6 ms·

What marker do you use to mark them? Is the ink durable and easy to read?

by dataflow 6d ago

aaronax 6d ago
A label maker, as they said they use, prints durable and easy to read labels.
- dataflow 6d ago
  Whoops, thank, I can't read - I misread label maker as label marker!
mceachen 6d ago
I bought a cheap pack of 5 colors of 3m electrical tape. Each cable gets one or two pieces of tape: Data: White if usb2 Blue if it supports USB 3 data (because 5Gbps USB 3 ports are mostly blue) Green if TB/USB4/40Gbps Power: None if low/no Power Delivery Yellow for 45W PD Red for 65W+ PD
- dataflow 6d ago
  Love this, that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
- user_of_the_wek 6d ago
  You could even do combinations of colors like on resistors.
- Evidlo 6d ago
  Might get sticky residue after a few years
- dns_snek 6d ago
  I suggest finding something else, electrical tape starts coming off after a few years, leaving behind sticky residue that's impossible to remove without some kind of solvent. Same goes for masking tape.
  - notpushkin 5d ago
    Heatshrink?
    - dns_snek 5d ago
      Heatshrink is great if you're making cables but you would need a really high shrinkage ratio to fit over the connector and then shrink enough, the common cheap stuff is usually 2:1, maybe 3:1. You could cut the heatshrink tube, wrap it around the cable and then secure it with transparent tape. It would slide around but at least it wouldn't leave residue on the cable. Maybe clip-on cable markers like this? [1] Easy to 3D print if you're so inclined. [1] https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/pb-250-sm0c/cable-marker-0-15-0-5mm-0-9-pk250/dp/1891367 https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/pb-250-sm0c/cable-marke...
      - notpushkin 5d ago
        I’ve thought about just putting it on the connector itself. It may look stupid though.
        booty 5d ago
        Brother label printers (and I assume others) can print text small enough and sharp enough to fit onto USB connectors. (You'll need to manually trim the label with scissors to fit of course) Visually, if it's something I'm going to be staring at on a daily basis, I like this much better than having tags hanging off of the cable. Tip: consider white-on-black labels. The labels have been plenty durable in my experience, but if you need extra durability, you could probably just brush some lacquer over it with a Q-tip.
        notpushkin 4d ago
        Man, I really need to get a label printer. There’s been a whole bunch of stuff I’d like to label already, but I’ve had no idea you could also change the font.
  - 5d ago

What marker do you use to mark them? Is the ink durable and easy to read?

aaronax 6d ago

A label maker, as they said they use, prints durable and easy to read labels.

dataflow 6d ago
Whoops, thank, I can't read - I misread label maker as label marker!

mceachen 6d ago

I bought a cheap pack of 5 colors of 3m electrical tape. Each cable gets one or two pieces of tape: Data: White if usb2 Blue if it supports USB 3 data (because 5Gbps USB 3 ports are mostly blue) Green if TB/USB4/40Gbps Power: None if low/no Power Delivery Yellow for 45W PD Red for 65W+ PD

dataflow 6d ago
Love this, that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
user_of_the_wek 6d ago
You could even do combinations of colors like on resistors.
Evidlo 6d ago
Might get sticky residue after a few years
dns_snek 6d ago
I suggest finding something else, electrical tape starts coming off after a few years, leaving behind sticky residue that's impossible to remove without some kind of solvent. Same goes for masking tape.
- notpushkin 5d ago
  Heatshrink?
  - dns_snek 5d ago
    Heatshrink is great if you're making cables but you would need a really high shrinkage ratio to fit over the connector and then shrink enough, the common cheap stuff is usually 2:1, maybe 3:1. You could cut the heatshrink tube, wrap it around the cable and then secure it with transparent tape. It would slide around but at least it wouldn't leave residue on the cable. Maybe clip-on cable markers like this? [1] Easy to 3D print if you're so inclined. [1] https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/pb-250-sm0c/cable-marker-0-15-0-5mm-0-9-pk250/dp/1891367 https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/pb-250-sm0c/cable-marke...
    - notpushkin 5d ago
      I’ve thought about just putting it on the connector itself. It may look stupid though.
      - booty 5d ago
        Brother label printers (and I assume others) can print text small enough and sharp enough to fit onto USB connectors. (You'll need to manually trim the label with scissors to fit of course) Visually, if it's something I'm going to be staring at on a daily basis, I like this much better than having tags hanging off of the cable. Tip: consider white-on-black labels. The labels have been plenty durable in my experience, but if you need extra durability, you could probably just brush some lacquer over it with a Q-tip.
        notpushkin 4d ago
        Man, I really need to get a label printer. There’s been a whole bunch of stuff I’d like to label already, but I’ve had no idea you could also change the font.
- 5d ago