I’m getting ready to wire my new DCC layout and a couple of questions on feeder wires. I’m going to use solid 14AWG wire for the power bus but would like to use some Atlas terminal joiners that I have for the feeders. Any problem doing this? Also, in looking at some of the illustrations in both of the Kalmbach DCC books I have, it shows the feeders connected to the power bus as just the two wires connected at a spot on the power bus where the insulation has been stripped. Is this a viable connection? I’m planning on cutting the power bus and using either wire nuts or suitcase connectors since I’m not the greatest at soldering. What’s the best way in the opinion of those of you who know a lot more than I do? I like this forum because I can ask really dumb questions sometimes and your replies don’t make me feel like an idiot.
cutting the bus every X many feet would be a pain I think. Perhaps you should think of using terminal strips or suitcase connectors instead.
If you get the right size suitcase connector, you’ll have a good connection for the life of your layout.
Cutting the power bus wire every certain number of feet is not a good idea. Everywhere that there is a splice is a potential future problem area. If you’re not good at soldering, use suitcase connectors as suggested, but leave the bus wire intact. The use of terminal joiners is a good idea. An additional point for making sure you keep a good connection is to solder the joiner in place.
Ah! What you have here is the perfect excuse to get get one of my favorite little tools - an automatic stripper. This little baby (Any home center or larger hardware store will have it) not only strips the ends of wire with one squeeze, but can ALSO grab on and simply spread open the insulation in the middle of a wire run. No cutting and re-attaching at all.
Then you just twist your feeder around the open spot and solder. If you’re gonna practice and get better at soldering, this is exactly the place to do it too - underneath, no ties to melt, appearance doesn’t matter too much, etc.
Once soldered and cooled you can wrap in electrical tape, paint on liquid electrical tape, or just leave it. I and some others here just leave them as is and stagger any other connections by a few inches to there’s nothing to short out.
Just my 2c, and worth about that much I’m sure…
You do not have to cut the power bus if you use suitcase connectors. I have used them for over five years with no problems. I use a 12ga solid wire power buss and 18ga solid wire for feeders (I have also used 18ga stranded wire for feeders) Do not cut your power buss as each joint is a potential power loss.
I use Atlas Coade 83 flex track. I solder two 3 ft sections together with the jumper wirres at the work bench. This is a lot easier than trying to do it on the layout. I install the flex track on the layout with latex adhesive caulk. I drill a small hole in the sub roadbed and push the jumper wires through the holes. I then move under the layout and attach the jumper wires to the power bus with suitcase connectors. I just use rail joiners between the 6ft sections, but a locomotive is never more than 3ft from a jumper to the power buss. This has worked very well for me, for several layouts with no DCC problems.
JIM
Agreed fully. Stripping a short 9/16" from the bus insulation, winding the bared feeder end around that spot, and soldering takes about 90 seconds. If you wind it properly the solder would be unecessary, but the solder gets it from 88% to 99.9%.
Fast, cheap, effective. An engineer’s dream.
[#ditto] My only addition - run the bus wires along the table edge where you can work on them while sitting on a chair with the connections at a convenient working height - NOT above your head under the layout.
Chuck (who keeps ALL the electricals just behind the fascia)
[#ditto]
What he said!
I agree completely. My wires are under the layout and can be a PITA to get to sometimes.