Gordon H Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Was the colour coding was on the ends using the same colour coding as used on resistors or the whole length? While I was an assembly inspector I cannot recall seeing anything that coloured the wires. While I was working for Radio and Line, the department that made bits for BT, we had Marconi's first printed board automatic component assembling machine. It could do six components at a time, the boards were then finished by hand and manually placed on the flow solder machine. My uncle was working for Rank-Xerox at the time and we got chatting about PCB assembly and he said most of theirs were done by one machine that was putting 20 plus components on at a time and then placing the board on to the flow soldering machine. And the people of Chelmsford wonder why the New Street works is now flats for city commuters to live in. I believe the coding was done by two stripes of one colour and one stripe of a second colour, so effectively 3 helices down the length of the wire. The striping machine had three 'heads', presumably set at 120 degrees around a pivot point, which rotated together around the wire which was then drawn through the middle. Not sure which way round the code would be read though - double stripe for 10's, single stripe for units? I did once have a PCB etched in the on-site plant, for use as a colour light signal controller. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted March 24, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 24, 2016 I believe the coding was done by two stripes of one colour and one stripe of a second colour, so effectively 3 helices down the length of the wire. The striping machine had three 'heads', presumably set at 120 degrees around a pivot point, which rotated together around the wire which was then drawn through the middle. Not sure which way round the code would be read though - double stripe for 10's, single stripe for units? I did once have a PCB etched in the on-site plant, for use as a colour light signal controller. There are many different colour scheme in use & the only way to be sure is to look it up! Many manufacturers of phone equipment use their own or their own national standards. In Australia, this is the standard for internal cabling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20-pair_colour_code_%28Australia%29 So you can see its easy to get to 100 pairs. For external cables & sometimes internal cables, this scheme is used. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25-pair_color_code Note the rhymes at the end to assist in remembering the sequence. Obviously there are less polite versions, known to many!!! For the type of cable you mention i.e. bands of colour in single or double, those are ALWAYS a pair, the single band being the 'a' side & the double the 'b' side. Many variations in standards can be seen here - I hope I NEVER see half of them!!!! http://www.caledonian-cables.co.uk/Telephone/order/Colour%20Codes.htm Increasingly, these cables are becoming obsolete and Cat5e & Cat6 are fast becoming the world standard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Emily Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Damn you all with your super-neat and super-organised wiring! I'm just rubbish at anything electrical, muddling through with more luck as my copilot than skill. The underside of my layouts look horrendous! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 I cannot resist joining this competition. I have collected together an assortment of 'wiring' pictures in one album. I think perhaps in my case the title to the pictures should be 'warts and all'. I colour code my wires, red for Sections, Blue and White to point motors. I then try and bind wires inot cables going to similar locations. I was limited in the range of colours of wire that I had a available. The Common Return (Power Bus) is brown (guess where it was stripped from). I use black wires to connect the Common Return to black droppers. The Power Bus for the point motors is the blue wire stripped from the same source as the brown wire. The connections between individual point motors and the power bus are blue (not so clever). If this was a portable layout the wiring would need a lot more tidying! There is more to read on a recent Blog Post. Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardGreen Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Attached are some pictures of the rewiring undertaken on one of the sections of a 16 section '0' Gauge 3 loop test track that myself and two others purchased from the widow of the original builder. It was first used in May 1986 and although it was time worn it was extremely well made and just needed a bit of TLC. It is now in regular use at 4 meetings a year near Taunton for the West Monkton Railway Meeting Group. The pictures show some of the wiring undertaken on Section 2. Colour coded wiring used to enable route tracing / fault finding. The temporary labels shown were replaced with printed Dymo type labels at a later stage. Section 2 - Rewiring 001 (800x600).jpg Section 2 - Rewiring 002 (800x600).jpg Section 2 - Rewiring 003 (800x600).jpg Section 2 - Rewiring 004 (800x600).jpg Section 2 - Rewiring 005 (800x600).jpg Although the major rewire was carried out 2 years ago, minor upgrades continue to be done from time to time. A work of art. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardGreen Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 What methods do people use to label their wiring. I am thinking of rewiring my layout and am interested in using a better method of labelling. Ball-point pen on self-adhesive paper labels, with permanent marker to designate connector blocks, tag strips, switches; all listed on a spreadsheet, together with wiring runs & colours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick G Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Under my little layout....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesmond Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I like micro layouts, and I also like wiring. I use a colour coded scheme for all layouts, and a universal system of connectors so a controller can't connect to a power bus etc. Some works in progress shown below Gn15: OO9: powered by this: There is some really lovely work on this thread. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porcy Mane Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 My method. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesmond Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 About as basic as it gets on this one - power and control in, small stereo amplifier for ambient sound, and two recycled PC speakers. One track feed (not fitted yet) Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted February 16, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 16, 2017 A couple of shots of the wiring in progress under Camford Junction (repeated from the layout's own RMWeb thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/111276-camford-junction-in-2fs/). This will be a DC (Analogue) layout, but using Merg CBus to operate point servos and relays for track section switching. For a club layout, documentation, sensible colour coding and labelling is very important. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis32 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I like the levitating soldering iron :-p Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesmond Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Wiring mostly finished under "Splitfoot Mine" - Gn15 / Gnine micro: Phono connector for the amplifier to add, then its done. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 I look upon my wiring as being a work of art. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick G Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 The Sidings Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 I look upon my wiring as being a work of art. IMG_3034.JPG Nothing wrong with that if it works for you. I wired a layout once only with red wire & never had an issue with it. I choose to use multi-colour now so I can keep a record of what the connections are all for. An issue I would have with super-neat wiring is that tracing a fault or making a change can be a pain. I don't have an issue with some cable management but I don't enjoy spending 10 minutes per cable on a patch panel at work because the previous engineer wrapped the cables so tightly that you can't follow one by wiggling it. Wrapping them just a little less tightly is just as tidy but also allows for some 'tracing by wiggle'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon H Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 An issue I would have with super-neat wiring is that tracing a fault or making a change can be a pain. However, wiring done with foresight and planning sufficient to produce such a neat arrangement is far less likely to suffer from faults in the first place. With the 'work of art' arrangement you are more likely to cause further faults when one does occur, simply by delving in to investigate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 19, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 19, 2017 I look upon my wiring as being a work of art. IMG_3034.JPG A man after my own heart. Having started rewiring Wibdenshaw to DCC from a superbly executed, relay served DC system, I won't sully this thread with a picture, but, imagine if you will, a half unpicked fairisle knitted jumper! Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted June 19, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 19, 2017 There are so many skill learning activities this great hobby can take you, technical drawing, kit construction, painting by hand or airbrushing, tracklaying and construction, playing trains, woodwork, and electronicals and not forgetting Googling and Ebaying. As a retired codger I find myself reluctent to move over entirely to the electrical magic of DCC through fear of ending up out of my depth. So, I`ve taken on DCC Bus wiring but kept to the world of traditional loom wiring for everything else. I stick to the premise of if I`ve done it myself I can fix it myself........................................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 However, wiring done with foresight and planning sufficient to produce such a neat arrangement is far less likely to suffer from faults in the first place. With the 'work of art' arrangement you are more likely to cause further faults when one does occur, simply by delving in to investigate. This wiring works fine and has given no problems. When I have had to change things for such things as changing to love frogs, point motor failures (my SEEP motors have had too many failures) and Dapol signal failures (all of them have been changed due to components burning out) tracing the wires was easy because I could wiggle them. Every time the layout has gone to an exhibition everything has worked perfectly straight away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junctionmad Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Nothing wrong with that if it works for you. I wired a layout once only with red wire & never had an issue with it. I choose to use multi-colour now so I can keep a record of what the connections are all for. An issue I would have with super-neat wiring is that tracing a fault or making a change can be a pain. I don't have an issue with some cable management but I don't enjoy spending 10 minutes per cable on a patch panel at work because the previous engineer wrapped the cables so tightly that you can't follow one by wiggling it. Wrapping them just a little less tightly is just as tidy but also allows for some 'tracing by wiggle'. This is why, by and large, professional installers, use source and termination labelling rather then attempting to " traceing " cables. Patch panels being by definition a rats nest are somewhat different Personally my latest layout uses MERG CBUS precisely to cut down on long wiring runs. In my base nothing exits each baseboard except dc power , DCC track and can bus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerburnie Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 I like the ribbon wire, keeps it tidy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 The good: the bad: and the ugly: Actually, it looks rather better in the photos than it does in reality! It is all colour coded and labelled and each wire was thoroughly tested at time of installation and so far, no problems other than wires falling out of connectors where they appeared to be secure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted July 4, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2017 Having been a user of Marconi and Ferranti products in the past including a 6 month course at 102 Arbour lane Chelmsford. It was interesting to say the least working on equipment filling the top floor of a building, which was the size of half a football pitch filled with Seven foot racks of equipment, all wired in Pink wire except for a few bits of red and black for the rails, even with the numbering on the terminals... Of the layouts showing there are only three that might pass the examination of my old looming and lacing instructor.. There would be little point showing you my future layouts underside as almost all will be on the front or back I've had enough time underneath layouts! As for the inherited layout, I can see the orginal build would have been approved, then the first owner added a lot not so good wiring while obviously working from underneath... Then one or two others bodged things a bit, till I got the layout, it will be along time before I have sorted the nesting rats enough to show it on here... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Hi After a gap of some 40 years, I have plunged back into the wonderful pastime of railway modelling.....just started to wire up Cambrian Street....so a bit As I progress (and when especially when completed) my wiring remains, tidier than my sock drawer....! Regards Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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