On that old diesel project of mine, I found that the original Mehano/AHM wires were multiple-strand types soldered to the contact pickups on each side of the motor. Before I start buying the repowering items, I want to reconnect the existing motor to see if my cleaning has had any good effect, also to experiment with the LEDs mentioned in another previous post. So, those old wires looked pretty worn out, not to mention crappy soldering, and now should I replace the multi strand ones with solid wires- and if so, what size wires?? Thanks for any advice, Cedarwoodron
Use stranded wire for the connection. 22 or smaller will work. Strip about 1/8 to 3/16" of insulation off the wire. Tin the bare wire first and you should have no problem soldering to the motor clips. Use flux when soldering.
Under certain conditions, solid wire can break, especially if you nick the wire while stripping it. Been there, done that and have the T shirt. Quite easy, the smaller the wire diameter.
Most use #30 stranded wire for electrical wiring for HO. For DCC, it comes in different colors which can help a lot.
At least use red and black #30 stranded for pickups if just DC. With proper soldering and slack in the wire, say for diesel motor trucks, you should not have any problems. All the steam and diesel locos I have seen over the years use stranded wire.
Rich
You should never use solid wire in any application where it will get a lot of movement, such as on a motor that is mounted to a truck. Flexing of the wire will cause it to break. Stranded wire is best for an application such as this.
What the above posters said.
Also, when selecting stranded wire - especially for this application - get wire with a high strand count. Stay away from “cheap”. Stranded wire with a low strand count is almost as bad as using solid wire.
Save yourself some headaches and buy quality wire with high strand count from a reputable source (such as the brands that Mouser and Digikey offer).
And get pre-tinned wire. Helps in soldering to small, delicate circuitry.