

Nah, you should be fine. "Black" electrical time is quite a good insulator. Wrap it around a few times if you're worried, but it should not be a problem, especially if there's no actual metal exposed.