# Laptop locking cable foam spacer things **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2008, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396 "2008-11-25T06:35:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396/1 "2008-11-25T06:35:38Z")
So, I have a locking cable for my laptop. Basically a bicycle lock for personal electronics. You loop the lock end through a loop at the end of the cable around something heavy or immobile (such as some framework on a piece of furniture or an anchor point attached to the floor/wall), and then lock the other end into a slot on your device (if you have a laptop from the last few years, you’ve got a slot for this thing, if you have an XBox 360, you’ve got a slot for one of these things). Anyhow, these slots aren’t uniform in depth, so to ensure you get a good fit for the lock, you use these little adhesive backed spacer pads that go onto the lock. I traded laptops with my mom, and now the lock doesn’t fit, and I don’t still have the little spacers. Anybody have any idea where I could get more, or just have some crafty ideas on how to make my own? ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396/2 "2008-11-25T06:49:13Z")
I’ve never seen one of those, but it sounds a lot like [rubber feet](http://www.google.com/products?q=rubber+feet&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd), of the type you’d find four of on the bottom of your laptop. Perhaps you could cut them to fit if they’re too wide. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396/3 "2008-11-25T06:53:30Z")
Actually, now that you mention it, anything that is stiff, easily cut, and about a quarter to a half of an inch wide could probably be made to work for this if I could make the cuts straight enough. But yeah, in form, they look like little rubber washers of varying thickness, with a slot cut out for the prongs of the lock to fit through (the prongs can be squeezed together when the lock is unlocked, and open up inside the slot on the computer to secure it) ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396/4 "2008-11-25T06:59:46Z")
One more suggestion. That also sounds a lot like the washer/gasket you have to replace when you change a bathtub faucet. If you pass by a plumbing or hardware store, it might be worth it to check out their O-rings (technically gaskets? An O-ring has a circular cross sectional area, while a gasket can have a rectangular one, right??). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-locking-cable-foam-spacer-things/474396/5 "2008-11-25T07:20:30Z")
Hah, sounds like the sort of retarded fun expedition my room mate would enjoy. Will hit the Home Depot one of these weekends XD