standard cable colours in audio?

[Dominique]

Hi,

I just built three simple circuits yet, but on that last one, I had to use a certain amount of cables for the first time - and only had black cable lying around which doesn't make it easier to know which cable goes where...

Because I want to do better next time and use various colours I wondered why not use standardized colours if there are any.

I did some searches in Google but didn't find anything like that.
Isn't there any standard?

I just know red is usually + or signal, black or white is ground or minus... well - how do you do if you got all of them at the same time, e.g. in a simple preamp?
+, -, ground, amp input: left and right, amp output l/r

Or do you simply use your imagination?
Any help is appreciated!

Cheers!
Dominique

[tekno.mage]

The usual resistor colour code was used in the past where internal wiring could be assigned a numerical identity (even to the extremes of multiple coloured stripes adorning the wires!). The military used the colour pink for non-numerical identifications - leading to equipment using pink cable for all internal wiring!
The colours=numbers scheme is of less use if your project wiring doesn't have an obvious numerical identity.

In the UK, (and many other locations) it is usual for black to indicate negative, red indicates positive, with green/yellow stripes indicating earth.

Aside from these and any others already familar (such as yellow meaning video on AV amps), I'd suggest picking an internal wiring colour scheme that makes sense to you, and staying with it.

This does pre-suppose availability of suitable wire in your chosen range of colours!

A couple of years ago, we noticed that good quality signal, speaker, and power cabling was available in a wide range of different (ie "fashionable") colours - including fluorescent and luminous (very useful in dark corners!). As these coloured cables cost no more than the same in black, we colour-coded most of the cabling for our tri-amped PA, never realising how fickle fashion can be. In under nine months, coloured cable had vanished from every supplier - and only black, grey or white cables were on offer.

[sam9]

I think one problem is that where there is an official color code for wiring -- usually with respect to mains -- it's one thing in the EU, another in North Ameria and heaven knows in Asia and the Antepodes.

[Dominique]

What a pity!
So I'll have to look what colours I can get (no fashionate colours as you've said) and make my own color scheme! Ok!

thank you both for your help, and especially tekno.mage.
Cheers
Dominique

[boholm]

For power I always use red for plus, black for null/ground and blue for minus. and I strip them together so they are easy to spot and to follow. As I recall that's the way I learned it.

For signals I tend to go for quality cable, but they do not always come in the wanted color. My preferred colors are red/orange for right, white for null/ground and black/brown for left.

[Leolabs]

I use RED for +,BLACK for 0V,YELLOW for -,BROWN for L,BLUE for N,GREEN for E.In my hometown,however,people doesnt concern much about colour(color) when dealing with main AC wiring.I have seen many of them use WHITE(instead of BLACK) for L and BLACK(instead of WHITE) for N.Luckily they still use GREEN for E

[Mr Evil]

I use red/black/blue for +/ground/-, white or yellow for internal signals and white/red for left/right external signals (I don't bother to differentiate between left/right within a piece of equipment). As is standard in the UK I use brown for live, blue for neutral and yellow/green for earth.

As my sister likes to point out, engineers (like me) make excuses to use all these different colours when the real reason is that we just like everything to look pretty

[richie00boy]

Interesting the use of blue here. I always use red +ve, black -ve, green 0V. Signals white or grey.

I reserve blue and brown for mains use only.

[tekno.mage]

Originally posted by Leolabs
I use RED for +,BLACK for 0V,YELLOW for -,BROWN for L,BLUE for N,GREEN for E.In my hometown,however,people doesnt concern much about colour(color) when dealing with main AC wiring.I have seen many of them use WHITE(instead of BLACK) for L and BLACK(instead of WHITE) for N.Luckily they still use GREEN for E

There's no reason at all for internal wiring *not* to look pretty - especially when this aids the ability to follow wiring when fault-finding :-)

[sam9]

Between the power entry point and the tansformer primary, I use the same colors as the building code requires for mains Black, white and green. From the secondaries on I use anthing *except* those. Reason -- I like to see at a glance what is carrying mains potential vs. what is isolated by the transformer. Maybe that means I'm just a "Nervous Nellie".