DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Bobcat DMX Tester => Topic started by: deplanche on April 02, 2012,
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Any suggestions for the size wire connecting the batteries to the board? None of my "scrap" wire seems to be working well. The lamp cord is too big to fit thru the holes of the PCB. The thin stuff I have (no idea where it came from anymore), solders on well, but keeps breaking when I am trying to mount it or program the PIC.
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I had a servo extension cable that I cut in half. That gave me a connector between the case and the board should I ever need to remove it. I just trimmed off the third wire in a way that made it impossible to hook up backwards and cause any damage.
Nothing here is high power, so anything in the 20 to 24 gauge range should be ok. If you have an old piece of cat5 that you could pull a couple of wires out of, that would work.
I'm concerned about what you are trying to use with the breaking comment... You should use copper wire. Solid is ok, but stranded is better. Don't try to make the wires too short - there is room in the case to loop any excess. The extra wire will make assembly of the case easier.
I almost hate to say this, but the wire does need to be insulated. Bare wire will short out and cause all sorts of headaches.
RM
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try the cables you get with a prototyping breadboard, they come in a plastic box, and if you dabble in elextronics, it's good to have one
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Wire from an old string of lights should work as well. Got an old PC to scrap out, there is lots of possible wire in it.
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I tried using the larger wire I have in my hand but I am having a hard time bending into the case, do you think the smaller wire I am holding will work?
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500mcm is a bit thick; 4-aught should do it. ::)
If you have a dead cat5 cable lying around, that wire works well too.
/mike
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I cut the wires off a PC fan I had in my scrap box. The wires were really long for some reason.
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I tried using the larger wire I have in my hand but I am having a hard time bending into the case, do you think the smaller wire I am holding will work?
Nope, you actually need larger wire and NOT the smaller wire. I know the larger cable is harder to bend, but it can be done.
I called my friends round for my installation.
See pic below:
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I will point out that you will need a special tool to cut the larger cable though.
Here's the tool I use to cut mine:
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So what do guys do? Drill a hole in the wire for the end of the battery, then wrap the whole thing with heat shrink?
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I had a servo extension cable that I cut in half. That gave me a connector between the case and the board should I ever need to remove it. I just trimmed off the third wire in a way that made it impossible to hook up backwards and cause any damage.
Nothing here is high power, so anything in the 20 to 24 gauge range should be ok. If you have an old piece of cat5 that you could pull a couple of wires out of, that would work.
I'm concerned about what you are trying to use with the breaking comment... You should use copper wire. Solid is ok, but stranded is better. Don't try to make the wires too short - there is room in the case to loop any excess. The extra wire will make assembly of the case easier.
I almost hate to say this, but the wire does need to be insulated. Bare wire will short out and cause all sorts of headaches.
RM
I am using stranded copper wire. Not sure what size it is. I trim the inuslation off, twist the wires together and put a bit of solder on the ends so they don't come apart. I put them thru the hold on the PCB and then solder to the board. Three times so far, the wire has broken off on the backside, near where I trimmed the insulation. Not sure if I am damaging it when striping it or maybe using too much heat when I solder it. Once everything is closed up in the case, I don't think this will be an issue. But getting it to that point has been one.
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That seems to ba a symptom of squeezing too hard when you start the wire stripping process. Try using a magnifying glass after stripping and noting whether you have nicked some of the strands thereby creating a weak connection point. It happens more commonly when one strips solid copper vs stranded.
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Yes, don't squeeze as tight with the strippers, your nicking the strands and it is causing them to break when you bend them. That is a big problem when stripping the real fine stranded wire.
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You can get around this by using good strippers and adjusting them properly.
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these are the different wire strippers that I use...
1.) cat 3/5/5e/6 wire
2.) stranded wire
3.) 28-32 gauge wire
4.) 24-26 gauge wire
5.) tip: 12/2 romex stripper main 12 gauge conductor stripper
6.) 10 12 14 16 gauge wire
7.) everything else : )
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the last two
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Oh, I just use my teeth...
Only kidding... For the most part.
When I was a teenager, I didn't have a good stripper. I often used my wire cutters, but it takes a practice to feel when you have cut through just the insulation and not into the wire... The teeth were easier...
Not recommended though as you can easily damage your teeth.
RM
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I thought I was the only one that did that.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix2
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Though very expensive, the heated strippers that melt the insulation are great. I had to leave them at my old job. :(
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Oh, I just use my teeth...
RM
That's what I use on every servo wire I've installed, with not a single problem.
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Another issue may be the solder itself. Solder can be brittle and if it wicks up past the thru hole to the other side of the board, it can snap where you bend it. The trick there is to bend the wire before you solder it. Then the solder will strengthen the bend.
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Just don't use your teeth on phone lines; the ring voltage will surprise you >.d9
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LOL, yea, 70VAC will give your mouth a healthy zap.
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For most of my work, I'll use my wirestripper with the adjustable cam.
http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-74007-Adjustable-Stripper/dp/B000GTP0LE
I tapped the rivet holding the cam with a hammer to tighten it up. I need a plier to change the setting, but once it is set, it doesn't move. So when I am stripping a lot of wire that is all the same gauge, I don't have to look at the tool to make sure I am using the right cutter groove. I have one of those self adjusting ones also, but on the smaller gauge stranded wires, it sometimes damages the insulation on the side I don't want stripped.