Label things before you install the base

Thanks. That's perfect timing for me, as I hope to be getting towards that stage this weekend. I'm also slightly concerned that I'll be able to physically reach all of the cables from underneath; looks fiddly when over watched people plugging and unplugging them.

I'm also wondering which cables I should braid separately to keep things tidy...

 

Although not perfect, if you follow the instructions to put specific wires in the braid then the instructions to connect to the Rumba follow on from that. Four sets in total. As long as you can see the end of each braid looking into the hole above the Rumba then you can identify each set of connections and where they come from. Use the electrical diagram of the Rumba (I printed it A4 size) to note down which wires you have connected, and to resolve the confusion when some things are numbered from 0 and some from 1, like the motor connections. The only real confusion I remember was the X and Y limit (micro) switches, (says something about "thinner" wires but there are not any "thinner" wires) this you can sort by where they come from and the WiKi should have enough information now.

 

I agree with Ephemeris, labling is very important!

I put everything in braded sleaving after seeing some of what Livi did. If you go the sleaving route, take a picture of the connector pop all the pins and put a little blue tape on the end. It will make the braded sleaving and shrink wrap much easier to slide on.

 

Wow, @Miasmictruth that's truly a work of art - the labels on the braid look really professional too.. I'd be chuffed if mine looks a fraction as good as that when it's built.

 

I was able to work though it without labelling but I can certainly put a note on the wiki that labelling everything makes things easier.

 

Small tip i apply on all my builds - get a pack of multicoloured heat-shrink tubings.
Instead of labeling, add a ring of tubing to the ends of each cable, colour coded per axis.

Convention i use is:
Red - X
Green - Y
Blue - Z

Then for extruder and heated bed cabling White for E and Yellow for B. For second extruder, if you have one, you might use Orange, or Black.

 

Coloured cable ties also handy and very cheap, buy some before you start.

 

Thanks

 

Another way to label the cables is to use the ties with flat label areas http://www.amazon.co.uk/AmgateEu-Wr...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00 : I'd used red tape to bundle the ends together when pulling them through the braiding down the spine then added labels as the ends were unbundled:


The end result is a bit clunky but it was very easy to do and didn't get in the way when I decided to redo some connections and common them together:

 

@Miasmictruth - that is a superb job; is this wiring task the sort of thing that you do often?

I ask only because - as my photos clearly show - I've really only used tools and materials that I already had to hand when going beyond slavishly following the build instructions: as I don't do many cabling tasks the result is as you see. Which has me thinking about how far one ought to go with aquiring tools for this sort of job, to get a result one'll be satisfied with: if there isn't someone you can borrow from, you can spend a fair bit of money getting all the extras (it would have been neater if I'd bought the proper crimps and the crimp tool to suit...).

 

The Braided Mesh was really inspired by Livi, it doesn't cost a lot but its a bit time consuming. I do love the result though I think it was well worth it as the mass of stepper motor cables it crazy and it also protect the wires somewhat from vibration and rubbing damage. You can get shorter amounts for less but I plan on using it for other things too.

http://www.amazon.com/PET-Expandabl...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

http://www.amazon.com/PET-Expandabl...psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

http://www.amazon.com/PET-Expandabl...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00


For Shrink Wrap I really like this stuff, it has a bit of adhesive the melts when its heated to help it stay in place, there is cheaper stuff but you get a lot with this.

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Wall-Adh...psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00


The Labels, this is over board if you just want labels for the big box but I use the l labeler for a lot of other stuff too. For 46 bucks, I dont think you can beat it, has many options for orientation size ect. and intuitive to use I never even look at the instructions.

http://www.amazon.com/DYMO-Industri...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

For wire labels I like 3/4inch Fabric, its wide enough, and the fabric labels are really tough.

http://www.amazon.com/DYMO-RhinoPRO...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

 

Oh by after doing this by the way, you could probably get away with just the 1/4 braided mesh you don't need all 3. Its a bit overkill for just 2 wires but would save some cash.

 

Yeah, coloured cable ties work too.

I'd advise against going the full braid + heatshrink way, based on previous experiences.
I went that route more than once, then kicked myself for doing it every single time i had to debug a bad wire, rewire something, extend a cable etc. It looks very nice and neat and soothes your OCD, but in the end turns out to be wasted effort.

At least that was my experience. You mileage may vary of course.