wiring droppers

That's the way I did all mine Shaun, but keep the iron 'tinned'!
Cheers
Ron

Hi Kevin
I`ve done a lot of soldering droppers to track of many gauges and recently I`ve wired up a 7mm layout in my shed.

Soldering  does`nt need to be a nightmare……..

droppers to track…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

a clean hot iron    25watt  or 40 watt

a decent flux essential it should make the solder run immediately, if it does`nt it`s the wrong one.

don`t use cored flux solders.

A heat sink either side of where your soldering your dropper to reduce the damage to plastic sleepers.

two cheap paintbrushes.   One for the flux. One to clean off the flux with water.



The result……..






The heat sink……. the best modellers right hand………  Hair clips……..







All you need to solder successfully……………………………………………………………….




The Green flux is similar to Bakers fluid   and both are good for most modelling jobs.

The `sooty` pot on the lower left is a soldering iron tip cleaner/tinner and will keep your soldering tips at the ready forever………..


hope that helps


John

Hi John    Thank you for your reply. I have been using Carrs flux, as you read through my thread you will find a lot of advice against its use. As I wrote I really purchased the flux to use with the "Guards Van Kit" that is awaiting my attention, as this will be my first metal kit, I really do not want to make a mess of it. One tip I saw on YouTube was similar to your idea , but the modeller used two pieces of wet cotton wool, one each side of the joint. I tried two of the lead filled "Baked Bean Tins" that I use to keep the track in place, when I am ballasting, but the tins put the job in the shade. It is one of those jobs that has been done so many times before, that I just have taken for granted and end up making a bodge of it.   all the best. Kevin

Hi All.    Unless I have not seen the comment? It would seem that no one has criticised my choice of dropper wire,being 5 amp wire that has been stripped from "lighting cable", I expected comments like "I was being mean" and "why not buy new wire". that is meant to do a "proper job"  and "it is cheap enough".. all the best. Kevin

Hi Kevin,

No one has or will criticise anything you do on here, but as you know, will always offer up hints from their own modelling experience in response to your questions. Always remember that there is rarely a definitive way to do anything, just choices to consider. Oh, and one should also bear in mind that advice seen here will usually be streets ahead of what is on You Tube! Personally, I usually take 'advice' seen on YT with a generous portion of salt!  

Where opinions vary, just try them and see what works best for you. Job done, haha :)

Bill

Wire is wire, Kevin.  Unless it's been cooked, it will last for years.

I'm not familiar with rating wire by Amps - rather by diameter.

My droppers are 1.0 mm solid copper from the rail to just under the base board.  Then stranded 1.0 mm multi-core copper to the bus, which is 2.5 mm stranded.

Considering that the DCC systems are typically rated at 5 Amps, it sounds like you have made a wise choice.   :thumbs

Carry on - that man!

5amp Wire at 240V is rated at 1200W

So at 15v you're safe for about 80 Amps…



1mm wire @ 240V is rated for about 10 A or 2400 watts (worst case buried in insulation)

at say 15V it should be able to take somewhere near  a little less than 160 Amps so I think you're very safe there.



2.5mm wire @ 240V is rated at maybe 18 A or 4320W

so at  15 V  you should be able to run 280 ish amps very very safe there



I know I've not allowed for the differences between AC and DC and frequency effects but at what we are going to run things it's near enough!!!

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi All.    Unless I have not seen the comment? It would seem that no one has criticised my choice of dropper wire,being 5 amp wire that has been stripped from "lighting cable", I expected comments like "I was being mean" and "why not buy new wire". that is meant to do a "proper job"  and "it is cheap enough".. all the best. Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Whatever works for you is correct.

Nigel

Hi Max.    On an earlier thread I was criticised with my choice of connectors, so I was expecting more comments, just in case it was my chosen wire that was causing the problems. My reference to 5 amp wire was meant to signify regular lighting wire ( from the lamp to the socket)/ whatever size that is?   Kevin

Hi. Q.  Thank you for your explanation , but the point on my (5 amp wire) was as I answered Max , the wire that you run from the ceiling fitting to the lamp. Not the much heavier "Ring Main" type.   Kevin

It sounds like what we know as "figure eight" which is a twin moulded cable.  It might be the reason you are having trouble soldering it to the rail.  If it is, it's probably twice as thick as you need for droppers.  Just a thought.

Hi Max.   You are correct ,but that is a new term to me. When I have seen droppers being soldered to rails, it looked more like " Bell Wire" than the wire I am using.     all the best. Kevin

Ok Kevin,:) the absolute worst wire used (if not following regulations) would have to be able to run an old fashioned 120W bulb and that would run about 8 amps at 15V (the 19V peak of DCC is not continuous but a series of pulses so I allowed for that)
More likely  the correct wire 0.5mm flexible wire rated at 3 Amps@240V = 720W  or 48A at 15V or to be really picky,
36A at 20V to allow for DCC going wrong and giving a full continuous voltage.       
note IIRC most mains wires are actually rated at current * 250V but that is going a bit too deep for this.

Hi Q.  Thank you, so does that mean that " I am blowing against the wind?". And would my choice of wire for DCC?operation cause me problems, down the line?. Where (before I go too far) purchase the correct wire, and what do I ask for? Either in an Electrical suppliers or online?    all the best.  Kevin

Hi Nigel.  Thank you, but that was a very brief answer from you. Basically I was thinking that my chosen wire was the problem  causing the soldering to melt the sleepers, and if I used a different size wire, i.e. Thinner, than the wire that I am using and then would my soldering technique appear to improve ?   Kevin

Kevin,
You can get all correct dropper and bus wire you need from…………………..

 expressmodels.co .uk

I also use their non soldering wiring kits……..



Although, if you used the non soldering `suitcase` clips` I would just get the wiring from express models and the clips from…….

farnell element14 UK……. because they are double bladed…….


I , absolutely, hate soldering wires under layouts …………

Cheers

John 

Hi John.  Cheers , it is that I just didn't know where to and what to ask for, after my experience with Fleabay ??all the best. Kevin

No probs Kevin
I used to learn a lot from all the modelling mags in the 60`s, 70`s and 80`s

Nowadays, I learn most things on modelling forums such as this.

There`s nothing wrong with asking questions mate……

cheers

john

Hi John.  Thank you,  But what is the correct dropper wire size to ask for? A lot of sales assistants do not have a clue about model railways , let alone, like me, the complexities of DCC and resistance, wire size etc   Kevin

They keep it very simple Kevin……. For DCC wiring they only do the two types…
DCC Power bus lead. 3.3mm dia rated at 21A. Price is per meter.
EX/PBUS(A) Brown.
EX/PBUS(B)  Blue.

Layout wire. o.2m dia.  To connect to track.   Price is per meter.
EX/PBUS(F)  Brown
EX/PBUS(G)  Blue.
Actually Kevin, I learnt about an easy way of wiring a layout for DCC from an Australian modeller called Olliead who did a  YouTube blog…..



Cheers

John