Tag Archives: wire

The best way to prevent your cables from entangling?? Magnets!

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Of all the cable-managing solutions I’ve seen in the near 30 years of my existence, SuperCalla’s solution seems the most compelling. I’ve seen thick cables, flat cables, coiled cables, woven cables, and even cable-holders, but nothing is as convincing as the video above. Say hello to the SuperCalla charging cable. It looks like most cables, except for that at certain intervals the SuperCalla cable has magnets around it. These magnets effortlessly organize your cables and keep them organized, thanks to the satisfying snap of magnetic attraction.

I wish I had stuff to write about the SuperCalla but using it is so incredibly self-explanatory it seems borderline unnecessary. The cable can be coiled in a circular pattern, stuck together in a zigzag, or even wound up like you’d normally organize cables. Just make sure the magnets align and the SuperCalla has the innate ability to staying organized whether in your pocket, backpack, drawer, or even on your suitcase (yes, they’re travel-safe). The magnets allow you to easily open the cable out, using as much as necessary, therefore keeping your drawer, bag, and general workplace as neat as possible. Besides, I imagine they’re incredibly fun to fidget with too!

SuperCalla’s cables come in two sizes (3ft. and 6ft.) and two colors (black or white). They’re available in Type-C as well as lightning variants, and can be used for anything from charging to data transferring… and when you’re done, neatly coil them up and dump them in your bag, knowing fully well that they’re never going to come out a tangled mess!

Designer: SuperCalla

An Eccentric Electric Wire Lamp!

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The very thing that delivers electricity to this lamp, is what makes this lamp! The unusual use of electrical wiring as a design element is what makes the Coil Lamp such an unusual beauty.

Simply using two intersecting pieces of laser cut acrylic as its framework, the 100ft extension wire coils around this framework, becoming the lamp itself! “This simple transformation elevates the status of the humble extension cord to the realm of domestic design” says designer Craighton Berman.

The Coil Lamp is a permanent exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago and can be purchased below. However, if you’re looking to buy the DIY version to build on your own, you can get one for a cheaper price right here! It comes without the 100ft extension, allowing you to choose your own colored wire!

Designer: Craighton Berman Studio

BUY IT HERE: $199 (Fully Assembled)

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One Handsome Cable Keeper

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Named “Xu” which means orderly in Chinese, this cable organizer keeps your cables in check without knocking your desktop style. The design features a refined, masculine material combination of walnut/beech wood and leather straps, held in place with a brass rod. No screws or glue! Simply squeeze your cables into the slots to keep things neat and orderly.

Designer: ShenYan@1984

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Worry-free Headphone Wire

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Nothing can keep you from your tunes quite like an annoying headphone tangle! The Self-Folding Wire solves this problem with an innovative spring-loaded system that organizes the wire into layers that won’t intertwine or bunch. Better yet, you can reduce the amount of dangling slack to make things more comfortable during wear by simply folding the extra cord.

Designers: Zhang Qinfu, Nan Fang, Wang Zhanfu, Zhong Hai

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Desktop Wire Bending Machine: DIWire

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Wires or rods are integral parts of many structures or products. While we’ve seen early versions of 3D printers that can work with metals, many times all that a tinkerer or an artist needs is a way to bend existing wire to his will. That’s where Pensa Labs’ DIWire comes in. It’s a machine that bends wires based on curves drawn in a computer.

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DIWire’s complementary software accepts SVG images of continuous curves. The machine itself connects to your computer via USB and can typically finish bending a piece of wire in minutes. DIWire can bend wires between .040″ – .125″ in diameter, depending on the wire’s composition. It can bend steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass and more. To help users put their bent wires together, Pensa Labs also came up with a series of plastic clips that can be used to hold wires together without having to permanently solder or weld them outright.

Pledge at least $2,950 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a DIWire as a reward.

[via Core77]

2014 Corvette Uses Shape Memory “Smart Material”

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On your typical automobile if the vehicle has a door or flap that needs to be opened automatically, it requires little motors and other components to operate. Chevrolet has announced that the 2014 Corvette is the first General Motors automobile to use a lightweight “smart material” that is able to replace heavier motorized parts. The smart material in this case is a shape memory alloy wire that is used to open a vent to make closing the trunk lid easier.

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The shape memory alloy wire opens the hatch when the deck lid is opened using heat created from an electrical current in a method similar to how truck lights are activated. When electrical current flows through the wire, it changes shape activating a lever that opens the vent. When the current is removed, the wire cools and the vent closes.

This particular vent on the new Corvette is used to allow air to escape when the trunk lid is closed making it easier to close than previous Corvette models. General Motors says that there about 200 motorized movable parts in the typical vehicle that could eventually be replaced with these shape memory alloys. These high-tech materials could ultimately help reduce the weight of vehicles and improve fuel economy.

Smart Guide Cable Management Works Even Inside a Computer

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I have to admit that my cable management system is basically non-existent, and the cable squid is set to take over the rest of my apartment if I don’t manage to do something about it soon. Maybe the Smart Guide cable management system could help me out.

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Smart Guide was created by Albanian designer Marin Myftiu. His solution addresses many concerns that people have with their bowl of cable spaghetti, and should eradicate at least part of yours. Its modular structure and rainbow color-coding make it pop, and help you keep track of what wire is running where. It will work with cables of virtually any size, shape, or length.

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The system can be used for power cable management, PC cables and rack servers, as well as the wiring of a PC. For now, this is a concept, but someone needs to put these into production ASAP.

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[via designboom]


AT-AT Wire Sculpture: Get Bent on Hoth

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The AT-AT Imperial Walker is one of the most iconic machines in the history of motion pictures, so whenever I spy some object made in the form of the classic robot camel from The Empire Strikes Back, it piques my curiosity. I’m especially happy to have stumbled onto this AT-AT interpretation, done up using carefully bent wire.

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Artist Jakobi created this AT-AT sculpture by meticulously bending lengths of galvanized steel and stainless steel wire. He says it’s one of the more complex wire sculptures he’s ever created, and it definitely looks like it was challenging to get the shapes just right.

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The sculpture measures about 12″ long by 10″ tall by 4.5″ wide, and would look great in an Star Wars collection. You can find it over on Etsy for $120 (USD).  He’s also got a little AT-ST sculpture available for $70 if you prefer your walkers with two legs.

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While you’re there, be sure to check out Jakobi’s other cool wire sculptures and paintings, and if you’re looking for other AT-AT stuff, be sure to check out the Imperial Walker cake and the AT-AT PC Casemod.