Flexible wires needed

[fhmac]

I am seeking to replace the fine flexible wires that run from the tender to the engine motor. Can anyone refer or link me to a source?

[wm3798]

I used to scavenge the bits I cut off of hardwire decoder installs.  A TCS Z-3 decoder has the finest insulated multi-strand wires I can think of, and you usually cut off enough length to have some leftover to run a lead between a tender and a lokie.

Also, try stripping some old video cable... the kind with the pin connectors.  Not as fine as the decoder leads, but servicable for the application at hand.  And lots of them!

Lee

[Steveruger45]

I would use decoder wire, as I have a load of it.
See link
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/search

The ESU wire is finer and more dlexible than the soundtraxx wire.
Failing that wire stripped out of a phone cord would work but maybe a little stiff.

[jdcolombo]

Get ESU 36-gauge decoder wire.

http://store.sbs4dcc.com/ESU5194236AWGDecoderWire-10m-Black.aspx

John C.

[Lemosteam]

I use this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-Feet-7-62-m-36-AWG-TONEARM-Wire-Stranded-Copper-Ultra-Flex-Technics-SL1200/361574248241

[C855B]

I use the "super flexible" wire here: https://www.ngineering.com/accessories.htm

[wm3798]

Too bad there's hardly any options!!

[peteski]

Both ESU decoder wire and N-gineering wires are excellent choices.
But if the wire is used for track power pickups (especially with sound decoders) I like not to go thinner than 32 AWG.  The thinner wires (36 AWG) are ok for things like headlights.

[Lemosteam]

Never had an issue with the 36 gauge wire.

[wvgca]

usually the wires with more conductors [ and more flexible] do have a reduced amperage rating ..

[jdcolombo]

Both ESU decoder wire and N-gineering wires are excellent choices.
But if the wire is used for track power pickups (especially with sound decoders) I like not to go thinner than 32 AWG.  The thinner wires (36 AWG) are ok for things like headlights.

According to a calculator on the Engineering Toolbox site, a 36-gauge wire at 12v carrying 1 amp is good for 5 feet.  .24v drop at the 5-foot length.  I've also read that the fusing current for 36-gauge wire is 4 amps.  Given the very short lengths of wire we are using (less than six inches, usually) and low amperage for an N-scale motor (typically about 1/2 amp at stall), 36-gauge wire should be just fine.  And as an aside, I suspect ESU wouldn't use 36-gauge wires on its decoders if it believed there would be a problem doing so (the ESU LokSound micro is good for .75amp continuous, 1amp peak output).  Of course, if you end up with a dead short on a 5-amp DCC booster, you can melt the wire - which is why all DCC boosters have instantaneous short protection (at least if they are wired correctly with a sufficiently-large buss wire).  I've actually melted Code 55 RAIL as a result of a dead short on a wheel set.  Actually, it carbonized the nickel silver and left a nice circular dimple in the rail alongside nickel-silver dust . . .

When you look at ampacity tables for AWG wire gauges, remember that they are typically done for 120v AC, and are not accurate for 12v DC circuits. 

John C.

[peteski]

I didn't cite any specific numbers in my recommendation - just my overly cautions "gut feeling" about 36AWG wire.

John, where did you find the info you cited?
I looked at https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/amps-wire-gauge-d_730.html and https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wire-gauges-d_419.html and didn't find current ratings for 36AWG wire.  I went elsewhere and found some info.

[Lemosteam]

The thing about the wire I posted is that the OD of the insulation is quite a bit smaller than the TCS wire I have and will snake into some very small passages.

From the eBay listing:

"...this ultra flexible, feather weight, multi strand copper, tonearm wire, with PVC insulation. There are five wires, insulation colors: Red, White, Blue, Green, and Black. Each wire will be a minimum of 5 feet or 1.524 meters, for a total of 25 feet or 7.62 meters.

1. 36 AWG color coded conductors / wires. Each conductor / wire has 18 strands of 48 AWG stranded copper wire, making it ultra flexible. The nominal outside diameter of each wire is .02 inches or .5 mm."

[peteski]

The thing about the wire I posted is that the OD of the insulation is quite a bit smaller than the TCS wire I have and will snake into some very small passages.

From the eBay listing:

"...this ultra flexible, feather weight, multi strand copper, tonearm wire, with PVC insulation. There are five wires, insulation colors: Red, White, Blue, Green, and Black. Each wire will be a minimum of 5 feet or 1.524 meters, for a total of 25 feet or 7.62 meters.

1. 36 AWG color coded conductors / wires. Each conductor / wire has 18 strands of 48 AWG stranded copper wire, making it ultra flexible. The nominal outside diameter of each wire is .02 inches or .5 mm."

That is very similar to the ESU decoder wire which I measured to have outside diameter of 0.019". The caliper probably slightly squished the insulation, so it is probably 0.020" too.

TCS also sells 36 AWG wire (in black and white colors only).   The white is 0.017" and black is 0.016" (again considering the squish factor, we can assume around 0.019").  TCS 32 AWG wire is around 0.022" diameter.

[mike_lawyer]

I have used the super-flexible wire from Ngineering.com with great success on my steam kitbash projects.  I highly recommend it.