# Electric lights question



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Hi everyone and hope you got what you wanted for christmas.
I got a bunch of house models for my layout and I have some questions about lighting them up.

The wires from the bulb kits I ordered are so tiny and fragile and I cannot find any connectors to wire them in. The smallest splices I can find are 22 gauge and the wires are much smaller then that, I am wondering what everyone uses to splice in these tiny wires???


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Solder them to larger wires is one option.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

I use a wire wrap tool. This one is for 30ga but I have used 26ga stranded with it. I don't think it will handle 24ga.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I solder all of the connections in groups to one main wire. Then the mains connect to terminal strips. Powers is supplied to those via switches.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

It's important to know the voltage of the bulbs in the kits
you have as well as the voltage of what you will power
them with. 

Various makers use bulbs anywhere from 1.5 volts up to
14 volts or so. 

The packages should tell you the voltage. The device you
intend to power them with should also have a fixed 
label telling you it's output voltage.

If the bulbs are a lower voltage than your power supply
you may want to wire them in series (like old Christmas
tree lights) so that the number of bulbs X their voltage
would equal your power supply voltage.

If you want the light to come out of the windows etc. you'll
likely want to 'black out' the inside walls and roof. Most
plastic model buildings will glow like a hot iron when
you light them without blacking out. You can use a 
combination of thick black paint, card stock, and
black electricians tape to do the job.

Don


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

JerryH said:


> I use a wire wrap tool. This one is for 30ga but I have used 26ga stranded with it. I don't think it will handle 24ga.


How do you use a tool such as this??


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

Blue 30ga and black 26ga wires to be joined prior to solder and insulate. The two wires are stripped and inserted in the end. The larger goes in the middle hole and the smaller goes in the outer hole at the end of the tool which is then twisted.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

It's called wire wrapping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SSOKppwpAE

For very fine wire, it works well.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

JerryH said:


> Blue 30ga and black 26ga wires to be joined prior to solder and insulate. The two wires are stripped and inserted in the end. The larger goes in the middle hole and the smaller goes in the outer hole at the end of the tool which is then twisted.


I never knew that tool existed, can you wrap a braided wire around another braided wire, or as I think I saw it was a small braided wire around a solid core wire.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

Yes, I have run 2 stranded wires together. In these photos, the blue is a solid wrapped around a stranded wire. I always solder the joint after wrapping as it is designed for solid around solid.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

Jerry

Can you put 2 stranded wires in the wrapping tool?

The hole in the side is so small I doubt I could do it.



I routinely twist 2 stranded wires together to solder.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

Yes I can with my ancient RS tool. Here are 2 26ga stranded wires together.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

JerryH said:


> Yes, I have run 2 stranded wires together. In these photos, the blue is a solid wrapped around a stranded wire. I always solder the joint after wrapping as it is designed for solid around solid.


I cannot find a tool anywhere that looks like the one you have, radio shack shows nothing, the cheapest I found on ebay was 30 odd dollars, any suggestions????


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

This is old tech. They are hard to find. Here is an example.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMuqHt7hmXVVHjDYBmRv8U08aVnoUFUaLPU=


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

Here are some other sizes.
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/647/3081.pdf


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

I bought mine at Radio Shack.

FWIW, I find I can twist two or more stranded wires together just fine. 

Wire wrapping works best when I'm attaching a 30ga wire to a LED.

I guess some of my dexterity is going the way of my eyesight and hair.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

Bkubiak said:


> Hi everyone and hope you got what you wanted for christmas.
> I got a bunch of house models for my layout and I have some questions about lighting them up.
> 
> The wires from the bulb kits I ordered are so tiny and fragile and I cannot find any connectors to wire them in. The smallest splices I can find are 22 gauge and the wires are much smaller then that, I am wondering what everyone uses to splice in these tiny wires???


Twist them together, then secure them with a piece of electrical tape wrapped around them. I did this for a couple of my small connections, and have had no problem. 

-J.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

I shall respectfully disagree with Mr. Bucholz.

I have over 300 lights, 10 blocks, 8 pair of switches and too many accessories to cite.

I have had one wiring failure in the 30 years my layout has been running. It was with a twisted connection.

For me, it's solder, or nothing.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Dave Sams said:


> I shall respectfully disagree with Mr. Bucholz.
> 
> I have over 300 lights, 10 blocks, 8 pair of switches and too many accessories to cite.
> 
> ...


I guess I will use my helping hands jig to hold the wires and solder a bigger longer wire on and shrink wrap the joint and go from there there with 22 ga quick splices


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

You can use a gadget called a Fahnstock clip. It is about 1/2" long, has a spring loaded clamp at one end and a screw mount in the other. You attach your feed wire under the mounting screw, and clip the load wire into the spring mount. They work for any gauge.

You can purchase them at Micromark (www.micromark.com).


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've done a lot of wirewrapping in the past, but my advice would be to simply solder them, and then use small sized heat-shrink tubing to insulate them.


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## Dave Sams (Nov 24, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I've done a lot of wirewrapping in the past, but my advice would be to simply solder them, and then use small sized heat-shrink tubing to insulate them.


Heat shrink works well, but when I have the opportunity, I staple the soldered joints to the bottom of my table in a way that they can not touch. It makes is very easy to add another LED if I install something close.

If in doubt, 2 coats of liquid electric tape is my favorite.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

In a perfect world, I'd have wire connectors or snap connectors on everything. I've even used mini alligator clips to clamp one end of a circuit onto a power source. I just found that with one of my trouble connections, the twisted wire and electrical tape works well. 

Remember, you have to ultimately be happy with what you do.

-J.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

DO they by any chance make very small crimp on connectors


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