# Shortening PSU cables - anything to watch out for?



## Valantar (Mar 5, 2018)

I'm moving my build from my aging Fractal Define R4 to an NZXT H200i. Getting an EVGA G2 750W in there will be a squeeze, so I'm planning to shorten my GPU and 24-pin power cables (and the EPS, if needed) to cut down on clutter. The case will be sufficiently packed with radiators, hoses and the pump+res, don't need excess cabling making even more of a mess.

First things first: I have neither the time, patience, money or interest to go full custom cabling. I'd like to keep the in-cable capacitors too - they're lumpy and awkward, but I'll take any ripple smoothing I can get. I'll probably cobble together a kinda-custom SATA power cable; I have some 5-strand ribbon-style wiring and push-in SATA connectors lying around for that purpose already.

My plan for all the big cables: take the stock cables, remove the PSU-side connectors, cut each wire to length and crimp on new terminals, re-using the original connector housings. Sounds simple, no? That's what's making me think I'm missing something.

I think I have all the tools I need: a crimper, a whole bunch of terminals (at least twice the amount needed, so plenty of margin for practice and messing up), pin remover tools, heat shrink, wire strippers and cutters, and a bunch of zip ties. Can't really think of anything else I'll need.

The only thing I understand I need to watch out for is pin orientation when crimping on the new terminals, so that I don't have to twist the wires unnecessarily to get them where they need to go. I suppose I should avoid damaging the existing cable sleeving more than what's necessary given that it's already rather loose. And I'll give myself an inch or two more slack than I think I need, to make sure I don't suddenly shorten the cables too much. Or course I'm terrified I'll get some wires crossed in this process, so I'm planning to remove, cut, crimp and reattach one wire at a time to avoid toasting anything. If this doesn't work, I'll label each wire as I go. I also understand that I should pre-crimp all the terminals I need to an almost-closed position ahead of starting work on the wires, to simplify insertion.

Am I missing anything?


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 5, 2018)

use caution while handling the cable clips, i have had a few G2 cable clips fall off , its easy enough to get them replaced, but without locking, they can be precarious to fasten.


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## infrared (Mar 5, 2018)

Sounds like you have it planned out well fairly well. You might struggle to un-pin the connectors, it'd be easier to buy new complete connectors, not just the crimp terminals. Labeling each wire is a good idea, and as a final step it might be worth checking continuity with a multimeter to be doubly sure each wire is where it should be.

I the beauty of these modular supplies is even if you do screw up somehow you can always replace the cables.


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 5, 2018)

One final suggestion ,that was worth it's weight in gold for me ,would be that you register  a new power supply on the EVGA website.  It's quick and easy and it makes support  faster.  When I had an issue with the cables on my G2 ,I contacted support over the phone ,they asked me for my account number, I had the cables in five days ,free of charge.  Had I not registered it on their website ahead of time ,I would've had to go through  emailing the proof of purchase crap ,etc. etc. which adds a week often with correspondence wait times


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## Valantar (Mar 5, 2018)

Thanks for the feedback  When attempting something potentially hardware-exploding like this, it's always good to get confirmation that I haven't missed something obvious. I'll probably start work on this tomorrow if I have the time, I might post some pics for anyone looking this up at a later time.

@infrared You're probably right that de-pinning will be a hassle, but hopefully these de-pinning tools work as advertised. From what I've read, they're supposed to be quite manageable - just insert them the right way and squeeze a bit, and it's supposed to come apart. De-pinning also has the added benefit of not being able to repopulate the wrong pin if I go wire-by-wire. I just hope I don't mess up the housing, as I don't know of any stores selling those here in Norway, and having to wait 2-4 weeks for a replacement from China would suck 

@jboydgolfer It's already registered, but I suppose the tip could be useful for anyone looking up the thread later, so thanks! I had to register it on day 2 or 3 after receiving it, as the first unit I got had a faulty switching transistor (I think) that exploded (quite literally!) after just a day or two of use. Not the best feeling in the world when you set your PC to stress test overnight and wake up to it not switching on, with something rattling inside the PSU. Didn't kill anything though!

I'll probably look up and print out a wiring diagram for the PSU side connectors, if I can find it. Definitely won't hurt.


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## John Naylor (Apr 20, 2018)

The crimper is the key here... only two I'd recommend one is from Lutr0, the other MDNC IIRC


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## Valantar (Apr 21, 2018)

John Naylor said:


> The crimper is the key here... only two I'd recommend one is from Lutr0, the other MDNC IIRC


Thanks for the recommendation, bet someone can use them! I haven't yet gotten around to shortening the cables, but I've tested out my crimper on some other minor projects (a TV bench fan controller, among other things) and it seems to work well. I'll see soon how well it works on heavier duty cables soon. My crimper is this one. Off-brand, but quality seems good. My only complaint so far is that the ratchet release is a bit too tight. Crimps are tight and secure, the mechanism seems to work reliably, and honestly I don't know what else to look for 

My project here was set back (significantly!) by the outlet port on my pump cracking, forcing me to RMA it and postpone the build quite a bit.

I've got everything in hand now, so the plan is to do the build tomorrow. Also, turns out the cable management channels on the NZXT H200i are well placed enough that the standard EVGA 24-pin cable is the perfect length, and the same goes for the EPS. As such, all I'll be doing is shortening the PCIe cables and making a couple of SATA power cables.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 21, 2018)

I recall when modular psu's were all but , or entirely unheard of. Imagine a day when cabling is either retractable or easily customizable right out of the box. A sata power cable with only one sata power port, or 3? Or stretchy cables to limit unwanted cable Piles.


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## Valantar (Apr 21, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I recall when modular psu's were all but , or entirely unheard of. Imagine a day when cabling is either retractable or easily customizable right out of the box. A sata power cable with only one sata power port, or 3? Or stretchy cables to limit unwanted cable Piles.


That would be pretty nice. At least SATA - with push-in terminals (like these) you don't even need any tools (well, outside of something sharp to cut the wire ends off). Just include a 5-lead cable of a decent length with a pre-attached modular end connector and a bunch of these terminals, and everyone could get custom-length SATA power cables. Stretchy cables would probably be ... challenging, considering ... well, physics and all that. Some kind of carbon nanotube structure embedded in silicone/rubber? Otherwise, wouldn't stretching significantly increase resistance and reduce conductivity? Still, one can dream. Personally, I wouldn't mind a PSU that came with just the modular connector housings, a bunch of terminals, a huge spool of wire and a pinout diagram. A lot of work, sure, but it'd make custom cabling, sleeving, and all that stuff pretty easy.

Still, I suppose the risk of someone not knowing what they're doing and blowing something up is too big for something like this to catch on. People need keyed connectors to not put modular cables in the wrong socket, after all.


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