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Wiring

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  • Member since
    October 2007
  • 82 posts
Wiring
Posted by RayG8 on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 5:31 AM

Anyone know of a substitue for solder? I have a wire that came loose from a terminal that would require some deconstruction for me to re solder it, really would like to avoid that!

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 8:22 AM

If you can reach it with the tip of the iron, reheating it to get the solder to flow again is your best bet, Maybe swab a little rosin flux on things before heating to help. There are really no reliable substitutes, as solder provides both electrical and physical connectivity.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 7,500 posts
Posted by 7j43k on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 10:39 AM

Maybe a spring clamp, like an alligator:

I'm talking about without-the-usual-wire.

 

 

Ed

  • Member since
    June 2011
  • 158 posts
Posted by Old Fat Robert on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 11:07 AM

I am curious as to where this broken connection could be, since you seem to have room for a substitute (and the room to attach it) but don't have room for the tip of a pencil type soldering iron?

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 11:32 AM

Amazon sells conductive adhesives. 

There are, of course, crimp on connectors.  Your problem is difficult for us to visualize without a picture of the connection that is broken.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 1:14 PM

What is this "terminal" connected to?  Track?  Turnout?  Structure?

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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  • From: 10,430’ (3,179 m)
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Posted by jjdamnit on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 3:05 PM

Hello all,

MisterBeasley
What is this "terminal" connected to?  Track?  Turnout?  Structure?

Very appropriate question(s).

If you can reach the break try twisting the pairs of wires and apply Liquid Electrical Tape.

This would apply for spliced wires and would not work on feeders soldered to the track and/or turnouts.

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 4:10 PM

I'll take a stab at what the situation might be.  Dunce

If the wire came loose from a terminal, I'm guessing that it's not on the layout, but perhaps beneath the layout or on a control panel.  Is "came loose" perhaps another way of saying that the end broke off the wire? And the problem is that there's not enough wire available to re-strip the end so that it can be re-attached to the terminal?

If that's the case, (c'mon, folks, there's at least a chance that that's what happened  Whistling ) can you pull the wire back to where you have room to work on it?
If so, pull it back and use a Marr connector to add a suitable length of similar-gauge wire to the end of the existing one, then feed it back to where the terminal is located.

If this isn't the situation, how about a photo or a more detailed description of the area.  There are lots of folks here ready to help, but we need more information.

Wayne

 

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 4:33 PM

doctorwayne

how about a photo or a more detailed description of the area.  There are lots of folks here ready to help, but we need more information.

Wayne

My curiosity is up on this one. I hope that the OP provides more info. I have re-soldered loose and/or broken connections in some pretty tight and awkward locations.

Rich

Alton Junction

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