Swapping Filco's USB 2.0 cable for a super heavy-gauge one.

[Moth]

I'm looking to upgrade the USB cable on my Filco to a more heavy-duty one.

Judging by Ripster's dissection of his, the cable is a socketed part, so replacement should be pretty straightforward.




I would just have to solder the new cable wires to the socket, plug her in, and be ready to roll. Like so:



My question to you: Where can I get some super heavy-gauge, super THICK USB 2.0 cable from? Although I'd rather not buy any junk from Monster Power, I'm thinking of just buying one of their USB cables and cutting one end off. They seem pretty thick and are braided too, but if anyone knows of any other options, please do let me know.

I would also like to reinforce the grommet where the cable exits the keyboard case. Any ideas on how to go about doing that?

[wanabe]

what's wrong with the cable itself?  seems like the connector or the point where it exits the KB are the weak points

[itlnstln]

Why would you want to do this?  Do you lasso people with your keyboard?  I would read Ripster's USB wiki before considering this mod.  That said, if you plan on doing this mod, I would also consider making the cable removable.  Here is a link to a great replacement cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030301&p_id=5438&seq=1&format=2. These are freaking water hoses, they're dirt cheap, and great quality.  I use them on my HHKB, and they come in all different lengths and USB connector types.

[chongyixiong]

Why would you want to do this?  Do you lasso people with your keyboard?  I would read Ripster's USB wiki before considering this mod.  That said, if you plan on doing this mod, I would also consider making the cable removable.  Here is a link to a great replacement cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030301&p_id=5438&seq=1&format=2. These are freaking water hoses, they're dirt cheap, and great quality.  I use them on my HHKB, and they come in all different lengths and USB connector types.

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Ditto on that. I don't know how monoprice does it, but their stuff are EXTREMELY thick (might be too uncomfortable for some). I got a US$8 DVI cable last 3 months ago (their most expensive one - premium) and it was AS THICK as a water hose. The ferrite core was extremely solid.

And yeah, I got a few shorter ones for my HHKB.. extremely durable.

Funny thing is, all of it is made in china and it's real good quality at a really low price. Nothing to complain except that I hate UPS. Monoprice will NOT SHIP outside of US of A except using UPS and I was charged a 'custom import' fee of US$80 for a US$150 order (including US$75 shipping), when the custom clearance form obviously shown that I was not charged anything at all.

Really pissed me off - UPS that is. Monoprice is freaking great on the other hand.

[taswyn]

Why would you want to do this? Do you lasso people with your keyboard? I would read Ripster's USB wiki before considering this mod. That said, if you plan on doing this mod, I would also consider making the cable removable. Here is a link to a great replacement cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2. These are freaking water hoses, they're dirt cheap, and great quality. I use them on my HHKB, and they come in all different lengths and USB connector types.

That's exactly what I was coming in here to recommend, right down to the monoprice link xD

If the problem is the cable is being abused/chewed, you can buy 20 of them and still have spent less than a single Monster cable.

Amazon *does* have a (lighted ends =P ) braided USB cable for what must be cheaper than Monster crap, if it's about aesthetics, but it's still expensive compared to monoprice cable.

You can get USB connectors (even sealed ones!) from mouser/digikey/etc. I would imagine that if they're mounted properly (get something that can screw into the keyboard case ideally), it really reduces risk of damage to the keyboard from strain on the cable, since the cable will detach before it will cause any problems.

[cbf123]

Monoprice will NOT SHIP outside of US of A except using UPS

Technically they will ship USPS to Canada.  Very convenient for those of us that live here....  

[taswyn]

If you REALLY want to get spiffy put a connector on the back of the Filco.  It's not that hard but will introduce another point of failure (like Panda-R's Ducky).

It's another point of failure, but at the same time it seems like the ability to release under high strain can be a huge positive for durability of the keyboard. So long as the mounting of the connector is strong enough (get something like this that's screw mounted, instead of something just pcb mounted), the most likely scenario is simply that the cable will release, rather than ending up with strain on connections internal to the keyboard, isn't it? If something is going to be damaged, it's probably going to be the connector's contacts in some way, which just means replacing the connector if it does happen.

If something is causing cable failure other than strain (such as small chewing animals >.> ) then having the cable be easily replaceable is *definitely* the best, in my opinion. I would have a lot less cables with bits wrapped in electrical tape after being respliced if I could just plug in a new one =P

Really I think the base reason for wanting a more durable cable is ultimately going to determine a lot about what the best solution would be, but I think a connector and being able to replace the cables seems like one that would cover most cases very very well.

As to the monoprice cable's awg for the actual wires in it, I suppose you could roll your own usb cable if wire awg were a concern. I wonder if STP would work, I don't know what the usb spec calls for...

[CodeChef]

^ Amphenol is a fantastic company for connectors and terminals, as is Switchcraft and Neutrik.

[woody]

Don't get me wrong about the USB cables - probably will work fine but 24AWG is 24AWG.

Should be fine for a keyboard with low consumption and no USB hubs.