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Cable Goo

Spray out a new cable when you need it
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Taking a spackle gun, the idea is to put in some sort of conducting goo. When you set up and/or move your computer, stereo, whatever, squirt out a new cable from the device to the wall socket. When you're done with the cable, just wipe it up. No more mess of cables. Could be extended to ethernet cables.
squiid, Mar 04 2000

Go shopping http://www.refr-spd.com
Always looking for licensees. But why cleanup? Just turn it off when you're done. Let the utilities rent your wall real estate. [reensure, Mar 04 2000]

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       A multi-wire version that came on a self-adhesive roll like cellophane tape would be neat, too.
koz, Mar 06 2000
  

       Just don't let anyone step in it! Probably unsuitable for households with pets or young children, too.
l2g, Mar 07 2000
  

       Uh, how would you shield this cable? And what if you need more than one conductor? Hmm. Sounds like wireless solutions would be better.
anachron, Mar 08 2000
  

       Re: multi-wire version. There is such a thing out there already, in the form of flat speaker-wire that can be applied to bare walls and then painted over..
anachron, Mar 08 2000
  

       You should be able to do coax, using nested nozzles. The inner one spritzes the center conductor, the middle one the insulator, and the outer one the shield. I seem to remember a gadget that did something like this with Play-Doh.
rmutt, Apr 11 2000
  

       Or you could lay it down in two stages. One stage puts down a thin tube of shielding paste with a hollow center, like a long piece of macaroni. When the shielding hardens, you squirt in the conductive goop. You can't just wipe it up when you want to get rid of it, but it won't smear as much either.
dominus, Jun 23 2000
  

       Would be really hard to squirt 10 feet of goop into a tube with a hand-held widget...
StarChaser, Jun 24 2000
  

       This all sounds good and dandy, but what would be used that can be goo-like and still conduct the electricity well enough? it should all harden of course in short time.. also, you would need FOUR layers, because insulation is needed between the two conductors.
ironfroggy, Sep 27 2000
  

       Why add the conductor later? I've seen sugar cookie dough for sale at the grocery store that had a design in the center of the roll. Whatever device makes these cookie dough packages could also make these wires.
rwhamann, Nov 14 2000
  

       Ah ha! Mercury suspended in PlayDoh! Would that conduct? It would certainly be flexible.   

       But still - this all is much less convenient than a conventional extension cord, not to mention the heavy-metal poisoning.
nebulo, Nov 14 2000
  

       But not nearly as much fun...Besides, think of all the fun you could have with audiophools who think that cables are directional, by telling them that you can get better sound by making sure you lay the cable down along the local ley lines, and use this 5000$ an ounce conductor goop...
StarChaser, Nov 16 2000
  

       its been done...   

       looking at the dates its been a while since the last post on here, but i have seen and used cable goo.   

       in my physics lesson last week we used a conductive putty. it looked like a normal length of any type of putty, but it was pitch black...so i'm reckoning its basically putty with masses of carbon in it. you can roll it out and squeeze it into any shape you want and it still conducts...great fun :)
monolithix, Mar 16 2001
  

       Assuming you could get around the massive difficulties with both shielding and insulating these things, what would this conductive material be made of?   

       Also, how reliably could it be "plugged in" to a device?
spaceman_spiff, Jan 17 2002
  

       The obvious device to make the coax goo cable is a toothpaste tube. The stripes are on the surface only folks.
mcscotland, Jan 17 2002
  

       HEY! Cables are so directional! The guy at the $tereo $tore said so, and advised against using the cheap non-directional cables with better stereo components.   

       He also mentioned the cheaper cables sometimes contain gay electrons, but that's another topic!
oldvan, May 28 2004
  
      
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