finlay
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 09:45 AM |
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wire loom connections
hello all
just after some advice
its my first attempt at making up a wiring loom and was wondering
is it ok just to bind/twist 2 cables together and seal with heat shirink ?, this is just to make up a specific length its not for connections etc
cheers
Finlay
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tegwin
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 09:48 AM |
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Ideally you want as few connections as possible in your wires... Buy stuff that is the right length...
but if you must do connections, twist them together and then solder them, then put the shrink wrap on....
Its worth thinking about what will happen if the cable is put under tension? Will your connector fail?
I always tend to put a stress relief loop on each joint so that if the cable is pulled, the loop expands before the joint is stressed
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bonzoronnie
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 09:53 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Ideally you want as few connections as possible in your wires... Buy stuff that is the right length...
but if you must do connections, twist them together and then solder them, then put the shrink wrap on....
Its worth thinking about what will happen if the cable is put under tension? Will your connector fail?
I always tend to put a stress relief loop on each joint so that if the cable is pulled, the loop expands before the joint is stressed
Very sound advice. 
A few moments with the solder gun will avoid a lifetime of hunting down electrical problems 
Ronnie
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jammy_basturd
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 11:57 AM |
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Personally I'm not a fan of using solder on a wiring loom, I'd much prefer to use proper automotive crimped connections, and heatshrink
over them if need be.
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thunderace
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 12:11 PM |
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why not buy a loom like the ones from premier looms.
http://www.premierwiring.co.uk/
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 12:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jammy_basturd
Personally I'm not a fan of using solder on a wiring loom, I'd much prefer to use proper automotive crimped connections, and heatshrink
over them if need be.
Crimps are better than soldered joints, but only if the proper crimping tool is used! The cheap crap ones that often come in a kit with assorted
crimp are pretty useless.
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finlay
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 12:47 PM |
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thanks for that
Finlay
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Ideally you want as few connections as possible in your wires... Buy stuff that is the right length...
but if you must do connections, twist them together and then solder them, then put the shrink wrap on....
Its worth thinking about what will happen if the cable is put under tension? Will your connector fail?
I always tend to put a stress relief loop on each joint so that if the cable is pulled, the loop expands before the joint is stressed
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finlay
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 12:59 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
why not buy a loom like the ones from premier looms.
http://www.premierwiring.co.uk/
thanks for the info, just off the phone to them and they are going to supply me with all the wires, phew!! as i was really struggling to find anywhere
locally that hold cableing in stock
cheers
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tegwin
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 01:19 PM |
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For future referance...
These companies can supply you with all the bits you need:
Vehicle wiring products
Rapid electronics
maplin
rs components
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RazMan
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 02:07 PM |
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There is a school of thought which says that soldering automotive connections is very wrong. The joint becomes very rigid and with constant movement
over time, the edges of the soldered joint become brittle and can break. A (proper) crimped joint is flexible and is less likely to break. Just look
at all of the cars manufactured and see if ANY of them use soldered joints in their looms.
As already mentioned, the proper crimping tool will cost proper money and if you pay anything less than £30 then the chances are that your crimps will
not be up to scratch. The right tool will not only crimp the connection but also form a strain relief in the plastic shroud (a kind of diamond shape)
which is the secret to long life looms.
[Edited on 6-2-08 by RazMan]
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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worX
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 03:17 PM |
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Solder and Crimps can be used effectively!
Steve
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Confused but excited.
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 03:39 PM |
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Never make a joint/connection where you can't get at it easily when the vehicle is finished.
Tell them about the bent treacle edges!
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dhutch
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| posted on 6/2/08 at 06:33 PM |
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Twisting wires together and taping (or shrinkwraping) them up is asking for trouble at the best of time.
- The prevous owner did that for the sterio in my car (having butchered the loom, rather than paid £3 for a loom adapter) and the whole way home
every single on of the speakers was droping in and out as it wished on each bump. Nice.
You can solder bits, it does make a good joint initally, and largly you will get away with it from a vibration point of view if the loom is well
supported.
- However, i would use crimp conectors if i was doing it. Or where you want to be able to get it apart. Crimp on ends into choclate block.
- Certainly thats what i did wiring our trailer/trailersocket and whats been done by us on our boat.
Daniel
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