Cable labeling standards

[TheSigma]

OK, this seems like a really basic question, but I have yet to find a good answer. I know the computer/telecom industry has a set of standards that apply to labeling cables and patch panels, etc. But is there a standard for Audio and Video production facilities? I can't seem to find one. What do you guys do? The best advice I ever got was not to try to make the lable to self explanatory and just go with some abbreviated code, and keep a sheet around of what cable code is going where. like CV0001 is a composite video cable and you look it up on your chart to find it is coming from camera one and going to DA 1, for example?

Thanks,
Nathan

[vetman03]

What you described is fine. Another route is to get a label maker like a Panduit LS8E where you can print labels that wrap around the wire and have a short description printed on the label like "Comp out to Swtch 2 in" and put that on both ends of the cable. It prints like a typical Brother label maker but has a clear wrap around end to protect the label on the wire. Sometimes in an emergency that is a faster way of tracing things down.

[TheSigma]

I have a Rhino 5000 by Dymo, it will do cable wraps and they make a flexible nylon tape that holds uup fairly well. it is not self laminating like the Panduit or Brady labellers, but like I said, it seems to hold up well enough.The labels don't seem to unravel, are not too easy to remove if you have to for some reason. The only major flaw With it is It jams a bunch, and I have had cartridges go bad, I guess something broke inside the cartridge. Another time I had to open it up and remove a piece of plastic that jammed up the drive gears inside the unit, guess I shouldn't have dropped it. oh yeah and it's a thermal labeller so be careful if you try to put clear heatshrink over the label, it can be done but be quick or you will havea nicely shrink wrapped piece of black tape, very useful.

In the end I've had it for 4 years and it still works fine most of the time, despite being a chunk of cheap plastic. Cost's way less than those other labellers, though If money were no concern I would pick either of the above labellers over this one.

Now that you know far more than you needed to about the Rhino 5000, I have mostly used the method you describe for my installs, but I have sought out a better or more standard method. Labels that make sense to me, don't necessarily give enough info to someone else. It's also hard to fit a descriptive label sometimes. You only get so any characters, depending on the width of the label, so a label like "Comp out to Swtch 2 in" may not fit. then when you get to a bigger system with cables running from other rooms you need labels like" studio a cam1 to da 15".

All of the larger installations I have seen seem to use a system like the one I described in the original post, and I found at least one website that declared that was the absolute best way to do it, but even that did not have a standard format for the label. Is there an SBE standard? This method also forces you to document the system, but we all document everything, Right?

[Sam Buca]

I've found a seemingly complex method to be the easiest. A station I used to handle used numbers instead of names and kept a spreadsheet of what goes where. For example, studio A trunks are all A### (like A125), studio B are B###, etc. A sister station (presumably done by the same engineer) used the letters for each block. For example, studio A would be blocks A1, A2, A3 and it'd be labeled with the pairs, like A1 13. No equipment was directly connected...everything passed through a punch block in the local studio or it was trunked back to the rack room for patching.

That method just seemed to click easier with me, despite it sounding complex and nondescript.

[KPJL FM]

What, label the cables?! And I suppose you're going to use color cables, too. Just make them all black, without labels, otherwise any idiot can figger it out, and you're out of a job (bad ref to WKRP)

[TheSigma]

What, label the cables?! And I suppose you're going to use color cables, too. Just make them all black, without labels, otherwise any idiot can figger it out, and you're out of a job (bad ref to WKRP)

You might be on to something here.......though a1234 could be confusing enough if you don't have the secret decoder ring......

[boiseengineer]

After spending 4 days of frustration with a numbered interconnect system in Modesto I found the decoder ring (a wad of paper) stuffed in a wall next to one end of the blocks.

[w9wi]

I've found a seemingly complex method to be the easiest. A station I used to handle used numbers instead of names and kept a spreadsheet of what goes where. For example, studio A trunks are all A### (like A125), studio B are B###, etc. A sister station (presumably done by the same engineer) used the letters for each block. For example, studio A would be blocks A1, A2, A3 and it'd be labeled with the pairs, like A1 13. No equipment was directly connected...everything passed through a punch block in the local studio or it was trunked back to the rack room for patching.

That method just seemed to click easier with me, despite it sounding complex and nondescript.

That's more or less what we do.

The label on an individual cable doesn't even attempt to explain where the other end is. It simply contains a number -- SDI5378, AUD2011, HD0244, etc... It is necessary to look up that number in the spreadsheet to know where the other end is. The SDI/AUD/HD part explains what kind of signal is on that cable. (to be honest, generally redundant as the color of the cable also indicates the type of signal -- yellow for SD SDI, black for analog audio, orange for HD SDI, etc...)

We can put far more detail in the spreadsheet than we could possibly print legibly on the wire itself. And the numbers can be HUGE -- making them easy to read from a distance.

[Muadeeb]

I like to try to have source and dest on a label, then put clear shrink over it. The Integrators we used at KESN also put wire numbers on each one that wasn't on the back wall. The nice thing is wire number 23 corresponds to pair 23 on the block. For the back wall they only put the destination block (I want to shoot them some days). There's not much worse than standing at block R-2, seeing the label R2-23 and trying to figure out where it comes from.

[Sam Buca]

At another former facility of mine, nothing was labeled....but the few wires that were labeled used profanities. One side was the F word and the other side was the SH word.

Someone told me that story when I first arrived, but I never expected to actually find it. Found it while moving out

[NECRAT]

I'm not a believer in color coding. That is what labeling is for. If a cable is labled correctly, you should never have to color code it.

We use both cable numbers (with a spreadsheet) and sourch/destination tags on older cables. The new ones are just numbered.
The only cables that don't usually get numbered are those that remain in the rack. (i.e. from one piece of gear to another), those just get labeled.

I label very well, I think it's super important to label. However others I have worked with in the past didn't think so. And it is so frustrating to have to chace non labeled cables.

Here we use the Brady label-mark system. Ifs software that lets you print labels on your laser printer.

[w9wi]

I'm not a believer in color coding. That is what labeling is for. If a cable is labled correctly, you should never have to color code it.

We use both cable numbers (with a spreadsheet) and sourch/destination tags on older cables. The new ones are just numbered.
The only cables that don't usually get numbered are those that remain in the rack. (i.e. from one piece of gear to another), those just get labeled.

I label very well, I think it's super important to label. However others I have worked with in the past didn't think so. And it is so frustrating to have to chace non labeled cables.

Here we use the Brady label-mark system. Ifs software that lets you print labels on your laser printer.

I find when I'm in a hurry, color-coding speeds the process of finding a wire. If there's a problem with the AES audio out of one of the VizRT channels, I don't have to look at the labels on the red or orange cables, because I know the audio feed is green.

We number cables that remain in the same rack. The only ones we don't number are those that go between two different ports on the same piece of equipment.

When I started here, we used the wrap-around digits/clear heat shrink method. Today, we're using the Brady wraparound laser labels. It's a LOT faster, especially if you have a bunch of cables to label at the same time.

We've had too many folks here over the years who didn't think labeling wires was important. MCR switcher is a disaster, guy decided to label everything by writing a text description directly on the cable with a Sharpie. Promised to come back later & tag 'em - of course, he never did.

Semi-OT for hams: the Brady factory is across the street from Amateur Electronic Supply HQ in Milwaukee...

[eadler]

Related question: How do you convince others that labeling is important and that they should buy you a label maker that can do wrap-arounds?

[NECRAT]

Related question: How do you convince others that labeling is important and that they should buy you a label maker that can do wrap-arounds?

If you have a laser printer, just buy the Brady Labelmark software and the label mark sheets that go with it.
Amazing software and does a much quicker, and nicer job than the handheld label makers.

[TheSigma]

That's probably true, but if you are like me and do a lot of field work or side jobs, where a laser printer is not always handy, you have to deal with the devil (Jams and such) and use a portable. I was looking into the brady handhelds a little more but have read alot about the cartridges going bad. Apparently they have a microchip in them and will read as empty when they are not, like after a few uses. And from what I've read on the net they all jam. I would go with the laser printer labels if you are going to be near a printer, or know what labels you will use in advance.

As for convincing people to label things, well I always say "the new guy sure will like that"

REally though, unless you like troubleshooting hell, label your cables, at least the ones that are not entirely within the rack or visible for the entire length, but really those should be labelled too. seconds count during an emergency....