Labelling Cables?

[thermionic]

Hi,

What do you use to label cables? Clear heatshrink + some kind of Dymo label printer? I've been a little slack about this over the yrs... If anyone could steer me in the direction of something that'll look vaguely professional I'd be grateful.

 

[Kingston]

all my attempts at labeling cables have failed. the label will peel off and/or move along the cable etc. unwanted glue related issues. I've tried dymo & other hacks.

So I mark the connectors instead. I print the labels on bulk A4 paper on aptly sized little boxes. You can do this with word tables, or excel, whatever suits your skill. Then cut to size and use transparent scotch tape to put them where-ever. Works great on any XLR connector, and at least the metallic neutrik TRS types as well.

Depending on connector white-on-black might sometimes be easier to read than black-on-white.

Also make sure to do it correctly the first time. I find it nearly impossible to remove the labels after some years. It's like the tape melts on to the connector. It's a good thing, but only if you got the label right the first time around! 

 

[hymentoptera]

I've had luck writing on black heatshrink with a Metallic Silver Sharpie, the kind with no pocket clip that you store tip-down.

 

[spacecho]

Hey Thermonic,

I do the following:

1 White Dymo label (paper is cheaper)
2 Print the Type and Length of Cable ie:  XLR F - TRS 6m
3 Clear Heatshrink over the label, placed near a cable end (1 ft away)
4 Coloured heatshrink at each connector end - an inch sticking out at each end of the cable boot

Obviously this can only be done if you're making cables from new.

I think it is useful to know how long the cable is before you pick it up - colour co-ordinated heatshrink helps when you have heaps of leads going to a multi mic'd drumkit ect..

works for me.. I feel like a complete tool, but I love just looking at my (100+) handmade neutrik / canare~mogami / labelled cables..
Never had one fail - ever.. know I can trust em..

 

[0dbfs]

I've used a p-touch for years.
They have a special cable tape (tzfx) which doesn't peel back a month later:
http://www.p-touchlabels.com/TZFX%20Labels.htm

Hope that helps!
Chees,
jb

 

[pucho812]

rhino label maker makes some printable heat shrink, it will print a label on their heat shrink but that stuff wears off over time if the cables are handled alot. Best I have done is regular rhino labels with clear heat shrink on top.  Outside of that there are zip ties you can buy that have a labeling plate or you could go and get printed heat shrink made there are companies that do that.

http://www.amazon.com/Ziotek-Ties-With-Labeling-Plate/dp/B000BSHLJO

 

[[silent:arts]]

http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/catalog/siteSearchResultsView.do?searchTerms=Laser+Printable+Labels&searchDimention=01&x=41&y=9

 

[thermionic]

Thanks to all of you - much appreciated.

I think the clear h.shrink over label is the option I'm going to take. I just wondered if anyone had something else I hadn't thought of.

J

 

[baadc0de]

http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/catalog/siteSearchResultsView.do?searchTerms=Laser+Printable+Labels&searchDimention=01&x=41&y=9

Using a hand held brady label printer with self-laminating labels. They seem to want to stay there so far (1.5 yrs)

 

[Gold]

I tried the least expensive Brady model a few years ago. I think it was the ID PAL. It was terrible. The print head went bad in a few months. I'd have to print four or five labels to get a good one. I noticed that they replaced it with a new model at the same price point. Maybe it's better.

I ended up with a Panduit Panther LS8. I have been very happy with it. The other day I dropped it with the 9VAC plug in. The PCB mounted connector ripped out. It must have shorted something out because it's dead. No luck with battery operation either. A new one came today. Now I'll see if they will fix the other one. I'm in the middle of making a bunch of labels and couldn't afford to be withput it.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

all my attempts at labeling cables have failed. the label will peel off and/or move along the cable etc. unwanted glue related issues. I've tried dymo & other hacks.

So I mark the connectors instead.

+1

 

[r2d2]

i seen on varius cable that have db25 connectors as terminals ,
plastic printed labels under a piece of transparent heat shrink tubing

locked by classic "hot" method

also different colors can be printed ,

peace
r2d2

 

[Gustav]

I saw these on Frank's site.

Frontpanels.de

Gustav

 

[Corusco]

I've long done the clear heat shrink on the connector.  These popped up recently and seem interesting:

http://cordidpro.com/

 

[CJ]

if you want to go cheap, radio shack sells an assortment of colored electrical tape,

and you can also buy cables that are color coded,

 

[0dbfs]

Yeah and in a pinch i'll just make 1,2,3,4,or 5 lines on each end with a sharpie. Or tie a knot or two in both ends.

Cheers,
jb

 

[bruno2000]

No, no knots, please!  I have fired assistants who put knots in mic cables.  ;o)
Best,
Bruno2000

Yeah and in a pinch i'll just make 1,2,3,4,or 5 lines on each end with a sharpie. Or tie a knot or two in both ends.

Cheers,
jb

 

[pucho812]

only time I allow knots is if the cable is broken as it is a classic sign that something is wrong. But even then that annoys me

 

[Brian Roth]

OK, an Olde Phart will throw in his 2 cents....<g>

In many cases, I now use a PTouch for many situations.  I particularly like the ones with a USB connector and the associated software which is sort of a Paint/CAD app.

BUT...set the way-way back machine 40 years ago in 1973 when a skinny, long-haired guy named Brian <g> was age 19, and he was pretty much cut loose doing a bunch of audio cabling for a new recording studio in Okla. City.  Bri was already a Soldering Whiz, and was given some great input/ideas by one his mentors, Jim Ford.

One thing was labeling and documentation.  Jim showed Bri a "peel and stick" product used by electricians.  Because of the brand name, we always called them "Brady labels".  Example picture I found:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/include/LargeProductImage.aspx?path=panduit/lrg/gpcmbfm.jpg&mfrName=Pan
duit&mfrPartNum=PCMB-2

Many brands are still around....Panduit, 3M, Thomas & Betts, etc.  Many variants are still sold, such as on cards (like the Brady I remember), books, little "peel it off" dispensers, etc. .  Example of some Panduit products in a variety :

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/646/1305.pdf

Sold by Electronic/Electrical Supply houses, Home Despot <g>, etc. etc.

Thomas and Betts seems to always have good product.  I keep a few varieties of these in one of my supply bags (best picture I could find):

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Betts-WM-0-45-Wire-Marker/dp/B0018LB1I0

BUT, as skinny Brian moved along through his life, he found that the "peel and stick" numbers often would lose their "stickum" and fall off the cables, particularly inside of a warm equipment rack.

Solution?  Clear heat shrink over the numbers.  Siderbar"  3M Brand clear shrink seems to hold "clarity" longer than some other brands.  Odd- ball "clear" brands become cloudy over time.  Alpha Brand seems  OK, but not as good over years.decades.

I still use this system inside of custom Gizmos I build:

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/buffercard.jpg

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/front+pcb.jpg

HOWEVER, after building countless studio wiring systems, I became frustrated.  Yes, yes, each cable had a number that never fell off the cable.  But, you always needed the wiring list "bible" charts as you wrangled in months/years/decades later.  OOPS...who LOST the "bible" from two decades ago?

15 (20?) years ago I had an "AHA!"  moment while shopping for something at Office Depot.  Off the shelf solution using stock mailing labels.  I quickly found this series of (current) products would wrap around most common-sized audio and "mini" video coax:

http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Products/Labels/Addressing-Labels/_/best-used-for-addressing-envelopes/number-per-sheet-60/colors-white/?Ns=Rank|0||Product%20Number|1&N=4294967290+4294963169+4294965531+4294965728

Clear shrink over.

I worked out a simple (?) system to generate the printing.  Simple to me, since I've used it dozens of times...

Part of my documentation is drawing up some elaborate CAD drawings, and each "from point A to point B" cable has it's own unique number...just Like In Ye Olde Days.

That unique cable number becomes part of an Excel sheet, ALONG with "src" (source) and "dst" (destination) info.  After tons of futzing, I concocted templates so it would correctly print on the Avery label sheets.  I also laid out the printout so that the numbers and info repeated twice around the diameter of the cable to minimize the need to keep twisting the finished cable in order to read the info.

Semi recent XLS workpage, and a PDF  in case you don't have an Excel app handy:

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/GVaudio-101-199.xls

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/GVaudio-101-199.pdf


What some Avery sheets look like...kinda....a "print to PDF" replica:

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/GVlabels101-199printout.pdf


Final real world:

OOps...forgot the pic:

http://www.brianroth.com/labelling/IMG_0072.JPG

2 Cents..hate it or love it!  lol

Bri