While I have been developing the wiring of a control panel for a new piece of electronic equipment I have used an Excel spreadsheet with filters. I can select the component I want to wire up and it tells me all the connections and lengths of wire from it.
Everything that can be loomed is but there is a lot of seperate wires that have to be added.
The spreadsheet, although good for me, I am sure is not the best way of doing it. I am looking for an efficient way of wiring this equipment. I need to be able to give an assembler something either electronic/ on paper which will be easy for them to follow. Something that involves some form of checklist so that each control panel can be tracked. At the moment we only assemble 3 at a time but hopefully this will increase.
How do people in industry do it? Easy and cheap method preferable.

 

I take it that the components or the control panel are too big or the currents to high to use a printed circuit boards to mount everything?

 

Hi,

Years ago, we did wiring harnesses on a board, with nails in position for the terminals on the end of the wires. Every pair of nails was color-coded (paint under the nail). The wiring was cut to length and terminated, with the terninals dropped over the correct nails. With some lacing cord added, the whole harness was ready to go to production.

 

Many thanks for your replies.
The control panel is approximately a metre long. It is made up of an externally supplied microprocessor unit and expansion unit, a bank of relays, a 24V and 21V power supply plus an electrically operated air manifold. As I described, where possible I have produced looms but where these components connect together there is not enough wires going the same way to warrant a loom or harness. Where a common 24V supply and 0V are used we have circuit boards made up to take soldered in, quick release, commoning blocks.
Apart from 230V mains supply to the power supplies all currents are low. Voltages are generally 24V apart from a 45V supply to motors.
Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

Would probably need a photo or something to get a better idea of what you want. At the moment I am still thinking looms with numbered cables, rainbow cable, or some sort of looped multi connector system.
Kinda hard to tell from your description.

 

I usually do it with these column headings going across the page.

Wire# Colour/Gauge Terminating From Terminating To Remarks/Comments


Steve