Ole Timer: Done deal. Idea has been trashed. Thanks.
I think he found the answer .. but ... lord sakes NO .... please don't use it .
Let me also add that stranded phone wire is typically wound with cotton or some other type of thread, and as such is very, very difficult to work with for anything other than dedicated telephone use. It's hard to get a clean strip, and even once stripped it's next to impossible to wrap it around a terminal or solder it. The strands are so fine that they break, or melt when soldered.
BOB: You answered my question "completely". The "chief engineer" had already advised me that, since " I can't take it with me", I should just go buy the wire I needed. Many thanks.
Number 26 AWG is pretty small. If you've got 2 wires in the cable, that's equivalent to 23 AWG, which is good for about 3 amperes. If you've got 4 wires, it's 20 AWG and 5 amperes. What are you planning to use for the return? The outside rails of the track? If you're using your cable for the return, with 4 wires twisted together into 2 pairs, your limit is 2.5 amperes.
Bob Nelson
I have a 100' long telephone extension cord marked "AWM 20251 AWG 26 CHAU'S E114062 15OV 60PC CSA". I know absolutely nothing about wires.
Being a "penny pincher" at heart, I was wondering: If I cut off the plugs and use the inside wires wrapped together as a single wire at the ends, can it be used to connect accessories to the transformer OR will I be asking for trouble (or calling the Fire Department)?
As always, many thanks.
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