(Definitely note the purposeful winding of the cable in the after photo, so as to not bend and put pressure on the brick end of the cable.) You can see I had some failed layers of electric tape in times past.
#Usb cord for mac pro#
Speaking of cable atrocities, here's a look at the before and after using the white tape on my MacBook Pro power cable. I found the clear tape to look too gray against the "Apple White" plastic, and doesn't disguise the cable atrocities lying beneath as well. Here is a link to the white tape I've been using, but I've also used this clear tape. This solution is not quite as nice looking as the shrink tubing, but it looks WAY better than electric tape. Stretch the tape as you wrap to get it to adhere to itself.Īfter getting a coating of tape that you like cut from the roll or cut off excess. Peel off tape backing, and begin wrapping around weak point of cable. For these situations, I use a few inches of "rescue tape" (self-fusing silicone tape.) It's not quite as pretty, but a few layers of self-fusing tape will make a semi-rigid coating where the cable meets the connectors, protecting against harsh bending or pulling.Ĭut a few inches of tape from the roll, or work directly from the roll. Shrink tubing is great, but it won't fit over the ends of other cables (MacBook power cables, Apple Watch USB cables, or older 30 pin iPhone/iPad USB cables), or you may not want to mess with a heat source to melt the tubing. Reinforcement method 2: Rescue/Silicone Tape A cable with intermittent connection is a sure fire way to find yourself with corrupt data some day in the future. I draw a big sad face on the tubing to remind me. So I officially can't endorse this method ) but my handful of cables with singed tubing do have personality.Ī note about frayed cables: I've used shrink tubes to reinforce cables that are already fraying, but I use those cables in places that I'm only charging the iPhone, not for connecting my iPhone to my computer. Holding the tubing over a candle works very well, but if you hold it too close you run the risk that you will singe the tubing (no problem for black tubing) or singe your actual usb cable. My run-of-the-mill hair dryer didn't put out enough heat to make this a quick job, and drove me a little crazy. Obviously, a heat gun works the best, as it was designed for tasks just like this. This video shows the technique, adding in a pen spring for good measure (which I haven't done yet.) Use your heat source to shrink the tubing. Slide the other piece into place overlapping where the lightning connector meets the cable.
Slide one piece into place where the usb connector meets the cable. Slide 2 pieces of heat-shrink tubing over the lightning port. You can get the heat shrink tubing from many home improvement stores, or online. (I've also used a hair dryer and a candle, both with their own set of challenges. Two pieces of 1/4" diameter heat shrink tubing, 1.5" in length.Ī heat source: ideally a heat gun. I've already pulled so hard on a tubing reinforced cable so much that I slid the tubing a little (the tube slid right back in to place after, and I find it a good reminder to grab at the plastic connector.) Also, when you pull your cable out of the iPhone, the tubing will take a lot of the strain of that pull. This is my favorite method, but it only works for iPhone lightning cables (because the lightning port end is small enough for the tubes to go over.) The heat-shrink tubing will keep the connection ends of your iPhone cable from bending too much, a common cause of wear.
Reinforcement method 1: Heat-Shrink Tubing (Lightning cables only) IPhone cables, Apple Watch cables, and MacBook cables all suffer from the same stress points: bending the endpoints frequently and/or pulling too aggressively on the cable/plug connection. We also have a recommendation for a replacement iPhone lightning cable, should you have stumbled on this post after finding your cable has gone to the big cable drawer in the sky. This article is all about ways to reinforce your Apple cables to extend their lifetime, or fix fraying cables. Let's face reality: Apple cables tend to wear out and break.
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