Reel unwinding and winding control

A method of controlling a reel assembly comprising a spool and an electrical cord coupled with the spool and configured to wind and unwind about the spool, the method comprising:

• in response to an unwind command, placing or maintaining the electrical cord in a power off state;
• in response to the unwind command, transmitting an unwind signal to a motor to cause the motor to unwind the electrical cord from the spool;
• and
• automatically placing the electrical cord in a power on state based at least in part on an amount of rotation of the spool during the unwinding.

A reel assembly comprising:

• a spool configured to wind and unwind a linear element therefrom, the linear element comprising an electrical cord;
• a motor configured to rotate the spool to wind and unwind the linear element about the spool;
• and
• a controller in electrical communication with the motor, wherein the controller is configured to:
• in response to an unwind command, transmit an unwind signal to the motor to cause the motor to unwind the linear element from the spool;
• monitor an amount of rotation of the spool during the unwinding;
• in response to the unwind command, place or maintain the electrical cord in a power off state;
• and
• automatically place the electrical cord in a power on state based at least in part on an amount of rotation of the spool during the unwinding.