· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> ATM, Optics and DIY Forum Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 SACK member Reged: 08/11/11 Loc: Texas, Yahooo! wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge       #5727915 - 03/12/13 11:22 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Howdy, For you electrical guru's,I am getting ready to wire up a scope. On this scope there will be 3 fans, servo cat jr, sky commander powered by 12volt, and secondary mirror heater. Any advantage to solid over stranded, where there is no movement or flexing needed? What gauge, I am considering 16gauge or 18gauge for this application. Thanks for sharing!! Jonathan Post Extras:       stmguy super member Reged: 10/11/12 Loc: Western NH Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: SACK]       #5728083 - 03/12/13 12:36 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'd use stranded as it is more flexible , have to know the current draw for the gauge Norm Post Extras:       polaraligned professor emeritus Reged: 12/26/08 Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: stmguy]       #5728249 - 03/12/13 02:06 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If there is no flexure, solid is fine. The phone company overhead wires are solid and withstand decades of wind, etc. 16 ga sounds a bit heavy. Sky commander is just a DSC? The 18 ga should be more than enough. Post Extras:       SACK member Reged: 08/11/11 Loc: Texas, Yahooo! Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: stmguy]       #5729289 - 03/12/13 11:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It will be drawing 1.5 to 2 amps max. Thanks you. Post Extras:       polaraligned professor emeritus Reged: 12/26/08 Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: SACK]       #5732284 - 03/14/13 01:43 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Go with the 18 ga. Plenty. Your concern as the wire gets thinner is the voltage drop. It will act like a resistor between your battery and device. You will be happy with the 18 ga. Post Extras:       Achernar Postmaster Reged: 02/25/06 Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: SACK]       #5732728 - 03/14/13 06:52 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If you are making cables with those RCA connectors, use stranded wire. Solid wire used where connections can experience flexing will fatigue and break. That is why stranded wire and cable only is used to hook up electric motors. Also, if you are making heater strips, don't solder the heater strip to the lead, use butt splices that are crimped on, and cover each conductor with heatshrink tubing, then cover both with another layer of heat shrink. Connections of solid to stranded wire tend to break also. Strip enough of the stranded wire to solder the resistors in a ladder configuration to make your heater strip. Taras Post Extras:       Startraffic sage Reged: 02/12/06 Loc: Lat. 39.143345, Long. -77.1748... Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: polaraligned]       #5740234 - 03/18/13 08:36 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   polaraligned, Telephone wires don't get that much flex in them & they still break, that's what you see with those overhead splice enclosures. Jonathan, Stranded wire if there is any flex in your cabling. More smaller wires allows for more flex without breakage and still be able to carry your current draw. Clear Dark Skies Startraffic 39.138274 -77.168898 Post Extras:       bremms scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/31/12 Loc: SC Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: Startraffic]       #5740246 - 03/18/13 08:47 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Stranded wiring. The finer the better. There are usually two different strandings. I like the silver plated Teflon coated stuff, but is sucks if you have to buy a bunch. Nobody really uses solid for hook up wire. In fact, it isnot recommended for any application like a fan. Edited by bremms (03/18/13 08:49 AM) Post Extras:       obin robinson sage Reged: 10/25/12 Loc: League City, TX Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: SACK]       #5740299 - 03/18/13 09:23 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Where in Texas are you? I have A LOT of aircraft-grade wire which I use for any and every electrical project. It is light, unbelievably durable, and highly conductive. Just let me know how much you need and pay for the postage (which should be dirt cheap for a few feet of wire). obin Post Extras:       don clement Vendor (Clement Focuser) Reged: 02/02/11 Loc: Running Springs, California Re: wiring question for scope? Solid/Stranded/Gauge [Re: obin robinson]       #5740644 - 03/18/13 12:45 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It depends on how much voltage drop you can tolerate for given current requirement. Considering only steady state conditions (no switching transients e.g. starting motors, switching electromechanical relays, high speed switching circuits like PWM controllers) the IR voltage drop will be current draw times the resistance of the wire. The wire resistance will be rho times wire length divided by area of wire cross-section, where rho is the resistivity of the wire material (typically copper), and the area of the wire cross-section is the wire gage. So the larger the wire gage the lower the resistance. Remember the lower the wire gage number, the larger the wire cross-section. The longer the wires, the more the resistance and the larger the voltage drop. Also switching transients like starting motors or electromechanical relays can induce voltage spikes in high impedance wires (i.e. small gage, long length wires) which may interfere with sensitive low voltage electronics like CCD cameras. IMO: the larger the wire gage and the shorter the wire length the better. Ferrite beads can help here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead I always use stranded wire for connecting wiring as stranded wire resists bending much better than solid. BTW my personal favorite hook up wire is Teflon insulated stranded silver plated copper conductor. The bottom line is you will have to try out connecting wire size for your application. Don Clement Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 10 registered and 45 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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