ju just wondering if anybody uses barrier strips for feeder wires rather than soldering ? /
I do and have found that it comes in handy when isolating a section to diagnose a short or other problem. I use crimp on connectors and it makes the job easier. Of course, the feeders still have to be soldered to the track.
Joe
Yep, depends on your personal preference thoughFor example, on a layout I was building (move caused it to be boxed up for the time being), I used home-made terminal strips (bolts thru masonite or plastic yard sign squares/rectangles) for the main and secondary DC* and DCC buses. Feeders to the track would have also been connected to these strips.
*for lights, turnout motors, etc.
If I was going with a smaller layout that didn't necessitate as extensive of a bus, then I'd probably just have soldered everything.
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Barrier strips and crimp on connectors are what I use for all layout wiring. I purchase them in bulk lots from All Electronics.
http://www.allelectronics.com
Barrier strips are designed for one-to-one connections. That's what the "barriers" are for. You really want terminal bus strips for connecting many feeders to a single bus.
I prefer strips of either kind where I might have to undo connections, like for structures I might want to move, or even between layout sections I might have to separate in 5 years. But, track feeders don't fit those categories, so why go to the expense? Soldered connections are cheaper and will be more reliable in the long run.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use dual row barrier and jumper strips from Radio Shack. Feeders are soldered to the rails and the other end of the feeder is stripped and coiled around the screw in the barrier strip and tightened down as tight as possible.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
I do.
I use barrier strips with a jumper to do power distribution on a drop down panel at the front edge of the layout.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Nice!
(except for the zippy-ties, for which I have an undying hatred)
NeO6874 Nice! (except for the zippy-ties, for which I have an undying hatred)
Thank you. I use a staple gun with a stand off attachment and cable straps to manage wires. I pit the staple in the wood and slide the cable strap through it and around the wires. As long as you don't pull them too tight they work well and won't damage anything.
There is, however, one thing I wish I had done different. The A and B barrier strips should be farther apart.
Those boards are hinged at the top and swing up out of sight. I am considering the addition of detection in the future. When I do that, I can mount the BD-168 on the swing down board, remove the jumper from the bottom barrier strip and make my connections right there...no crawling under the layout.
Yeah, I remember you gave a very detailed description of how you do it when I was looking for cable management ideas (I ended up sticking to lacing).
A Barrier Strip is ok for a "little" layout, and for builders who have way too much money!
LION uses brads as binding posts, and of course yes, I solder to them. I use 25 pair cat-3 phone cables and each conductor appears at each of several panels around the layout. The first picture shows the inside of my control panel, the other two photos show the remote panels. All I need is a notebook with the pin numbers to know what is wired where.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
NeO6874 Yeah, I remember you gave a very detailed description of how you do it when I was looking for cable management ideas (I ended up sticking to lacing).
Wow, you are one of the few who know how to lace cables? I was taught cable lacing when I was a trainee many, many years ago, but I've forgotten how now (blame the plastic ties). I wonder if waxed lacing string is still available any more.
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
I know how to lace cable, but it is way too much trouble, particularly if you have to make a change part way through the cable run. If you like to do it I wouldn't dream of criticizing. Laced cables do look neater.
Yes - I do use them anytime anywhere I can to eliminate soldering. They are also easier to disassemble, helpful when checking for shorts and they save on the amount of wire i use. Even on a modest size layout, the number of connections is probably in the hundreds so anything i can do to make the job easier is a winner in my book.
I also label all of mine so I know what portion of the layout they are covering and I also maintain a wire color standard which also helps keep everything straight.
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
I use barrier strips on my layout at the ends of the layout sections for the connections between the sections for the power bus as well as to the feeder wires in each section.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Phoebe Vet I know how to lace cable, but it is way too much trouble, particularly if you have to make a change part way through the cable run. If you like to do it I wouldn't dream of criticizing. Laced cables do look neater.
Yeah, that would be annoying ... but the "longest" run was only about 3 feet (the length of a table for that particular layout) and as you said, looks great.
Seamonster NeO6874 Yeah, I remember you gave a very detailed description of how you do it when I was looking for cable management ideas (I ended up sticking to lacing). Wow, you are one of the few who know how to lace cables? I was taught cable lacing when I was a trainee many, many years ago, but I've forgotten how now (blame the plastic ties). I wonder if waxed lacing string is still available any more.
I taught myself last year or the year before ... there are/were a few resources on the internet that showed how to do the lacing, and it's not that hard to pick up. I wouldn't doubt that I'm doing it wrong in some fashion or other but it looks good anyway . I bought myself 500 yards of the cord from mouser or one of the other highly recommended wiring/electronics sites here.
Here's an old pic of the wiring (though I tore that out and replaced with stranded, the solid was just some stuff I had laying around ... I think it actually ended just outside the frame of the photo)