Man decides to keep box of cables he’s had since 2002 for another year
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Comments141https://newsthump.com/2025/09/18/man-decides-to-keep-box-of-cables-hes-had-since-2002-for-another-year-3/Open linkView original on lemmy.ca
Yes, yes. Make the jokes... Forget all those times the box of cables saved the day.
People like to make fun of the ones with cable boxes, but they always come to them in times of need
Amateur, lol, that box will be lost in MY box of cables dating back to Y2K.
Quick note, the one time I did clean out my box after not touching it for years I needed to go buy a special cable that I had just disposed of.
BTW: anyone need a 486 laptop running win2k, little quirk, the screen won't stand up on its own anymore
I constantly use cables from my box of cables. But, not all of them. The trick is knowing which cables are safe to throw away.
I thought I had a trick. I thought I was clever. I decided I'd only keep one of each. One DVI. One VGA. One USB type B mini. A bunch of USB Micro B because those are not quite obsolete yet. But then one time I needed a bunch of USB type B minis. I think it was bike lights. For some reason they all used that obsolete type B mini connectors. So, it was either go out and buy a new bike light or buy a new but obsolete cable. Ugh.
Rookie. My box has been growing since the '90s
Never know when you're going to need an RJ11 POTS connector!
I just picked up someone else's box from the roadside trash to add to my collection.
Great idea. Now you have to sneak it into the house without the wife knowing
"Whatcha got there?"
"Nothing, just some cables."
"More cables? Don't we have enough? Where did those come from?"
"Nowhere, just found'em"
"Found'em where?"
"Just around"
"Around where?"
"By...some trash."
"Are you trash picking tech again? I told you, we have enough junk, we don't need to collect other people's junk, too!"
Wifegit, is that you?
looks at token ring hardware
You never know.
I think I actually finally threw out the token ring hub.
But I kept all the BNC cables and terminators.
Whole network down for want of a terminator.
BTDT
Now I have a box with several
I know when you'll need it - 48 hours after you get rid of it!
Grandpa's version of Pokémon cards.
What if i need that coax cable 10 years from now, what am I going to do, buy another one?
You can buy them? Is that where they come from??? I have so many from cable boxes and modems over the years
@Noite_Etion
I just found myself needing one a couple days ago, but I had just given them to a nephew in preparation for a move overseas.
@ZeroCool
Whoa you know zerocool?? That dude is 1337
You never know. That's why i keep like 5 of them... Just in case lol.
Listen, some day I will need to hook up a dot matrix printer.
To print data off my Zip drive.
If it's a differential SCSI printer that only works under OS/2, I think have that somewhere...
When the apocalypse comes I will of course let people use my stores of micro USB and VGA cables, but I'm gonna be real smug about it.
My wife jokes about this a lot but there's been at least 5 times over the past few years where I just happened to have the exact cable required in the box.
I do go through it every so often. I'm not hoarding VGA and DVI cables
Just keeping the one VGA cable which does get some use!
The dinky ones that come with monitors or industrial ones the size of a 30 foot garden hose?
They certainly come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe I should get the latter so it could double as rope.
Do you want the type with five BNCs on one end?
Yeah I keep a few gens back. But sensible. It fits one drawer :p
I threw away an RCA cable a while ago. Yesterday I needed it and had to buy a new one 😞. Never again.
Laugh all you want, but the week after I recycled the mini USB cable I had never used we were gifted a baby monitor that, of fucking course, needed a mini USB.
I fucking despise mini USB
Yep. One of mine uses mini. I have a second one, same brand, that uses something completely different. Annoying.
@Railcar8095 😂🤦🏽 @ZeroCool
i keep them in labeled containers: data cables, audio cables, power cables and extension cords
I still keep them all in one giant box, but they're all sorted and velcroed together
Amateur. You're supposed to just throw them all in a giant tangled mess. I'm gonna laugh when you need one and you don't even have to spend an hour figuring out what's what.
That was me for the last 15 years lol
Finally spent some time on it after a move
Mine are pipecleanered neatly (couldn't find the Velcro) and grouped into gallon Ziploc bags.
fancy
I'm organized like that too, but I've simplified it: They are all in the same box, labelled Cables, or it will be when I make a label, which I probably won't.
Maybe I'll write on it with a Sharpie, if I can find my Sharpie.
What if I need my firewire cable this year?!
I still use firewire. When I eventually can afford to upgrade from my ff800 to a better rme, I will not be getting rid of any of it.
I got a free PC off Craigslist because the motherboard has Firewire built in, and when I dragged that heavy dusty PC into my closet, a box fell to the ground, it was a PCI Firewire card I bought for my Value Village PC... I already had solved the problem earlier and forgot about it...
Just like the box of screws my great grand father passed down to my grand father, then to my father and finally to me. This multigenerational collection of screws from goodness knows where will keep growing until I bestow it on the heir to my estate.
At this point you cannot even get rid of it because it's an heirloom
If I did, I guarantee every item in my life held together with screws will work its way loose out of spite, and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take
I got a cookie tin of washers, handed down from my father-in-law. I have dug into it often. I've added a lot to it, too.
I've showed it to my son, and told him that this is his family legacy. He's not impressed. I don't think he's taking this seriously..
The solution is simple. Get rid of the son, you can always try for a better one later, or adopt one.
One day he will require the cookie tin, and then he will understand.
Exactly, that's how it happens. He will realize that only the perfect washer will save him, and will remember the tin.
He will open it, and start trying different ones until one fits perfectly, but it's a little oxidized. He digs a bit more, and finds a pretty shiny one! PERFECT!
This is a revelation! Suddenly, he totally understands what his old man was always talking about. The generational wisdom of the family has been successfully passed to the next generation. He looks to the heavens and says "I get it Dad."
And from the next room, I call out "Hey, what's going on? Need a washer for anything?"
And he says, "No, Dad, I got it."
Kid successfully raised.
Just one box?
Amateur.
Only 2002? Amateur
Right? I still have a charger cable for a 1987 Black and Decker Dust Buster. The dust buster has been missing for two decades.
And one day you'll discover you need a power converter for that exact voltage and amperage.
This is the way.
I've met my people.
We are all Man on this blessed day.
I'll keep my growing box of crap I'll never use forever and ever... ya never know, I might need that old DB9 cable for something...
Literally needed a DB9 cable the other month, I had actually moved it from my standard cable bins to the vintage cable box that I was going to drop off at the e-waste facility. This was the second cable I've had to rescue from that box. I am now just keeping that box.
2002? Amateur.
Ah shit, I just posted the exact same comment :/
Do not lose hope brethren, and stay the course! I had critical need of a random audio cable I’d had for over 10 years just a few months ago. It is worth it! Your times will come! Keep the faith!
I think it's fair that this is posted annually, but I don't like that it is.
I just threw out my mum's CRT TV last week (unfortunately was beyond repair, RIP). I decided to keep the SCART cable just in case I might need it some day...
I have had both the need for and the cable for SCART. But no device with a SCART input..
Only cables?
Don't you have Sound Blaster for ISA bus in that box, for when... you know... just in case?
Or a Pioneer U03-S SCSI DVD-ROM drive for when you need something that plays all region codes?
Or a Pentium 60 for when you want to see that bug again?
Some things are just gone when they're gone. And no, the PS/2-USB adapter isn't up for grabs!
I felt that right in the cabinet in my office closet. And like 5 NICs and nv 7xx GPUs.
7xx GPUs? 3dfx Voodoo 1 has entered the game :) Let me just activate IPX so we can have a network game.
I used to have a collection of cardboard boxes for this stuff, but I organized everything into ziplock bags and then a set of transparent storage drawers, way nicer setup, can actually find things if I need them again.
I did this when I moved to my house. I'm still going to go through it and chuck/donate/give away some.
You want to watch the world burn, huh?
2002? Pfft, amateur (and I moved mine across an ocean!)
Hey he’s me! Ten of the same power bricks. A bundle of Ethernet cable that I keep for just in case. 5 power cables. Six hdmi cables. A box of computer case fans even though I’ll never need them. Like 50 micro usb cables.
You need two micro usbs
I've got a shitty 3ft cube Ottoman in my living room full of cables I'll never need again...
I'm talking about VGA, DVI, DVI/HDMI, VGA/DVI, coax, Component, composite, mini USB, micro USB, USB extention, 3.5m audio, 3.5 audio extention, digital optical, mini HDMI, HDMI and Ethernet.
Last week my wife was redoing her desk and asked for a long micro USB for her calculator and extension cables for USB speakers.
That box became a chest from a Zelda game when I dug in and pulled out the exact three cables she needed. 10ft micro USB, 6ft USB extension and 6ft 3.5 audio extension.
I have the chest open sound AND hyrule morning theme cued up to play on my smart speakers to annoy my family and kiddo, you should too
holy shit. yeah!
but that'd be a lot of sensors to rig up over here
Nah, just one. Use this with a magnetic door sensor. https://www.adafruit.com/product/2133
Sounds like he at least has the wires for the job.
I feel seen.
I'm in this post and I don't like it.
A few years ago, I organized mine into bins by rough category. (AV, USB, Dongles, AC power, DC adapters) I pull and use something probably at least once a month.
No joke. I did keep the cables and some became useful again!
Over my cold dead body
I swear that power cables breed.
Until you need a specific one.
Occasionally when I need a weird cable I am very happy about my box because I can frequently find it.
Especially USB-B3.0 cables.
I meant computer power cables. I seem to get having more and I don't recall buying them.
Emotional support cables
How is this satire?
I still have my old AT power supply and IDE cables and one day again, it'll be my time to shine!
I had to go digging for a micro usb cable yesterday to charge a flashlight and a micro-b for a scanner
Me, still using a phone with micro usb
I have a Garmin action camera that's under 10 years old that charges with USB mini-B.
Not Micro. Mini.
Though, to be fair, unlike micro, mini didn't lose connection when a snail 3 counties away farted.
I don't think you get it.
Hey, those old power supplies can be re-purposed for all manner of things. Of all the old kit you could hang on to, that's probably the most useful.
The world is so crazy right now the only possible satire is mundane normalcy.
2002? Those are rookie numbers.
I felt so called out by this that I just threw away a box of cables. Thank you for giving me the push I needed to wait hold on I think I still need those USB-A cables for that old printer I've got in storage so I should dig those out of the trash real quick
If eBay didn't suck so bad, I'd say just use that as your "box"
Heck, maybe what we really need is an online exchange. Mail in a cable, get a cable of your choice in return. So when you need some rare cable you've got it on demand... Just 5 days and $6 in shipping. Aww fuck it.
When I buy anything electrical in the UK, they often give you a UK plug, a European Plug and an American plug. Over time, or if you use a lot of electric things at work, you can end up with a huge pile of plugs that don't work in your own country.
If they do similar elsewhere, we could definitely swap.
@fakeman_pretendname @nucleative I was just thinking how grateful I am that my HD manufacturer did this and that I saved the extra plugs because I'm finding it difficult to find quality adapters for grounded US plugs here in Albania...
The nice bit about the HD design is that it isn't separate cords. It's the same cord and you can slide in the proper plug type at the end of it.
I feel personally attacked.
I'm in this article and feel personally attacked!
By reading this comment you are now cursed:
One week after you choose to dispose of any of those cables, you will need one of them.
Joke's on you, I already had that curse. Now, I have tons of boxes of cables, all clearly labeled.
I have three largish ones, started in 88. One is just power cables. That's the one my psichyatrist worries about.
1994, reporting in. You have me beat. I dunno if the family C64 from '83 counts though.
"Well, of course I know him. He's me."
Well I start and stop hobbies on a whim, needing a random cable from my (super well organized) cable box does come in handy.
Just wish I could finish a project now and then :D
I have a 5 gallon “bucket of USB.”
It’s only 3/4 full!
I packed mine and moved it to a new house today; along with the voice module to the Odyssey game system i got for my 11th birthday.
Who knows when he might need a cable? Surely, he might need one this year.
Had mine since '89
damn. that's a vaporwave album right there
Nah. Composite audio/video cables and speaker jacks for old hts sets
In Australian accent:
"That's not a box... that's a box"
Gestures to my stacks of old computer equipment
That reminds me. I've had a box of cables since '22 and every time I go through it I think, "damn, I really need to organize this and get rid of some shit". And then I shove it into my closet out of sight and out of mind until the next time I need something from within it.
Just use toilet paper rolls to keep them neat and seperated. You could even label each roll if you wanted to go all out.
It's nothing huge, but it's gonna make finding them so much easier.
There's a myriad of reasons to retain a healthy variety of outdated cables, but the most important for me has been ones to make digital archives. You probably have some hardware laying around in your attic somewhere and, someday, you may wish you had archives of your content. If you don't, you probably know someone who does.
Old tech like this is something that would be nice for your local library to keep stock of. I've been to libraries in the past that had a section carved out as a "library of things," where you could rent odds and ends like sewing machines, non-consumable art supplies, and even assorted computer equipment. If your local library doesn't have something like this, maybe you could propose that they start one and perhaps donate some equipment to help them get started!
Goddamnit I have to get rid of my box of cables
why
Don't. The gremlins are always watching. That will be the moment when they strike.
Hahaha…asshole. I’m going through it tomorrow, promise.
Heh. Went through just that box of mixed cables this year. Got rid of all the ancient cable duplicates (like 2.5 floppy ribbon cable) and kept one of each, more useful ones I kept duplicates of like SATA cables. The rest were gotten rid of.
What a tiny little stash. I have boxes and not by the hair of my old serial modem cable will I give any of it up.
I thought this was supposed to be satire not a true story.
My old man has been hoarding cables since he moved to Canada in 1987. He recently got the chance to use an old SCSI cable. He looked like he was 24 again.
The best porn was ASCII porn.
Hey, I just bought a cool old piece of tech, and it needs a cable with that old fat USB connection they used to have. I dug in my box of old cable and found several, of different lengths.
I also keep a box of old AC adaptors, and when I get some old electro-box thingy, I can almost always find an adapter for it.
Everybody makes fun of the tech hoarder, until he saves the day. Then they go back to making fun of him again.
You can get USB cables that output selectable voltages from about 1v-20v to a barrel jack. I just make sure the power requirements are labeled on the device and get rid of the bulky wall adapter. I have to keep a few weirdos like the N64 power supply, but I was able to free up a significant parcel of closet space.
So you are saying that there are USB cables that can replace an AC adaptor? So I can run an older unit off my computer using a special USB cable? Or in my car?
This is interesting, I'll have to look into this.
I'm also wondering if there is a way to replace the power supply within a gadget, to convert it from say, 2 AA batteries, to being rechargeable with USB. Could you collect the little rechargeable "beans" from old headsets and such, string them together, and wire them in? Or maybe hook up a small portable rechargeable phone bank. Is it possible to wire in something like that?
In case it isn't apparent, I know nothing about electronics.
I am saying that. Just checked one that I have and it appears to be capable of supplying up to 60w. Give it a try before getting rid of any official adapter. Make sure the polarity is correct (most things besides music gear are centre positive).
I am not sure what you mean by beans. But I have shoved some alligator clips into a battery compartment in a pinch. Two AA batteries in series are 3v so that is the voltage you would supply for that. Doesn’t come up much because I have quite a few rechargeable batteries around. I did recently find my old Tamagotchi and have been considering putting it on display somewhere after Frankensteining a power supply for it.
By beans, I mean those little batteries that you find when you dismantle old headphones and such. They don't look like batteries, just little blobs.
I am wondering if you are talking about capacitors. Like this?
No, not those. I've taken apart small electronics like headphones, and found what I thought were the "batteries," but maybe they weren't. I can't find any photos of what I am thinking of.
I can only conclude that I don't have a clue what I am talking about. Please ignore.
The real box of cables is the one you inherited from your father that he got from his father.
Ive got several drawers of them. I might need those SATA cables someday. And mini USB cables. And cell phone charger and data cable for a Motorolla Razr.
I still have my Laplink cable.
I'd love to have just one little container of cables.