dcc wiring

[Anonymous]

My ???? is this.....Can I use 20 gauge non copper wire as my base wiring? All other conections will go to this...ie, wire from track, (which will also be 20 gauge) lighting, etc....Thanks for your help guys...D[:D]

[Anonymous]

It depends on:
1. the total max current draw of the whole system.
2. if it is a single ended bus or has some sort of loop(s).
3. total length of wire(s).

The "non-copper" part might be a bigger factor than gauge.

I use 16 gauge stranded copper for small things.

[Stevert]

20 gauge is too light to carry any significant amount of current for more than a couple feet. I think they recommend at least 18 gauge copper wire, and longer runs require even heavier wire.

My layout is basically an 11x14 oval, and I use 14 gauge stranded copper for the bus and 24 gauge solid feeders to the track, every 3 feet or so.

HTH,
Steve

[howmus]

Can you? Sure. Should you? NO! This is one place where overkill is better than "maybe it will work". I use 12 or 14 guage wire striped from Romex cable for my main buss, #16 for my sub busses, and #18 - # 24 for feeder wire to the tracks. A great site for information on DCC wiring is: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/ The only recomendation of his that I do not follow is the lightbulb trick. Some others may tell you that the lightbulb trick is absolutely necessary...... You will find a lot of different opinions on the subject. None of them are necessarily absolutely right or wrong. Glean from them and decide what is best for your situation. Have fun!

[rlandry6]

No one ever got in trouble by using wire that was too large.

[Anonymous]

20 is way too little for anything other than the short feeders. 16 is probably ok, 14 will work in most home type layout cases, 12 would work almost anywhere.

[Anonymous]

I use 14 guage wire and the farthest away from the power supply that the bus goes is about 24 feet. It works great. Smaller might have been OK, but I wanted to be right the first time rather than redo everyhting.

[jecorbett]

Go with 14 gauge. It's not much more expensive and it's a one time cost. You can't go wrong with it. Save the smaller gauge for the feeder wires.

[rolleiman]

What do you mean by "Non Copper"?? Do you mean Aluminum?? If so, strip it and scrap it.. It gets brittle and breaks.. Go to your local home center and get some 14 or 16 gauge stranded wire (as others have correctly suggested) for your main bus.. From there I would suggest #18 or #20 or so solid feeders (24 as suggested will work too) from the rails for the simple reason that the soldering To the rails is much cleaner looking (nothing worse looking than globs of solder on rails [xx(]) ..

Good luck,
Jeff

[Anonymous]

Agree with most others, can't go wrong by going heavier. Should also stick to copper,especially if you intend to solder. Once you solder a connection, if done properly, it will outlast the layout.

[colvinbackshop]

All the above posts and then some!!!
Use a heavy gauge wire for the main buss (mine is a #12 stranded copper) with #18 feeder/drop wires from the track. Stick with copper and never mix two different types of metal! At some point, you WILL have corrosion!
I also have to question; "All other conections will go to this...ie, wire from track, (which will also be 20 gauge) lighting, etc." If you run with only one power supply...You will need a large one (much larger then needed for powering your DCC, which may cause some trouble) to run "Everything" and "Everything" may also interfere with you DCC commands...Although I'm not sure about this.
To be on the safe side, I run my DCC only from one power supply and have a separate power supply to run all other accessories. Yes, that means two busses...But...Better Safe, than Sorry

[Janafam]

I don't know what you have when you described "non copper" wire but I would go with copper for a better solder joint when running feeders off of it.

[ereimer]

if the 'non-copper' wire you're thinking of is aluminium , please be aware that here in Ontario canada a few years ago they started using aluminium wire in houses . no problem until somebody came along and did some reno's or improvements and used copper wire . where the copper and aluminum meet there is a great deal of heat generated (although i'm talking about 120 volt , might not be a problem at model rail voltages) , enough to start fires . aluminum wiring is now not allowed in houses in ontario

be safe , play longer!

[cacole]

Aluminum wire for house current has been outlawed by the National Electrical Code. You might get by with using it for a train layout where it carries no more than track voltage, but you have to increase the wire size to get the same amperage capacity as with copper. A 20 gauge aluminum wire is equivalent in current capacity to 26 gauge copper. Aluminum is very brittle and will be continually breaking if it is subjected to frequent movement, and will react adversely with other metals to which it will be connected. When aluminum house wiring was used, special fittings were required.

If your "non-copper" wire is steel, it will be okay to use short sections of it, but steel wire is very stiff and difficult to maneuver. I used some military commo wire to interconnect the toggle switches on a control panel and it was okay for that use, but I would never consider using it for a DCC power bus.

[Anonymous]

I think you have received the answer(s) needed. Just go copper, you won't be sorry.

[SMassey]

I used 18 guage bell wire for my layout with a max distance of about 20 feet, my feeders are 24 guage multi strand ( at least every 6 feet). I have no problems wih getting my power to my track even at the far end. My layout is fairly small tho 12-11 around the walls. I would recommend going with a min of 18 guage but more will not hurt. if you have a larger layout go larger. also the number of locos you will be running at once will factor into this my layout can only really handle 3 at one time. I have also divided my layout into 3 "power districts" using a Digitrax PM42 this lowers the load on my bus and provides me with short circuit protection as well. As for the "non copper" part, Copper is the best you can get for the purpose of your system bus. If you are using some wire you may have just laying around the house put it back on the shelf so the mice can have their homes back and buy some shiny new copper wire. Home Depot and other home improvment stores should stock bell wire in 18 and 16 guages, other solid wire will work as well. Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

WOW!! Lots of great answers guys....Thankyou for taking the time to respond with your input...I will use 14 gauge stranded for the main bus and 20 for everything else..(What the heck, I bought the 20 gauge from Atlas railroad anyway. Might as well use it, right? lol..)

[ClinchValleySD40]

No. Way too light.