MJC wrote:
Looking for some input:
I don't really see a need to buy several different colors of electrical
wire for my homebuilt when you can easily use just one color (white?) to do
it all. The only thing you then need to do is to mark the ends of the wires
to identify the circuits and where it all goes (easy enough). In fact, your
electrical scematics would be even better if each terminal were identified
with a proprietary number rather than just a color of wire or colored
marker.
So what I'm asking is if anyone of you have gone the wire marking route,
and if so, what type and brand of tape, or collars, or whatever you have
found to be not only frugal, but also to be permanent and not fall off at
some time later?

TIA
MJC


Personally I hot stamp my wires, but that requires a special machine.

You could type or hand write wire numbers or other information on a
piece of paper, cut it to size and hold it in place on your wire with
clear heat shrink. You can get sharpies in most of the colours used in
the resister colour code and draw bands on the wires.

One thing to keep in mind is distance of the run. If all the wires are
white and they go through bulkheads or in bundles with other wires
running any more than a few feet you can easily lose track of the one
you are chasing. The solution is to mark each wire every 18 or 20 inches.

Also you want the end markings to be an inch or two from the end so as
to be not covered by what ever connector it goes into. You can also
replace the connector/terminal without lopping off your markings.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired