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DCC Wire Sizes U.S To Australia

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  • Member since
    March 2013
  • From: Australia
  • 158 posts
DCC Wire Sizes U.S To Australia
Posted by tomcat on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 7:24 AM

Have been asking a few electronics people here in Australia about AWG wire size and nobody seems to understand what Im talking about.

In the US i understand AWG terms but over here in Oz we work with millimeters in wire size.

Can somebody shed some light on what is 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 AWG wire in millimeters.

I am about to start wiring for my layout and I am seeking a 12 guage bus for track power and wish to have pobably 18 or 22 gauge for feeders. I just dont know what these sizes convert to in millimeters for us strange folks over in OZ!!

Love to all in the best model railroad contry on the planet.. 

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Posted by maxman on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 8:26 AM
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  • From: Bakersfield, CA 93308
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Posted by RR_Mel on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 10:37 AM

I found another chart, it’s all Greek to me.
 
 
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 11:49 AM

RR_Mel
I found another chart, it’s all Greek to me.
 

Those Greeks used pretty big buss wires!  Big Smile
 
Actually I need to know this too, because I have a bunch of surplus wire from a previous layout.  How about a calculator and smaller wire sizes in inches?
 
 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by charlie9 on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 11:57 AM

Regardless of size, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, do you have to twist the connections clockwise or counterclockwise?

Charlie

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  • From: Western, MA
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Posted by richg1998 on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 12:02 PM

There are many calculators on the Internet. I need them. Up here, we use the wrong measuring system.

I bet they are so happy they have gravity or they would fall off the earth.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 2:11 PM

richg1998

Up here, we use the wrong measuring system.

Of this there is no doubt.

richg1998

I bet they are so happy they have gravity or they would fall off the earth.

Rich

 

However of this you are wrong. The Earths true orientation can only be viewed from space. You can see Australia is clearly in the upper left hand corner.Smile, Wink & Grin

 

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by davidmurray on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 2:22 PM

tomcat
Can somebody shed some light on what is 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 AWG wire in millimeters.

Thomas:

I took a piece of 14 guage solid wire and measured it a 2 millimeters.  Perhaps this will provide a start.

Dave, in Canada

 

David Murray from Oshawa, Ontario Canada
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Posted by betamax on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 4:59 PM

If I am not mistaken, wires are defined in millimetres squared for guages.  AWG 12 is equivilent to 3.31mm^2 (or something a little heavier if they round off the numbers).  

AWG 12 is 4mm^2, 14 is 2.5, 16 = 1.5, 18 = 0.75 and 20 = 0.5 according to a chart I have.

I'll have a look at work for more details on metric wire sizing.

 

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  • 289 posts
Posted by bagal on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 12:55 AM

Your common available sizes for bus are probably 2.5mm ^2 and 4.0 mm^2.

2.5 is between 14 & 12 awg and 4.0 is between 10 and 12 awg.

2.5mm will be fine for most layouts.

You could also look at auto cable from Supercheap. 5mm 25 amp is 2.90 mm^2 so more than adequate for bus. I prefer house wire though as it is more rigid.

 

http://www.rapidtables.com/calc/wire/awg-to-mm.htm

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