Cleaned out my old tool bag and found 37 IDE ribbon cables

I was sorting through my garage (you know, the kind of job you put off for years) and the whole pile just fell out. It hit me that I haven't actually needed one for a real repair since maybe 2012. What's the oldest piece of tech you still keep around just in case?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_sanchez191mo agoMost Upvoted

luna_sanchez actually made a good point but I think there's something worth mentioning. Not every old cable is totally useless. I still keep a few IDE cables around because I run into old industrial machines that still use them. Found a CNC mill from 2004 last year and the guy had thrown away all his cables, took me two days to find a replacement. Same with parallel printer cables, those are still used in some point of sale systems and older medical equipment. You never know when you might need to fix something that isn't connected to the internet. So I think it depends on what kind of tech you work with.

noah3263mo ago

Remember when we all thought we needed to keep every old cable? I had a box of random power adapters for gadgets I don't even own anymore. Finding a 20-year-old parallel printer cable last month was the final straw. That stuff is just junk now. I recycled the whole box and haven't missed a single piece.

luna_sanchez3mo ago

Clearing out that cable box feels so freeing. I held onto mine for years just in case, but you're right, that tech is truly obsolete. My drawer is now half empty and I can actually find the cords I need. It's amazing how much space we waste on things we'll never use again. Good for you for taking that step.