Electric Cable Tags

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mark1882

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Hi

I am tidying up the 12v cabling in my Westerly Oceanlord and would like to tag all the cables. I have done a quick search on here to see if this has come up before but couldn't find anything so any advice on what other forum members have used and where to get them from would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mark
 
Sandyman said:
I used one of those 'Brother' hand held printers.
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Same here. I used the narrow labels, stuck them along the wire not round it, and then applied transparent heatshrink over the top. Looks nice and professional.

You can apparently get similar printers which will print straight onto heatshrink, which must be just as neat and a bit quicker.

Pete
 
Depends on how many you have. If lots then code them. If only a few then name them. I just coded them with a permanent marker. I put rings on them 1 ring, 2 rings ...2 pairs of 2 rings etc
 
Gwylan said:
Do you actually name the leads or code them and have a look up list?
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I name them. Don't see the point of printing numbers. Fair enough if you're using pre-printed pads of numbered markers like before handheld printers were invented, but if you are printing anyway, why not print the name?

Pete
 
Also use brother printed labels. Only ever labelled the NMEA network though and wires are thin so just double the label back on itself. Labeller used for many other purposes, I like the labelled heat shrink idea but life is too short and I know my electrics pretty well anyway. Keep a couple of colour coded diagrams up to date in PowerPoint.
 
bitbaltic said:
just double the label back on itself.
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I did that on my first boat, but two years later most of them had unpeeled as the labels wanted to straighten out. Hence doing it properly on the second boat with clear heatshrink over the top. The narrow tape worked on individual power cores down to 1.5mm2; I don't use smaller than that. NMEA pairs I label the outer sheath but not the individual cores.

Pete
 
prv said:
I name them. Don't see the point of printing numbers. Fair enough if you're using pre-printed pads of numbered markers like before handheld printers were invented, but if you are printing anyway, why not print the name?

Pete
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As I said, it depends on the number of cables. If you have loads then naming each one is a pita. The names end up long and complicated and inputting them into the device is slow. Much easier to allocate a simple code, a number for type (lights, instruments etc) and a number for individual identity. The codes then go in your wiring diagram. This makes the label small, quick and neat.

You might have, for example

1= lights
1c = lights common
1g= lights galley
1g1= lights galley number 1

Much quicker and easy to translate even without the diagram.
 
pmagowan said:
As I said, it depends on the number of cables. If you have loads then naming each one is a pita. The names end up long and complicated and inputting them into the device is slow. Much easier to allocate a simple code, a number for type (lights, instruments etc) and a number for individual identity. The codes then go in your wiring diagram. This makes the label small, quick and neat.
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So you've optimised for speed of writing (which you do once, under good conditions on the hard or out of commission afloat, and with no time pressure) over speed of reading and understanding (which you might need to do multiple times, possibly in the dark or in a rolling boat, possibly urgently). And added an additional dependency on a separate diagram which needs to remain available to whoever works on the system in future.

Nope, still seems back-arsewards to me :)

Pete
 
These are quite good http://cpc.farnell.com/te-connectivity-raychem/tkm50/tmk-self-laminated-labels/dp/CB06597

You write on the white tab with a permanent pen, stick it on the cable and there is a transparent section which wraps round to protect.

I use a Dymo Rhino 4200, I do quite a lot of labeling with the job. It takes a variety of labeling tapes which cost £15 or so each and does a variety of different style labels for cables and panels.

e.g. if using a wider tape say 19mm it can print across the tape, which can then be wrapped around the cable, or it can print flags which can be wrapped around a cable leaving a flag sticking out.

It can be used for panel labeling. The width of a module (say a switch or fuse) is entered, the number of modules is entered and separate description for each module can be printed and it will print a strip of labels according to the programmed centres.

Brother do similar and if I was looking for a labeling machine would have a good look at them as well.

They are useful at home as well.
 
prv said:
So you've optimised for speed of writing (which you do once, under good conditions on the hard or out of commission afloat, and with no time pressure) over speed of reading and understanding (which you might need to do multiple times, possibly in the dark or in a rolling boat, possibly urgently). And added an additional dependency on a separate diagram which needs to remain available to whoever works on the system in future.

Nope, still seems back-arsewards to me :)

Pete
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Not just speed of writing, as I explained. I like my cables neat and if there are a lot of them then big complex labels are untidy, bulky, wasteful, prone to damage, difficult to pull through conduit and often more difficult to decipher than a simple code. I would always remember my code as it is easy but it could have a very brief key kept at the electrics panel for those unfamiliar with it. For example, most cables are already colour coded rather than covered with big labels saying 'positive' 'negative' etc. With a very simple code it makes it reasonable to attach multiple labels throughout the length of the cable for ease of recognition. The label does not have to be made into a 'flag' like a lengthy description would be but forms round the cable.

At the end of the day it is each to their own but there are benefits to neat codes especially on complex wiring looms, hence why most electricians use them.
 
pmagowan said:
The label does not have to be made into a 'flag' like a lengthy description would be but forms round the cable.
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I agree that flag labels are a bit messy, but that's not what I'm suggesting. My written labels are roughly an inch long, and run along the cable inside a clear heatshrink tube. So the additional bulk is just the thickness of shrunk heatshrink - under a millimetre I would guess. They're printed in clear mixed-case letters, black on white, so I don't understand where "difficult to decipher" comes from. They're certainly not "untidy" - I've just been searching for a decent picture but I don't seem to have one. My panel wiring as a whole is frankly not quite as neat as I'd like, but the individual labels look very nice indeed.

Of course I use black and red cable for positive and negative rather than writing those!

Each to their own, as you say, but my own is definitely "Aft cabin lights" and not "3a7".

Pete
 
Try white heat shrinkable tubing which you cut to length required (various sizes available ebay etc) and a fine tip indelible marker pen - this is probably the cheapest and in my experience fine for the job. The proper ferrule sleeves mentioned can be relatively expensive and the printer/machine to do the job "properly" very expensive. Re-wired my boat last winter and they did the job fine.
Lang may yer lum reek!
 
I use coloured hear shrink cut into short lengths and then applied to the cable in a sequence. The colour coding I use is at the resistor code (0 black, 1 brown etc).
They relate to my circuit diagram starting at the breaker, then the chocolate block and then on to the final destination. I end up with 4 rings.

Rigorous attention is a necessity!

P.s. please contact me about your MastaClimba. I have left a p.m.
 
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