Lengthening and Shortening PSU Wires...Questions. - Overclock.net

clbkdaz · 05-21-09

I want to clean up the inside of case with a little bit better looking cable management. I was hoping I could shorten/lengthen some of the wires from the PSU to cut out a little slack that is an eye-sore. My quesiton is if it would be ok to:

1. Cut a section of wires out from the 20+4 pin line coming from the PSU.
2. Reattach the wires together.
3. Heatshrink the sections to cover the exposed wire and prevent shorting. (I would heat-shrink each individual wire)

Would this work...or does this cause some type of problem.

DuckieHo · 05-21-09

It will work fine... as long as you wire everything back exactly and nothing ever comes loose.

clbkdaz · 05-21-09

I was planning on doing 1 wire at a time to avoid any confusion...and then twisting back together and then heatshrinking them down...really really tight so they dont come apart.

I figured it would be OK...but wanted to check first.

**radodrill** · 05-21-09

If you do shorten/lengthen the wires, then be sure to solder the joints rather than just twisting the wire strands together.

doat · 05-21-09

I was thinking of just cutting off my extra cables but that wouldn't stop the flow of electricity going to the cut ends and possibly causing a fire.

**radodrill** · 05-21-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by doat

I was thinking of just cutting off my extra cables but that wouldn't stop the flow of electricity going to the cut ends and possibly causing a fire.

if you do it at the circuit board inside the PSU or right at the last desired connector on that string then there won't be an issue; otherwise you should insulate the clipped wire end.

clbkdaz · 05-22-09

Of course I read the rest of this AFTER i just finished the 1st set of connectors.

Well...I started on the 4-pin Molex connectors. I basically chopped out a 6 inch piece from the PSU to the 1st connector from the series of 4. I then hooked the ends together (not soldered...but hooked as if they were to be soldered) and shrink-wrapped them with 3/32 shrink wrap. The connection appeared to be snug and there was no movement when I tried to pull them apart.

I then took that 6" cut-out and placed it between the 2nd and 3rd Molex (extending the distance between those molex's) and did the same thing.

I haven't flipped the power on just yet to test it...but I think I will disconnect the mobo and the HDD for safety and just jump start the PSU with it only connected to the fans to test. That way - At worst I'm only out a PSU and some fans, lol. If I screwed up...I will know pretty fast aye?

**radodrill** · 05-22-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by clbkdaz

Of course I read the rest of this AFTER i just finished the 1st set of connectors.

Well...I started on the 4-pin Molex connectors. I basically chopped out a 6 inch piece from the PSU to the 1st connector from the series of 4. I then hooked the ends together (not soldered...but hooked as if they were to be soldered) and shrink-wrapped them with 3/32 shrink wrap. The connection appeared to be snug and there was no movement when I tried to pull them apart.

I then took that 6" cut-out and placed it between the 2nd and 3rd Molex (extending the distance between those molex's) and did the same thing.

I haven't flipped the power on just yet to test it...but I think I will disconnect the mobo and the HDD for safety and just jump start the PSU with it only connected to the fans to test. That way - At worst I'm only out a PSU and some fans, lol. If I screwed up...I will know pretty fast aye?

that shouldn't kill anything; the reason why I always prefer/recommend soldering is that it's more durable and also has a lower resistance than just twisting the wires together.

clbkdaz · 05-22-09

OK - Tested with power.

All 4 molex's in the series have power. I hooked 1 fan up to each of them to test them and they all worked...not to mention the fact that no fire trucks were needed.

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow's project...The 20+4 Pin connector. Yippee.

the_beast · 05-23-09

I REALLY recommend getting a soldering iron & putting some solder into those joints. The molex connectors all may work, but down the line if you start putting too much current through the wires you could end up with a serious problem (especially as you will probably forget you did the mod...). You now have 3 crappy joints in each wire, which is 3 extra points for something to go badly wrong. A little extra tension in a wire could pull the joint apart enough over time for the metal to show past the heatshrink and short to your case. If this happens the best you can hope for is to lose all your components. Worst case is you lose your house & family in the resulting fire. You would be better to find a way to hide the extra cable at the top of the wire, then use an adapter if you needed more length at the other end. Not as cool to look at, but much safer.

If you want to shorten your psu wires, the only safe way to do it is to do it inside the psu itself. Unsolder each wire from the pcb, take off the required amount, then solder it back. If you are not comfortable doing this then you shouldn't be doing the mod. Either put up with the long cables or pay someone who knows what they are doing and are comfortable with soldering to do the job for you.

PSUs are dangerous. Please don't mess around & take shortcuts. The risks are too great. I know I may be sounding a little over the top here, but I urge you not to do the mod in the way you describe.

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Lengthening and Shortening PSU Wires...Questions.

05-23-09	#10 (permalink)
the_beast Mobo Master Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,048 Rep: 145 Unique Rep: 100 Trader Rating: 0	I REALLY recommend getting a soldering iron & putting some solder into those joints. The molex connectors all may work, but down the line if you start putting too much current through the wires you could end up with a serious problem (especially as you will probably forget you did the mod...). You now have 3 crappy joints in each wire, which is 3 extra points for something to go badly wrong. A little extra tension in a wire could pull the joint apart enough over time for the metal to show past the heatshrink and short to your case. If this happens the best you can hope for is to lose all your components. Worst case is you lose your house & family in the resulting fire. You would be better to find a way to hide the extra cable at the top of the wire, then use an adapter if you needed more length at the other end. Not as cool to look at, but much safer. If you want to shorten your psu wires, the only safe way to do it is to do it inside the psu itself. Unsolder each wire from the pcb, take off the required amount, then solder it back. If you are not comfortable doing this then you shouldn't be doing the mod. Either put up with the long cables or pay someone who knows what they are doing and are comfortable with soldering to do the job for you. PSUs are dangerous. Please don't mess around & take shortcuts. The risks are too great. I know I may be sounding a little over the top here, but I urge you not to do the mod in the way you describe.

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