Well, after I spent a fair amount of money on 12ga and 20ga wire for my DCC layout, I find that there is no one suitcase connector that will accomodate both these ga. I really dont want to use an extra set of connectors and I think I have enough 18ga wire around here, so would it be OK to use 18ga for the feeders and the 12ga for the buss?? 18ga and 12ga will work in the brown suitcase connectors.
That's what I am using on my layout - 12ga bus, 18ga feeders with the brown suitcase connectors. Works great for me.
Enjoy
Paul
if the wire is too thin for the suitcase connector....try stripping more wire and folding the stripped end over a few times to make it large enough for good conductivity.
just a thought.
I use 12ga wire for my DCC power buss and 18ga wire feeders.
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
Hi!
You are correct, there is no suitcase out there to properly handle 12 g bus and 20 g feeders. I'm in the middle of an HO DCC layout and use 14 g bus and 20 g feeders and so far everything is soldered. However, mine is a two level layout and when I get to wiring the upper level I may find soldering to be much more difficult.
I prefer the 20 gauge feeders, and don't want 18 as (for me) they are just too big. Soooo, I may wire in 20 g feeders, then use a connector to tie it to an 18 g, which will hit the suitcase with the 14 g bus wire. Certainly more work, but I need to remember that wiring - if done right - will last for many years.
As I've got a number of weeks to get to the main level wiring, I'm really interested to see what alternatives other posters come up with.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Santa Fe,
In Joe Fugate's DVD, he used the larger 12g wire with the 14g/18g 3M suitcase connectors by deinsulating a small section of the 12g wire and crimping onto it as if it were 14g wire. (No one says you have to bite into insulation to use them.) I believe Joe's been using this scenario on his layout for about 15 years now with no problems.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I try not to wire from the bus directly to the rails, especially if there are parallel tracks (like in a yard) in the same area. This just causes a bunch of clutter along the bus wire. I go from the bus to a terminal strip which I have jumpered to provide multiple track connections. From the terminal strip to the track I use 20 gage wire. One end gets soldered to the rail, and the other end gets a spade connector to attach to the terminal strip. That way you can use an appropriate gage wire to get from the suitcase connector to the terminal strip, and you require fewer of the suitcase connectors which are relatively expensive compared to spade connectors.
The other advantage of doing this is that it makes it easy to isolate things if you need to make a change or track down shorts due to swapped connections.
Good info guys, thanks. I will probably go with the 18ga feeders. With the larger gauge feeders, it will be a little harder to hide them where they attach to the rail. I dont think it will be a problem though. I checked the local Radio Shack, Ace Hardware, Wal Mart and Lowes and none of them carried the brown connectors. I guess I'll have to shell out $9 shipping for an online source.
Santa Fe all the way!Good info guys, thanks. I will probably go with the 18ga feeders. With the larger gauge feeders, it will be a little harder to hide them where they attach to the rail. I dont think it will be a problem though. I checked the local Radio Shack, Ace Hardware, Wal Mart and Lowes and none of them carried the brown connectors. I guess I'll have to shell out $9 shipping for an online source.
Try checking an electrical supply house. I have one in my area that carries them.
I soldered all of the connections on my last layout and had no problems but a stiff neck. When i started wiring my new layout i bought a roll of two conductor 14 guage house wire and stripped the white outer insulation off to leave the black and white wires for the bus. 3M makes a connector called a T-Tap Disconnect Terminal that will crimp on to the 14 guage wire. For the track feeders i use 22 or 24 awg hookup wire. I use Waldom male qk disconect terminals crimped on to the bus end of the feeders. This spade type connector plugs into the 3M T-Tap. Makes for fast, dependable wiring. Also, if you need to take the power away from a section of track you can simply unplug it. Mike
I found the 3M, brown suitcase connectors at a local home builder supply house. I got 100 of them for $35.
Another option is to use each suitcase connector to provide power to 2 feeders. In this case I strip the ends of the feeders for about a half inch from the end, twist them together and then bend them back on top of the two feeders so that the blade hits the stripped portions first. I then tug to check for strenght and check for power before soldering or installling the track. Have done almost 80x2 connections this way and have had no issues. over a period of 3 years.
Last night I tried out the brown 3M connectors. They seem to work excellent,but I was surprised at how much force it took to bring the blades down onto the wire. I checked out 3m's site and they have a dedicated tool for this, but its a bit pricey, so I think I'll be using my channel locks.
Channel locks should work just fine. I've use Craftsman RoboGrip pliers and they work very well for that application, too.
Santa Fe all the way!Last night I tried out the brown 3M connectors. They seem to work excellent,but I was surprised at how much force it took to bring the blades down onto the wire. I checked out 3m's site and they have a dedicated tool for this, but its a bit pricey, so I think I'll be using my channel locks.
Micromark has them http://www.micromark.com/SCOTCHLOK-CRIMPING-TOOL,8952.html has them for less than list. Still not cheap, but not as bad. I have a pair and they work great.