Exactly. This is what a true strain relief is supposed to do: confine the stress to the cable rather than transmit it to the connector. Some cables are reinforced to prevent sharp bends, a common cause of cable failure, near the ends; but that's not usually referred to as a "strain relief".
I don't use anything since I always use quality braided cables when there is a great chance of excess strain but I understand that some people use a blob of Sugru for the purpose. I have used that product to reinforce/repair the inbuilt USB cable on the auto power adapter from my old Magellan GPS and, while it was a pretty ugly mess, it did the job quite well and also allowed me to make the cord into a 90-degree rather than straight feed so it kept the cord away from the shift lever.
Just buy/use cables with built-in strain relief, i.e. a flexible part at the cable sides of the connectors. The cables you showed don't have such a flexible part. They're probably cheap crap.
FWIW, the only cheap-crap [1] cable I (know I) have, indeed does not have flexible strain relief. Duh!
True, but the idea of a strain relief is not to stiffen the cable, but to prevent the bending force from acting on a single point and instead distribute the force over a longer length of cable. That's healthy for both the cable and the connector/device.
On Mon 26 Mar 2018 05:03:55p, mysterious traveler told us...
I have a lot of USB cables and have never had a problem with any ofthem. Some folks must be pretty rough on them unless they're jerking them out by the cable nsted of the plug. :-(
The pen spring was suggested but until I saw your photo I didn't think the pen spring would work. You showed that a pen spring _is_ big enough to roll onto the Apple cable becoming what I had called a strain relief but I don't know what it's called because others said it's not a strain relief.
That picture is PERFECT for what I want to do, and is the best and cheapest answer yet and it relieves the strain gradually which is another perfect thing!
Now I have to root through the trash to find all those Bic click pens I've thrown away over the years! LOL
Tekkie? wrote in news:u%wvC.88363$ snipped-for-privacy@fx34.iad:
Actually, I just make sure that the USB cables I buy have good built-in strain reliefs.
If you are really serious about making your own, there is tape that you can buy that is impregnated with resin. One version sets by itself the package is opened. One uses water to activate setting, and one uses UV to set the resin. And thee is also the self-adhering/fusing tape that basically melts together when it is wrapped under tension. Take your pick.
i'VE NOTICED that mine is about 2:1. It's not marked or labeled, and I buy the cheapest stuff I can find, so it woudn't go over a usb plug and shrink to fit the cable.
I don't think I use them as much as some of you but none have failed. I have AC extension cords that go back I think 50 years, certainly 40.. In a couple, the rubber cracked and I couldn't save them, but other rubber has lasted. Most of my stuff never breaks.
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