software for designing a wiring loom

Any idea how i make a 4 pin relay with it? I can only seem to do ones with 2 connections on.

I draw relays the old-fashioned way, showing the contacts and the coil as separate items, thus I combine a relay and a set of SPST/SPDT contacts, and group them so they move as a set.

If you just want a square object with more than two connections, open the symbol and edit it.

Alex

Job lot of pink* wiring in the Ambi is it then? You can put all the numbers on this time.

• One of my first jobs helping Steve, before we were even engaged, was making wiring looms to Ferranti spec, hundreds of wires (or it felt like it), all pink coated and all identified with push on numbers (VERY sore fingers until we made a tool for the job.)

Lizzy

The old Lucas/British wiring color scheme was quite logical, up to a point. Modern cars tend to be a nightmare, with different manufacturers using different colours for different things, or lots of the same color for different things, or bastard ideas like one wire of one colour that dissapears into the loom, with a hidden joint half-way down and emerges as two completely different coloured wires at the other end.

This is a pretty good guide to old British wiring colours, but it is by no means the definitive - some of the colours are not what I've found on old cars, but you have to start with something.

As for lots of wires of different colours, when I made my loom I re-used old wire from half a dozen (modern) vehicle looms, thus avoiding the need to go out and buy 100 different reels of cable. The other alternative is to mark the colour codes using different coloured cable ties - Maplins do a pot of 1000 little ties in 10 colours which i make much use of when sorting out wiring on old vehicles where the wires are all black with age and dirt

And only a fiver.

Alex

Forgot to mention, there is also a handy list of what those mysterious number codes on relay terminals and things mean - Bosch Electrics number codes

Alex

Thanks Alex!.

I've just scrapped an old saab and saved the loom so i can rob lots of coloured wire out of it!

I spent hours searching for a list like that the other night!

We have a drawing convention at work that relay COILS are designated AA/n AB/n AC/n , where n is the number of contacts on the relay, then, whereever you use the contacts in circuit, the contact is labelled AA1, AA2..AAn, AB1,AB2,ABn etc.

This was taught to me by a guy brought up designing relay logic. Hi Dad.

Steve

Hi,

Where can one get these numbers, preferably someone who will mail to South Africa.

Greg

And laced, not ty-wraped, all the cables parallel and neatly bundled..

Richard

And with all branches terminates at right angles to the bundles. ;-) Steve

RS

sell them, but I think "Hellerman" is the manufacturer. Steve

Oh look - a whole squadron of porcine aviators. :-)

Just go the whole hog - a 101's big enough to get its own cable loft...

Mmmmm! Box Stitching.

P.

and no "diagonals"... sounds like your a man after my own heart!

Richard

RS Stock no: 666-515

Lizzy

There's them - the self sealing write on ones, and the ones we used

557-017 , 557-023 "HellaGrip" - to use lots of them, make a "thorn" with a pointed end, and a hole in the back that the cable can be pushed into. Set up the numbers on the thorn, and then slide them back onto the cable. Because they are self coloured as well as numbered, they can't get lost - like 101 ambi numbers do.

Steve

When I was about 18 and knew it all, the way you do, I wired a job for my father which worked beautifully, and he passed no further comment on it (bastard) - and then it had to be passed by an MOD inspector.

I learnt a hell of a lot from that :-(( But I wired it a lot faster the second time....

Steve

Thanks, what a mouth watering site.

Greg

Don't know if they supply SA directly, but I have an account, and could ship it to you if you really want a set.

Steve