I need to go through a car and trace down a bunch of wires. I have seen some hand held printers online that are sort of like Label Makers of sorts however instead of printing on a flat label with removable backing it prints on heat shrink tube and then this tube can be slipped over wires and shrunk down and used for future identification. This sounds like a great product...IF...it actually works...and IF the printing stays on the wire. Has anyone used a product like this??? If so, what is a good brand and model? Can these printers print on thin gage wire (hook up wire) as well as thick gage wire (battery cable) by simply swapping out the tube cartridge? Does the printing on the tube was off with oil/fuel? I need to not only trace down each wire to where it goes from and to...I also need to produce a wire schematic so that in the future I can trouble shoot easier... Has anyone used this kind of software??? Does anyone have a recommendation for an easy to learn and use, PC based schematic software where I can click on (as an example) a "electrical component with four connectors" and label it something like "fan relay" and then pick out a and a SPST Switch and tell the software that "red 24 gage wire from #4 connector on the component called fan rely will be run to fan switch" and then the software produces a schematic that is easy to follow? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!! THANKS in advance!!!
It would be less work to just rewire the car, with a new harness, with labels already printed on the wires.
I've used the 'labeled' heat shrinks at work (and slithered a few home...) and while they can be handy, given the expense, they're not worth the investment IMO. And the lettering will fade over time and won't hold up to automotive chemicals. If you want a more permanent marking, bulk Brady tags and clear heat shrink will work better. As far as a 'program' to draw schematics, I've never seen one anything like you describe (and I worked in the electrical industry for 35 years). There is software that will do ladder diagrams, but that's not the same thing and even that requires that you have knowledge of electrical design and components. Electrical diagrams aren't that hard to draw up. The best way to do them is don't try to put too much information on any given drawing. What I recommend is a large 'main' drawing showing locations of components and main wire routing, but little or no detail about individual wires/circuits. Then do individual drawings for each circuit/system (like ignition/starting on one, charging system on another, lighting, heater, etc), then you can fairly easily figure out which wires need to be where by referring to your main drawing.
I've used label zip ties http://www.amazon.com/ColorYourLife..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=09Z4WMA0WR2NJR1MGPXQ to mark wires and tag parts. Decent solution if you just need a to mark temporarily. Mark with a fine tip sharpie. You can also buy clear heat shrink tubing, so if you have a method of printing fine labels then slip the labels under. Another idea is to use "color bands" cut from different colored pieces of heat shrink, or colored bands under clear heat shrink, and mark by coding them with multiple bands on the wire. Similar to a resistor color code. Like mentioned above it does seem easier to just install a marked harness though! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
For the schematics drawing, you might investigate Visio ($) or yEd (free). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/YEd I like the suggestion to do this in multiple pages. One overview, block diagram, then individual pages for each sub system. Like what you see in the factory manuals.
x2 here. I started down the path of wire tracing, labeling, and schematic drawing. Decided to give Painless some money instead. I'll be rewiring, making it neat and tidy, well labeled, and with wiring schematics just in case I need them some day.
Another thing to think about, is that there are no labels on OEM automotive wiring. There is a color code, and some manufacturers have been more consistent than others in making their color code useful. I have several Chevys from the mid 50s to the 60s, and the color code used back then was fairly consistent. I've been messing with them for decades, so I have the code pretty well memorized, and I have lots of old factory shop manuals, so I can easily look up information about what colors go where, and how the circuits connect. Thus, I have no need for labels on the wires in my cars. And I've noticed that many aftermarket harnesses mostly use the GM color code from the later 1960s-70s, this helps me when working on hot rods that have these harnesses. You have not provided any clues about what kind of car you're working on, or what kind of wiring harness is in it now (original or aftermarket, or home made). More info, and pictures especially, will help us help you figure out what to do. btw, for one car, a hand drawn schematic is fine. But the best way to make one is to start with a schematic for the car that is the basis of the wiring you have in the car.
It takes different sizes of heat shrink tubing for different sizes of wire. The tubing is about 20 to 25 dollars per roll. The label maker I have was around $200. You can connect it to a computer using the software for the printer and type the label from your computer and use the label maker as a printer. I agree with Jim though, a new harness would be about the price of the printer and after installation would be a better finished product.
For about $100 a CircuitScribe Maker kit will allow you to build and prove your circuits using a conductive ink pen ( instead of actual wire) and switch modules, relays, etc. Go to < electroninks.com> vic
There is a place in Sacramento ( old ford or something) that sells labeled shrink tube end. You get a pkg. of about 25 for a few dollars. Can't remember the name right now but they have been a rodding supplyer for years.
...You may want to look at this....The electric contractors use some thing called "wire markers"....These are strips of thin tape with a number on it,put the numbered tape around each end of the wire and write down what and or where the wire goes,....You can try this company in PA Franklin Electric,.. 215 765 3965,..609 963 0541...This numbered tape can be put in many places along the wire for easy tracing......I would think that most of the big electric supply houses have this tape,....Miller
I recently installed a new Ron Francis Harness (which does have the wires labeled), however, I had a bunch of additional circuits that I wanted to label, so, I used a Label Maker that also has the ability to print Heat Shrink tubing (that are available in in a couple of different width's and colors)-it's called a K-Sun Bee3: http://www.ksun.com/label-printer/bee3-ez-plus/ Worked awesome, and I am very happy with how it turned out-
35WINDOW - Thanks for link. as butch27 says the small sections pre-labeled wire marker shrink tubing are good too but, on Sacramento Vintage Ford site lists them as discontinued. if all else fails, masking tape & a marker pen can work too for tracking down wires that can not be removed to put shrink tubing on.
If you go to an electrical supply house they have a sheet of numbers (0-9 & a-z) about .25" wide that are peel and stick. You wrap the tags around the wire and the number shows. Look at McMaster Carr web site or an example. They also com in rolled dispensers if you do a lot of marking. Also found them listed on Home Depot web site.
Well being partially color impaired I have numbered wires all my adult life. I just use the wire numbers that you buy at an electrical supply and have never had a problem with them. Cheap and easy to use. I haven't tried the heat shrink printer, maybe just too high tech ( think $$$$ here) so I really can't help you there but I do know that the way I do it works.
That would be useful for a ladder diagram, not so much otherwise. There's three types of electrical drawings; wiring diagrams, schematics, and ladder diagrams. A wiring diagram will show all components in a circuit, the wiring between them, and may show internal operation of some or all of the components. The actual physical relationship (i.e. where they're installed) of the components is ignored for clarity. Schematics will attempt to show the physical relationship of the parts, and a 'full' schematic will show the wiring connections between them. Difficult to draw and read, I wish I had a nickel for every error I've found in 'factory' schematics over the years. These really need to be done on large-format paper if you're going to do your own, and be prepared to do it over multiple time to get it right. The ones you see in manuals are drawn on blueprint-sized paper then photoreduced to what you see. Ladder diagrams show the 'logic' of the circuit and are excellent for understanding how the circuit works, but don't show the physical relationship of the parts at all and can be extremely confusing on complex circuits if you don't know what you're looking at. Again, a 'basic' schematic showing component location and just wire routes will be the most useful, with wiring diagrams for individual circuits/systems providing the most clarity for wiring or troubleshooting.
I do a lot of work on vintage (and vintage style) vacuum tube guitar amplifiers. I drawn many schematics using Microsoft Paint. Over the years I've saved various different commonly used symbols and then just copy and past those onto a blank page and connect them with lines. It works very well for me. Often I'll get an old amp with no available schematic, so I have to trace it out, which is very similar to what you need to do, only it's all contained within a small ch***is, which is good, and bad (some of these can be a real rats nest of wires and components stuffed into a small box). So I use paper and pencil to start, then transfer that to an electronic version. Start with the big stuff (starting/charging) and work towards the small. You can start by grabbing what you need here: https://www.google.com/search?q=com...X&ved=0ahUKEwiVu7fv-_zKAhVB8GMKHbOsBbcQsAQIGw
3M, Brady, Panduit (to name just few brands) all make various type of wire markers. Keep in mind none of these are designed for an automotive environment (it's ***umed these will be in a cabinet or junction box of some sort) so how well they do exposed to typical chemicals will be iffy....
LOL the only schematics I ever created were done either in Autodesk CAD or Microstation. Most will be familiar with CAD but Microstation not so much unless you have been involved in Civil Design. For my old cars I just use a pencil and a note book, the numbers all mean something and if I can't remember I always have the not book.
Hello, As another tube guitar amplifier technician and also a former mechanic, I have found that consistency is the key. Pick a style and stick with it. To make things easiest, I like to use two concentric bands of colored heat shrink tubing. I keep all common colors of factory wiring base and traces hanging around. Basically if a wire is supposed to be green with a black trace, I put a 1" band of green with a 1/4-1/8" band of green over it. In harsher environments like engine compartments, I will throw a clear shrink over it, but usually only on customer cars, as I've never had a problem on my own. It takes a little time to prepare, but buying a little stack-on(made in USA) cubby container from Walmart and filling it with both 1" and 1/4" bands of each color will keep your actual work time to a minimum and your end results visually consistent. I am also known for spot tying harnesses with waxed lacing, but that's a whole other topic. I always try to keep it simple and consistent and keep detailed notes. As far as wiring diagrams, just draw them by hand for each discreet circuit, one for the overall grounding scheme of the car, and one for power distribution. No one in their right mind needs a diagram for the entire electrical system. Try working out of the original manual for a 51 ford. The only diagram is the whole system, with a few anciliary diagrams for optional accessories like directionals and reverse lights. Otherwise it's all on one page and totally useless. Just keep it simple. Good luck.
interesting...the last tube project I did (15 years ago) I did the same thing. A vacuum tube digital clock, with a neon bulb display. I modified an existing tube frequency counter, to make the clock...it just counts cycles of the 60 Hz power line. http://selectric.org/tubeclock/index.html .
My other hobby is pinball machines. I'm used to working with these: http://www.zaccaria-pinball.com/em/moonflight/Moon-Flight-Schematics.pdf which are ladder diagrams, I guess, or maybe wiring diagram, depending on how you look at it. These are electromechanical devices, just wire, relays, switches, motors, and Solenoids. For solid state games, schematics like: http://www.zaccaria-pinball.com/gen2/1b11165-schematic.jpg are what I use. This is for troubleshooting and repairing faulty circuit boards. For do***enting a car wiring, ladder / wiring makes sense to me.
Pinball machines are fun! but here is most of the schematic from the last car I wired. Nothing complicated...and I try to put the connectors roughly where they are in real life, so it's easier to trace stuff.
We use a Tyco thermal marking system at work (used to be made by Raychem) that uses shrink markers mounted on bandoliers. This is what the sleeving looks like. http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/40572.pdf Definitely too expensive for home use. Unless you want to go into the marker business on the side. Lots of places buy their cable markers.
Where I work we were tasked with completely rewiring some transit buses in the early 90's. We purchased a Kroy shrink tube marker 600. Purchased 500' roles of cross link wire, all white and labeled each wire. The marking held up through multiply engine and ch***is washes. Still have the marker today, still use it. Worth the money and time on a personal vehicle? Not sure. But it worked well in a commercial application. B
We use Autodesk AutoCAD at work and you can actually pick up a monthly or annual subscription license for a bare bones LT package for pretty cheap now. Could be worth it if you're fairly computer savvy and also interested in designing parts and having pieces made with CNC machines. Alternatively if you're starting with a factory or even aftermarket loom that you want to repair or modify, I'd recommend tracking down the original diagram and using Adobe Illustrator to run an artwork trace, which will turn everything into editable linework so you can add colours, labels, move stuff around etc. Or if you're really on a budget import a jpeg or tiff into MS paint and draw over the top of it. Here's a sample of one I did with Illustrator/Photoshop, when modifying and fixing an OT factory loom (coloured circuits are what I was messing with). Nice to have if something goes wrong and in the unlikely event of getting someone else to work on your ride
Hi All, Sorry to drop off..."work happens" sometimes!?!?!? >You have not provided any clues about what kind of car you're working on, or what kind of wiring harness is in it now (original or aftermarket, or home made). More info, and pictures especially, will help us help you figure out what to do. Sorry...a slight fib... The application is actually a homebuilt airplane that I purchased from another person ...I did not want to muddy the waters with throwing an airplane into a car forum...I am new to airplane construction so I ran to the only lifeline I knew of...My Cyber Boyz on the HAMB who have been there for me over these last years with LOTS of car projects!!! The airplane was built in 2004 and it seems in airplane construction they use only white wire...ALL WIRE IS WHITE...even the ground wires. Who knew?!?!? The builder did a good job and the installation looks professional...however he did not provide any type of schmatic of any kind, The builder has since died and with him the schematic dies as well. Now...it looks like my new hobby is to track down the various wires...yes I could just jump on it as is ...however what new toy is as much fun to play with without looking her over from top to bottom and explore every nook and...well...nevermind... So...it looks like I will buy a wire marker that uses a simple label maker of sorts to print out the heat shrink tubing (white with black letters) and then shrink it down onto the wire...then I will use clear heat shrink tubing to cover the printed on labels ... Would be nice to find a simple schematic software to draw in basis components and then wire in the various wires that connect the components...Grrrr.
You could abuse some schematic drawing software (http://www.expresspcb.com/). Or use their board layout software to draw your diagrams. You'd have to make your own components, but that's pretty easy to do.
One option is to get lengths of clear heat shrink and print your own labels. There are waterproof map papers for laserjets & injets. Batch print wire labels & cut labels to a small strip then slide clear heat shrink on wire with label inside then shrink. I had a couple part rolls of the wiring labeling tape from a printer that I printed on with a fine Sharpie. The printing has to be small & neat. The label tape heat shrinks & remains legible after shrinking. Good enough in a safe place out of sunlight under the dash. Both methods worked down to 18 ga.
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