XLR (balanced) wire colors

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What do you folks prefer?

1 - shield/ground - green
2 - hot - red
3 - cold - black

OR

1 - shield/ground - black
2 - hot - red
3 - cold - blue

OR

Something else? Justification? I have enough wire to do black/red/blue but not green/red/black, but I do like green/red/black more... Seems a bit iffy to use black for the shield/ground especially when I am already using black in the same chassis for non-grounded 0 V (DC power).
 
It doesn't matter since You won't see them anyway.
I've seen many gear which use the same color for both.
I've seen amps which use yellow for PSU ground along with Red & Black for +- rail Voltages.
On cars, brown is usually ground or battery -

I wire Red & White for Hot & Cold. Black for ground.
Green / Yellow I use for Power safety ground.
 
I don't know about that... what colors are single-phase AC mains in the US? There's no red unless it's in-wall, neutral is white or gray, and hot is usually black.

Using green for something other than PE is not my favorite.

Really, red and black are fine, but I just prefer not to use green for anything other than PE. I suspect if you went for compliance testing you get a comment on that in a Class I appliance. I like Tom's suggestion best.
 
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Probably good that I was answering a question about XLR audio connections and not AC mains

:D

More to the point Belden and most of the other big manufacturers of foil shielded pair cable as used in panel wiring use red and black for plus and minus with an uninsulated drain wire. Clear teflon tubing is often used on the drain wire at the termination but since the OP had limited color choices its kind of a toss of the coin on the drain wire.
 
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I don't see what it has to do with Belden. You can get STP wire in any colors you dream of in huge quantities from any manufacturer. Using green for a "circuit ground" is IMO bad practice.

If your point is that it's more available at Amazon or wherever, then sure.
 
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What do you folks prefer?

1 - shield/ground - green
2 - hot - red
3 - cold - black

OR

1 - shield/ground - black
2 - hot - red
3 - cold - blue

OR

Something else? Justification? I have enough wire to do black/red/blue but not green/red/black, but I do like green/red/black more... Seems a bit iffy to use black for the shield/ground especially when I am already using black in the same chassis for non-grounded 0 V (DC power).

If it's in a chassis, presumably you're using shielded cable, in which case it makes no real difference, just try to be consistent throughout. Best to put a little + and - silkscreen on your PCB by the inputs as well if you're the one designing it.

FWIW, my preferred cable for internal wiring is Mogami W2944 "console" cable. It's thin, flexible and doesn't have a braided shield that takes forever to unbraid. It isn't too crazy expensive either. It's VERY easy to cable manage as well, being so flexible.

In a REALLY noisy chassis, if I have to run a long signal wire, then I use something with a foil / braided shield.
 
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This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.