How do you name your props?

[Box on Rails]

So over the last 13 years I have come up with a way of naming each prop in my display for fast reference without going into the prop definition to get the network or unit ID Info. I put the Network and Unit ID in the first part of the name. It seems to work well for me because the props and groups line up numerically in the preview. Here is how I do mine.

I list all the groups starting the name with the term "000# Group" like this:

"0001 GROUP Entire display" 

"0002 GROUP House Only"

"0003 GROUP Ground Props"

and so on with all the prop groups. Then with each prop I name them by Network and unit number Like this:

Regular network in one Pixie 16 and would be numbered 

01 Garage door

02 front door

03 window left

04 window right

all the way to 

0E Coro Tree

Then Network Aux A props are named this way

A040 Right roof trim

A041 Left Roof Trim

A042 Right Roof Peak

A043 Left Roof Peak

A050 Coro Star

Then Network Aux B is my 50x48 Matrix

B030 Matrix

Then Network Aux C has another Pixie 16 

C060 Spooky Tree left

C061 Spooky Tree Right

C062 Spooky Face

C063a Arch 001 

C063b Arch 002

C064a Arch 003

C064b Arch 003.

I also have an a 12 CCR strip tree that is called "D010 CCR Tree". What does the Name mean? The name says Aux D, Start Unit ID is 10 and since each CCR strip has it's own Unit ID then the CCR unit IDs are 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,1A,1B. and I got all that info from the props Name. Simple right?

when I name the props by Network and Unit ID It seems to be a bit more organized when I am using the sequence editor. Even when I create separate views while sequencing, I can still just look at a prop's name and know what network it is on and the unit ID. It's all in the name. 

I have gotten used to this but I was wondering if there might be another way you all name your props and groups that keep things organized for you. Please share your technique. I would love to hear the many different ways it can be done. 

Attached is an S6 Preview I have set up for 2023 if you want to see what my system looks like. 

 

2023 Christmas Basic - small - santa matrix.zip

[TheDucks]

I only labeled my pigtails and their extension cables. A##, D##, S##  (can you guess what the letter stand for? 😛 )

AC Power cords, vampired , were made with 3 colors (some was what I had laying around after serving as Speaker wire) of SPT , and I use White or Green Vampires, so I had natural combinations: White ends on Green...., then I needed longer, so I started using a small color zip on both ends. 'Why is the Brn  w/Bu not working?'

My controller boxes are labeled as to placement locations (the location area is The network because of the driveway/walk :House, Corner, Frontyard) . The only real tricky Controller box is 'MTree' 2 @ CMB24 D1-8 R+L and a Pixie4 S1-4) I put the same labels on the strings of the MTree (I figured I could identify a Bundle of cables from R). S cables are 3pin to help stupid proof things.

I like your system due to the nature of your props.  'This prop only fits window 3'.

 

[k6ccc]

As for controllers and wiring, mine is WAY too simple - and very non-interchangable.

My pixel tree has a 12 x 12 x 6 PVC electrical box with the Falcon F16v3 and 16 port expansion board.  That gets bolted behind the star after the tree is stood up.  The 32 three conductor ribbon cables that connect the pixel strings each are labeled with the tree or star string number, and in case I forget, there is a cheater sheet in the controller box to remind me which string goes into which controller port (it's easy - string 01 to port 01, string 02 to port 02, etc.)

There is a "yard" 12 x 12 x 6 PVC electrical box that has a Falcon F16v3, 12 volt power supply, and 5 volt regulator.  It gets placed on top of two pieces of 1 1/4 inch PVC conduit that poke out of the ground next to the flagpole.  One conduit gets a extension cord that has the female end cut off and has three spade lugs to connect to the power supply.  The other conduit had one piece of Cat-5.  There are currently only three pixel strings plugged into that F16v3.  The only important part is that one is 5 volt and the other two are 12 volt.  LARGE amount of labeling to make sure I know what plugs into where.

The F16v3 for the eves is permanently mounted in the attic, and each of the 8 cables have labels as to which port to plug into on the controller.

The P10 matrix is sort of obvious and connected to a RJ-45 mounted in a junction box under the eves a few feet behind it.

The arches were three original CCP controllers and were labeled 21/22, 23/24, & 25/26.  They were the only controllers on the AuxB network, and that network has a cable that terminates in a junction box mounted to the wall just a few feet away.

And lastly the two singing faces each have a 16 channel AC controller mounted side by side behind the right side face.  Those have the channel numbers on the pigtails out of the controllers and the SPT-1 bundle connecting to each tree.  The SPT wires have P-Touch labels with the channel numbers and assignment (i.e. 01 Tree 1 - outline) on the plugs.  The LOR network connection for those two controllers is in the same junction box as the E1.31 for the matrix.

The year round landscape lighting stuff of course has permanently installed wiring.

Oh, and to make TheDucks happy, on the power supply for the yard F16, when wiring up the three power wires to the power supply, I can lay the male end of the cable on the ground where I can see it, so I absolutely know it is not plugged in!  And I STILL put a voltmeter on it to be sure...

As for in the Preview and Sequencer, I have a grid view that only has the following groups:  Singing tree 1, Singing tree 2, song numbers, and almost everything.  There is also the P5 and P10 matrix.  Almost all sequencing is done in SuperStar using the Almost everything group.  So when the groups are compressed, there are exactly 6 lines.

 

[TheDucks]

Bravo on having a safe procedure. As a Tube era technician, we were trained that capacitors can retain/resume a charge after power was removed and even when momentarily discharged.

We left the grounding bar in place while working on the power supply of the Radar (12KV 3A), even a tiny charge recovery was letal