[sdiy] Cable Label choices and Preparation Methods

[chris]

After having gone through the scotch tape and gaffa mess, I went for
something like this: search for e.g. ebay item 352374828521

Using a permanent CD pen, this is quite durable. When exposed to direct
sunlight, it may fade somewhat over the years but stays visible.

Quick to install, easy to remove, and dirt cheap.

The only downside is that when removing a cable between others, it may
not come out easily because the label sticks out from the plug. But I
can live with that. Obviously, the long cable tie end should be clipped
after tightening.

And BTW, I stopped using IN and OUT on labels - depending on which end
you're looking at, it's getting ambiguous. E.g. MIDI cables naturally go
from an OUT to an IN, so there's always both terms involved.
I now use designations like "From Juno-6" or "To D-50", which make sense
on both ends.

Chris



On Tue, 25 May 2021 02:33:05 -0400 Tom Farrand via Synth-diy
<synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:

> I finally have the makings for a smaller-studio in my basement.  Recently I
> received a batch of cables of assorted descriptions such as "guitar
> cables", MIDI cables, various other audio cables, and cables dedicated to a
> Mackie mixer from assorted gizmos as well as dedicated wiring to things
> like equalizers, reverbs, vocoder, etc.
> 
> How does one identify cable ends such that the device connection is
> uniquely identified as "*AF OUT BassStation*" or other identity.  I was
> planning to mark each cable end using Panduit LJSL11-Y3 labels.  These work
> a treat, are printed on a laser printer exactly as one would want, and I
> have used these commercially in the control panel business for labeling
> "inside" wiring on various control systems.  My issue is that these label
> blanks are rather expensive and are only sold in quantities of 1,000 labels
> at the minimum.  There are 28 label blanks on each 8.5" x 11" sheet.  (You
> can print only one label per pass or the whole sheet of 28.  Your choice.)
> A thousand labels cost about $350.00.  That's a lot of money for labeling
> cables.  Sure, these Panduit labels work a treat but damn, $350 is a lot of
> dough for labeling.  But I do want something that is bullet-proof in
> readability, and won't discolor over long periods of time.  And I sure
> don't want any gooey adhesive that will migrate over time due to heat,
> humidity, or other environmental issues.
> 
> As a very late-comer to the party, I have no idea what others do for
> labeling that does not cost a fortune, does not take 20 minutes to label
> one end of a cable, and won't destroy itself over time.  Since I bought
> commercially made cables and snakes, there is no opportunity to affix a
> label on a cable end unless the label can be applied circumferentially to a
> cable near the connector.  Using a heat-shrink gun and some shrink tubing
> won't cut it unless there is a secret I don't know about!
> 
> Any ideas are welcome!  Sometimes a couple of ideas might be merged to
> devise something new as a solution.
> 
> I would have made my own cables and this problem would not exist.  Trouble
> is, I now have arthritis that is quite painful and I have a "trigger
> finger" on each hand.  This is rather debilitating but I figure I can fix
> my musical mistakes, more or less in post.  (Wishful thinking?  Probably.)
> I am now an old guy with white hair.  This whole bit of nonsense is the
> fault of Robert Moog.  After he gave a lecture at NIU back in 1973, I had
> the privilege of discussing the future of synthesizers with Dr. Moog for
> about an hour, post-lecture.  Wow! We chatted uninterrupted for an hour!
> What a very generous and kind person he was.  I was shocked to notice that
> none of the attendees of Dr. Moog's lecture had a clue of just *who was
> Robert Moog! * My chat with the good doctor was surprisingly one-on-one!
> The lecture hall was devoid of attendees except for myself, and the head of
> the physics department in a local college near Motorola (where I was
> supposed to be working that day!)
> 
> Many thanks for any suggestions that might be offered.  Appreciated!
> 
> Tom Farrand - now retired in rural Indiana