extending a cable

[thereaper]

hi guys / girls

i have move my 2 pcs into a cabinet and the mouse k/b and monitor leads are not long enough

does any one know of a site that shows you how to extend your cables as i dont really want to buy a load of cables as there are 2 pcs

thanks

[housepig]

are you talking about wiring your own extension?

[thereaper]

I am indeed

is it as simple as getting hold of a male and female connector and soldering the wires to each pin in turn?

thanks

[flaninacupboard]

That's fine for the keyboard and mouse, but i'd exercise a little more caution with the monitor, make sure they're decent connections.

you should have no probs with those devices, but extending USB ethernet firewire etc is a little trickier.

[thereaper]

Thanks everyone for your help, not to bothered at the moment for usb.

[tgpo]

For the USB I'd just buy an USB extendor. They are reasonably priced and come in many different lengths.

[housepig]

are you running 2 separate monitors, mice & keyboards with this, or are you using a switchbox?

if you're using a switchbox, you only need one set of extension cables, going from the switchbox common outputs.

personally, I'd just go for a set of extension cables. for the cost of decent parts and the time I would spend with a soldering iron, I'd rather just pick up a set of ready mades.

[g_shocker182]

When i had my computer in a cabinet it tended to overheat a little and the fan would in turn be extremely loud to compensate. Just to let you know.

[jeex]

you could also buy a usb hub for your keyboard/mouse/etc connections (it would work as an extension too).. i would suggest getting an a/c powered usb connection, not a bus powered one..

[Solarjetman]

I have to say this extending your cables by soldering in sections seems to have "bad idea" written all over it.

As flaninacupboard pointed out, the only real cables that this might work OK would be PS2, serial, and parallel cables. Monitor cables are very sensitive to noise as they carry an analog signal (unless is a DVI connector). Soldering points would introduce noise. Not good.
And USB and Firewire cables are high speed which requires more strict impedances and resistances in the cable. Patching would mess these values up, possibly rendering the cable useless.

I would just use a KVM switch. It would give you a few extra feet without the need to buy separate cables.

[gmatov]

To end this, just go to your local computer store and buy the appropriate extension cables.
What distances are you talking about, 6 feet or 50 feet? If 50, you might have a prob. If 6 or 10, my local Cable Store sells them, KB, Mouse, Monitor.
The prices are in the neighborhood of 6 to 10 bucks each.
If those distances are within your range, post back, I'll give you their phone number, they should be willing to mail them to you.

[ps2daddy]

hi guys / girls

i have move my 2 pcs into a cabinet and the mouse k/b and monitor leads are not long enough

does any one know of a site that shows you how to extend your cables as i dont really want to buy a load of cables as there are 2 pcs

thanks

Keyboard or mouse extender $45
http://www.neutronexpress.com/prod.cfm/141931/BELKIN/F1D087/KEYBOARD_MOUSE_EXTENDER_250

KVM extender $27.99
http://www.neutronexpress.com/prod.cfm/82642/BELKIN/F3X1835-06-GLD/6FT_CABLE_ALL_OMNIVIEW_2_GOLD

USB extender cables $1.65
http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=USB2-10-MA-FA

monitor extender cable $5.95
http://www.save2much.com/buy/search/Belkin_6_VGA_Pro_Series_Monitor_Ext_Cable

more good stuff there also
http://www.save2much.com/buy/search/10ft_HD15_M_F_VGA_Monitor_Extension_Cable

Usb hub $7
http://www.pcmicrostore.com/part-detail.asp?id=407348

or for a $14 option!!!! (2 X $7 for each cable)
http://www.pcmicrostore.com/part-detail.asp?id=409206