Cable without colours

[mattylad]

Its how I learnt to read, did you read differently?

I don't see road signs written upside down or backwards, my schematic drawing programs would have text left to right, my books have it left to right, all technical documentation I have is left to right reading
so why would the wires inside a cabinet have to be any different.

It's about making it so that it can be read quickly, easily and without mistaking it.
If turning text round in your head you can make mistakes and get the number wrong, I have seen it happen many a time, especially when there are others nearby that are the right way around.

There may be a standard for it but Im not gonna bother to look it up.

 

[SUNRAY]

Its how I learnt to read, did you read differently?

I don't see road signs written upside down or backwards, my schematic drawing programs would have text left to right, my books have it left to right, all technical documentation I have is left to right reading
so why would the wires inside a cabinet have to be any different.

It's about making it so that it can be read quickly, easily and without mistaking it.
If turning text round in your head you can make mistakes and get the number wrong, I have seen it happen many a time, especially when there are others nearby that are the right way around.

There may be a standard for it but Im not gonna bother to look it up.

Far more intuitive to read away from or towards the end of the wire across the board and its far easier to load a whole series of numbers on the needle all the same way round and prep the wires before placing into the panel.

I frequenty find where mods have happened and wires are moved from the top of a device to the bottom and suddenly the panel is higglety pigglety and with the best will in the world it is a time consuming exercise to keep turning markings round and liable to errors.

one of the deciding factors is what the designer/consultant has specified.

 

[JohnW2]

I don't see road signs written upside down or backwards, my schematic drawing programs would have text left to right, my books have it left to right, all technical documentation I have is left to right reading so why would the wires inside a cabinet have to be any different.
It's about making it so that it can be read quickly, easily and without mistaking it. If turning text round in your head you can make mistakes and get the number wrong ....

That's all very reasonable, but it's only really applicable in cases (like Sunray's pic) when the conductors/wires are horizontal.

If, as in single phase CUs (and other things found in domestic and some commercial installations), most of the conductors/wires are vertical then, if standard cable markers are used, if you work on such installations you presumably have to try to learn to "turn text around in your head" without making too many mistakes!

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

Its how I learnt to read, did you read differently?

I don't see road signs written upside down or backwards, my schematic drawing programs would have text left to right, my books have it left to right, all technical documentation I have is left to right reading
so why would the wires inside a cabinet have to be any different.

It's about making it so that it can be read quickly, easily and without mistaking it.
If turning text round in your head you can make mistakes and get the number wrong, I have seen it happen many a time, especially when there are others nearby that are the right way around.

There may be a standard for it but Im not gonna bother to look it up.

And what happens when the wires are terminated into something that is not firmly fixed? Or can be viewed from both sides? Or as I've had on more than one occassion... upside down? Or a ceiling mounted panel?

 

[SUNRAY]

That's all very reasonable, but it's only really applicable in cases (like Sunray's pic) when the conductors/wires are horizontal.

If, as in single phase CUs (and other things found in domestic and some commercial installations), most of the conductors/wires are vertical then, if standard cable markers are used, if you work on such installations you presumably have to try to learn to "turn text around in your head" without making too many mistakes!

Kind Regards, John

Oh do you mean just like in RF's picture??

 

[JohnW2]

Oh do you mean just like in RF's picture??

I do.

I presume that mattylad would make mistakes in reading those.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

With all ribbing/joviality aside I'd make the statement that the majority of the time I'll read the colours and not the text and having them in different formats can and very much does cause mistakes to be made. All reading from or to the end of the wire is the most reliable, easiest and by far the quickest to install and read.
The thought of making a common line (eg 0V or control circuit) with hundreds of connexions and have to think about which way a number goes on makes me shudder. There are so many more important things to fill a wiremans head.

 

[SUNRAY]

I do.

I presume that mattylad would make mistakes in reading those.

Kind Regards, John

and he would have to come up with a specification whether they should read up or down. I suspect I know which and would have to disagree it. I will be honest with my comment if Matty does give an opinion.

 

[JohnW2]

With all ribbing/joviality aside I'd make the statement that the majority of the time I'll read the colours and not the text and having them in different formats can and very much does cause mistakes to be made. All reading from or to the end of the wire is the most reliable, easiest and by far the quickest to install and read.

Yes, of course - it's really a totally trivial issue. Despite what has been said, if there is need to "twist one's head" or "rotate things in one's mind", one will hopefully exercise the additional caution needed to ensure that one is not reading incorrectly.

Kind Regards, John

 

[mattylad]

Of course there are going to be exceptions, but if you try and make it so that it is as easy to read most of the time, less mistakes will be made most of the time.
This is the most important thing, forget you if you wired it - you will likely remember it best but consider others coming along to work on it after your long gone.
They may not be as clever as you

Dyslexia is actually very common, as is poor eyesight in older people (and I don't mean as old as your gran!).

Of course colored numbers are better but you can still get those wrong if you cannot read the direction of them because they are not always facing you.

As for vertical wires, pick a direction and be consistent.
I always try to achieve bottom to top if the door is on the left, top to bottom if the door is on the right due to the available space when sticking your head in a panel.

Also, your handness comes into it, a left handed person (in my limited experience) generally goes for the opposite way to how I have described it.

Your gonna make me dig out the standard now aint ya? lol

 

[JohnW2]

Also, your handness comes into it, a left handed person (in my limited experience) generally goes for the opposite way to how I have described it.

So what happens when a left-handed person comes to work on something that you have labelled?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Simon35]

Of course there are going to be exceptions, but if you try and make it so that it is as easy to read most of the time, less mistakes will be made most of the time.
This is the most important thing, forget you if you wired it - you will likely remember it best but consider others coming along to work on it after your long gone.
They may not be as clever as you

Dyslexia is actually very common, as is poor eyesight in older people (and I don't mean as old as your gran!).

Of course colored numbers are better but you can still get those wrong if you cannot read the direction of them because they are not always facing you.

As for vertical wires, pick a direction and be consistent.
I always try to achieve bottom to top if the door is on the left, top to bottom if the door is on the right due to the available space when sticking your head in a panel.

Also, your handness comes into it, a left handed person (in my limited experience) generally goes for the opposite way to how I have described it.

Your gonna make me dig out the standard now aint ya? lol

CEGB standard is for all numbering to read away from the terminal, regardless of what that does to orientation, or your neck.

That's an old standard of course.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

Beautiful wiring RF and Sunray. Both of you must have very tiny hands.

 

[SUNRAY]

Beautiful wiring RF and Sunray. Both of you must have very tiny hands.

Tiny doesn't describe me at all, 9" span.
I have to say that mine is not one of my proudest jobs. I had very limited scaff tower time to run the SY cables and earths, terminate them, replace ceiling tiles and box lids and test. Accordingly it was pre-prepared and put in quickly.

 

[SUNRAY]

Beautiful wiring RF and Sunray. Both of you must have very tiny hands.

Tiny doesn't describe me at all, 9" span.
Thanks for the compliment but I have to say that is not one of my proudest jobs. I had very limited scaff tower time to run the SY cables and earths, terminate them, replace ceiling tiles and box lids and test. Accordingly it was pre-prepared and put in quickly.

The other two.