Previous Tips:
http://www.element14.com/community/people/jw0752/blog/2015/05/11/shop-tips--plate-glass
http://www.element14.com/community/people/jw0752/blog/2015/05/16/shop-tips--mind-the-wires
http://www.element14.com/community/people/jw0752/blog/2015/05/14/shop-tips--power-to-the-bread-board
Storing Hookup Wires:
Three weeks ago I got started dealing with hookup wire issues. The problems with using wires with poor connections and unknown resistance properties were covered in the first blog. Next we made some new power supply hookup wires, one set with alligator clips and a second with bread board pins. This time I will share some ideas on what to do with the wires between uses. How do you store your test and hookup wires when they are not in use? Does this look familiar?
As part of the update process that was begun with the first blog post the hookup wires that are going to be used in the shop have been checked for proper connections. They have each been measured for resistance and tagged with resistance and other identification. Finally the hookup wires were paired so that they are matched Red and Black and tied together in a pair. A 16 GA brass wire was bent to create a way of tying the two wires together with a goal of using the same brass wire as a way to hang the wires on the wall. Here is the brass wire that was used to make the ties along with a sample of a tie for two wires and a tie for single wires.
The ties are put loosely on the two hookup wires close to the banana plugs. This allows the wires to slide inside the ties so that there is no restriction on how separated the banana plugs can be. The only restriction that is required is that the wires stay together as a pair and that when they are not being used they can be hung on a wall or peg board. The finished wire pairs with the tie and labels look like this:
At this point my work should have been through but just like many of you my shop space is limited and already quite cramped. In my case the only open wall space available in the shop to hang the power hookup wires was back in a corner and a meter out of reach. I can best illustrate with a couple of pictures.
Except for the inaccessibility the wall space was perfectly situated and convenient so the idea was to build a rack for the wires with hooks. I would use the stick in the picture with a hook on the end of it to hang and retrieve the wires as needed from the rack. Here is a picture of the rack that was put together from an old piece of wood molding and some hooks from the hardware store. Also here is a picture of how the wire is held by the stick with a hook.
Now came the hard part. I wasn't kidding when I said that the corner wasn't very accessible. Without disassembling my bench, which wasn't going to happen, there was no easy way to get into the corner to mount the rack. My age also works against me now days. In the old days I would climb on top of or over the bench and do what had to be done. This is no longer an option. Finally I was able to get a small step ladder near the corner and by going to the top and hanging out vertically I was able to screw the rack to the wall. No pictures of this operation exist. Incidentally, before putting the rack on the wall I labeled it so that the different types of hookup wire could be organized.
I have now been using the hanging wire solution for a couple weeks and it is easy and convenient. The wires are easy to find and are no longer as curled up as they used to be. At least for me and my shop this has been a good solution to the problem of messy wires in a box.
John
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