Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 52 replies
  • Subscribers 530 subscribers
  • Views 3709 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

How do you make reliable, low-cost cables quickly?

dougw

I do lots of electronics design and building and inevitably need to make lots of cables. Since making cables is not my favorite activity, I try to use methods that are quick while still providing reliable connections. And of course I always need to keep the costs down.

This short post shows a couple of the main ways I accomplish these objectives.

image

Yodamonk, the cable guru.

Custom Cable Methods

Discussion

I haven't posted much content lately so I thought I would post something about making cables. This activity is not usually exciting enough to be a great blogging topic, but I also wanted to play around a bit with some AI media generation. (No AI text though) The tough Yodamonk dude came out amazing.

I am always looking for efficient ways to make useful cables, so if you have any interesting tips, please jot them down below...

Parents

  • I don't have any tips. Just more questions: How do you document cables efficiently and easy to understand?

    Obvious answers would be: my favourite CAD program, Excel, Visio/Inkscape, Paint, special cable doc software, ... 

    I used to work at a company, where the 1st correct cable was put on the copy machine and scanned for documentation. 

Reply

  • I don't have any tips. Just more questions: How do you document cables efficiently and easy to understand?

    Obvious answers would be: my favourite CAD program, Excel, Visio/Inkscape, Paint, special cable doc software, ... 

    I used to work at a company, where the 1st correct cable was put on the copy machine and scanned for documentation. 

Children
  • in reply to wolfgangfriedrich

    When I worked at Chrysler, I learned a nice way to document cables using this technique:

    1) Have a picture of the end of the connector and label the connector with part number and manufacturer.

    2) Label what end of the connector your picture is looking at, pin side or solder side

    3) Label picture pins or sockets end, pin part number or socket part number

    4)  For each connector add a matrix table of pins to the picture listing the following

    -  Connector name, pin name, pin number, wire AWG/part number, wire color, wire length, Other end connector name, Other end pin number

    5) There may be other items on the cable to list including splices, tape areas, loom or other covering, inline fuses or fuse wire, etc.

    It takes time to document, but it's nice to have later on when diagnosing problems.

  • in reply to wolfgangfriedrich

    I store any cable docs in the project design directory and I have a subdirectory for datasheets. Pinouts are usually on the schematic or in a spreadsheet that lists part numbers, pin numbers, function and connectivity. I don't generally need photos since I generally use my standard techniques to build cables and nobody else is ever involved.

  • in reply to dougw

    If I build something for someone else, I try and pack a schematic inside the enclosure just in case someone in the future needs to work on it.