How to make an eternal Lightning-cable for half an hour

I always considered myself a very neat person and take care of the cables and gadgets in general. Despite years of use, they look like new. I handled even more carefully With cable from the iPhone 5s, as it was quite an expensive and replace it the other at the time I could not: all other Apple devices in the home were charged more to the old 30-pin cable.

However, this did not save me. Exactly one year later insulation on the ends of the cable snapped, starting to fall off in pieces. At some point I psihanul and tore off the remnants of a white, environmentally friendly coating, fully exposing the metal braid of the cable. But even then, he regularly charge and sync your iPhone, only occasionally hitting a little shock. Throw it in the trash did not raise his hand, and I decided to make a new cable insulation. After all, he deserves it.

How to make a new braid

Who is considered the most reliable cables with a braided fabric, and it is no accident (remember the old Soviet irons). Fiber fabric gives elasticity to the cable and do not break down over time. Conventional thread are not suitable: they are too thin and not very strong. For our business ideal yarn for knitting and sewing. They are much stronger and thicker due to them not to have to shake forever.

What is needed

The beauty of this method is that everything you need can be found at home. If the hand is not will be a heat-shrinkable tube, then, except for the thread, we will at least need any glue and scissors or a knife (or force to tear a piece of yarn).

• Thread - 3-5 meters.

• scissors or a knife.

• Heat-shrinkable tubing - 5-10 centimeters.

• lighter or matches.

• Any glue.

Choosing thread

I have to say, any suitable yarn for knitting, even very thick. The main thing is that it is wrinkled and she could wrap the cable as the tape. If you are lucky and wife, mother or grandmother offer you not one, but several options, choose from the following criteria:

• Material. Yarn is of different composition: natural and synthetic. Drop your hipster habits and give preference to synthetic materials: it is stronger, not dirty and not razlohmachivaetsya.

• Thickness. It is better to select the average thickness of the yarn. Thin longer wind and thick rough to go to the turns.

• Colour. Up to you, but keep in mind that the fabric braid attracts dirt even more home insulation (especially natural). Beautiful fair-haired braid in Apple-style risks quickly become gray.

Cooking cable

Before you put the cable into the new braid, it is necessary to prepare. If the old insulation collapsed in one place, it can leave. If it falls off pieces (as in my case), it is best to remove completely, otherwise the thread will form the turns and loose braid will ride. Also pay attention to the condition of the screen (metallic braid and foil): often it breaks down in most connectors. You can retrieve it, a pair of tightly wound layers of conventional yarn.

wind

The winding process is fairly simple, but has its own quirks. To a ball of thread is not hung and is not interfered with you, it is better to cut the three meters and for convenience reel in something like a matchbox.

We start from either end, straight from the plastic. Tie a knot and tightly wind a thread turn to turn slightly overlaps to each subsequent slightly overlaps the previous.

For protection against kinks forming at the edges of braid thickening. Is wound two or three layers of gradually increasing thickness and making smooth descent 3-4 centimeters in length, to obtain about as pictured. Depending on the thickness of the yarn can be more or less layers. If desired, you can make thicker. So it will not be very accurate, but reliable.

Next - simpler. Formed by a thickening of the cable is wound all the way to the end. Do not rush and try to pull the thread as closely as possible: this will depend on the quality of your cable. Remember overlaps! The coils must lie on one another, turning into a continuous web. Push the braid with two fingers and drag along the cable. If the coils collapsed, so the lack of overlaps.

We finish winding as well as the beginning. Domatyvaem to plastic back to 3-4 cm back and repeat a couple of times to make a thickening, which will save up cable from the break. Try to stack the coils evenly - so the transition will be more accurate and stronger. The free end of the thread to tie until it is necessary.

anchoring edge

There are two options: shrinking and glue. I tried both and I can say that can not bother with tubes - glue is enough. I'll tell you about both, take your pick.

The diameter of the heat-shrinkable tube should be selected based on the thickening at the end of the cable (and vice versa). Well suited 6- and 8-mm tube. Cut two pieces in a couple of centimeters in length and put the two from the Lightning connector. One will be on it, and the second you need to push through the cable to the other end.

Now gently worn pieces of heat shrinkable tube, so that they fitted a tight braid, and it thickened ends do not unravel. This can be done with matches, lighters or elevated to the plate, but it is better to ask the wife, mother or grandmother is also a hair dryer. With it, you do not run the risk of overheating or smoke the pipe child (especially if you have a white color).

Lazy and those who do not shrinking, can secure the ends of the braid with glue. Bubble ordinary PVA or any other found in every home. Soak them thickening at the ends and secure, pressing two fingers (then will wash his hands). When the glue is dry, it will keep the turns of our braid is not worse than shrinking. The advantage of this method is also in the fact that it is suitable not only for the Lightning, but also for the old 30-pin connector, which is not nalezet no shrinking.

If you are not lazy, and you have a shrinking, you can glue the ends of the first to miss the mark, and only the top wear shrink.

My mistakes and tips

Described method, I brought back to life four cables and has accumulated some experience. You will get better if you will not repeat my mistakes. Here's what you need to pay special attention to:

• Too much thickening. Do not overdo it with the edges of the braid, otherwise they will get rough and ugly.

• Long pieces of heat shrink. Like the previous error, this also makes the cable less flexible, and slovenly.

• Small overlaps. If you make a mistake here, you get not a continuous coating and crumbling of a spring thread.

• Natural thread. Environmentally friendly yarn longer dirty and eventually become shaggy.

• Double strand. If you use two threads of different colors, braid will not only durable, but also beautiful.

With the result that

Within two months of such a simple and straightforward upgrade of the cable showed himself just fine. It is more flexible, it is not afraid to pull, throw in a backpack. Appearance is also not most settling.

I fixed this way their Lightning, the old 30-pin cable wife, and then another sister Lightning. When writing the article has also decided to make a braid on the charge of the Mac, though it is as yet an entirely new and with a cable. The time it takes a minimum and maximum use brings.

Spend half an hour and make himself an everlasting cable. It's worth it!