Conventions that you like to abide by

[454Casull]

When wiring up a +/0/- DC supply, what color wiring do you use? I suppose red for + is pretty universal, but what about 0 and -? Black and white respectively? I don't think green is a good idea because it might lead some to believe that there is earth.

Also, what other conventions do you follow or think others should follow?

 

[Mr Evil]

I use red/black/blue for +/0/- respectively. This seems to be a relatively common scheme.

 

[454Casull]

What else can blue be used for? I don't want to keep too much wire in stock.

 

[jackinnj]

I use Green for ground, and Black or Blue for negative.

Other conventions to live by:
1) If it looks good, eat it.
2) What would happen if everyone did it?

 

[star882]

It all depends on what circuit I'm working on. For my bench power supply, I use colors similar to those on PC power supplies - black for ground, yellow for 12v, red for 5v, orange for 3.3v, and green for another voltage.

One tip to avoid having to stock many different colors of wire is to stock many different colors of tape. Use the tape to make an identification color band on the ends of each wire.

In a circuit where an exposed ground is not a problem, I have used red for the positive, black for the negative, and, of course, bare for the ground.

At my university, one of the engineering labs (for ECEN 214, which was analog) used red for the positive, black for ground, brown for negative, and blue for another positive. Another one (for ECEN 248, which was digital) used red for one positive, black for ground, and brown for another positive. (I wonder if anyone managed to blow something up by getting confused about the colors... The electrical engineering department should adopt rules about what colors to use on bench power supplies.)

 

[454Casull]

OK, if anything goes, what color should I get next? Currently I have red, black, and some orange.

 

[Nisbeth]

Blue.


/U.

 

[gmphadte]

Blue is the color for neutral in mains, so better NOT use it.

 

[star882]

Blue is the color for neutral in mains, so better NOT use it.

No, blue is the third hot in 3 phase. White is neutral.

 

[burbeck]

hi all,
the mains wiring colours are not the same in different parts of the world, including the 3 phase.

i use red green black for + 0 -, very old UK convention that i have just stuck with.

 

[Mr Evil]

Indeed, until recently red/black were used for live/neutral in UK mains wiring. Avoiding colours that are used for other things would leave none to choose from.

 

[Magura]

Dare I suggest using the same color for all wires, and using marking instead?

That way you will get rid of the issue that 10% of the male population is color-blind, plus the risk of confusion, as there really is no convention.


Magura

 

[Sangram]

Frankly, it depends on what I have lying around.

Most of the time though, for me red is +, black is 0 (ground return), and whatever the third colour happens to be (green, yellow or blue) becomes the negative supply.

 

[SY]

At my university...

Aggie? Sheesh.

Here in Austin, we only use orange wire.

 

[sonidos]

Here in Austin, we only use orange wire.

Same here, SY. Clearly better than the maroon stuff.

 

[star882]

Aggie? Sheesh.

Here in Austin, we only use orange wire.

I guess you work mostly with 3.3v logic? Or the really high voltage circuits in an electric car?

Same here, SY. Clearly better than the maroon stuff.

So far, the only maroon colored wire I have seen is on a pair of JVC HA-FX34 earphones. And they work very well.

 

[Conrad Hoffman]

I only use Teflon insulated wire and I'm too cheap to buy it new, so I use whatever colors I happen to get surplus. I'm far more interested in the gage and quality of the wire than what it looks like.

 

[jackinnj]

I only use Teflon insulated wire and I'm too cheap to buy it new, so I use whatever colors I happen to get surplus. I'm far more interested in the gage and quality of the wire than what it looks like.

Stripping Teflon wire (which I also get surplus) is a bit maddening. I have a Stripmaster and can do it if I am careful --

 

[gmphadte]

White is neutral in US and may be in some other countries, but
Brown, Black, Grey are the 3 phase colors and Blue is neutral, in other parts of the globe.

Gajanan Phadte