Comprehensive Guide to Wire Color Coding for DIY Electronics | LiberIT

Comprehensive Guide to Wire Color Coding for DIY Electronics

When working on DIY electronics, consistent and clear wire color coding is crucial for avoiding confusion and ensuring reliable connections. This guide helps you map DIY wire colors to the closest RJ45 Ethernet wire colors, minimizing confusion across projects. Whether you're wiring speakers, sensors, relays, or communication protocols like RS-232 and RS-485, this guide has you covered.

Why Color Coding Matters

Electronics projects often involve multiple types of signals: power, ground, data, and control. Using consistent color coding:

Helps avoid wiring mistakes.
Makes debugging easier.
Ensures compatibility across projects.

Updated Wire Color Coding Table

Here’s the complete color coding table for your DIY projects:


  
    Function
    DIY/Breadboard Color
    Closest RJ45 Color
    Recommended Use
  
  
    Ground (GND)
    Black
    Green
    Common ground for all connections.
  
  
    Power (5V)
    Red
    Brown
    Power supply for logic circuits, modules, or low-power devices.
  
  
    Power (3.3V)
    Orange
    Orange
    Power supply for microcontrollers and 3.3V peripherals.
  
  
    Speaker (+)
    Blue
    Blue
    Positive output for speaker audio signals.
  
  
    Speaker (−)
    White
    Green-White
    Negative output for speaker audio signals.
  
  
    RS-485 A (+)
    Yellow
    Orange
    Positive differential signal (A line).
  
  
    RS-485 B (−)
    Green
    Orange-White
    Negative differential signal (B line).
  
  
    RS-232 TX (Transmit)
    Purple
    Blue
    Transmit signal for RS-232 communication.
  
  
    RS-232 RX (Receive)
    Gray
    Brown-White
    Receive signal for RS-232 communication.
  
  
    Analog Sensor Signal
    Purple
 Blue   
    Sensor output for ADC reading (e.g., temperature, light).
  
  
    Digital Sensor Signal
    Yellow
    Orange-White
    GPIO input or output for sensors like DHT11, HC-SR04, or buttons.
  
  
    I2C Clock (SCL)
    Blue
    Blue
    Clock signal for I2C communication.
  
  
    I2C Data (SDA)
    White
    Blue-White
    Data line for I2C communication.
  
  
    Relay Control (Signal)
    Purple
    Blue
    Signal wire to control a relay module.
  
  
    Relay GND
    Black
    Green
    Ground connection for relay module.
  
  
    Relay VCC (Power)
    Red
    Brown
    Power supply for the relay module (5V).

Function	DIY/Breadboard Color	Closest RJ45 Color	Recommended Use
Ground (GND)	Black	Green	Common ground for all connections.
Power (5V)	Red	Brown	Power supply for logic circuits, modules, or low-power devices.
Power (3.3V)	Orange	Orange	Power supply for microcontrollers and 3.3V peripherals.
Speaker (+)	Blue	Blue	Positive output for speaker audio signals.
Speaker (−)	White	Green-White	Negative output for speaker audio signals.
RS-485 A (+)	Yellow	Orange	Positive differential signal (A line).
RS-485 B (−)	Green	Orange-White	Negative differential signal (B line).
RS-232 TX (Transmit)	Purple	Blue	Transmit signal for RS-232 communication.
RS-232 RX (Receive)	Gray	Brown-White	Receive signal for RS-232 communication.
Analog Sensor Signal	Purple	Blue	Sensor output for ADC reading (e.g., temperature, light).
Digital Sensor Signal	Yellow	Orange-White	GPIO input or output for sensors like DHT11, HC-SR04, or buttons.
I2C Clock (SCL)	Blue	Blue	Clock signal for I2C communication.
I2C Data (SDA)	White	Blue-White	Data line for I2C communication.
Relay Control (Signal)	Purple	Blue	Signal wire to control a relay module.
Relay GND	Black	Green	Ground connection for relay module.
Relay VCC (Power)	Red	Brown	Power supply for the relay module (5V).

Key Points to Remember

Speaker Wiring

Use Blue (positive) and White (negative) for clarity.
Match these to RJ45 Blue and Green-White wires.

RS-485 vs RS-232

RS-485: Differential signals using Yellow (A) and Green (B).
RS-232: Single-ended TX and RX with Purple and Gray.

Sensors

Analog signals (e.g., temperature, light) use Purple.
Digital GPIO signals (e.g., DHT11, HC-SR04) use Yellow.

How to Use This Guide

Print this table for quick reference.
Label wires consistently in your projects.
Avoid mistakes by sticking to these conventions across all your DIY setups.