I'll echo what Mark said. I use scrap PC board pieces to collect the very fine (magnet wire) LED wires and solder power leads to that. The PC Boards are attached to the underside of the building floor, so moving the building doesn't disturb the wires in the least.
Here's how it goes.
Bottom of structure with all sorts of LED wires hanging out:
PC Board scraps pre-tinned. Each one is split into two solder pads (I want to be able to control two sets of LEDs independently):
PC Boards glued to floor with contact cement and all wires attached. Building is not yet attached to the floor.
And the whole thing set in place on the layout and powered.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks Mark P.. That's exactly how I do it, I was just unable to provide any pictures.
I also have a number of structures that need to be moved occasionally for maintenance. On those structures, I've soldered heavier flexible wire with alligator clips soldered to the ends. I mounted a small block of wood on the bench with two brass posts sticking up. The brass posts have wires soldered to them and are connected to the lighting bus under the layout. To install the building, just clip the alligator clips to the posts and set the building down.
A quick source is the premade test leads with the alligator clips on both ends. I just cut them in half and use as is. I use two different colors so I don't confuse the polarity.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
hon30critter I bought a commercial grade small wire stripper which works beautifully, but it set you back a bunch. https://jonard.com/adjustable-wire-strippers-adjustable-wire-stripper?v=511 I don't know if that helps you or not.
@Mark P, thank you so much for the visuals. That is extremely helpful, and what a great idea. I went to sleep last night trying to envision how to mount incoming thicker wires in a row to the low inside of the building in such a way that they would stick up like the Tortoise posts-- or like spears sticking up in an armory rack -- easy to solder the smaller wires to, but I kept wondering what I could glue them to -- not a metal bar, and isn't wood slightly conductive too? But these PC board scraps I guess would insulate each of these sets of wires. I guess that's the point of PC board, duh. Thanks again.
Mark R.I've soldered heavier flexible wire with alligator clips soldered to the ends. I mounted a small block of wood on the bench with two brass posts sticking up. The brass posts have wires soldered to them and are connected to the lighting bus under the layout. To install the building, just clip the alligator clips to the posts and set the building down.
Oh, but one last question. Mark R, doesn't your block of wood conduct between the two brass posts and cause shorting?
I'm starting to see the beginnings of a complete picture. Thanks again all.
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
Well, I found an old PC board but it's from some computer or something, has all kinds of things soldered to it and connections etched into it. Every square millimeter is occupied, so it would be difficult to find a free corner to use for mounting my wires.
But I did a test using Krazy glue to attach a 22-gauge wire to a styrene strip, of which I have gobs. Like this.
It seemed to hold really well, so this could be a solution for me. Line up my six heavier wires and glue them to the styrene strip, then use epoxy to attach the strip to the underside of the lowest wood floor, feeding those wires down through the hole in the layout. Then I could solder my thin wires from the three LEDs to these "posts" and they would not experience any tugging, scraping, nor any movement at all.
My only question is: will Krazy glue eat through the insulation of the wire and wreck it? I didn't use my liquid styrene cement because my understanding is that it works by actually dissolving the plastic. And I knew Elmer's white glue probably would not hold it. This Krazy glue holds it really well, but I'm not sure if it's a smart move to affix wires with it.
I also have barge cement I could use, and epoxy.
Thoughts?
crossthedogwill Krazy glue eat through the insulation of the wire and wreck it?
Hi Matt,
Krazy Glue will not harm your wires, that is unless you have to remove them or reposition them. If the wires need to be redone, it is nearly impossible to separate them from whatever they are glued to, but you probably won't have to worry about that.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Next question: I got my very practical pin connectors from China, a row of male/male and a row of male/female, so that I can more easily solder wires to the "back" of each connection. But they are very tiny and trying to separate them from the row often breaks the plastic casing around each pin.
I've tried cutting them with an exacto knife and with my fancy sprue cutters. Sometimes the knife cuts them clean, but every third one is breaking.
I know that you can use a row of these without cutting them apart, but for various reasons that's not what I need to do. I need them as singletons.
What is your experience cutting these apart? What tool do you use to keep the casings from cracking? And, I guess another question, if they do crack, does it matter? Are they still usable?
Thanks,
I use a pair of small smooth jawed pliers to snap them off. I grab the connector strip so that the tips of the jaws are right at the groove between the pins with the connector strip pointing straight out of the pliers, like this:
Then I grab the strip very firmly with my fingers so that my fingers slightly overlap the tips of the plier jaws, and then I bend it sharply. I usually get a pretty clean break. I think the position of the pliers and your fingers are critical:
Double click on the image to expand it. The break is not completely smooth but the plastic will still be plenty strong enough. It really isn't doing much anyhow:
Occassionally the break will not be as clean as is desired, but that is pretty rare. A little practise will help.
You can also use a razor saw. It just takes longer.
hon30critter Hi Matt, I use a pair of small smooth jawed pliers to snap them off. I grab the connector strip so that the tips of the jaws are right at the groove between the pins with the connector strip pointing straight out of the pliers...
I use a pair of small smooth jawed pliers to snap them off. I grab the connector strip so that the tips of the jaws are right at the groove between the pins with the connector strip pointing straight out of the pliers...
Maybe this should be a new thread, I dunno.
A thing that I have constant trouble with is keeping my soldering iron clean and getting solder to go where I want it to go. I know how flux works and I use it frequently, especially in track joints, but often, even with flux, when I am trying to join wires to metal posts or to each other, things get immediately crusty and dark.
I use two methods to clean my iron -- a wet sponge and a wad of brass like steel-wool in a little holder that I can dip the iron into and scruff it around to scrape off the oxidized whatever. It comes away clean from both in the wooly thing and the sponge, but it almost immediately starts to get dark again.
The iron came with a tin of tinning compound and instructions to tin the iron before putting it away, but I often tin it (or clean it, or both) every few minutes. I also understand that a good solder joint is one that happens quickly and stays bright. But I am constantly dealing with crust forming on the iron or on the wire ends. It makes it difficult to make that quick, clean union.
Short of taking a master electrician's class, what is the process or trade secret I am ignorant of that makes me have so much trouble with my soldering?
Oh yeah, it's a nice hot iron, too. I think 80 watts, IIRC.
Any thoughts appreciated.
crossthedogA thing that I have constant trouble with is keeping my soldering iron clean and getting solder to go where I want it to go.
I have a couple of questions:
What brand is your soldering iron?
How old is the tip?
The reason I ask the first question is that I discovered a couple of years ago that not all soldering irons are equal. In fact, IMHO, most of them are crap! I even spent a decent amount of money on a Weller pencil tip iron and I still had difficulties getting good, clean, quick joints. Then I bought an XY Tronic pencil iron and the difference was incredible!!
http://www.xytronic-usa.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=253
I keep the tip clean using a brass sponge just like you are. I wipe the tip in the sponge before every joint and then I add a small amout of flux core solder to the tip before making the joint. I don't dip the tip in flux, and I haven't used tip cleaner/tinning compound in months.
Before spending the money on a new iron, I would suggest you consider the second question. I suspect that your tip is burned out. In other words, the coating that holds the solder and keeps the tip clean has burned off or been worn off by aggressive cleaning. If you have a spare tip, maybe give that a try first.
Here is a quick rundown on how I solder:
1. I set the iron to 700 degrees F (yours may not be adjustable),
2. I apply a tiny amount of flux to the surfaces to be connected,
3. I clean the tip in the brass sponge and apply a tiny amount of solder,
4. I tin both surfaces to be connected,
5. I add another very tiny amount of flux to the tinned surfaces,
6. Then I clean the tip in the brass sponge again and add another small amount of solder to the tip,
7. Then I make the joint. For small joints like decoder wires there is usually enough solder present to complete the joint. For larger joints I usually add a bit more solder.
I know that seems like a lot of steps but it actually goes pretty quickly. I find that if I skip a step, that's when things don't go smoothly.