The package.
P4 ATX kit.
13mm, 8mm and four 6mm springs.
Coil structure resembles a phone cord.
Chameleon Springs P4 ATX Wire Wrap Kit Review
Date : Sunday, 03 August 2003
By : Stygian
Provided By : Lizard Tree
Introduction
For the computer enthusiast or hardcore modder, there is an almost unending list of things one can potentially do to improve one's system. In addition to software tweaks designed to gain extra performance from existing hardware, many of us have worked on the physical aspect of things, improving the cooling of vital systems components in an effort to compliment software tweaks and to help in overclocking. But beyond this area of functional improvements, there is a whole market and niche dedicated to refinements in form. In this area, there is, again, almost a limitless number of options for mods, from lighted case fans, to UV-reactive parts, to cold cathodes. However, a key component in making one's case look more visually appealing is the addition of a side panel window, which is usually augmented with some case lighting. But, in viewing the interior of one's case, neatness becomes a concern; after all, if the point of a modification, such as a case window, is to make a case look better, then it is only logical that the inside of the case should look good as well. The easiest place to improve upon this is to tidy up the wiring inside one's case.
Indeed, tidying up the wiring inside a case has potentially another benefit beyond the pure improvement in looks; orderly wiring that is tied up and set away from heat-generating devices, such as the CPU and videocard, will better allow airflow to reach those areas, aiding in cooling. In this way, having a tidy interior is a double positive that helps in function almost as much as it helps in form. A neat interior can also make working inside the case and upgrading parts a little easier.
In earlier times, the greatest asset to cable neatness was the tie wrap. No, I'm not talking about some mens' fashion thing, but instead something also referred to as a cable tie. These little things were easy to attach, and for the most part, kept all the bundles of wires together. But, they had their disadvantages; they could be hard to remove, and they only kept wires together at the point they were attached to. Don't get me wrong - they're still useful in some situations, and I always keep a package of them handy. But, something else was needed, and soon people began using split loom, the stuff that is found in cars and often used to help keep electrical wiring in nice bundles. Indeed, the stuff worked well as it was easy to cut to a specific length and attach to wiring. Later, people began to use cable sleeving, as seen in Diceman's excellent guide on the process. All of these methods worked well, and looked nice. But, that doesn't mean we've reached Nirvana in this area. So, today I'll be looking at what Lizard Tree has to offer in their Chameleon Springs Kit, which promises to be an easy-to-use product that'll tidy up your case's wiring and more.
Specifications
Lizard Tree is initially offering the Chameleon Springs in a kit designed to cover/wrap one ATX P4-certified power supply. The kit contains a total of six wire wrappings, four of which are 6mm springs, with each of the other two being an 8mm spring and a 13mm one. Each of the springs is 12" or about 30cm long, but the springs can stretch or compress quite a bit, making them ideal for usage as you don't have to cut them to a specific length. Individual springs and lengths can be ordered, but the ATX P4 kit is the ideal solution for people looking to tidy up their case's internal wiring. The springs will also work well on homemade rounded ATA cables, or other wiring besides that from the PSU.
The springs arrived in a fairly plain-looking package bearing the Lizard Tree logo and "P4 ATX kit" label. A small instruction double-sided instruction sheet was included within the package along with the springs as well. The six springs are each made of the same type of material, which is a semi-pliable plastic of some sort. They are coiled in much the same way a phone cord is, and each spring bends and twists with ease, though they hold their shape unless subjected to a lot of force. They also stretch and compress with ease, so one can easily see where the "Chameleon Springs" name is derived from; these babies can change shape to suit your case's wires.
| The package. |
P4 ATX kit. |
13mm, 8mm and four 6mm springs. |
Coil structure resembles a phone cord. |
The single 13mm spring is meant to cover the wires that go to the ATX motherboard power connector; this is why its diameter is so large compared to the other springs. The 8mm spring, I assume, is for the wires that come from the +12V P4 motherboard connector, or perhaps a bundle of thicker wires, and this is perhaps where the P4 ATX kit gets its name. The four 6mm springs are meant to cover any other wire groupings from your PSU, and their diameter best matches the four wires that run to standard molex connectors, those being +12V (yellow), +5V (red), and the two black ground wires.
 Diameter of the ATX wire wrap is 13mm. |
 Reminds me of a phone cord entanglement. |
 Instruction sheet. |
 Other side has product features listed. |
There's not too much else about their physical description. If you've ever seen a phone cord or a slinky you'll get the idea of what their structure is like, and the only other thing you need to know is that the springs are quite flexible, and shapeable to quite a degree as well. The small instruction sheet details how to place the springs onto wires, but for the most part this is fairly self-explanatory, so the sheet is fairly small. The other side simply details the product's features and gives you some other ideas where you could use this wire wrap.
Installation
As mentioned before, installation is very easy. The first thing you'll want to do, however, is remove any existing wire wraps that may be on your PSU's wires. What I mean by this is that often PSU wires have tie wraps placed on them at the factory, and while these are useful, they can interfere with the placement of the Chameleon Springs as they present a little obstacle. After doing this, you just need to feed the beginning of the spring around the group of wires you want to wrap, and then twist the rest of the spring onto the wire group. This the most time-consuming process, as you'll need to rotate each spring quite a few times in order to get it on completely, and this can be a little tedious.
 Installation is easy, but is a little tedious. |
 Done! |
 Springs compress/expand well. |
 Springs feed past connectors nicely. |
The best part about the Chameleon Springs though, is their ability to compress or expand to cover wires properly. This makes them very useful, as you don't need to cut them to a specific length as they can change length to suit the situation. The diameter of each spring can also expand to some degree, so you can wrap a bundle of wires that's slightly larger than the spring. The springs also flex and bend very well, so they won't inhibit the positioning of wires in your case, allowing you to keep them out of the way of airflow and other things.
Another thing that's nice is that because of their spring structure, they go around in-line connectors nicely. This is something that's a problem with split loom, so the Chameleon Springs present a nice alternative to them in this respect. If you'll notice in the rightmost picture above, the springs easily feed past the connector, allowing you use the same length of wire wrap/spring to cover a length of cable that includes an in-line molex connector. Another example of this structural usefulness is that wires can exit at almost any point. For example, you could be using a spring to wrap two sets of wires, but then may need one set to exit at a certain point to power some devices, and with the springs this can be easily accomplished without having the rest of the length of the wires come out as well.
One downside is that this kit may not be enough to cover a PSU that has extremely long wires, like those from some Antec and Enermax models. Though the springs can stretch to some degree, they can't be expected to cover wires that extend around 3' or more.
Conclusion
Overall, I found the product to be very easy to use, and the Chameleon Springs did their job quite well. Wiring was noticeably improved compared to how things looked with the unkempt wires of a regular PSU. However, I would not say that the springs made things neater than split loom could have. However, the springs present a simpler, and perhaps easier to install, solution. First of all, there's no cutting to specific lengths that has to be done, so you won't have to measure or eyeball any lengths; instead, the springs and stretch or compress to fit most lengths and diameters. Secondly, the springs can wrap around connectors and wires with ease, making installation work nicer than with split loom. Also, the springs seem to bend and fit the shape of the wires better than split loom does. However, installation, while easy, can be a little tedious. Split loom, once cut to a specific length, was quicker to attach than one of the Chameleon Springs. And, the ATX P4 kit reviewed here might not be enough to cover some power supplies out there. However, Lizard Tree has put together a nice kit that makes things easy for the end user, and this is definitely something to look out for.
Pros
Cons
I want to thank Richard over at Lizard Tree for providing this sample kit for review. If you're interested, check out the website and e-mail him at lizard_tree@rogers.com with any questions concerning this product or sales. Thanks!