Labeling wires

[Alan Gomes]

My current electrical panel wiring looks like a rat's nest. I've actually improved it just a bit since I first bought the boat, but it's still kind of rough.

One project I plan to do is to clean it all up next year with terminal strips and properly labeled wires. In anticipation of that project, I bought an Epson LW-PX300 label maker.

Among other things, this label maker will print on heat shrink tubing, which makes it perfect for labeling wires. While Epson has some ~$200 models that will accommodate large diameter heat shrink tubing, I went with the $59 PX300 because it will print on heat shrink that will handle up to 10 ga. wire. Since almost everything on the boat is wired with #14, with an occasional #10 wire here and there, this seemed like it would do everything I reasonably would need.

I just got the unit about an hour ago and thought I'd do a quick test on a piece of #14. Here's the result:



I think it's pretty darn slick.

 

[G Kiba]

When I re-wired my engine control panel, I labeled all the wires and terminal strip contacts. When I finished, I realized that my vision is so bad now that I struggle to read the labels! Even with readers and a flashlight. Oh well, I hope the next owner will benefit from the labels!

 

[kiwisailor]

I just use Dymo labeler and put them on as flag labels. Easy and cheap.

 

[gareth harris]

I like the heat shrink label which is very smart indeed. I used one of these Casio label makers, the labels wrap around the wire so can accommodate any size, and the lettering can be made larger for those whose eyesight is struggling:

Casio EZ-Label It Printer KL-60SR-L with Starter Tape NEW | eBay

Casio EZ-Label It Printer KL-60SR-L with Starter Tape NEW.

www.ebay.com

Gareth
Freyja E3 #241 1972

 

[peaman]

The ability to print directly onto heat shrink tubing it pretty neat. But short of that, I had good results using a Dymo Label Manager 160 label secured and protected with clear heat shrink tubing. More tedious that the ideal, but the end result is good.

 

[KS Dave]

Looks nice, Alan! You're embarking on a rewarding project.

I have a Brother P-Touch labeler and I also used the clear heat shrink method. I settled on the P-Touch for the variety of label tape that is available (lots of widths/colors).

Here's how mine turned out (not as tidy as I'd like, but WAY better than the trailer connector).

 

[Alan Gomes]

Looks nice, Alan! You're embarking on a rewarding project.

I have a Brother P-Touch labeler and I also used the clear heat shrink method. I settled on the P-Touch for the variety of label tape that is available (lots of widths/colors).

Here's how mine turned out (not as tidy as I'd like, but WAY better than the trailer connector).

View attachment 47906
View attachment 47905

That looks really good, Dave. I prefer this to the "flag" approach as I think it's neater. What you are doing is not a whole lot different from what I'm planning except that it involves an extra step since I'll be printing directly on the heat shrink. But the result is very nice.

 

[KS Dave]

That looks really good, Dave.

Thanks! I'll have a blog post on it one of these days with more detail.

I prefer this to the "flag" approach as I think it's neater. What you are doing is not a whole lot different from what I'm planning except that it involves an extra step since I'll be printing directly on the heat shrink. But the result is very nice.

Agreed on methodology. If the labeler I already owned (and have for about 10 years) supported it, I probably would go the same route as you.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Thanks! I'll have a blog post on it one of these days with more detail.

Agreed on methodology. If the labeler I already owned (and have for about 10 years) supported it, I probably would go the same route as you.

I already had a Brother labeler, but it had some issues. (I couldn't leave batteries in it without it draining them to nothing even with the unit off.) So this was a good excuse to replace the old labeler with one that also had this very useful feature. It also prints on conventional labels, of course.

The heat shrink, by the way, comes in the same kind of cartridge that the normal labels do. So I do have to purchase the special cartridges that will fit it. I think one cartridge is probably going to be enough for the job, but we'll see.

One other thing I really like about the Epson is that you can set it with really tiny margins for less label waste. This will be a good thing no matter what sort of labels I print.

 

[Mark F]

When I re-wired my engine control panel, I labeled all the wires and terminal strip contacts. When I finished, I realized that my vision is so bad now that I struggle to read the labels! Even with readers and a flashlight. Oh well, I hope the next owner will benefit from the labels!

Ha, I can relate! Have you tried taking a photo of the label and enlarging it? Maybe two layers of readers ;-)

 

[G Kiba]

Ha, I can relate! Have you tried taking a photo of the label and enlarging it? Maybe two layers of readers ;-)

As a matter of fact Mark, I have done both! Sure sucks getting older. I find I can't see what i am working on and when I do, I often find my own blood from a new cut that i didn't know I had.

 

[Nick J]

I really like the heat shrink labels, but they are time consuming and not very forgiving to orientation. I wish I would have bought a full label maker instead of just the Dymo label printer. I thought using a computer would be easier, and it is once your set up, but I forget my computer often. I don't want to terminate wire without a label now that I've done it to everything else, so I end up not doing it for a while. If I had a label maker on hand, I'd probably get things wired a lot sooner.

One last thought, label your return too. They work just s hard as the positive wire, show them some love and give them the same attention. Your future self will thank you.

 

[G Kiba]

Wow. The next owner will be really impressed and grateful for your efforts.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I really like the heat shrink labels, but they are time consuming and not very forgiving to orientation.

Could you elaborate on your comment about them not being very forgiving to orientation?

 

[Nick J]

Could you elaborate on your comment about them not being very forgiving to orientation?

You have to make sure the label is on the right side of the wire in relation to the terminal and the terminal strip. Otherwise it could end up on the bottom and you won't be able to see it or you have to read it backward. With tag type labels you can grab the label and pull it to read better. Not a big deal, but something to think about before applying the heat.

 

[Alan Gomes]

You have to make sure the label is on the right side of the wire in relation to the terminal and the terminal strip. Otherwise it could end up on the bottom and you won't be able to see it or you have to read it backward. With tag type labels you can grab the label and pull it to read better. Not a big deal, but something to think about before applying the heat.

Ok. That's what I thought you might be getting at.

I don't see this as a real problem. Because I use ring terminals it will be pretty easy to make sure the label is oriented properly before I crimp on the terminal.