Small 12V connectors

[NormanB]

0.5mm² thin wall cable consists of 16 strands of 0.2mm copper, 1mm² thin wall cable consists of 32 strands of 0.2mm copper. Can you explain how putting two 0.5 cables in one hole differs from putting one 1mm cable in a hole ?

No, of course you can't.

Well now you come to mention it - I cannot.

Crack on.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Don’t bother with the Wago connector then and save yourself 30 pence.

Two problems with that.

First of all, just twisting two wires together rarely gives a good contact and never a reliable one. You need something to hold them together. Secondly, Paul's suggestion was responding to my need: I have seven earth wires to join together and the Wago connectors only go up to five-way, so doubling up some of the thinner wires could make the whole thing simpler and neater. I am very grateful to him for his helpful suggestions on this thread.

 

[prv]

I have seven earth wires to join together and the Wago connectors only go up to five-way, so doubling up some of the thinner wires could make the whole thing simpler and neater.

The Wago official way would be to have multi-way connectors and use one of the ways for a jumper wire off to the next one. Or the larger DIN-rail mounted ones we use at work have a specific port for a linking block (not sure of the proper name) that can connect a number of adjacent terminal units together.

Wago encourage one-wire-per-terminal, but I haven't seen an actual prohibition of multiple. Provided they're stranded and of similar size, I expect it would work fine.

Our wiremen insist on ferrules on everything (I've been stopped on my way out the door after sneaking into the production shop to knock up a temporary test lead, and had ferrules fitted to it ) but I know that's not a Wago requirement.

Pete

 

[JumbleDuck]

The Wago official way would be to have multi-way connectors and use one of the ways for a jumper wire off to the next one. Or the larger DIN-rail mounted ones we use at work have a specific port for a linking block (not sure of the proper name) that can connect a number of adjacent terminal units together.

Thanks. I shall do some experiments to make sure the connections are solid.

Good news: my Amazon order of Wago 221s from yesterday arrived twenty minutes ago.

Bad news: the buggers sent the wrong thing - 25 five way instead of 85 assorted.

 

[bedouin]

Those look brilliant - why haven't I heard of them before

 

[LadyInBed]

Our wiremen insist on ferrules on everything

My cheapskate solution for small D wires, especially for us in screw down 'chocolate blocks', is to fold the stripped wire back over the sleeve, insert, and screw down onto the sleeved side.

 

[PaulRainbow]

The Wago official way would be to have multi-way connectors and use one of the ways for a jumper wire off to the next one.

That was one of my suggestions in post #5

Wago encourage one-wire-per-terminal, but I haven't seen an actual prohibition of multiple. Provided they're stranded and of similar size, I expect it would work fine.

I have found that putting more than one wire in a hole does work, but as you say, they do need to be stranded.

Our wiremen insist on ferrules on everything (I've been stopped on my way out the door after sneaking into the production shop to knock up a temporary test lead, and had ferrules fitted to it ) but I know that's not a Wago requirement.

Pete

If i'm installing wires in anything screw down, they get a ferule, but i don't see the point with Wagos, perhaps it's a company policy for your guys ?

 

[prv]

I don't see the point with Wagos, perhaps it's a company policy for your guys ?

Indeed - the Wago docs are quite specific that unterminated strands are perfectly acceptable in Cage Clamp terminals.

My assumption is that it's to do with the possibility of wires being removed and replaced in the field, possibly under adverse conditions in a well-filled wiring cabinet mounted in an awkward location. Not being able to see it properly or manipulate it easily might risk a few strands escaping unnoticed from the bundle and sticking out next to the terminal, where something else could short against them. Not a very large risk, but presumably someone judged it worth mitigating anyway.

Either that or it was carried over from screw-terminal practice "just because"

Occasionally while developing new control software I have to move these wires about to simulate a given condition or test an output, and it's certainly the case that the ferrules they use slot very nicely and positively in and out of the terminals.

Pete