Got yet another need for my Forum friends: I am looking for some sort of quick disconnect that is compatible with 26 AWG wire. What would nice with those would be in black, blue and white. (Wiring bridging two sections of layout for crossing sensors and those are the wiring colors.) I seem to remember many years ago Walthers had colored micro connectors in their catalog for connecting wires individually. However, I have not been able to find anything similar. I seem to remember that a male end plugged in the female end. (Similar to how air tool connections work.) I am in need of 24 sets. I would prefer 6 blue, 6 white and 12 black to go with the colors of the wiring as already mentioned.)
As usual, any assistance would be most welcomed.
Hi FRRYKid,
If you are just using the connectors for crossing signals then the power ratings of the connectors shouldn't be that high. You might want to consider terminal strips like these:
You can get them in single row or double row configurations. To make your connectors all you do is snap off the number of pins that you need (cutting with a razor saw is neater). Each pin has a male and female side which will plug into each other quite securely. In your case you would cut off two sections of three pins/sockets each. This shows a two pin connector:
Here is an example of a three pin connection mounted in a DCC locomotive:
As far as colour coding is concerned, a little touch of the right coloured paint will do the trick.
The terminal strips are available from any electronic parts suppliers like Mouser or Digikey. You can also get them on eBay or Amazon:
https://www.amazon.ca/Single-Headers-Machine-Female-2-54mm/dp/B0187LHLDC/ref=sr_1_52?dchild=1&keywords=pin+headers&qid=1615629340&sr=8-52
You will need a fine tipped pencil soldering iron to install the wires in the female sockets. If soldering isn't your thing, then I suggest finding another solution.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I’ve been using the header strip “Micro Connectors” that Dave suggested for years. As he stated they come in 40 pin single row and 80 pin double row configurations in both male and female.https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Header+Strip+Connector+40Pin+2.54mm+Round+Male%2FFemale&_sacat=0&_sop=15For years I used the female in reverse for the male but I found out the male connector pin is slightly larger than the back pin on the female and make a tighter connection so I now buy the male headers too.As for color identification I use a toothpick to apply a dot of color on the insulator of the connectors.
The header strips say they are breakable and they are but breaking them usually dings the pin next to the break so I use my razor saw to cut them. I buy #28 AWG ribbon cable for my signaling, keeps the spaghetti bowl effect to a minimum. Not only neater but much cheaper too. I buy the ribbon cable off eBay for around $25 per 100’ of 16 to 24 conductors, 1600 foot of #28 for $25 = 1.6¢ per foot. The wire is zipable easily into 1 to 16 conductors.https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=100%27+28awg+ribbon+cable+flat&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_udlo=15&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=100%27+ribbon+cable+flat&rt=ncEdit:
Another option is you can polarize the connector by reversing a coulpe of pins.
Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Why not get them already assembled in pigtails?
FRRYKid I would prefer 6 blue, 6 white and 12 black
Are you looking for 24 pin plugs with that wire combination?
Or how many wires do you want bundled at the plug/socket? 3 wires, black, blue, white?
THESE are five conductor. You could choose to ignore the red and green wires or assign them to general lighting or switch machine circuits? They have the black, blue, white you are looking for.
Good Luck, Ed
gmpullmanWhy not get them already assembled in pigtails?
Hi Ed,
I think it depends on where you want to use the connectors. In some cases like when working inside a locomotive, there are a couple of reasons for not using prewired connectors.
One is size. The terminal strips shown above are pretty small, and they are available in smaller sizes than what Mel and I showed.
Second, using the pigtails usually requires additional splices in the wire unless you can solder the end of the pigtail directly to the decoder or the component. That is often more difficult than soldering wires to the pins/sockets in the strips.
Having said that, in the OP's situation, i.e. no real space restrictions, using the pre-wired connectors make sense, and the bigger the better.
I did notice one thing with the pre-wired connectors that Ed suggested that needs to be taken into account. In all of the various plug configurations, the polarities are reversed. In other words, the way that they are shown, a two wire plug will connect the red to black and vise versa. In order to maintain polarity the connections should be red to red and black to black. Apparently the plugs cannot be reversed.
I believe that these would be more suited to the OP's needs:
https://www.amazon.ca/mxuteuk-Connector-Adapter-Electrical-WS2812B/dp/B083GQPM3G/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=jst+wire+connectors&qid=1615697964&sr=8-5
To clarify my setup, I have three tracks that cross a road in my railyard. I have 4 sets of Logic Rail Technologies I/R sensors on each track in order to automatically operate crossing lights. Each of the sets of sensors consist of a emitter with two wires and a detector with two wires. Hence 12 wires on three of the four sensor sets. (The four has two sets across from each other and one further down.) The area that the sensors cover bridge 2 framework sections of the layout. While I hope to never have to use it, I want to have the capability to easily separate the wiring and reconnect it for moving the individual sections. (The rest of the layout is designed that way as well. A good chunk of it was in my previous apartment bedroom.) Half the sensors are in one section and the other half are in the other. The sensors on the half that needs the disconnects are wired with some 12 position barrier terminal strips. The wires that go from those strips connect to the electronic boards are the ones that need the disconnects. The colors in question are the wires that the sensors use.
Edit: Previous idea didn't have enough available.
hon30critter In other words, the way that they are shown, a two wire plug will connect the red to black and vise versa.
No, they are keyed so that they plug in only one way. I have a bunch of them in various number of circuits.
hon30critterSecond, using the pigtails usually requires additional splices in the wire
I thought he might use a simple barrier strip to keep things tidy.
hon30critterI believe that these would be more suited to the OP's needs:
Good choice.
I'm sure the OP will choose wisely.
Regards, Ed
As I already have plans for the wire, I was thinking maybe something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWMXZTD/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza.
The seller indicates that it would work with 12 vdc for 28 awg wire. I'm looking at around no more than that voltage with 26 awg wire.
My concern with those types of connectors is that I don't think that they are intended to be used for frequent connections/disconnections. My fear is that the wire strands will eventually break if they are removed and replaced on a regular basis. You could minimize that possibility by soldering the ends of the stranded wires where they go into the connectors into a solid wire, but I predict that eventually the wire will still fatigue and break. The pre-wired connectors that Ed and I suggested will be far less prone to failure and are designed to be disconnected on a regular basis.
The price for the connectors that you linked to is about the same as the pre-wired connectors so I don't see any advantage to the the ones that you asked about.
If you already have the wires that need to come off connected via a barrier strip, honestly I don't think there's any point to installing any additional connectors.
If you ever need to take it apart, tag each wire at the barrier strip so you know which terminal it foes back on, disconnect the 12 wires, coil it up and secure it up under the section with the sensors so it doesn't snag when moved.
No extra connectors to buy, no extra mechanical connections that could potentially fail. ANd yet you can still take the sections apart if need be.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Finally found the thing I was looking for!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-100-ETC-3-16-Female-Yellow-Electrical-Crimp-Wire-Terminal-26AWG-to-24AWG/291362571777
I have the 16 AWG version for the rest of the wiring and I haven't had a problem. They're not intended for frequent use. Just to give the capability if needed.