Quick DCC wire question

[fiend540]

I am in the process of hooking up the front and rear lights in an Athearn RTR gp38-2 and after studying the wiring diagram for my NCE D13srJ and I need to splice into my Blue light common wire so I can hook up both lights. I am wondering what gauge and type wire I should use and where you guys purchased it from. I looked at my LHS, Lowes, Home Depot and Harbor Freight but no one had wire near small enough to even consider.

 

[UP2CSX]

I use intercom wire you can get at Radio Shack. It's four #24 AWG wires in a ribbon cable. You can spilt it so you have two pairs of wire to run to the headlights and it's plenty thin enough. It's RS part number 278-858.

 

[fiend540]

Thanks Jim, that's exactly what I needed. I swear you have an answer for everyone of my questions

 

[julienjj]

I use intercom wire you can get at Radio Shack. It's four #24 AWG wires in a ribbon cable. You can spilt it so you have two pairs of wire to run to the headlights and it's plenty thin enough. It's RS part number 278-858.

computer IDE cable are good for this too, they cost pretty nothing, and personally i do have a LOT of them hanging around. you can find a loose one in any computer motherboard box

 

[UP2CSX]

LOL, thanks, Cory. I only seem to have answers because either someone else told me or I've been around long enough to make about every mistake you can. Julien's idea about using IDE cable is good too if you happen to have some old PC's around.

 

[thaddeusthudpucker]

I fondly recall my high school days when I would snag old cables in tech class then wire up odd configurations in my trusty Athearn F7...

Ahh, the good ol days...for a while there I even had wired HO telephone poles set up...the weed-whacker that was my parents destroyed it before I had any HO scale power customers though...All thanks to old computer wires...

 

[tankist]

i have bunch of old network cables and cut-offs. and just got a spool of phone wire (free from craiglist). those are all #24 gauge.

 

[thaddeusthudpucker]

ooh that stuff's golden!!! you can have feeder wires every 6 inches!!!

 

[tankist]

ooh that stuff's golden!!! you can have feeder wires every 6 inches!!!

if you like soldering that much

 

[DaWolf85]

if you like soldering that much

With feeder wires every 6 inches, I doubt you need to solder. Just bend the wire so it fits onto the rail, and you're done.
With that many feeders, if a few fail, you still have all the rest, so I don't think you need to solder them.