[cunnini]

need help,

my soldering seems to be okay, electrical connectivity fine etc, however.........

when i go to connect te track, pushng th wires thro the holes in the baseboard, 4 times now the wire has snapped, not snapping at the weld, but were the rubber heathing ends. i'm using 0.2mm wire, any ideas????

 

[Brian Considine]

Could be where the insulation has been removed, especially when using single strand wire/cable. It's very easy to part cut through the conductor when using a knife or sidecutters. Purpose made wire strippers will make the job easier & more secure.

 

[railstimulator]

I have to second what Brian said.

My everyday job is a simulator supervisor and I come across broken wires on numerous occassions

When using single strand wire cutting insulation with a knife or side cutters WILL nick the conductor and introduce a weak point. If the wire is then bent it will snap.

When using multistrand wire cutting the insulationwith a knife or side cutters WILL invariably cut thru one or two starnds. this will reduce the effective current capability of the cable.

Buy yourself a pair of wire strippers which come with preset wire gauge indents. This will ensure you only cut the insulation. When pushing wire through a base board and then bending the cable try to use a pair of round nose pliers to form a radius in the cable not a sharp bent which will induce another weak point.

 

[railstimulator]

I have to second what Brian said.

My everyday job is a simulator supervisor and I come across broken wires on numerous occassions

When using single strand wire cutting insulation with a knife or side cutters WILL nick the conductor and introduce a weak point. If the wire is then bent it will snap.

When using multistrand wire cutting the insulationwith a knife or side cutters WILL invariably cut thru one or two starnds. this will reduce the effective current capability of the cable.

Buy yourself a pair of wire strippers which come with preset wire gauge indents. This will ensure you only cut the insulation. When pushing wire through a base board and then bending the cable try to use a pair of round nose pliers to form a radius in the cable not a sharp bent which will induce another weak point.

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (cunnini @ 3 Jun 2008, 21:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>need help,

my soldering seems to be okay, electrical connectivity fine etc, however.........

when i go to connect te track, pushng th wires thro the holes in the baseboard, 4 times now the wire has snapped, not snapping at the weld, but were the rubber heathing ends. i'm using 0.2mm wire, any ideas????

***You really should be using stranded wire, or as suggested, use a proper stripper not a knife or teeth for stripping!

Also.... are you rally using single strand 0.2mm wire for your layout? its very small for DCC droppers and too small for a reliable DC layout too I'm afraid. Wire isn't expensive and compromise here will create later disappointment.

We've discussed this many times on the forum - wire size is important for good performance on the layout and using such small wire is not good practice.

regards

Richard
DCCconcepts

 

[Gordon H]

QUOTE (cunnini @ 3 Jun 2008, 14:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>"not snapping at the weld, but were the rubber heathing ends...."
Rubber ?? How old is this wire you're using?