Question Cutting PSU wires and taping with electrical tape?

[Cro55ed]

I haven't posted on TH in a while, so uh yeah. But, I just had a random thought on making space in my case and well, making it easier to clean up, which is what the title says. Is there any danger to this? I thought it was a neat little idea! I don't have a modular PSU, and all of the connectors are just shoved into places they shouldn't be. Can I do this?

(tbh, this'll make make things a lot more easier for me)

 

[Gam3r01]

Generally going to be a pretty bad, if not flat out dangerous idea.
Its not particularly advisable to start cutting and modifying a PSU for any reason.

 

[Karadjgne]

As said, not a good idea. At all. But if you must, then go to someplace that sells autoparts or hardware, you can buy packages with plastic crimp wirenuts


Use those, 1 per wire. They won't deteriorate and unwrap like electrical tape will with heat.

 

[my_pc_build]

Do you have house / contents insurance? This kind of activity might well void the contract.
Do you have life insurance? Would you be worried about those left behind if you died?
Would you feel comfortable if someone else died as a result of this little experiment?
Would you play Russian roulette, for real, for the price of your PC?
Probably not the best idea you've had today.
All the best.

 

[Karadjgne]

Just a tad overdone, ya think?

 

[Gam3r01]

Agreed, internal protections as well as house wired circuit breakers would have prevented any harm of that degree.

 

[my_pc_build]

Agreed, internal protections as well as house wired circuit breakers would have prevented any harm of that degree.

A quick google of motherboard fire is enough to put the rest the dangerous myth that short circuits on the output side of a PSU can't cause a fire, and fires clearly have the potential to cause death.
Non-professional modification of electrical equipment causing a fire in a house is a standard exclusion cause for many modern house / contents insurance policies.

Of course, follow the directions in assembling your computer and it's as safe as other electrical items in your house - no need to be alarmist about that, agreed.

 

[Mtop]

IMO, solder less crimp connectors will take up more space than folding wires and tie wrapping them. For the time it would take me i would invest in a different case where wire could be better hidden.

 

[norcalsc]

Buy a bigger case

 

[aldan]

cut,solder and shrinkwrap em.

 

[TJ Hooker]

I think we need to clarify something here. @Cro55ed are you talking about just cutting off the ends of cables you don't want/use? I guess it depends on how certain you are that you'll never use them, but as said above as long as you properly seal of the ends (preferably with something that won't come loose like electrical tape), I don't see it being a huge risk. It'll obviously void your PSU warranty though.

 

[bryanc723]

It can be done pretty easily if you have the skill and understanding. I strongly advise against electrical tape and would encourage you to use aldan's advice. If you don't know full well what you are doing or lack the necessary tools/skill to solder I would advise against it as, like others mentioned, it can be very dangerous. Those psu's can really put out some serious juice and can actually explode if you short them.
If you're wanting to completely remove a set of wires, crimp cap them instead of using tape or a screw cap.

 

[Karadjgne]

Ahh, 2 dimensional thinking at work. You figure that if all the wires are cut the same length, there'll be a giant mushroom of plastic caps, and you'd be entirely correct. Instead, apply 3 dimensional thinking, and stagger the lengths.

For instance, take a molex chain, has 3 wires, black, yellow, red. Fold it around the hidden side of the psu and cut black the longest, yellow ½" shorter, red 1" shorter. Fold the next wire behind the psu and do it again, but backwards, so each cap isn't next to the one above or below. Little bit of hot-glue will hold in place.

You can probably get most of the wires a psu has, laying flat, glued to the backside of the psu and have 0 bunching.

 

[USAFRet]

Can I do this?

The problem with questions that include "Can I do this? is that...if you knew how to do it, have the relevant tools, and have the relevant experience...you would have just done it.

Lacking those things...the possibility of letting the magic smoke out is much greater. Bordering on guaranteed.
And with PSU cables, that magic smoke can be quite hazardous.

Just the mention of using electrical tape leads to a probability releasing the smoke.

Can it be done? Sure.
I could do it. Then again, I've rewired fighter jets.

The question is...can you do it?