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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 (becau

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 22d ago
Love this, that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
user_of_the_wek 22d ago
You could even do combinations of colors like on resistors.
Evidlo 22d ago
Might get sticky residue after a few years
dns_snek 22d 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 22d ago
  Heatshrink?
  - dns_snek 22d 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 22d ago
      I’ve thought about just putting it on the connector itself. It may look stupid though.
      - booty 22d 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 20d 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.
        booty 19d ago
        The Brother label printers are great. No authentication chips on the tape cartridges, so you can use cheap 3rd-party ones. I sometimes feel like Brother is the last company selling consumer-friendly printers. One big differentiator between various Brother models that's not immediately obvious is the tape sizes they accept. The cheaper models don't accept the fatter 24mm/1" labels, gotta step up to the $99ish models for that.
- raro11 22d ago
  I assume he labels the bag and never has the need to remove it (you just take a new bag). Edit: Nope I was wrong. Bad bad bad
- zimpenfish 22d ago
  I use wraparound cable labels[0] which seem to work ok (although do end up sliding up and down the cable to some extent.) [0] e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQTX4MPL https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQTX4MPL
- IAmBroom 22d ago
  I have 20 year old white duct tape on containers in my basement that has never peeled. It takes ink pretty well. Obviously hell if you need to remove it, but we're talking about permanent labels. If I need to change a label I just put on a fresh layer of tape.
  - a96 18d ago
    I remember some tape packaging having the lovely warning that "adhesive qualities may change over time". Indeed, some tape glues turn to dust, others to slippery goo or sticky goo, some become a mysterious immovable firmament that stays put until all the material around them has crumbled away. I would not trust or even leave any kind of tape for long term application myself. There's always something better.
- LgWoodenBadger 22d ago
  I've yet to find instances where electrical tape comes off of its own accord when wrapped. Even the electrical tape submerged 24x7 on my well pump had to be unwrapped.
- mceachen 21d ago
  I should have clarified: I use a 1" piece of maybe 5mm wide good quality 3M tape that wraps over itself. This follows (at least my local) electrical code--it's quite robust. I have 40 year old electrical conduit that has tape applied like this and there's no movement, no fraying, no stickiness.

dataflow 22d ago

Love this, that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!

user_of_the_wek 22d ago

You could even do combinations of colors like on resistors.

Evidlo 22d ago

Might get sticky residue after a few years

dns_snek 22d 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 22d ago
Heatshrink?
- dns_snek 22d 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 22d ago
    I’ve thought about just putting it on the connector itself. It may look stupid though.
    - booty 22d 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 20d 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.
        booty 19d ago
        The Brother label printers are great. No authentication chips on the tape cartridges, so you can use cheap 3rd-party ones. I sometimes feel like Brother is the last company selling consumer-friendly printers. One big differentiator between various Brother models that's not immediately obvious is the tape sizes they accept. The cheaper models don't accept the fatter 24mm/1" labels, gotta step up to the $99ish models for that.
raro11 22d ago
I assume he labels the bag and never has the need to remove it (you just take a new bag). Edit: Nope I was wrong. Bad bad bad
zimpenfish 22d ago
I use wraparound cable labels[0] which seem to work ok (although do end up sliding up and down the cable to some extent.) [0] e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQTX4MPL https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQTX4MPL
IAmBroom 22d ago
I have 20 year old white duct tape on containers in my basement that has never peeled. It takes ink pretty well. Obviously hell if you need to remove it, but we're talking about permanent labels. If I need to change a label I just put on a fresh layer of tape.
- a96 18d ago
  I remember some tape packaging having the lovely warning that "adhesive qualities may change over time". Indeed, some tape glues turn to dust, others to slippery goo or sticky goo, some become a mysterious immovable firmament that stays put until all the material around them has crumbled away. I would not trust or even leave any kind of tape for long term application myself. There's always something better.
LgWoodenBadger 22d ago
I've yet to find instances where electrical tape comes off of its own accord when wrapped. Even the electrical tape submerged 24x7 on my well pump had to be unwrapped.
mceachen 21d ago
I should have clarified: I use a 1" piece of maybe 5mm wide good quality 3M tape that wraps over itself. This follows (at least my local) electrical code--it's quite robust. I have 40 year old electrical conduit that has tape applied like this and there's no movement, no fraying, no stickiness.