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Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

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art(at)zemon.name
Guest

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 7:23 pm Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Folks,



I have all but two of the components for my instrument panel in-hand so it's time to start building the wiring harness. Other than obvious stuff, like draw it out on paper before starting to solder and crimp, do you have any tips or suggestions for how to construct this complex piece of wire and connectors?

Thanks,

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

yellowduckduo(at)gmail.co
Guest

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 3:47 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Over the  years I'm surprised at how many little additions and changes 

I've made. They would have been easier if I'd been more careful about 

marking both ends of every wire. Some of my changes were not as well 

documented as the original build which didn't help. Using mostly white 

wire because it was cheaper and easily available didn't help. Obviously 

access to wiring will become more difficult later so the little things 

will help later on. Using lacing instead of tie wraps worked well for me.

Ken



On 25/08/2017 11:14 PM, Art Zemon wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Folks,



 I have all but two of the components for my instrument panel in-hand 

 so it's time to start building the wiring harness. Other than obvious 

 stuff, like draw it out on paper before starting to solder and crimp, 

 do you have any tips or suggestions for how to construct this complex 

 piece of wire and connectors?



 Thanks,

     -- Art Z.



 -- 

 https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/



 /"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, 

 what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel/

cbirdsall6(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 1:18 pm Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Art,



Here's my tuppence worth ...



Implement your harness build with the idea I mind that you're going to have to get into it again at a later date and when you're a bit older than you are now...

  - service loops so you can remove items for maintenance

  - make things a "modular" as you can without adding excessive complexity

     -- if you build it so that all or significant parts can be removed without a big hassle it makes it easier later to modify or repair

  - it's very helpful to have the panel on the bench, with the trays  and components installed ... wire it from the back of the panel on the bench, power and test on the bench and then install in the airplane. 

  - color code where possible and within reasonable budget constraints ( red=power, black=ground, yellow=lighting, etc)

  - (use the same color wires on multi-conductor cables to do the same job throughout ... if you use the blue striped wire as an audio low on one headphone jack, do it for all of them) 

  - label wires. I use a Bee3+ heat shrink printer, but white heat shrink and a sharpie would be cheaper and just as effective. 

  - build a neat harness. Plan ahead as much as possible. It's a 3-d puzzle. Think about flight control movement and possible interference issues. I start with the fattest bunch first (com/nav audio lines), plan the route of the first one and then add in one at a time, sizing to fit the route for each. Then go with the next fattest bunch. I use cheap zip ties as temporary stays and then lace up when done and remove the zip ties (carefully)

  - where you use connectors to join harnesses, build it so it's impossible to hook the wrong ones together (if you have three sets of 9-pin mini molex connectors, it's too easy to confuse em)

  - offset shield ties, soldered junctions, etc at the point of entry into the connector backshells so they don't all wind up at the same place in the wire bundle, making an unwieldy lump. 



Chuck



On Aug 26, 2017, at 06:46, C&K <yellowduckduo(at)gmail.com> wrote:






Over the  years I'm surprised at how many little additions and changes I've made. They would have been easier if I'd been more careful about marking both ends of every wire. Some of my changes were not as well documented as the original build which didn't help. Using mostly white wire because it was cheaper and easily available didn't help. Obviously access to wiring will become more difficult later so the little things will help later on. Using lacing instead of tie wraps worked well for me.

Ken



 	  Quote: 	
		   On 25/08/2017 11:14 PM, Art Zemon wrote:

 Folks,

 

 I have all but two of the components for my instrument panel in-hand so it's time to start building the wiring harness. Other than obvious stuff, like draw it out on paper before starting to solder and crimp, do you have any tips or suggestions for how to construct this complex piece of wire and connectors?

 

 Thanks,

    -- Art Z.

 

 -- 

 https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/

 

 /"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel/

jonlaury

Joined: 06 Nov 2006
Posts: 336

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Over time, I found the text made with fine pt Sharpie on white heat shrink fades/runs. Wish I had stayed with my original method of inkjet printed on white paper then cut into strips to be inserted inside clear heat shrink. They are crisp and legible, years later.



 Tag your circuits with masking tape/Sharpie. Precut heat shrink to slide as many as you need on a wire, and pick a time just to insert labels and shrink the covers. Goes pretty quick that way. 



Use Red for power, Black for ground. Additional color coding consistency. Try to keep it simple and use your wirebook to denote deviations.

Dave Saylor

Joined: 11 Jan 2015
Posts: 207
Location: GILROY, CA

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:48 pm Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

I find it helpful to run all the serial wires into one side of a single connector, then jumper as necessary with the other side of the connector.Â  Put the main end of it someplace where you can pull it out from under the panel and work on it in your lap.Â  My experience is that there are always things that want another flavor of serial data, and it makes it easy to distribute.Â  I've used 100-pin CPC connectors in the past.



--Dave

On Fri, Aug 25, 2017 at 8:14 PM, Art Zemon <art(at)zemon.name (art(at)zemon.name)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Folks,



I have all but two of the components for my instrument panel in-hand so it's time to start building the wiring harness. Other than obvious stuff, like draw it out on paper before starting to solder and crimp, do you have any tips or suggestions for how to construct this complex piece of wire and connectors?

Thanks,

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

_________________
--Dave
KWVI

Mauledriver(at)nc.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:25 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

A bit OT but I think many builders       could benefit from the following approach (pun) if they understood       what it does.

       

       My 'harness' was done with the Approach Fast Stack       hub and cables.Â  The panel includes (3) GRT HX EFISs, G430w, G327       Trpdx, PS Audio box, Garmin SL30, and a Trutrak AP (all vintage       2009-10).Â  I ordered the components directly and through various       channels (including Fast Stack I recall) butÂ  in every case I did       not order any kind of harness for any of them.

       

       Instead I supplied the Approach folks with my list of equipment.Â        They asked a few questions and came back to me with their standard       Pro Hub and a list of the customized cables required for the panel       and the desired functionality.Â  Truth be told, I didn't fully       understand which connections were required for which functions,       which were redundant, which were unnecessary.Â  I certainly didn't       have what I needed to plan all the connections between certified       products like the Garmins and experimental products like the       GRTs.Â  Challenges included the fact that Garmin primarily supports       their dealer network and GRT documentation always lagged a bit       behind delivery of functionality.

       

       But the folks at Approach fullyÂ  understood what connections were       required and did things that took me a year or more to fully       understand how complete a job they did.Â  And all I had to do was       to mount their hub under the panel, plug in the cables, and wire a       handful of power and ground pigtails to my electrical system.Â  The       hub is a hardware-only device that looks like a collection of       D-Sub connectors.Â  There's a cable from each panel component to       the hubÂ  with no direct component to component connections.Â        Upgrading or replacing a component generally just involves getting       a new cable from Fast Stack.

       

       And perhaps most valuable of all, the entire 'harness' is fully       documented for your installation.

       

       Any of you that have installed a full IFR panel with full Nav,       RNAV, and a 2 axis AP functions know that it takes awhile to learn       your way around the many capabilities.Â  The good part is that I       found every single necessary connection and option had been wired       up correctly and reliably through the Fast Stack hub and cables.Â        I just wish it could have pushed all the necessary buttons at the       right time.

       

       Doing a DIY panel still involves a lot of planning wiring,       labeling and documentation.Â  Using Fast Stack still qualifies as a       DIY panel with all the satisfaction and $$$ savings that can be       realized.... and a whole lot less headache pain.Â  Looking back       after 6 years of flying my panel, I would do it the same way if I       did it again.

       

       Sorry for hitch-hiking on this thread.

       

       Bill "back to paying a bunch of bills and doing paperwork" Watson

       

       

       On 8/25/2017 11:14 PM, Art Zemon wrote:

     

      	  Quote: 	
		         Folks,         

         

         I have all but two of the components for my instrument           panel in-hand so it's time to start building the wiring           harness. Other than obvious stuff, like draw it out on paper           before starting to solder and crimp, do you have any tips or           suggestions for how to construct this complex piece of wire           and connectors?

         

         

         Thanks,

         Â  Â  -- Art Z.           

           

           -- 

                                                        https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/                                      "If                     I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only                     for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

                 

               

             

           

         

       

     	
     



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art(at)zemon.name
Guest

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:10 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Jon,



This is very disturbing. How much time? All of the wiring that I already have in the plane has been labeled with Sharpies on white heat shrink. I can still relabel a bunch of it if necessary.

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



On Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM, jonlaury <jonlaury(at)impulse.net (jonlaury(at)impulse.net)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Over time, I found the text made with fine pt Sharpie on white heat shrink fades/runs. Wish I had stayed with my original method of inkjet printed on white paper then cut into strips to be inserted inside clear heat shrink. They are crisp and legible, years later.

 	




-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

art(at)zemon.name
Guest

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:28 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Thank you, everybody! Lots of good ideas, some I already am doing and some are new. I had not thought of actually mounting my instrument panel on the bench, wiring it from the back, and testing it before installing in the plane. I will definitely do that.

Cheers,

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

user9253

Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1908
Location: Riley TWP Michigan

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:46 am Post subject: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

I have not used a Sharpie to mark wires.  But I have used a Sharpie to mark other stuff and agree that it will fade over time, depending on the material and length of time.

_________________
Joe Gores

ceengland7(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:51 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Interesting result. Seems to demonstrate a principle I always try to remember with homebuilt activities: Any variation in materials, techniques, etc can vary outcome.



For a labeling 'variation', I've got a cheap Brother P-touch PT-530 label printer. Configuring it for minimal label waste isn't possible, so I've used some of the wasted material to hand-label with a black Sharpie brand pen. To test, I left one outdoors, in the MS sun, for over a month, with no issues.Â 

A strange idiosyncrasy of the label material is that it sticks tenaciously to almost any surface, but when you fold it around a wire, it doesn't want to stick to itself. (?) After a few days, almost every label I initially applied to wires had either dropped off, or was just barely hanging on where the bend point touched the wire. I can't remember how I discovered this, but if I press one half of the sticky surface on my finger (which almost always has a bit of dust/dirt on it while working), and then re-fold the label onto itself, it never releases again. So now, any time I'm labeling wires, I press half the sticky surface on a finger before folding it over a wire. Works fine; seems to last a long time.

Charlie

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On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 6:57 AM, Art Zemon <art(at)zemon.name (art(at)zemon.name)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Jon,



This is very disturbing. How much time? All of the wiring that I already have in the plane has been labeled with Sharpies on white heat shrink. I can still relabel a bunch of it if necessary.

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



On Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM, jonlaury <jonlaury(at)impulse.net (jonlaury(at)impulse.net)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Over time, I found the text made with fine pt Sharpie on white heat shrink fades/runs. Wish I had stayed with my original method of inkjet printed on white paper then cut into strips to be inserted inside clear heat shrink. They are crisp and legible, years later.

 	




-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

brian.lester(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 5:27 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

I have used clear heat shrink tube over brother labels to deal with issues of the labels falling off or not sticking well for network cabling. Plan to do the same in my airplane when I get to that point.Â 

On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 8:58 AM Charlie England <ceengland7(at)gmail.com (ceengland7(at)gmail.com)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  Interesting result. Seems to demonstrate a principle I always try to remember with homebuilt activities: Any variation in materials, techniques, etc can vary outcome.



For a labeling 'variation', I've got a cheap Brother P-touch PT-530 label printer. Configuring it for minimal label waste isn't possible, so I've used some of the wasted material to hand-label with a black Sharpie brand pen. To test, I left one outdoors, in the MS sun, for over a month, with no issues.Â 

A strange idiosyncrasy of the label material is that it sticks tenaciously to almost any surface, but when you fold it around a wire, it doesn't want to stick to itself. (?) After a few days, almost every label I initially applied to wires had either dropped off, or was just barely hanging on where the bend point touched the wire. I can't remember how I discovered this, but if I press one half of the sticky surface on my finger (which almost always has a bit of dust/dirt on it while working), and then re-fold the label onto itself, it never releases again. So now, any time I'm labeling wires, I press half the sticky surface on a finger before folding it over a wire. Works fine; seems to last a long time.

Charlie

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On Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 6:57 AM, Art Zemon <art(at)zemon.name (art(at)zemon.name)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Jon,



This is very disturbing. How much time? All of the wiring that I already have in the plane has been labeled with Sharpies on white heat shrink. I can still relabel a bunch of it if necessary.

Â  Â  -- Art Z.



On Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 5:30 PM, jonlaury <jonlaury(at)impulse.net (jonlaury(at)impulse.net)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  Over time, I found the text made with fine pt Sharpie on white heat shrink fades/runs. Wish I had stayed with my original method of inkjet printed on white paper then cut into strips to be inserted inside clear heat shrink. They are crisp and legible, years later.

 	






	




 	  Quote: 	
		  



-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

nadege.pilot(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:04 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Hi all

To Charlie,Â 

I guess this is not a heat transfer type of printer, right? Your model being discontinued IÂ want to make sure I get the right type of printer...

To Brian,



Where do you source your clear heat shrink tube?Â 

Nadege Supornpaibul





________________________________Â  Message 4Â  _____________________________________Time: 05:51:34 AM PST USFrom: Charlie England <ceengland7(at)gmail.com (ceengland7(at)gmail.com)>Subject: Re: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring HarnessInteresting result. Seems to demonstrate a principle I always try toremember with homebuilt activities: Any variation in materials, techniques,etc can vary outcome.For a labeling 'variation', I've got a cheap Brother P-touch PT-530 labelprinter. Configuring it for minimal label waste isn't possible, so I'veused some of the wasted material to hand-label with a black Sharpie brandpen. To test, I left one outdoors, in the MS sun, for over a month, with noissues.A strange idiosyncrasy of the label material is that it sticks tenaciouslyto almost any surface, but when you fold it around a wire, it doesn't wantto stick to itself. (?) After a few days, almost every label I initiallyapplied to wires had either dropped off, or was just barely hanging onwhere the bend point touched the wire. I can't remember how I discoveredthis, but if I press one half of the sticky surface on my finger (whichalmost always has a bit of dust/dirt on it while working), and then re-foldthe label onto itself, it never releases again. So now, any time I'mlabeling wires, I press half the sticky surface on a finger before foldingit over a wire. Works fine; seems to last a long time.Charlie

________________________________Â  Message 6Â  ______________________________Time: 06:27:08 AM PST USFrom: Brian Lester <brian.lester(at)gmail.com (brian.lester(at)gmail.com)>Subject: Re: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring HarnessI have used clear heat shrink tube over brother labels to deal with issuesof the labels falling off or not sticking well for network cabling. Plan todo the same in my airplane when I get to that point.

brian.lester(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:08 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

I typically get from amazon for previous projects. For my plane wire harness I may have to verify what I use won't give off fumes and is flame retardant.Â 

Quick google search shows mil spec stuff is out there. This may be overkill but for about $15 per 100 ft to make sure you get the right stuff it may be worth it. Â http://www.awcwire.com/productspec.aspx?id=st-221-extra-flexible#chart

Anyone have other suggestions or better advice? Â 



On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 5:10 AM NadÃ¨ge S <nadege.pilot(at)gmail.com (nadege.pilot(at)gmail.com)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  Hi all

To Charlie,Â 

I guess this is not a heat transfer type of printer, right? Your model being discontinued IÂ want to make sure I get the right type of printer...

To Brian,



Where do you source your clear heat shrink tube?Â 

Nadege Supornpaibul





________________________________Â  Message 4Â  _____________________________________Time: 05:51:34 AM PST USFrom: Charlie England <ceengland7(at)gmail.com (ceengland7(at)gmail.com)>Subject: Re: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Interesting result. Seems to demonstrate a principle I always try toremember with homebuilt activities: Any variation in materials, techniques,etc can vary outcome.For a labeling 'variation', I've got a cheap Brother P-touch PT-530 labelprinter. Configuring it for minimal label waste isn't possible, so I'veused some of the wasted material to hand-label with a black Sharpie brandpen. To test, I left one outdoors, in the MS sun, for over a month, with noissues.A strange idiosyncrasy of the label material is that it sticks tenaciouslyto almost any surface, but when you fold it around a wire, it doesn't wantto stick to itself. (?) After a few days, almost every label I initiallyapplied to wires had either dropped off, or was just barely hanging onwhere the bend point touched the wire. I can't remember how I discoveredthis, but if I press one half of the sticky surface on my finger (whichalmost always has a bit of dust/dirt on it while working), and then re-foldthe label onto itself, it never releases again. So now, any time I'mlabeling wires, I press half the sticky surface on a finger before foldingit over a wire. Works fine; seems to last a long time.Charlie



________________________________Â  Message 6Â  ______________________________Time: 06:27:08 AM PST USFrom: Brian Lester <brian.lester(at)gmail.com (brian.lester(at)gmail.com)>Subject: Re: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness



I have used clear heat shrink tube over brother labels to deal with issuesof the labels falling off or not sticking well for network cabling. Plan todo the same in my airplane when I get to that point.

nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
Guest

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:48 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

At 05:06 AM 8/30/2017, you wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  I typically get from amazon for previous projects. For my plane wire harness I may have to verify what I use won't give off fumes and is flame retardant.Â 	


   There is no wire that 'does not give off fumes' . . .

   it's just that some fumes are more tolerable than

   others. This is what fuses and circuit breakers

   are for. If you don't set your wires on fire in the

   first place, then fume phobias become moot.



   A similar condition exists for flame ratings of

   the various insulations. Look at the

   manner in which flame testing is generally

   conducted by deliberately igniting a wire and

   (1) observing that the flames go out when source

   is removed and (2) the sample doesn't drop

   flaming globs. 



   Okay, let us conjure up the scenario that

   forces you to conduct a flame resistance

   test in flight on your airplane? What would

   the flame source be? Where are potentially

   victim wires be located? Assuming that there

   IS a flame source tormenting your wires, what

   would you suppose your greatest concern might be?



   Dripping fireballs?



   Of all the GA aircraft accidents I've either

   worked or became familiar with, I can recall

   few instances of an in flight fire. July

   10, 1999 when the pilot of an RV8 departed

   his aircraft seconds before ground impact.

   The fire started as result of dynamic engine

   disassembly.



   Some of you may be aware of some others. I'm

   vaguely remembering a GlasAir accident where

   a firewall penetrations for a fuel line

   came loose  . . . was that an in-flight fire? 



   The point being that in the history of unhappy

   days in the GA aircraft cockpit, concerns for

   type of wire used on the aircraft should be a few

   notches above deciding the color of the accent

   stripe on the paint job.



   Steinair, B&C and ACS are all good sources for

   Tefzel bitty-wires, nice and floppy welding

   cable is fine for fat-wires. 



 

   Bob . . .

brian.lester(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:13 pm Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Bob,  thank you for the sanity check! I'm sure I'm not the only one to "overthink" things and always happy to get some good advice from those with more experience! Â 

On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 2:53 PM Robert L. Nuckolls, III <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com (nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com)> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		    At 05:06 AM 8/30/2017, you wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  I typically get from amazon for previous projects. For my plane wire harness I may have to verify what I use won't give off fumes and is flame retardant.Ã‚ 	


 Â  There is no wire that 'does not give off fumes' . . .

 Â  it's just that some fumes are more tolerable than

 Â  others. This is what fuses and circuit breakers

 Â  are for. If you don't set your wires on fire in the

 Â  first place, then fume phobias become moot.



 Â  A similar condition exists for flame ratings of

 Â  the various insulations. Look at the

 Â  manner in which flame testing is generally

 Â  conducted by deliberately igniting a wire and

 Â  (1) observing that the flames go out when source

 Â  is removed and (2) the sample doesn't drop

 Â  flaming globs. 



 Â  Okay, let us conjure up the scenario that

 Â  forces you to conduct a flame resistance

 Â  test in flight on your airplane? What would

 Â  the flame source be? Where are potentially

 Â  victim wires be located? Assuming that there

 Â  IS a flame source tormenting your wires, what

 Â  would you suppose your greatest concern might be?



 Â  Dripping fireballs?



 Â  Of all the GA aircraft accidents I've either

 Â  worked or became familiar with, I can recall

 Â  few instances of an in flight fire. July

 Â  10, 1999 when the pilot of an RV8 departed

 Â  his aircraft seconds before ground impact.

 Â  The fire started as result of dynamic engine

 Â  disassembly.



 Â  Some of you may be aware of some others. I'm

 Â  vaguely remembering a GlasAir accident where

 Â  a firewall penetrations for a fuel line

 Â  came looseÂ  . . . was that an in-flight fire? 



 Â  The point being that in the history of unhappy

 Â  days in the GA aircraft cockpit, concerns for

 Â  type of wire used on the aircraft should be a few

 Â  notches above deciding the color of the accent

 Â  stripe on the paint job.



 Â  Steinair, B&C and ACS are all good sources for

 Â  Tefzel bitty-wires, nice and floppy welding

 Â  cable is fine for fat-wires. 



 

 Â  Bob . . .

jonlaury

Joined: 06 Nov 2006
Posts: 336

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:21 pm Post subject: Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

 	  art(at)zemon.name wrote: 	
		  Jon,



This is very disturbing. How much time? All of the wiring that I already have in the plane has been labeled with Sharpies on white heat shrink. I can still relabel a bunch of it if necessary. 	




It occurred, IIR, mostly under the cowl after I started doing ground engine runs, so it's probably heat related. I'm thinking that things started to change in less than a year after subjected to heat...maybe sooner. When everything worked as expected after initial engine runs, I had no reason to dig into wire bundles. It was during first flight that some bugs turned up that caused me to take apart some bundles and discover illegible markings.



For now, I've contented myself in thinking that if it all works fine, then there's no need to be able to ID what I wrote. If it doesn't work fine, then I'll diagnose, ID and relabel then. Or if everything is ducky and I feel a burning need for a project, I'll swallow the frog then.  

Â

ceengland7(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:08 pm Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Hi Nadege,

       

       I honestly don't remember the tech used in that printer, but heat       does not affect the labels. I actually checked one with a       soldering iron, before committing to using that label printer.

       

       I use clear heatshrink over soldered joints when possible, just so       I can visually inspect without cutting it off. You should be able       to get clear from just about any vendor in the USA. Don't know       about the rest of the world.

       

       Charlie

       

       On 8/30/2017 4:02 AM, NadÃ¨ge S wrote:

     

      	  Quote: 	
		                  Hi all

         

           

         To Charlie,Â 

         I guess this             is not a heat transfer type of printer, right? Your model             being discontinued IÂ want to make sure I get the right type             of printer...

         

           

         To Brian,

           

         Where do you             source your clear heat shrink tube?Â 

         

           

         Nadege             Supornpaibul

         

           

                    

             

           ________________________________Â  Message 4Â            _____________________________________         Time: 05:51:34 AM           PST US         From: Charlie           England <ceengland7(at)gmail.com (ceengland7(at)gmail.com)>         Subject: Re:           Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness                  Interesting result.           Seems to demonstrate a principle I always try to         remember with           homebuilt activities: Any variation in materials, techniques,         etc can vary           outcome.                  For a labeling           'variation', I've got a cheap Brother P-touch PT-530 label         printer.           Configuring it for minimal label waste isn't possible, so I've         used some of the           wasted material to hand-label with a black Sharpie brand         pen. To test, I           left one outdoors, in the MS sun, for over a month, with no         issues.                  A strange           idiosyncrasy of the label material is that it sticks           tenaciously         to almost any           surface, but when you fold it around a wire, it doesn't want         to stick to itself.           (?) After a few days, almost every label I initially         applied to wires           had either dropped off, or was just barely hanging on         where the bend           point touched the wire. I can't remember how I discovered         this, but if I           press one half of the sticky surface on my finger (which         almost always has a           bit of dust/dirt on it while working), and then re-fold         the label onto           itself, it never releases again. So now, any time I'm         labeling wires, I           press half the sticky surface on a finger before folding         it over a wire.           Works fine; seems to last a long time.                  Charlie

         ________________________________Â  Message 6Â              ______________________________                                 Time: 06:27:08 AM             PST US           From: Brian             Lester <brian.lester(at)gmail.com (brian.lester(at)gmail.com)>           Subject: Re:             Re: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness                      I have used clear             heat shrink tube over brother labels to deal with issues           of the labels             falling off or not sticking well for network cabling. Plan             to           do the same in my             airplane when I get to that point.

           

       

     	
     

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art(at)zemon.name
Guest

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:24 am Post subject: Tips for Building a Wiring Harness

Jon,

That's a relief! I am most concerned about the labeling inside the cabin and behind the instrument panel. Forward of the firewall will be very simple in my plane and it won't matter much if the labels fade.

Â  Â  -- Art Z.

On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 3:21 PM, jonlaury <jonlaury(at)impulse.net (jonlaury(at)impulse.net)> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  art(at)zemon.name wrote:

 > Jon,

 >

 > This is very disturbing. How much time? All of the wiring that I already have in the plane has been labeled with Sharpies on white heat shrink. I can still relabel a bunch of it if necessary.

 It occurred, IIR, mostly under the cowl after I started doing ground engine runs, so it's probably heat related. I'm thinking that things started to change in less than a year after subjected to heat...maybe sooner. When everything worked as expected after initial engine runs, I had no reason to dig into wire bundles. It was during first flight that some bugs turned up that caused me to take apart some bundles and discover illegible markings. 	

-- 

https://CheerfulCurmudgeon.com/"If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Hillel

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