Author Topic: dry and hardened cable controller snes  (Read 1040 times)

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Offline micksmelanieTopic starter

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dry and hardened cable controller snes
« on: July 04, 2020, 11:37:45 am »
the cable of my snes control is dry and hardened is it possible to recover this rubberized cable?
 

Offline Dave

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2020, 12:35:07 pm »
Just replace the cable. Should be cheap enough.
<fellbuendel> it's arduino, you're not supposed to know anything about what you're doing
<fellbuendel> if you knew, you wouldn't be using it
 
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Offline micksmelanieTopic starter

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2020, 07:21:53 pm »
is it not possible to soften these cables? go back to being flexible?
 

Offline T3sl4co1l

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2020, 08:26:14 pm »
The insulation is probably PVC; you'd need to reintroduce a plasticizer like dinonyl phthalate.

Far more reliable to cut and replace.

Tim
Seven Transistor Labs, LLC
Electronic design, from concept to prototype.
Bringing a project to life?  Send me a message!
 

Offline amyk

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2020, 09:58:26 pm »
If you want to be really fancy, replace it with a silicone cable.
 

Offline Dave

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2020, 10:04:49 pm »
If you want to be really fancy, replace it with a silicone cable.
The challenge is in the connector, as it is a proprietary Nintendo design. Buying a replacement cable with the connector already fitted is the easiest option here.
<fellbuendel> it's arduino, you're not supposed to know anything about what you're doing
<fellbuendel> if you knew, you wouldn't be using it
 

Offline MrMobodies

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2020, 09:13:35 pm »
I was given a lot filthy dusty pvc mains cables that were left open in a warehouse for many years and appeared hardened.  I put the middle (not the ends) in a tub of hot water with a lot of washing up liquid to clean them and not only did it remove the dirt it softened them.

I am not sure if it will work in that case but the ones I cleaned could have appeared hard from the rubbish it was covered in.
 

Offline helius

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Re: dry and hardened cable controller snes
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2020, 10:39:30 pm »
If the cable is made of latex rubber, it can be softened by brushing with methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen). This also delays the decomposition of the rubber. If it is made of a synthetic polymer like PVC, this will not have any benefit.
The plasticity of synthetic rubbers can sometimes be improved by boiling them in water for a few minutes. This redistributes the plasticizers. Scrubbing can also improve the texture, as the above poster noted: by taking off the cracked outer surface a new, smoother surface is revealed.
 


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