Need some help from my Forum friends again. Has any seen or know where I can find some single wire connectors? What I am looking to do is to make wires between sections on my new layout easier to take apart and reassemble when it will eventually moves. I have checked my usual sites and I haven't come up with anything that fits the bill.
As usual, any help that any can provide would be most welcomed.
Any reason they have to be single wire?
What gauge wire are we talkin' here?
I've used dozens of different kinds of plug/socket combinations in my projects. I have a drop-leaf walk-thru that uses a sixteen pin Molex connector and I made pigtails for the plug with 14 gauge wire.
For your application have you considered flat automotive trailer connectors? They're sturdy. You can only plug them together one way. You can get several combinations of pin arrangements and they don't easily come apart unless you want them to.
https://www.delcity.net/images/linedrawings/Molded%20Connectors_Color%20Guide.pdf
Look at the chart. You can get singles all the way up to 8 conductors. The 8 pin ones have 3 #12s and 5 #16s that would give you heavy wire for track buss and lighter wire for switch machine and lighting.
For instance, here's a six-conductor, 12" set.
https://tinyurl.com/ycagrbjc
Clip it in half, wire each end to a terminal strip and you're on your way. You should be able to find them locally at a farm and tractor type place or a NAPA auto parts store.
Good Luck, Ed
FRRYKidWhat I am looking to do is to make wires between sections on my new layout easier to take apart and reassemble when it will eventually moves.
barrier strips would work. might make it convenient trying to isolate a short
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I'm building a large layout, about 15' x 26" and want the same allowances for future moving the layout that you mention.
I'm using GregC's approach with the barrier strips. I order them in quantity on eBay from China at very reasonable cost.
I at first used crimp on connectors on the stranded wire, but didn't like the potential for a bad connection, so I went to tinning the ends of the leads with solder and putting them under the screws bare. I like that much better. The connection crimps down nicely onto the soldered wire.
For my main DCC feed, I use the long barriers with one for each pole of the DCC and the jumpers they supply with the strips. That way I have a bunch of sections of the barreir strip to use to tap into the DCC line in each section of the layout.
This is perhaps a little bit old school, but I wanted a highly visible and chanageable setup. I was fearful of things like the clamp on connectors having a bad connection and having to work under the layout to find it.
To make future moving more feasable, I try to make every section as completely stand alone as I can. I'll probably use some sort of plugs similiar to what gmpullman suggests for some individual things that need to jump from section to section. It will depend on what I find available on eBay.
I take the stranded wire and crimp them to spade connectors. You can get them that look like a 'v' or 'fork' type or ones where the screw goes thru them. I use them on the terminal strips that Greg posted. I never have an issue, they're easy to take off and put back on. Make sure you LABEL all of your wires as well. All of my wires are labeled so I know where they go.
Neal
Has anybody used spade connectors? One being the male and the other being the female. They slide into each other. Those aren't quite what I had in mind but they are in the same vein.
FRRYKid Has anybody used spade connectors? One being the male and the other being the female. They slide into each other. Those aren't quite what I had in mind but they are in the same vein.
FRRYKidHas anybody used spade connectors?
sure. When a barrier strip would be too difficult to mount or access, such as on a vertical staging rack.
Yes. I think they will work fine for you. Just get the correct ones which match the wire size. Also if you flip the direction of the male and female connectors on paired wires then you won't be able to make a wrong connection. In other words if you have a male connector on the positive feeder wire and a female connector on the negative feeder wire then you can’t get the wires crossed at the connections.
Lone Wolf and Santa Fe Yes. I think they will work fine for you. Just get the correct ones which match the wire size. Also if you flip the direction of the male and female connectors on paired wires then you won't be able to make a wrong connection. In other words if you have a male connector on the positive feeder wire and a female connector on the negative feeder wire then you can’t get the wires crossed at the connections.
That's what I was planning on. I also will be using different wire colors for different functions. Black (common) and red for track, Green(control), blue and yellow for turnouts and accessories will probably be something like orange and white. I will also make sure to label track connections and the turnouts as there are a lot of wires running around underneath.
Man do I miss Radio Shack.
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They had nylon body plug/socket connectors in 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12 pin arrangements.
A quick Google search found what I used to use:
These are pretty much fool proof and easy to use.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I bought some of these from Allelectronics.com
https://www.allelectronics.com/item/con-1200/12-pin-connector/1.html
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Medina1128I bought some of these from Allelectronics.com
Those look like a great solution. Pre-wired and color coded. What more could anyone ask for?
Thanks.
Here's another option from All Electronics:
https://www.allelectronics.com/item/951/quick-tap-for-22-18-wire-red/1.html
https://www.allelectronics.com/item/2125/1/4-quick-connect-male-red/1.html
Kerry
Clubs that take modular layouts to shows, use Anderson Power Pole connectors.
For a single move, a terminal strip on either module and a wire is good enough.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
is there a reason you want to stick to single wire connectors ?
j. c. is there a reason you want to stick to single wire connectors ?
Because quite a few of the wires are singles especially the track power wires as it is being wired for common rail. The remore machines are two wires. (The common or center wire of the machines are being connected in series to all the machines.) But it is just as simple to have singles as most of those wires are not connected. (connected machines wires are Atlas. Non connected wires are from my local NAPA store as no other place in town had the 20 ga wire I wanted.)
if thats the case get some 18/20 bullet connectors the ones with the red plastic..
With everybody talking about connectors, I have a question.
I have been looking for a connector that crimps on a stranded wire and provides a single stud that can be put under a screw.
Anybody know what I'm talking about? I have tried searching for them but without the proper name, I can't find anything.
Single pin under a screw? Not a fork terminal that has two ears on either side of the screw?
https://www.mouser.com/Connectors/Terminals/_/N-5g5u?P=1z0z4xuZ1yzofr5
Look over the Mouser selection, then maybe we can narrow down, or pin-point, what you're looking for.
Are these the kind of screw you intend to put the wire under?
IMG_4860 by Edmund, on Flickr
Thanks, Ed
A ring terminal?
https://www.google.com/search?q=ring+terminal&client=firefox-b-1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjq0I78pK_dAhUI74MKHS4MDNgQ_AUIDygC&biw=1366&bih=643
SouthPennI have been looking for a connector that crimps on a stranded wire and provides a single stud that can be put under a screw.
why not twist and put some solder on the end of the wire, and just use the soldered wire?
This is the shorting strip that I use to distribute track power around the layout.
These are mounted in pairs around the layout. One for (-) and one for (+). Main buss wires go into one of the end screws and the track feeders out the other screws.
I got a good price on stranded wire. Plus stranded wire is easier to work with.
I tried soldering but with the wires dangling from the bottom it takes three hands. And arthritis in my hands doesn't help.
SouthPennI tried soldering but with the wires dangling from the bottom it takes three hands. And arthritis in my hands doesn't help.
if it's really neccesary (sounds like no) the plastic can be stripped from these connectors to expose a straight metal crimp sleeve that can be soldered or crimped onto stranded wire for mounting in a screw terminal. The sleeve is obviously larger than the wire.