Aren't the colors for AC wiring standards (part of the electrical code), not conventions?
Yes but.... there are situations where a white wire (normally neutral) can provide mains power. I believe it should marked with tape but I'm not sure on that point.
So yes it is by law but the law allows enough options you need to verify before you touch.
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Black = death. The association is very strong, at least in Europe and America.
I am using blue for GND but I don't know why. I have believed blue is battery negative but when I think about it now I cannot recall any example. For some reason it feels more appropriate to use blue as "opposite" of red. Maybe fire vs. water? From M:TG?
Ground-ish colours in my opinion are black, green and blue.
Positive-ish colours in my opinion are red and orange.
This is an interpretation I have found common amongst engineers.
Interestingly when I was a University Lecturer many Asian students had no concept of this and would think nothing of wiring +5V with black, and ground with red. When I asked them why, they seemed bewildered and said "why not". So I guess it might be a cultural thing.
I would guess they didn't work on their automobiles. With the exception of Russia (which I don't know) the rest of the automobile world is;
+12 (+6) = Red
Ground = common = Black.
I have not idea on how the color code initiated. Perhaps with Mr Edison.
I consider all wires in a system above 50V dangerous and would not touch any without securing the system first. You never know when someone made a mistake.
Intuition is not required for these standards. The rules are made for professionals, and they know them by heart after apprenticeship. Some sources mention red as protective earth before yellow/green was introduced, therefore red wires are no longer allowed in AC systems. I think red wires are still used in DC systems. Black and brown were likely chosen because at the time they were easier and cheaper to make than fancy colors and they would stay black and brown for decades.
I accidentally picked up a capacitor that was charged to hundreds, maybe thousands of volts without discharging it yesterday. My entire arm just seized up immediately.
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long long time ago worked with this type cable with a similar colour coding. big smile
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