Retractable USB cables!

I just recently found these type of cables at the dollar store in town...

work really nice for arduino! There are similar ones for dirt cheap on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Retractable-USB-AM-BM-Printer-Cable-0-8m-/260900654083?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbee40c03#ht_1261wt_932

cables are very flexible... I've had several times where stiff cords have had more say than the lightweight arduino and the whole setup has tumbled to the floor. Plus no more tangly cords! I'll miss the perpetual tumbleweed cord...

These things are damn useful. I use a Teensy(duino) primarily, so I just pick up the stretchy/retractable mini-USB cables at walmart or the gas station. Super, super useful!

Just be careful with these cords around transformers and halogen lamp bases(transformer inside). The cables don't have shielding thus the softness. You turn on or off a transformer or desk lamp, they knock out the USB connection. My desklamp does that to my mouse and keyboard every time. I wish I had more space.

liudr:
Just be careful with these cords around transformers and halogen lamp bases(transformer inside). The cables don't have shielding thus the softness. You turn on or off a transformer or desk lamp, they knock out the USB connection. My desklamp does that to my mouse and keyboard every time. I wish I had more space.

I can allude to that also. I have a nice halogen desk lamp that swivels around for close in work. If I turn it on with any radio near (AM, ham radio, etc) it creates a large noise level making radio reception almost impossible. I haven't researched why halogen lamps do that, anyone know or have a fix?

Lefty

liudr:
You turn on or off a transformer or desk lamp, they knock out the USB connection.

I was wondering why these are so thin.. that would explain it! Thanks for the warning!

retrolefty:

liudr:
Just be careful with these cords around transformers and halogen lamp bases(transformer inside). The cables don't have shielding thus the softness. You turn on or off a transformer or desk lamp, they knock out the USB connection. My desklamp does that to my mouse and keyboard every time. I wish I had more space.

I can allude to that also. I have a nice halogen desk lamp that swivels around for close in work. If I turn it on with any radio near (AM, ham radio, etc) it creates a large noise level making radio reception almost impossible. I haven't researched why halogen lamps do that, anyone know or have a fix?

Lefty

I busted one halogen desk lamp open and found a largish transformer, possibly to lower the voltage to around 12V for proper operation. You turn on a transformer and it is destined to leak out magnetic field lines from imperfect packaging and the quickly time-varying B-field will induce voltage across any wires nearby. If you have a grounded enclosure or shield, then this voltage is not generated on anything inside the grounded enclosure. Other lamp bulbs operate at 110V/220V and don't need transformers so they're not generating any interference with B-fields.

BTW, I made a photo gate flexible mount out of the deadn halogen desk lamp and kept the transformer so don't worry about wastes.

Here's the orphaned webpage I once wrote:

http://web/zliu/photogate/photogate%20homepage.htm