Hi everyone,
I'm looking for a bit of help here. The club I'm in are starting to build a new HO layout which is 18 x 18 feet and I'm wondering which size wire we should use for our DCC bus line. 16 or 14 gauge??? Any help would be great. Thanks Kutter
Kutter Hi everyone, I'm looking for a bit of help here. The club I'm in are starting to build a new HO layout which is 18 x 18 feet and I'm wondering which size wire we should use for our DCC bus line. 16 or 14 gauge??? Any help would be great. Thanks Kutter
The issue isn't so much the size of the layout as it is the length of the wire run. A good rule of thumb is that current ratings of the different gauges is accurate up to about a 50 foot run. Then you need to go to a heavier gauge (lower AWG number). If you have the 14 AWG wire available, use it. The higher current handling ability will be appreciated if you expand the layout in the future.
If you have the 16 AWG only on hand, then use that, but if you have yet to buy the wire, then definately go for the heavier gauge.
If you have 14 wire go for it, but 16 would be fine, especially if you centralize the power supply.
If for instance you place the power supply in the center, the farthest point would be 9-10 feet away.
The reason you use larger gauge wires for longer distances is not adding current carrying capacity,
but reducing wire resistance. Larger gauge wires have less resistance and as a result, reduce the voltage
drop on the layout, especially at higher current draws.
Springfield PA
Hi!
Two related questions......
Do you prefer solid or stranded power bus wire? And, what method do you use to remove the insulation where you would solder on the track leads?
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
For a non-mobile layout, solid or stranded would be fine. For a portable layout, stranded wire is needed. I would go at least 14 gauge if buying wire. If you have a stack of 16 gauge laying around, use it.
To tap into the bus wires, I have one of the automatic one-handed wire strippers.
I put it on where I want to tap in, and squeeze the handle. This makes a spot I can attach the feeder to. I usually have the track power turned on while adding feeders to the bus. The Digitrax system beeps when there is a short, so I know when I did something wrong. After attaching a bunch, I go back and solder and tape up the taps.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Mike,
I didn't realize that the automatic wire strippers would do their thing in the middle of a length of wire. If it does a decent job, I guess I need to get one.
You don't wire the 14 or 16 wire to the track. Solder thinner wire to the track and attach it to the buss.
I use 18 or occasionally 20 gauge for feeders, between 1-2 feet max in length.
I also use 14 AWG stranded wire. I use stranded instead of solid because it is more flexible which makes it easier to thread though the benchwork. I don't run the bus wires until I have most of the track down because that way I can locate the bus wire so as to minimize the distance from the bus to the feeder wires. If you have good plans, this is probably not nessesary. I use 18 AWG for feeder wires and try to keep the length to 1 foot are less. I also put a set of feeder wires on every individual piece of flex track and on every switch. I use screw eyes, not sure what to call them. A loop of steel with wood screw threads on the stem. I screw these in under the layout to support the bus wire instead of drilling holes through the benchwork. The above mentioned wire strippers make it much easier to cut into the insulation. You will be glad you bought them. Make sure the ones you buy come with cutting blades that accomodate the size wire you decide on. I got mine at Radio Shack. Good luck.
Stranded is better for the heavier bus wire, it's far easier to pull it around under the layout. The blue-handled strippers like those pictured, from Ideal, are the greatest invention of all time. Do not accept the substitute ones that to not have holes for the various wire sizes - they simply do not work properly. The Ideal tool will cost more, but it is also all metal and will last forever - and it just plain works. Home Depot should have it.
I do use solid wire for the track feeders, because it is easier to attach to the track. It also tends to not need to be moved around a lot - flex solid wire enough and it breaks off.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy,
Forgive my ignorance here.... Will the automatic wire stripper remove insulation from the middle of a piece of wire? From what you say, I assume it does, but what exactly does it leave you with? In other words, after using the tool do you still have to trim with an Xacto knife or ???
The automatic wire stripper will take the insulation off of the cut end of a wire, but when you use it in a center area it cuts the insulation and simply pushes it asside. If you want to remove a small section of the insulation, what I do is use the strippers to cut the insulation in two places and use an xacto knife to trim the section off of the wire. I have read that some people don't remove any insulation, but instead use the strippers to cut and push a small gap in the insulation. Another alternative is to use Scotch Lock type connectors. You don't have to strip the wire at all with these.
mobilman44 Randy, Forgive my ignorance here.... Will the automatic wire stripper remove insulation from the middle of a piece of wire? From what you say, I assume it does, but what exactly does it leave you with? In other words, after using the tool do you still have to trim with an Xacto knife or ??? Thanks, Mobilman44
Yup, that's what makes them so awesome. They will remove the insulation from the end of a wire liek any wire stripper, but they ALSO will push back the insualtion in the middle. You do not need to trim up anything or do anythign other than fit the stripepr over the wire and squeeze the handles. Don't go all out liek you were strippign the ends of wires, squeeze carefully. You'll probably have to squeeze a bit more than the desired length because the insualtion will spring back some, but once you get the hang of it you can make a bare spot on the bus wire to attach the feeder in no time. I did all mine like this, workign under the layout. My feeders I did not strip before pushing through the top. Underneath, I cut the feeders to length, then stripped the ends. Then I opened a space on each feeder, and wrapped the bare end of the feeder around it. Next up, a hit with the soldering gun - high wattage gun here, a small 25 watt iron will NEVER heat #12 wire enough to make a proper solder joint. All done - I stggered the joints so they couldn;t short, although I did go back later and hit them with some liquid electrical tape.
Thanks, for the info.
The debate of solder versus connectors has been on the forum before, and my view is that both have their place. Working with the heavy gauge wires, I prefer to solder the joints. And with the lighter gauge wires, solderless connectors usually work out best (for me). But, as long as you make a good solid connection, the best method is what works best for the user.