Author Topic: When is it okay to use copper-clad aluminum (CCA) wire? (Read 48302 times)

Jay112 · « **on:** December 10, 2015, 12:44:54 pm »

I purchased a roll of 1,000 feet of 8-conductor wire from ebay. I was especially careful to make sure it didn't say it was CCA. This item was listed as "solid copper", even though this same seller very clearly specified when their other products were CCA. Only when I got it and cut it did I realize it was CCA.

Is CCA okay to use in some low-voltage (3v, 5v, 12v) projects? Do you have personal experience having problems with it? Is it okay for very short runs? Is it unreliable for sending certain kinds of data signals?

Thanks!

Ian.M · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2015, 01:01:14 pm »

Its insulated and it conducts electricity so is 'good enough' for some applications. However it will rapidly degrade if the terminations are exposed to significant humidity,and wont stand up to repeated flexing and may have problems with compression terminals loosening due to cold flow, so use it indoors for low current projects you don't give a s--t about. Its long-term reliability is likely to be less than that of a bought US congress-critter.

rdl · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2015, 02:40:04 pm »

If this is something you just bought recently, you should go to ebay and request a refund or replacement.

SharpEars · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2015, 03:18:23 pm »

Quote from: Jay112 on December 10, 2015, 12:44:54 pm

I purchased a roll of 1,000 feet of 8-conductor wire from ebay. I was especially careful to make sure it didn't say it was CCA. This item was listed as "solid copper", even though this same seller very clearly specified when their other products were CCA. Only when I got it and cut it did I realize it was CCA.

Is CCA okay to use in some low-voltage (3v, 5v, 12v) projects? Do you have personal experience having problems with it? Is it okay for very short runs? Is it unreliable for sending certain kinds of data signals?

Thanks!

You should absolutely get a refund and keep the wire! This is deceptive advertising and the seller should pay for it.

Did this come from a Chinese/Hong Kong seller??

As for when is it OK? I would personally never use CCA unless you absolutely don't care about current capability, resistance and voltage drop. At the least you will need to calculate that into your wire length characteristics.

Seekonk · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2015, 04:41:30 pm »

Is that eight individual insulated conductors? Never heard of CCA in small wire.

Jay112 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2015, 04:44:08 pm »

Thanks everyone for the advice and responses!

This is the one I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390852744513
but it was only $40 when I bought it. I'll come back to write more later.

Ian.M · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2015, 04:46:03 pm »

I've seen some right s--tty bell-wire before now. Its sometimes copper clad steel, and you find out when you b----r up your precision dykes cutting it!

You are lucky it wasn't https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinsel_wire which is truely the invention of the devil if you don't have the right crimps and tooling.

How did you identify it as CCA? Take a short offcut of the bare strands, scrape them and boil in washing soda in a glass beaker or jar. CCA will disintegrate, copper or copper clad steel will not. Copper clad steel is most easily identified with a small magnet.

Seekonk · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2015, 04:50:33 pm »

That was my first thought when I saw it, STEEL Get out a magnet. I think a lot of PC power supply wire is steel. It solders like crap.

Jay112 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:31:02 pm »

Wow. I just tested it with a magnet, and the magnet sticks!

I've never heard of copper-clad steel. (There's definitely a copper-colored layer on the outside, and the inside looks like a silver color).

Ian.M · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:38:39 pm »

Ok, so its got over 5 times the resistance of copper, so its very poor for long runs. OTOH its mechanically self-supporting, given appropriate support at its terminations, but no-one in their right mind would use flat 8 wire phone cable in a self supporting application as it would be likely to start galloping in the breeze like the Tacoma Narrows bridge leading to early failure.

Take a picture of a magnet stuck to it, Screen grab the auction before it goes away and raise a dispute.

Jay112 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:44:41 pm »

Okay, thanks for all the advice!

I think I purchased it just a week ago, so it's probably not too late. Plus they claim to have a 30-day guarantee on the page.

Can you guys think of anything that 1,000 feet of CCS could be used for? Or is it just pretty much junk?

Jay112 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:49:08 pm »

Also, out of curiosity, do you think the properties of the wire would be decent/improved if I twisted together 4 of the conductors, making it like a thicker 2-conductor wire?

Ian.M · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:51:06 pm »

Making 200 $1 5' cables using child labour in a 3rd world sweatshop! <LOL>

If you twist it it will probably just break, and you'll also increase its self-inductance.

Strip it out of the outer jacket as required and use it for tying plants in the garden etc.

Jay112 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2015, 05:57:16 pm »

That's a great idea to basically just use it as twisty-ties! That's like 8,000 feet of twisty-ties for $40!

All my friends will be receiving twisty-ties for Christmas!

IanB · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:07:03 pm »

I came across copper clad steel wire decades ago as a youngster. It was, as noted above, used as the telephone drop cable from the pole to the house (it was two conductor figure-8 insulated cable). By making it from steel it had the tensile strength to be strung over a distance without breaking.

Jay112 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:15:26 pm »

I've never dealt with an ebay dispute before. Do you guys think it's best to just go through the return process with the seller? Or is there some other way to handle this?

It was shipped from NY, and their store page says that the return shipping will be deducted from the total amount refunded.

rdl · « **Reply #16 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:25:38 pm »

You want to return the item because it didn't match the description. Last time I had to do this, the seller had to pay the return shipping. I think this is the case anytime the seller is the cause of the problem. If you just changed your mind or something like that, then you would pay.

moya034 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:27:33 pm »

Copper Clad Steel wire is very useful for constructing wire antennas. The Steel is less likely to stretch and detune the antenna, or break. It often goes by the trade name of "Copper-Weld". If you get stuck holding the bag, start contacting your local Ham Radio Clubs, they may be interested in it.

Ian.M · « **Reply #18 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:34:56 pm »

Follow the EBAY dispute process to the letter, paying particular attention to time limits. DO NOT communicate directly with the seller outside of EBAY. DO NOT accept anything other than a full refund through EBAY as it was fraudulently described as solid copper. You cannot trust anything the seller promises or offers, because it certainly was not as described. Do not be talked into waiting a few more days for another reel of supposedly the good stuff.

Demand the seller pays the shipping/arranges collection, before shipping it because it is clearly not as described and as copper is over twenty times more valuable than steel, the mis-description is more likely to be fraudulent than accidental.

Jay112 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:50:54 pm »

Thanks rdl and Ian.M and Ian.B!

And thanks moya for the info about the antennas!

I started the return process just now, including a picture of magnets stuck to the roll, and a difficult-to-take picture trying to show how the insides of each conductor are whitish instead of copper.

Jay112 · « **Reply #20 on:** December 10, 2015, 06:54:38 pm »

Also before I knew what it was, I was getting about 25 Ohms of resistance for a 40-foot run.

RobertBG · « **Reply #21 on:** December 10, 2015, 07:16:51 pm »

Doesn't it bug you when Ebay sellers cant label their products correctly,it is really one of my pet peeves yet others seem to not care

Ebay really protects the buyer so I think you'll be fine,just document it and be sure to give the seller a chance to correct the situation.

Jay112 · « **Reply #22 on:** December 10, 2015, 07:21:47 pm »

Thanks Robert!

I just started using ebay about 9 months ago, after I got involved with electronics (starting with arduino stuff). Before that I was mostly using *gasp* Amazon.

So far this has been my only experience with mislabeled items on ebay.

Towger · « **Reply #23 on:** December 10, 2015, 08:19:57 pm »

I had the same problem with a 100m roll of 'solid copper' 1.5mm speaker cable I bought off eBay last year. The first clue was how light it was when I picked it up. I started a dispute, sent it back and got a refund.

Cliff Matthews · « **Reply #24 on:** December 11, 2015, 01:13:36 am »

That sure is odd cable.. It looks like wire from phone cords we Canadians call satin cable. What a rip-off!


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Author Topic: When is it okay to use copper-clad aluminum (CCA) wire? (Read 48302 times)

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