I will soon be building a new layout after 25 years absence from the hobby. Can I use ordinary lamp cord (2 conductor, stranded) for wiring switch machines and/or power to the track? All I remember about OHMs Law is that it seemed like a good idea.
Chuck[%-)]
That type of wire is overkill for switch machines and track wiring. Something as small as telephone wire can be used for switch machines, and stranded speaker wire from Wal-mart or K-mart is suitable for track wiring, and is usually cheaper than lamp cord.
Lamp cord is definately overkill. If my memory from my EE course is correct, the advantage of lamp cord is that there is less resistance to the current running through it because there is more wire present. The disadvantage is the higher cost compared to smaller gauge wire. Of course if you can get a couple hundred feet of the stuff for free, go for it.
On the other hand, are you going DCC this time? If you are, the recommendation is usually to use 10 - 12 gauge wire for the power bus for the layout, in which case the lamp cord would be fine for the bus, with smaller (18 gauge or less) drops to the track itself.
for this and all your other wiring questions, get a copy of “EASY MODEL RAILROAD WIRING” by Andy Sperandeo, from Kalmbach publishing.
I used stranded phone wire for my entire layout, no problems and if you talk to a phone company guy ,they sometime will give you FREE samples…like 200 ft.
Jselami:
Jselami:
Where do you find 10-12 gauge lamp cord. This guage wire is used on a high draw appliance such as an air conditioner or electric heater. This is also the guage used on heavy duty extension cords. Lamp cord is more likely to be the 18 gauge you say is suitable for the feeder wires.
I’ve seen it in Home Depot and Ace. I personally used separate red & black 12-gauge for my power bus, but only because I preferred to keep the bus wires separated.
ref DCC:
I use the same as Joe with the Red and Black solid conductor 12 gauge wires for the bus. This has a 23 amp current capability with very small resistance to the DCC signal meaning a very small voltage drop (less than a 1/2 volt with several locos running for most layouts). Same applies to straight DC.
I believe what you are trying to remember is that stranded wire has a greater current capability than a solid conductor of the same size. But, I think you will find that using separate wires and solid conductor will help you when you try to connect track feeders to them. The solid conductor is also easier to form around corners and ups and downs making for a neater installation.
I use telephone wire for all my turnout control and 22 gauge stranded for track feeders.
REX