DIY Pomona 1825 Cables

[JenniferG]

Hey guys, with the help from someone here on this forum, I came across a great deal and took advantage of it.  36 Pomona 1825's for $28.  They sell for $2 a piece on digi-key.



Anyways, I need some cables to start out.  Can I just use my existing wire I have laying around here to start?  e.g. speaker wire , power cord wire etc.  Anything that'll fit in there and screw on?  From my limited understanding the wire is attached and held in place with a screw on the 1825?

Also, since the ends are color coded, is it really necessary (or handy) to match wire color?  How about all black wires with color coded ends ?  I might be able to buy a spool of black wire cheap.

[tpowell1830]

You can use any wire, of course utilizing your knowledge of current requirements, voltage drop, etc. to AWG size.  Also, keeping in mind voltage limits of the wire insulation. You could just mark the insulation for an inch or so on one end of the wire with a sharpie for plus or minus or both.

However, the multi-stranded silicone insulated wire is much more flexible and easier to use for all lead usage, in my experience of 40 years.  Also, I prefer to use 16 AWG for all leads: large enough ampacity for most situations, yet small enough for flexibility. I use red for positive and black for negative, as well as a center tapped common. But that is just me.

[JenniferG]

Thanks. So many silicone wire options on ebay.  Don't even know if the cheap ones are really silicone (as described) -- maybe they are partially silicone and they get away with calling them silicone. I don't know.

Anyone know of the best deals on 16 awg silicon red/black wire on ebay.  Good deal with respect to quality of the silicone, quality of the wire & price.

Thanks a bunch.  Sorry I am so clueless.

[JenniferG]

e.g. really good price on these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10M-Silicone-Wire-Cable-10-12-14-16-18-20-22-Gauge-AWG-Red-Black-Flexible-/361492234453

1 meter, 16 awg is $1.19 US , shipped.

[tpowell1830]

e.g. really good price on these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10M-Silicone-Wire-Cable-10-12-14-16-18-20-22-Gauge-AWG-Red-Black-Flexible-/361492234453

1 meter, 16 awg is $1.19 US , shipped.

If those are the actual pics of the wire cut ends, the insulation is nice and thick and the wire appears to be multi-stranded copper. The insulation also has that soft cut look as does silicone when you cut it.

I can't tell you if that is what you will get, but the pics look like authentic multi-stranded silicone insulated wire. And the price is alright. Now to get 10 meters in and cut it up for different meters, power supplies and jumpers, as needed.

[BMack]

I've made a few cables from broken leads, it seems I always break the same color lead so I can't put together a set...so I've used heat shrink to mark the red banana connector on the black cable and used a red banana plug on the broken-probe-side. It definitely works but it always makes me think twice when hooking it up, it's annoying to me...but it works. I imagine hanging them up would be a pain because you'd normally want to grab the cable by the middle(if that's where the hanging hook is).

I've bought the cheapest silicone wire I can on eBay and it's always been legitimate, nice wire. Maybe it would be better to buy some silicone and make those cables then buy some yellow/blue/orange PVC cable or black PVC cable for those odd colored connectors then decide if you want to finish the red/black cables with silicone or PVC. They are solderless connectors so you can change them over time but obviously you don't want to just throw away money.

[mmagin]

I would be more inclined to look for US-based sellers with good feedback of partial rolls of test lead wire if you want to be sure of getting the "real thing" at a good price.

Also I wouldn't reject rubber insulated finely stranded test lead wire for general use.  It's usually EPDM, not as nice as silicone, but pretty good.  e.g.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BELDEN-8899-18-AWG-TEST-LEAD-BLACK-RUBBER-INSULATION-25-FT-LOT-874-/192104722831

Also for general hookup wire, keep an eye out for especially good deals on silver-plated teflon (PTFE) insulated wire.  I wouldn't generally spend extra on it, but it's just wonderful.  There's some folks on ebay that sell short lengths (10-100 ft) all the time for reasonably good prices, but I once got an especially good deal on a bunch of perfectly clean 8 foot lengths one time that had been cut off something.

[mtdoc]

e.g. really good price on these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10M-Silicone-Wire-Cable-10-12-14-16-18-20-22-Gauge-AWG-Red-Black-Flexible-/361492234453

1 meter, 16 awg is $1.19 US , shipped.

That's a good price.

I've always bought mine from Hobby King. The quality is very good.

Price varies a bit by color. Slightly more for red and black than the eBay listing but other colors available for less.

Excellent score on the 1825s BTW.

[JenniferG]

I got the connectors today. They look great.  I see the screw that attaches the wire. 

My question is, do I strip the wire, if so, by how much? Reason I ask, is I guess the screw could cut through the insulation of the unstripped wire to reach the center?

If I do strip the ends, do I tin them with solder before screwing?

Just want to know the very best way to make these cables, thanks

[mmagin]

Yes strip, no more than a quarter inch at most. Probably doesn't help much to tin the wire.

[tpowell1830]

I strip the wire cleanly, leaving just 1/2 mm of insulation inside connector and then make sure that I didn't strip too long, safety issue and also support. I also cut heat shrink that is slightly larger than the wire and tuck in just below the surface inside the connector, again safety and support. I extend the heat shrink about  1 mm over the stripped wire and shrink it. Then I insert the wire fully until it stops and lock down the screw.

[aargee]

Strip the wire so the stripped section fits neatly inside the metal tube.

Do NOT solder the wire. Twist the strands and screw up, if the wire is not thick enough to get a good clamp from the screw, double the stripped length and fold it back on itself.

The reason you do not solder is that solder is plastic, ie soft, it will give a good firm screw down initially but it can 'flow' and make the connection loose over time.
If, on the other hand, there was no screw down, and you were soldering direct to the metal, that's fine.

[BU508A]

Do NOT solder the wire. Twist the strands and screw up, if the wire is not thick enough to get a good clamp from the screw, double the stripped length and fold it back on itself.

The reason you do not solder is that solder is plastic, ie soft, it will give a good firm screw down initially but it can 'flow' and make the connection loose over time.
If, on the other hand, there was no screw down, and you were soldering direct to the metal, that's fine.

I would highly recommend NOT to screw up directly, but use something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rembus-Aderendhulsen-vergoldet-Kabelschuhe-fur-Kabel-0-75-bis-50-mm-gold-plated/371154030685

For "normal" use, you can use the Tin- or Silver-plated ones.

[JenniferG]

Do NOT solder the wire. Twist the strands and screw up, if the wire is not thick enough to get a good clamp from the screw, double the stripped length and fold it back on itself.

The reason you do not solder is that solder is plastic, ie soft, it will give a good firm screw down initially but it can 'flow' and make the connection loose over time.
If, on the other hand, there was no screw down, and you were soldering direct to the metal, that's fine.

I would highly recommend NOT to screw up directly, but use something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rembus-Aderendhulsen-vergoldet-Kabelschuhe-fur-Kabel-0-75-bis-50-mm-gold-plated/371154030685

Do you crimp those on or solder?

For "normal" use, you can use the Tin- or Silver-plated ones.

[BU508A]

Do you crimp those on or solder?

Crimp. Solder in this case is not a goot idea. It can cause problems, (floating solder, broken wires etc.)
Btw, you should always use these thingies (dont't now the correct english word for them, in German it is "Aderendhülse")
if you are using stranded wires, especially if you have to handle currents of 1 Amps and above.

Edit: typos

[jpanhalt]

I would crimp ferrules to them to keep the screw from tearing up the wires.   You can get ferrules at big box stores as they are also used in connecting stranded wire to screwed fixtures.  The ferrule can be "insulated" or not.   The insulation provides a little strain relief, but for my personal use, I just got the non-insulated type for the wire size I use.

Here's a link t show what I mean by insulated: http://catalog.americanelectrical.com/Asset/American-Electrical-_-Insulated-Wire-Ferrules.pdf

My position on solder/tinning is a little different from views expressed previously.  Yes, solder is soft, but so is annealed copper.  The problem with soldering the wires before inserting is that it tends to wick up the wire.  As that extends outside the area of the screw contact , it provides a stiff area.  The wire is prone to breaking at that spot by repetitive flexing.  If you are very careful when tinning and just tn the tip to prevent fraying, I see no problem in doing that.   Older equipment will often have wires used for screw contacts tinned in that way using a solder pot.

John

[JenniferG]

Got the silicone wire (16 awg) and the Pomona 1825 connectors.  Made a few cables.. pretty easy

Now I'd like to also make many with micro grabber clip end.  Also some with the smaller grabber for SMD.

Can anyone recommend a set of affordable clips I can attach to this 16 awg wire?   via screw would be cool.  Or I could solder.   Something that is durable and easy to connect.

I see a set of 10 for $2 from China ebay, but who knows how good those are.

EDIT: Something premade with 4mm banana jacks would be nice.  That way I can just plug the 1825 Pomono plug into it.   (Kind of a modular approach).

[jpanhalt]

It seems like an oxymoron to have 16 AWG and "micrograbber" in the same sentence.      I do not use silicone insulated wire, as I like a smaller diameter.  The wire I use wire is like this: http://www.daburn.com/2671UltraFlexibleSub-MiniatureWire-U/LSTYLE15681692.aspx?gclid=CKrb-KH1zdICFYePswodOv0MRQ   Note that 24 AWG is 105/44 (105 strands of #44).  The insulation is a PVC type,but quite flexible.  It is sometimes called "spaghetti" wire.

As for small grabbers, I prefer a brand called EZ Hook for smaller stuff (photo below).  A standard female Dupont cable without the plastic insulation will insert onto the pin the top of the EZ Hook.  There is a pin on each side.   I usually put my own .025 crimp female sockets on flexible wire (described above of about 24 AWG -- not silicone) as I prefer more flexible wire.   A little heat shrink over the crimp fitting helps hold it, but that step is not essential.

As for Micrograbber's per se, there are several sizes.   I use a medium to larger size.   The smallest is not very durable in my experience.  The ones I have require solder, but the wire is well supported, and that is not a problem.

John

[nanofrog]

Given you're using 16AWG, you might want to take a look at the following:

• Spring Hooks
• Alligator Clip + insulated boot (can be crimped or soldered)

BTW, the seller is a member here (Franky Tong, aka iloveelectronics).

I've actually purchased the first link, and use silicone wire (in 16AWG, 18AWG*, and 20AWG).

* Pomona sells this in 50ft. lengths (6733-0 = black, 6733-2 = red), and it's a better deal than Asian sources IME.

[JenniferG]

Hey I made several of these male to male banana plugs with pomona and silicone wire.  been great.

I need some alligator connectors on one end and I was wondering if anyone could recommend some alligator conenctors that would go well with tehse cables.  I was thinking about buying the banana plug alligator test leads off amazon.. $6 for the pair.. but I figure I should be making use of all this silicone wire lol.. I made so many cables and not really using them all.