Ok, so possibly a dumb question, but it's either too obvious for anyone to discuss, or I'm just not searching for the right things.
I'm running a lot of 4-gauge power cable for my car audio, and while rigging everything together I was faced with several of the "screw-down" type connections at the ends of my fuse holders and distribution blocks. Driving the screw into the raw wire strands didn't yield a very clean or solid junction. How do the rest of you go about prepping the ends of their power cables? A few notions have occured to me:
- Trying to solidify the cable with some solder without making to much of a mess by melting the insulation
- Gate-folding a small piece of metal over the cable to give the screw something solid to clamp down on
- Perhaps a type of connector exists that can be crimped on the cable, then provide a solid plug to screw down on
Or perhaps it really isn't as big an issue as I think? Any thoughts appreciated.
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The screw type connectors are designed for a certain range of wire sizes. If you're within that range you should be good. It becomes a problem if you're trying to put too small of a wire into the connectors. If that's the case then I'd do what you suggested with the solder (it's called "tinning"). Another possibility is to wrap a foil type metal around the connections to keep the stranding together. I've built connections for larger (500mcm) stranded welding type cables that use a copper "foil" to accomplish the same thing.
Thanks for the feedback. I am within the cable size specs for the connectors, but it still just seemed like the screw was parting the strands without making a lot of real purchase.
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If I'm reading this right, I use spade connectors at the ends of the cable, which give you a crimped connection at the end of the cable, and has a forked connector you can wrap around the screw and tightly screw down over top. Another option, if the screw can be easily removed, the would give you an even more solid connection would be an O-Ring type connector, which doesn't have a fork connection, and therefore can't be easily pulled out. Your local hardware store should have them, just make sure you get ones that can accept the 4-Gauge wire.
^^ Not every distribution block has a hole big enough to put a connector on the end of the wire to fit inside, just twist your wire strand as tight as you can with the screw as far out of the block as it will go, then shove the wire in and tighten the screw, keep doing this until you cant pull the wire out with a gentle tug.
^ yea just splice enough for it to fit with the insulation basically on "top" of the distributor. Twist tightly and screw it down, tug on it gently to make sure it wont come out. Once your done you should only see insulation...you shouldn't see any wire, if you do unscrew it and stuff it in more!
Thanks guys. Seems like I may have been looking for problems where there weren't any. I still might try securing the cables better, but I suppose they're not going anywhere.
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No problem man, you could try the solder method, but when I tired it, and screwed the little screw down onto the cable tip, it broke the solder and I ended up with the same thing I Should have done to begin with. You should be just fine with twisting the wire as much as you can and shoving it in, I've found it helps a little if you turn the cable as you insert it into the distribution block so the cable doesn't fray out all over the place. And keep this in mind, when you go to strip the insulation, your brain will tell you to cut more insulation back than you need to, so go a tad bit shorter than you planned so there is just wire inside the connection, and insulation outside the block...hope that helps, and good luck
