Who stole all the rainbows? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:29:35 am
content: No, this isn't a skittles commercial sadly, it's an actual question.Who stole all the rainbows?Electronics devices used to be *ahem*far out man, with almost every color in the spectrum in ribbon cable form, gracefully arcing it's way from board to board, dipped capacitors, opaque colored LED's giving a warm glow of red, green, or... well, that's pretty much it.Nowadays, it seems like all the life has been drained from electronics, anemic grey or black ribbon cables lazily plugging into a socket, capacitors with written values, and clear, lifeless LED's.It seems that all the excitement has been stolen from the inside of computers and electronic devices, heck, the last time I saw a rainbow ribbon cable in anything was when I built it yesterday, and it's been a long time before that since I saw anything.Is it just because of the bottom line? Is it because computers used to be new and exciting, and people went into them, and now they just... there, like how engines have turned from gleaming examples of engineering into pieces of plastic with embossed lettering? Perhaps also because now they are warranty stickers, and there is no reason for anyone to look inside.Perhaps, skynet knows that we humans are slowly going colorblind, and has influenced the world to move away from colors, so that one day, we will not be able to disable the terminators!So, brothers! I employer you, do not let your projects become lifeless, do not succumb to the temptation of grey and black, nay! Make the insides of your projects gleam with the concentrated light of a thousand rainbows, a beacon of hope for all those who may poke it with the appropriate screwdriver, only to be washed over with hope for humanity!Side note, if anyone knows where to order ribbon cable like on the right so I don't need to scavenge it from old devices, let me know, I love the stuff.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:43:19 am
content: http://uk.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?catalogId=15001&langId=44&storeId=10151&categoryId=700000005986&st=ribbon%20cable&pageSize=25&showResults=true&aa=true&pf=110241814

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:46:21 am
content: Both of those are good, I'll have to pick up a roll, it's just super convenient for anything like lcd's sd cards, or whatever. Also good for just grabbing one wire that's a different color for individual sensors and things.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:46:35 am
content: Most ribbon cable was always grey, because the rainbow stuff costs more and is physically weaker. Colour generally costs, so people don't make thing colourful unless there is a benefit. Resistors, and some capacitors, used to be colourful for a reason, but the size of most current parts has lead to alternative, higher tech, labelling strategies.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:50:50 am
content: If you are separating the individual wires out, to use for (completely) separate signals (rather than buses). Colour coding makes it much more convenient for the hobbyist.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 08:15:07 am
content: I'd say it's mostly got to do with the current consumer product design trend where technology should not make itself visible, all that should count is the "experience" it provides... which causes anything that can'be hidden to be made to be as discreet as possible. LEDs tend to shine through a dark panel so as not to be visible when they aren't on, and when they can't be hidden they should be neutral instead of showing their color leading to the generic clear LEDs...Probably has a bit to do with assembly and troubleshooting methods too. When someone had to hand-wire things colors were useful, but now what isn't done by a machine is simplified to putting premade assemblies together that can only go one way, and troubleshooting is done and partly automated at a much higher (board/system) level rather than going to "poke the red wire" with the multimeter.

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 08:37:10 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on March 25, 2016, 07:29:35 amIt was Nyan Cat who did it!!!

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 08:57:05 am
content: It is the industry. Just look at the teardowns of newer Apple stuff.Black PCB, black capacitors, connectors, ICs, inductors, black plastic parts black labels with white text... Somehow black is elegant, which might be true for a nice dress, but it is ugly and boring. Look at early enterprise servers. Gold and color coded stuff and blue and green PCBs with with components and rainbow, sunshine and happiness!

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 09:05:13 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on March 25, 2016, 08:57:05 amI love blue and red pcb's instead of the usual green, I have a stick of purple and a stick of red ram kicking around somewhere, when I found the stick in a computer at the place I was volunteering, I said "hey check this out" and showed it to someone, and at the same time we both went "Red ram red ram red ram!"Good times.

author: han
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 10:05:13 am
content: Colored ribbon cable cannot easily marked for pin 1. the gray one usual have pin 1 marked as red stripe (like old PATA IDE cable)

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 10:54:36 am
content: HP printers seem to like purple, red, white and blue for the wiring in the looms. But a whole lot of purtple wire, there must be at least 50m in the last one I took apart. Ribbon cable, nowhere to be seen, aside from a single flexible cable that was there to carry data and power to a LCD panel.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 04:32:06 pm
content: Just for you I'm doing a rewire on a 10 MHz frequency standard and there's lots of ribbon cables in use. It's thicker stuff than the normal IDC cable and I only have seven colors to play with but at least I've introduced a bit of color back into electronics.Does anyone know of a source of different colored 50 ohm coax? I have black and clear (showing the copper braid underneath) but that's it.

author: zal42
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 04:42:39 pm
content: I'm with you, brother. I, too, have noticed and mourned the passing of the rainbows. But I do what I can, and continue to make my own builds as colorful as possible. My rack of wire spools contains 20 different colors!Maybe I should do more for the cause, though. Hmmm, would there be any harm in dipping my caps in fingernail polish?

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 05:15:09 pm
content: Quote from: zal42 on March 25, 2016, 04:42:39 pmThe top of electrolytics no issue, but with any other plastic cased capacitor it will be very bad as the solvents diffuse through the outer shell and degrade the film inside. A red dab on the positive lead of axial caps, not the rubber bung, will also do no harm, and using assorted colours to hold them to the board also will work. IC's can be painted after installation, both provides colour and is as good as grinding off the part numbers.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 05:26:09 pm
content: Quote from: German_EE on March 25, 2016, 04:32:06 pmBe sure to take some before and after pictures, hopefully there is some decent gauge rainbow ribbon out there, I'm sure there is.

author: Len
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:18:51 pm
content: Here's one from a few years ago. I made sure to use coloured wires and ribbon cable so that the electrons would know where to go.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 07:26:36 pm
content: Well yes, everyone knows that electricity prefers bright, "electric" colors that pop, orange, yellow, reds, that's why they use those colors most in computer power supplies.If you put a black and yellow wire in parallel the yellow will have more electricity use it because it likes the brighter colors :p

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2016, 09:30:53 pm
content: Also true for most mains cabling inside things.Aside from things like white box appliances (fridge, washer, dish cleaning slave) everything is blue, brown, green, sometimes you get white and black.I've seen some industrial stuff that is all black wire, with unique numbers printed on each wire so you're not totally confused.