My future layout will have approximately 40 linear feet of run, using 15 to 18 inch wide hollow core doors for the base. Being an old, heavyset baby boomer, I'm not too excited to crawl under the layout multiple times for soldering feeders to the 14 guage bus. My solution is wago lever connectors (part 222-415) with 5 slots. I would have 4 slots for feeders and the fifth to connect to the bus. Wago connectors are very easy and quick to use. Remove half inch of insultation, stick in slot, close lever. Done! They can handle 10 to 24 guage wire. If I purchase 40 of them, I'll pay $17.55 and have enough slots for 160 feeder wires and 40 connections to the bus. I obviously won't use all of them with this layout. The cost is $0.11 per feeder wire and I would reduce the number of IDC connections to the bus from 160 to 40. The 3M scotchloks are about $0.30 apiece so there would significant savings.
Cost comparison for 160 feeder connections
Option A 160 scotchloks at $0.30 cents each = $48
Option B (40 wagos at $0.44) + (40 IDC @ $0.30) = $29.60
Option B also enables me to troubleshoot electrical connections on the layout without disturbing the two buss lines. The wagos can be reused and there is no issue with opening and closing many times. For my purposes, it seems to be a win/win/win to use the wagos since they make construction simpler, lower cost than straight Scotchloks, and provide the ability to troubleshoot the layout.
Thoughts? Yes, I know some only trust soldered buss connections but they're not happening on my layout...
This is what they look like https://tinyurl.com/yc683jpa
I am amazed that it cheaper than an ebay Chinese terminal strip. It rings my "sounds too good to be true" bell, but I don't see the catch.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thanks for posting the link Henry! :)
I went to the wago.us webpage. The country of origin for the 222-415's is listed as Germany. Should be positive sign versus a Chinese knockoff
eeehhh they are $0.08 on Alibaba. Don't expect German engineering here.
https://tinyurl.com/y7nbouvl
Bummer, I thought I had a winning solution... At the Scotchloks are made in USA so I do have a fallback.
Umm, the Alibaba Chinese ones are not the genuine article, they are knockoffs of the Wago. Just like you can get much cheaper suitcase connectors than the genuine 3M Scotchlock ones.
On a shelf-style layout,t here's no reason you couldn;t do all the wiring along the front edge, and then hide it behind the fascia. No need to crawl under. No need to use special connectors, you can solder the feeders to the bus and since the wiring is all along the edge of the layout and not under it, there's none of the issue of crawling under and/or having solder drip on you (though I can say I've always soldered my wiring even for layouts I built as a teen/pre-teen, and I can count the number of times I had solder drop on me on one hand).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I received an email from two US sellers stating that their product is the genuine wago from germany, not an asian knockoff.
Randy, you do make an excellent point about soldering the bus along the front edge of layout and concealing it behind the fascia. I like the thought of wago connectors because they would be helpful in troubleshooting connection issues and are quick to install.
You could use 2 ports on the Wago's as bus in and bus out, have only 3 feeder slots per connector and eliminate the Scotchlok's.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Making a false-front fascia as a wiring channel is a very interesting idea. It does narrow aisles, though.
Ed
imho anything that relies on spring pressure or open slots are a problem in the making i would suggest that despite the cost that you go with strips that have a screw to tighten, many years of trouble shooting electrical systems has shown me this to be true.
Hello all,
My experience with connectors that "bite" into a wire/cable; stranded or solid, each insertion and removal damages and degrades the connection. Especially with stranded wire; tinned fairs better in some cases.
After sufficient degradation of the end of the wire, the current has less area to pass though and resistance builds. Resistance = Heat! (A simplified explanation.)
If enough resistance is encountered melting of the connectors can lead to fire. I have seen this happen.
One way to mitigate this is to have a small loop of wire at each connector. Every time you remove the wire, cut the little bit that bites into the connector off to provide a new section for the connector to bite into.
When I was an electrician our company manufactured panels for temporary installations.
When making these panels I would either us terminal strips with spade connectors or if compression terminals were used; either screw or lever, extra wire was looped at the connector.
That way if the wire needed to be removed and reinstalled a clean end could be inserted into the connector.
Even with spade or ring connectors I would add one loop just incase the connector needed to be replaced.
It was either that or get out the "wire stretcher"!
On my pike I use terminal strips with the wire ends tinned and bent into a "J". I still have a loop of wire at both ends just incase.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
rrinker Umm, the Alibaba Chinese ones are not the genuine article, they are knockoffs of the Wago. Just like you can get much cheaper suitcase connectors than the genuine 3M Scotchlock ones....
Knock-offs or not, you'll need to buy 1,000 of them to get that price....
"US $0.08-0.22 / Pieces | 1000 Piece/Pieces Quick Wire Connector (Min. Order)"
Wayne
IDRick...Yes, I know some only trust soldered buss connections but they're not happening on my layout...
You could probably solder the rail joiners and skip much of the bus wiring altogether.
doctorwayneKnock-offs or not, you'll need to buy 1,000 of them to get that price....
Group buy
I appreciate the discussion in this thread! Obviously there is a diversity of opinion which is fine. I'm a novice and I'm not building my dream layout. Rather, I'm getting feet wet doing lots of different things. We will sell our home in the next 3 years and move closer to our son. Layout probably NOT make the trip.
After all the discussion, I'm still leaning toward using genuine wagos for the feeders to reduce the number of connections to the buss. I may give soldering below the layout a shot if I only have to do say 20 rather than 50 to 60. Will do some soldering trials first before deciding. As Carl suggested, it may be easier to just use two ports for in/out of the bus and three feeders with the Wagos. Wayne also made a good point with a small layout to just solder most of the rail joiners. We'll see... Thanks again!
I’ve used the Wagos for ray tracks around a turntable— super easy to run wires to power cutoff toggles on one rail, and daisy chain the live rails. And when you (rather, I) accidentally put ray 7’s rail to ray 8’s toggle, it’s a breeze to fix. Love em. I get them at Menards for a very fair price. The spring lever’s grab is amazingly tight. I can pull one out if I really try. But it ain’t easy.