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Saturday, December 10, 2011

The "Too-Many-Wires" Headache Solution

GOOD. The circuit is organized and parts are wires are colored and  appropriate in length


The following steps can be used in any order, but if done in the order provided, the steps may be more helpful. 

1. Take a quick break ( 10 minutes ) maybe a coffee and a shower.

2. Look at your project with the mindset, "Which wires can be shortened to clean up this mess." Then, shorten them! If you are new to electronics then invest in a pair of wire strippers or "strippers". Wire Strippers cut and strip wires of various guages (sizes). 
Any wire that is about two times as long as it should be to make its connection flat and out of the way, you should remove (mark the locations if you will forget its placement) and then cut the wire into two and strip the ends as needed. You get an extra wire AND a cleaner project.

BAD
3. Use colors to represent different and significant parts of your circuits. Red could be all of your power (PWR) lines; blue your ground (GND). Make your color decisions definite and write them down into a journal that you can use specifically for your projects.

4. Call a friend for help organizing your ciruit. He may be able to see problems that you do not see. Two people are twice as efficient as one. Plus, it may spark more joy into your project.

5. Label wires with tape (weak tape would be preferred if you plan to reuse the wires). Get a sharpie to ensure an absence of those troublesome smudges.

6. Re-think the layout of your circuit. If your project has many long wires, you should move the components closer together and decrease the size of your wires.

7. Replace loose wires that would fall out upon a simple shake. When shortening and simplifying your wires the last thing you want is for your wires to fall out of their placement.

REALLY BAD

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