View Full Version : I need a little help with tucking away neatly my system wires.
Urzu402
07-31-2013, 12:12 PM
As some of you may know my house was flooded by Hurricane Sandy, though before that happened I had put my video game systems in storage. But now I can take them out and hook them back up again. So I have them all hooked up, but it looks horrible. I have 8 systems that hook up with composite, 3 with RF switches and one with HDMI. For the systems with composite I have 2, 4-System selectors which are hooked up to two inputs on my DVD recorder. And then there is an issue with the power cords of each system.
Edit: Forgot to include that I have 3 shelves to use, the top one has my TV and DVD recorder and then below that there are two shelves
Edit 2: Here is a picture of the shelving so you can get an idea on what I am working with, http://i.imgur.com/U37Xo9u.jpg
MetalFRO
07-31-2013, 12:57 PM
That will be difficult to hide cords for, unless you want to get creative. You could look at some wall-mount raceway that is large enough to fit several cords through. Here's a system like what I'm talking about (http://www.cableorganizer.com/wirehider-latching-raceways/), all plastic raceway that has a "snap-tite" kind of approach. If you painted it the same color as your wall and hid it near a corner or something, then just cut in holes large enough to accommodate the influx of cable from each shelf, you could thread it all through one channel to the top where the TV sits. Keep in mind, the adhesive on these things isn't always meant for long-term applications, so if you plan on keeping this arrangement for more than a few months, I'd recommend at least 2 drill points on the wall to secure it.
Or you could go to a local hardware store and get just piping or PVC with junctions and use that, but it wouldn't look quite as clean as the raceway. I've done both approaches for stringing CAT5 cable for years working in IT, and the raceway is pretty slick stuff, if you secure it and don't under-size for what you'll be filling it with.
JSoup
07-31-2013, 12:57 PM
Twist ties. Lots of twist ties.
Urzu402
07-31-2013, 02:14 PM
I don't think I can afford those pipe things for the wires at the moment but I do have a few wire ties here is a picture of pretty much what I am dealing with
http://imgur.com/E7xtnLD.jpg
Which is pretty much a cluster of wires on the right side of the lowest shelf.
Natty Bumppo
07-31-2013, 03:56 PM
PVC pipe is pretty cheap (and is easily painted) - the dedicated wire channels can be somewhat pricey. (If you know someone who has recently installed a vinyl fence the slats in those (if they are rectangular) can be easily modified to mimic the wire channels - I had a bunch of pieces left over after I put up a vinyl fence that worked really well as wire channels for some low voltage lights I put out in the yard. (I ran them though a table saw to lower their profile quite a bit.) You can also buy a vinyl 4" by 4" sleeve (for going over posts) and you could cut some of the corners off one of those to put in the back corners behind your shelves that would be pretty unobtrusive if painted the same as the walls.
One thing to keep in mind (no matter what you do) is that you should try to keep your av lines and power cords as separate as possible - putting power cords directly next to audio cables will quite often introduce an unwelcome buzz into the system.
wiggyx
07-31-2013, 04:13 PM
As some of you may know my house was flooded by Hurricane Sandy, though before that happened I had put my video game systems in storage. But now I can take them out and hook them back up again. So I have them all hooked up, but it looks horrible. I have 8 systems that hook up with composite, 3 with RF switches and one with HDMI. For the systems with composite I have 2, 4-System selectors which are hooked up to two inputs on my DVD recorder. And then there is an issue with the power cords of each system.
Edit: Forgot to include that I have 3 shelves to use, the top one has my TV and DVD recorder and then below that there are two shelves
Edit 2: Here is a picture of the shelving so you can get an idea on what I am working with, http://i.imgur.com/U37Xo9u.jpg
Zip ties, 1" PVC pipe in one of the back corners running from top to bottom through the shelves, paint PVC to match walls. Done.