Any standard Arduino color codes?

Log in or register to post comments
Go To Last Post
6 posts / 0 new
Author
Message
Simonetta
Simonetta's picture
Level: Raving Lunatic
Joined: Wed. Mar 12, 2003
Posts: 2663 View posts
Location: Portland, Oregon USA
#1
Posted by Simonetta: Wed. Jul 27, 2016 - 11:52 PM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

I've started using a self-defined set of color codes for my Arduino projects and I thought that I should ask if there are already some color codes in general use.

I bought six spools (1000 ft/300 meters) of wire-wrap AWG30 in black, red, orange, green, blue, and gray. 

 

I have standardized on BLACK for ground/earth/0.0 volts and RED for Vcc (the main AVR voltage on the Vcc pins).   I've assigned blue to SCL and green to SDA lines on the I2C/TWI/wire.h connections.  ORANGE is for any power voltage that is not Vcc, i.e. the Vin +9V  (or +5V USB voltage if the AVR Vcc is +3.3V).

 

If there is a different standard in general use for these lines, then I'd like to know before getting too deep into my own color assignments.

 

The color codes are used for: 

 >  Schematics.   I do a simple cut_and_paste of old OrCAD symbols on a black/white image in PhotoShop/PaintShopPro/GIMP instead of using Eagle or a commercial schematic-capture program. Works for me.  After the Black/white diagram of the circuit, I overdraw the buses and important traces in color in software or with colored pencils on paper print-outs.

 

>  Wire-Wrapping and point-to-point soldering on the prototype board.  Black=gnd; red=Vcc; blue=SCL [I2C], SCK [SPI] ; green=SDA [I2C,SPI], reset; orange=ChipEnable (TFT); grey= RegisterSelect

 

>  Plastic test-clips for custom hardware tools (like I2C sniffers, MIDI, and RS232 monitors).

 

>  Lay-out and part-placement drawings.  Scans and photos of circuit-board prototypes under development.   When reverse-engineering a printed circuit board, I scan the board with 800 dots/per/inch resolution.  Most traces will be a slightly different shade of the (usually green) solder-mask color.  I use paint-fill with a tolerance setting that allows the image of the trace to be paint filled in a different color.  This lets me see at a glance the entire Gnd, Vcc, or other individual trace network on the scanned image of the PCB.

 

> fritzing.  Standardized Arduino parts-layout-wiring software.

 

> timing charts.

 

I know that the resistors have a color band code that (roughly) follows the rainbow: black/brown/red/orange/yellow/green/blue/violet/grey/white.  And there are old capacitor color codes that were sometimes followed on 20th-century electronic devices.

 

Are there any standard AVR/Arduino standard color coding systems that I might not be aware of?

Tags:

Tools, Arduino
Last Edited: Sat. Jul 30, 2016 - 02:09 PM
Top
westfw
westfw's picture
Level: Raving Lunatic
Joined: Wed. Jun 19, 2002
Posts: 4110 View posts
Location: SF Bay area
Posted by westfw: Thu. Jul 28, 2016 - 03:48 AM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

I'm not aware of any standardized colors for this sort of use.  I had a job doing wire wrapping one summer (40 years ago (!)) - they did everything in a single color :-(

(I take it back.  There's a "common" way of documenting Arduino and Arduino-like boards that has been using a pretty consistent color code.  The color varies depending on pin use, which is probably what you want (brown for "digital" pins 0/1, orange for uart0 on the same pins.  Example: https://camo.githubusercontent.com/0174ab1436903eb06dfea280a83c389460637054/68747470733a2f2f7261776769746875622e636f6d2f426f756e692f41726475696e6f2d50696e6f75742f6d61737465722f41726475696e6f253230556e6f253230523325323050696e6f75742e706e67 )

 

Wire-Wrapping and point-to-point soldering on the prototype board.  Black=gnd; red=Vcc; blue=SCL [I2C], SCK [SPI] ; green=SDA [I2C,SPI], reset; orange=ChipEnable (TFT); grey= RegisterSelect

Sounds lovely.  I do the same obvious colors for Vcc/Gnd, but haven't done enough to standardize on other colors.  Most of the stuff I've done recently has been connecting pin headers on eval boards to pin headers on peripheral breakout boards or modules.  You might want to resever a couple of colors for "other inputs" vs "other outputs."

 

I like the way you're using the colors consistantly in multiple places; I don't think that ever occured to me, and/or I'm not disciplined enough to stick with it, and/or I'm not organized enough to keep track of that many colored pencils/pens.

 

In theory, using Eagle you could assign a separate class to each signal type, and have a ULP that would automatically draw the color version for you.  that might be a neat hack.  (but again, it requires discipline.  I tend to be happy when I remember to use separate classes for power and signal...)

 

[resistor color code] (roughly) follows the rainbow

That's always how I've remembered it.   No offensive mnemonics required.

 

Top
Torby
Torby's picture
Level: 10k+ Postman
Joined: Tue. Nov 11, 2003
Posts: 10179 View posts
Location: Bartlesville Oklahoma USA
Posted by Torby: Thu. Jul 28, 2016 - 12:24 PM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

Don't think I've ever seen a rainbow that includes brown and black.

The largest known prime number: 282589933-1

It's easy to stop breaking the 10th commandment! Break the 8th instead. 

Top
Paulvdh
Paulvdh's picture
Level: Raving Lunatic
Joined: Fri. Aug 3, 2001
Posts: 2802 View posts
Posted by Paulvdh: Sat. Jul 30, 2016 - 01:06 PM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

Simonetta wrote:
If there is a different standard in general use for these lines, then I'd like to know before getting too deep into my own color assignments.

Try to not re invent the wheel.

Use your colors as  the standarized pin numbers for the 6 or 10 pin insp connector.

 

Bit off topic:

I use the std. color codes for a lot of things.

For example the socket wrench for M6 bolts (10mm) is coded Blue and Green for M5 (8mm).

The non standard sockets (which I use rarely) are not color coded.

Color Coding is done by first roughing the surface by slight grinding, wrapping it with some thin yarn and glueing it into place.

 

Some time a go a girl asked me why I had all those colors on the end of some of my ropes.

Then I showed the end of the rope (Brown Green Red) to another visitor and asked him how long the rope was and he gave the correct answer.

 

 

 

Doing magic with a USD 7 Logic Analyser: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment/2421756#comment-2421756

Bunch of old projects with AVR's: http://www.hoevendesign.com

Top
Torby
Torby's picture
Level: 10k+ Postman
Joined: Tue. Nov 11, 2003
Posts: 10179 View posts
Location: Bartlesville Oklahoma USA
Posted by Torby: Sat. Jul 30, 2016 - 01:19 PM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

Paulvdh wrote:

 

 

Some time a go a girl asked me why I had all those colors on the end of some of my ropes.

Then I showed the end of the rope (Brown Green Red) to another visitor and asked him how long the rope was and he gave the correct answer.

 

 

 

 

1500cm?

The largest known prime number: 282589933-1

It's easy to stop breaking the 10th commandment! Break the 8th instead. 

Top
jgmdesign
jgmdesign's picture
Level: Moderator
Joined: Mon. Mar 19, 2007
Posts: 16145 View posts
Location: Long Island New York
Posted by jgmdesign: Sat. Jul 30, 2016 - 02:10 PM
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0

I'll move this to the Arduino forum.

 

Jim

I would rather attempt something great and fail, than attempt nothing and succeed - Fortune Cookie

 

"The critical shortage here is not stuff, but time." - Johan Ekdahl

 

"Step N is required before you can do step N+1!" - ka7ehk

 

"If you want a career with a known path - become an undertaker. Dead people don't sue!" - Kartman

"Why is there a "Highway to Hell" and only a "Stairway to Heaven"? A prediction of the expected traffic load?"  - Lee "theusch"

 

Speak sweetly. It makes your words easier to digest when at a later date you have to eat them ;-)  - Source Unknown

Please Read: Code-of-Conduct

Atmel Studio6.2/AS7, DipTrace, Quartus, MPLAB, RSLogix user

Top