What I used. Wire Lever nut instead of suitcase connector

[Soo Line fan]

You can always back probe them which is what we do on automotive connectors.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Geared Steam

 

 

7j43k

Another problem with these and suitcase connectors is that you can't put a meter on the connection.

 

 

Look at the OP's third picture, you can easily use a voltmeter to check voltage. 

Men are funny, you will always get a strong opinion on wiring, the best tools, mufflers, lawn mowers, V-8's and beer. 

Cheers 

 

 

 

 

Tools - having sold MATCO tools years ago, I can tell you that there are lots of good tools out there, but most all the of the good ones come from the same few factories regardless of the name stamped on them.

Mufflers - Having built and driven high performance cars most of my life, I prefer nice quiet mufflers that do not attract the attention of law inforcement.

Lawn Mowers - GRAVELY with out question is the best. Why are some tractors green? So they can hide in the grass while the red tractors do all the work.

V-8's - Chevy's were best back in the day, but today my FORDS have proven much better.

Beer - no use for that here, or any other mind altering chemicals in any form.

Wiring - again, these little connectors, and others like them, have there place, but not on my layout.

Sheldon

[chutton01]

rrinker

 If you haven't used all the connections, sure, you can always stick a probe in an empty connection. But there appear to be no openings for a probe tip elsewhere, so if all the spots are used up, you have to disconnect something to make a test.

This is not true, these clips come with a built in test port - the little square opening "above" the levers allows multimeter probe access. It does not allow you to test each connection separately however, like a terminal bar does.
This video explains how the connectors work in some detail (I usually look for such videos when I hear about new items, as I did in this thread), and show usage of the test port. It also shows that these wire lever nuts seem to be rather fancy derivatives of "Fahnestock clips" (as they call them in MicroMark) ganged together.

From the OP:
"Whats nice about these is you do not cut into your bus wire sheathing like you do with the suitcase type connectors"
I don't get this - yeah, you do indeed cut into the bus wire sheathing...and the bus wire itself to insert the wire lever nut. Would you say you don't cut into your bus wire if you pigtailed four connections off of it with a traditional wire nut?

[maxman]

chutton01

From the OP: "Whats nice about these is you do not cut into your bus wire sheathing like you do with the suitcase type connectors" I don't get this - yeah, you do indeed cut into the bus wire sheathing...and the bus wire itself to insert the wire lever nut.

I presume that he means that he is not cutting into the bus wire sheathing mid-run.  On the other hand, you do have to cut the bus wire and strip the cut end before insertion into the connector.

[JimInMichigan]

Its like this, it is what works for " ME ". I have a relatively small layout, it's all thats needed. You guys want to show off your wiring masterpeices, then by all means, go start a thread and do so. I posted this thread to show those who use suitcase connectors an easier ( and in my opinion, better ) alterative. Unless I am mistaken, suitcase connectors are geared for certain wire gauges ( 22-18, 18-16, ect ), but they do not make one that allows you to take a 20 ga feeder and connect it to a 16ga wire. If you do try to use the smaller connector, then the blade will have to cut into the 16ga wire, use the larger connector and your not cutting the small ga insulation properly. These WAGO lever nuts allows you to take any gauge wire from 28ga up to 12 ga and make a reliable connection.

As for my wires hanging in a rats nest, that was for illustration purposes. Currently, they are folded back up by the benchwork ( solid wire feeders hold thier shape well ). Once I get it to where I want, it's easy to use some double sided tape to stick the WAGO's up to the bottom of the benchwork and shortening the leads as needed.

For those who think the wire nut is the way to go, then I'm happy for you. But I do not agree with you.

 

[hon30critter]

Jim:

I'll agree that the Wago connectors look better than suitcase connectors. They would seem to be less prone to cutting into the wire and thereby weakening it. I have always been leary of that problem.

I had also forgotten that they come in different configurations so I can see the units with fewer ports perhaps being more useful on longer bus runs.

I have changed my opinion of them now that I have learned more.

Thanks

Dave

[mlehman]

RR_Mel

After 78 years the “Little Grey Cells” are slower to engage so I’m in favor of keeping some sort of documentation. Labels are a great help because I don’t have to rely on the Little Grey Cells as much and rarely need the documentation, but it’s there if I need it.

Mel,

I may regret some lack of labeling when I get older, but I hope not...if I get that way, there'll be bigger things to worry about. But I don't do without them. I've got a label machine and not afraid to use it.

But I think I'll be OK on the memory thing. Fortunately, my inheritance in terms of old age seems to indicate I'll just get old and fall apart and won't end up relatively health, but with a blank sheet of paper, so to speak. Maybe even a little more confidence than usual, because I sat through and transcribed a semester long interdisciplinary faculty-grad student sysmposium for my advisor that brought together experts from our campus and around the world. Most interesting was the guy who worked with the guy that had something happen to him and he quit making new memories. He remembered everything before some date in the 1950s, but basically nothing after. He was a pretty functional guy, considering. And there were some weird signs that at some level some forms of memory were still functioning once you started running tests on him, but there was a very clear border where things just dropped out and no doubt he was profoundly  impaired despite an otherwise healthly appearnce and demeanor.

But there are all kinds of memory and memory functions and their loss or use depends very much on the person. For some things, there are easy workarounds. Alzheimer's etc not so fortunate. Then there's the range called "normal" that is pretty darn broad. But since I use wire size, shape, and color, along with different wire nuts as part if my wiring ID system fortunately this kind of visual and muscle memory is actually pretty robust even when other things are going downhill. So far so good. I never really had any problems with it, although I still come across things from thhe worst of that period I did and I think "Did I do that?" but it's fine because it's just that I'm not remembering the actual install but I did remember the correct chops to do it.

Then I had some health issues, got treated with some drugs that were about the only choice at the time to deal with the problems I was having (a weird spinal thing that is fortunately rare, unless it happens to be you) . problem is they fell in a class called anticholinergic drugs. The reaction to them can range from no problem at all to some pretty dificient memory functions. Apparently this has gotten a lot more attention in recent years as they look into Alzheimer's more and more. Some cases diagnosed as that may be this anticholinergic reaction.  The fact is that as you get older you get the more sensitive to these effects if you're unlucky enough to be sensitive to using them. Thing is it's not just the sort of drugs that make you goofy, like you might think, although there are some of those involved. Even things like what's in over the counter meds for things you'd never think would do that, like some anti-acids and other OTC meds (Zantac I think is one, Benadryl is another). So if you do run into memory issues as you enjoy your retirement under the layout, keep "anticholinergic" in mind and Google up a list of 'em. Thing is, the effects can sometimes be permanent, sometimes temporary. In my case I was really starting to worry about that with a dissertation to write and literally hundreds of sources ARGH Thank goodness my advisor is a very patient person and I've had a lot of support from the wife and people in general. It's slowly gotten better, but has taken literally years after getting off them and swicthed to something else.

So, yeah, I'm not advocating doing without labels just to be different. They have their place. But if you use consistent wiring practices and use specific stuff to do different things, it's possible to keep a whole lot straight and obvious so you can just look at wiring and figure it out.

And JimInMichgan is right...no one should be forced to use wire nuts

However, it might surprise people after reading this thread so far but I did a survey (unscientific b/c of small sample size N=28) on another forum that allows such things and found that more than 50% of the respondents used wire nuts successfully and a few percentage more planned to use them, apparently not scared off by all the pictures of neat panels all neatly labeled. This majority was a relatively silent majority, though, as most of those who actually commented seem to have voted the "No, they are the work of the devil!" category. So, those who've been using wire nuts, read this far and were wearily making plans to totally rewire their layout with barrier strips, etc, relax, there's a lot more people out here using them. You are not alone.

[hon30critter]

I think the bottom line on this thread is that there are lots of great ways to wire your layout. Jim's method and devices are certainly one of them.

Dave

[mlehman]

Dave,

I gotta agree with you. I think it pays to get some wiring under your belt. Follow a method that works for you. Then figure out if the next projrect could be done in a way that both works and is efficient. Because ultimately, once things are wired right, they tend to stay. If you have trouble, if you have the skills to isolate it to a particualr circuit, then that's half the battle. Some folks may want a folder or binder full of documentation, full labels on everything, and all kinds of fancy terminal doohickey's. Some may just need a few lables and a system in mind, like I do. But you can't just start hooking up wires willy-nilly. You still have to put some thought into things regardless of the system.

And there are other considerations, as I mentioned. Just a module with a single main? Then not much need for a terminal strip, so long as the wires are held reliably and where they don't snag. If the end connectors match per the standard of your modular, you're good.

If you have a large club layout, with a committee of 12 to do and maintain the wiring, then you all get on the same page with documentation and the full boat as far as making it clear to anyone who'll work on it in the future where things hook up.

I actually am quite impressed by the wiring skills on display. My only concern would be that someone just throws in the towel on having a layout because they hate wiring and have no plans to get certified as a journeyman electrician. That sort of skill is great to have at your disposal, but it should not be thought of as a barrier or requirement. Instead, you just need to find something that works with your comfort  and skill level.

Ultimately, the most important skill of all in model railroading electrical work is being able to trouble-shoot. because you not only have the basic wiring, but often a control circuit, a signals circuit, sometimes a turnout motor circuit. Then you have track, with its gaps and feeder. Then you have motive power and rolling stock. Add all that up and it's something that can be a real challenge if you can't break things down to systematically find the fault when something goes wrong.