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Wire Labeling

Printer

You won?t be disappointed with that printer. I have had one for awhile and love it. I went with black type on yellow tubing for visibility...
 
Thanks for all your input. I bought a Dymo LabelManager 160 for 20 bucks on Amazon, and 1/4? heat shrink label tubes. I was concerned that the 1/4? tubes would be too big for 20 gauge wire but it works perfectly.

7F22C555-35AC-43D8-943F-D2B337D4FCD8_zpsancigvhf.jpg

Not trying to be critical here, but I would suggest you look at a better quality switch that is not riveted and switch to AMP PIDG terminals.
 
Not trying to be critical here, but I would suggest you look at a better quality switch that is not riveted and switch to AMP PIDG terminals.

Thanks Walt - I'm always open for direction. I got the switches from SteinAir.
I'll look into the AMP PIDG terminals
 
Thanks!

K-sun is the brand I found that seemed quite expensive. Any advice on a reasonably priced source? Or am I going to have to find the pry bar for my wallet again? :)

I?m just airline pilot cheap!

UPDATE in the middle of the night...

I ordered the Epson LW-PX900. It prints at 360dpi and accepts shrink tube cartridges ranging from 1/8? to 1?. I found the best price at an online place called Image Supply. I ordered 1/8, 3/16, and 3/8? black on white tubing. My thought was 22/24 gauge wire, multi-wire shielded, and RG400 in selecting the shrinktube sizes. I?ll report back with pics and a PIREP.

The total for my order was right around $375. OCD costs money! Gots to have a tidy wiring harness. Pahan would be proud... right Pahan?

I looked that printer up on line and it looks like the price varies from about $275-375. I?m assuming that you bought the entire ?kit? for $375? Did you feel like you needed everything in the kit to be able to do the job? I?ve also been shopping around for a printer and really didn?t know which one to go with, so this is good information.

Mark
 
I looked that printer up on line and it looks like the price varies from about $275-375. I?m assuming that you bought the entire ?kit? for $375? Did you feel like you needed everything in the kit to be able to do the job? I?ve also been shopping around for a printer and really didn?t know which one to go with, so this is good information.

Mark

I didn?t order the whole kit. The printer itself was $289 and each of the 3 heatshrink cassettes was about $32. They then gave me a $10 discount and free shipping.

The $100 kit comes with an overpriced hard case, a rechargeable battery and an AC adapter. I?m pretty sure I?ve got a compatible AC adapter in one of my junk drawers and I can buy a pluck-the-foam case for <$20.

Now that I?ve gathered a bunch of electrical tools, I need to start drawing my wiring diagrams. I?ve done a fair bit of wiring in the past, but I gotta admit, the G3x system has me plenty intimidated. One wire at a time, I guess! Challenge accepted.
 
Talk to Stien before you throw away your switches. He may have a different opinion and has probably installed and serviced more switches than much of VAF combined. He isn't known for selling junk.

If you want to compare specs, certifications, operating environment, etc.... probably need to start a new post.
 
Talk to Stien before you throw away your switches. He may have a different opinion and has probably installed and serviced more switches than much of VAF combined. He isn't known for selling junk.

If you want to compare specs, certifications, operating environment, etc.... probably need to start a new post.

Oh I have NO intention of throwing away my switches. :D
 
Talk to Stien before you throw away your switches. He may have a different opinion and has probably installed and serviced more switches than much of VAF combined. He isn't known for selling junk.

If you want to compare specs, certifications, operating environment, etc.... probably need to start a new post.

I guarantee you Stein is well aware of the difference in quality between Carling and Honeywell...
but not everyone wants to pay for quality so he offers an alternative and lets the buyer choose, thats ok.
 
Walt is 100% spot on here with his note about those specific switches. We'll gladly sell you whatever you like, but if we only offered the Mil Spec hardware we'd be out of business. Some folks like them and will pay for them, most will not - that's just a fact of life for us (good or bad). As others noted, that discussion is for another thread (and indeed has been beat to death and beyond in the archives).

Regarding labeling, we prefer machine printed shrink tubing..but that isn't an affordable option for many folks. That is why we sell clear heatshrink tubing, as many folks like the "label under the clear tubing" method. Others will use white shrink tubing and just handwrite on it with a fine tip sharpie (which is what one of the "big box stores" does on it's own harnesses). I've seen people use things as simple as tape up to printed labels and even laser engraved options.

The happy medium and most popular from our customer base seems to be clear shrink tubing with labels under, or white tubing with handwritten labels. Then from that point on almost anything goes!

Just my 2 cents as usual.

Cheers,
Stein
 
I started this thread because I was seeking input on people's experience with various methods of labeling wires (thank you all), and then I updated it in post #44 with what I found to work very well for a very economical cost ($20). I'll reiterate the Dymo Label Manager 160 has been working magnificently using 1/4" heat shrink tubing ($22 for 3 x 5' of tube) on wire gauges ranging from #8 to #22. I couldn't be more pleased with the results.
 
Thanks for all your input. I bought a Dymo LabelManager 160 for 20 bucks on Amazon, and 1/4? heat shrink label tubes. I was concerned that the 1/4? tubes would be too big for 20 gauge wire but it works perfectly.

EECC2395-0AB7-4A22-AA89-920C568B73D3_zpsfjknfyft.jpg


7F22C555-35AC-43D8-943F-D2B337D4FCD8_zpsancigvhf.jpg

I thought Av8torTom's idea was great...using the heat shrink tubing labels in an inexpensive label maker.

I decided to expand on this idea.


So I already had this particular Dymo label maker so I thought I would see if the ?" shrink tube labels would really work in this label maker.

They do :D

While I was rooting around on Amazon looking for the heat shrink tube labels, I had the idea of buying some colored heat shrink tubes as well.

Here's the system I'm going with:


Positioned but not shrunk yet.
wire1.jpg



All shrunk up.... Labeled and color coded in one easy step.
wire2.jpg


Here's a link to the colored heat shrink tubes.

Here's a link to the heat shrink tube labels that work in the above label maker.
 
The 1/4" tube may be fine for one or just a few wires, but it's way too narrow for a Dynon network cable. I have 12 mm and 9 mm on order and one of those should work ok.

Dave
 
Tom, Michael,

Any idea what the largest diameter heat shrink that model 160 printer will take? Dymo's data says '1/2" labels', but obviously, a 1/2" heat shrink tube will be wider than that, when collapsed.

BTW, thanks for the info on using pre-cut tubes. My old tape label-er wastes more tape than the label occupies, if you only print one label at a time.

Charlie
 
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