Wiring header joints

[daveturnbull]

I'm adding a load of switches and gauges in a MUD centre console, and could do with some nice way of making some header joints for the illumination. I don't really want to daisy-chain it all together, and I develop a nervous twitch whenever I see one of those pre-insulated red/blue/yellow squishy terminals. Don't even mention scotchlocks. 

I can't be the only one who wants to add wiring neatly, so what are we all doing for header joints these days?

[lo-fi]

May I humbly suggest:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264297665510

You can get them any length. Or if you want a "bus" type arrangement, earthing blocks work well if suitably mounted. 

Crimps are fine IF you get quality terminals, use a decent tool and follow guidance on what gauge of wire fits in which terminal. You should be able to hold the terminal and pull the wire pretty darn hard without it coming out. All crimps are not created equal!

[landroversforever]

IMO daisy chained crimp terminals are the only neat way of doing it. Unless its something like the carling switches where you can get a plug for them.

[daveturnbull]

Yes I have recently discovered proper non-insulated crimp terminals and the right tool for making them. Hence the aversion to the pre-insulated jobbies.

Those ones are not quite what I'm looking for, as the terminals are not all joined, and they are a bit exposed. I think my ideal would be either a busbar type arrangement with a cover, or a post terminal, again with a nice cover.

[daveturnbull]

Ross, I am using carling switches with the proper plugs.

[landroversforever]

1 minute ago, daveturnbull said:

Yes I have recently discovered proper non-insulated crimp terminals and the right tool for making them. Hence the aversion to the pre-insulated jobbies.

A non insulated terminal is only any good if its then going into a connector of some sort.

For stuff like the insulated terminals that I was meaning, theres a world of difference between buying decent ones and the horrible cheap ones with really soft plastic over them.

[landroversforever]

1 minute ago, daveturnbull said:

Ross, I am using carling switches with the proper plugs.

In that case I can't think of a neater way other than daisy chaining.

If you're then wanting a connector, durite do some nice little 6 way male space connector blocks.

[daveturnbull]

1 minute ago, landroversforever said:

A non insulated terminal is only any good if its then going into a connector of some sort.

Don't worry, they all do. I don't want any unexpected fires.

 

[daveturnbull]

Thanks for the durite lead, they have a couple of promising options.

[Mo Murphy]

Dave, Paul Mac has the TD5 type headers in various sizes and configurations.

Mo

[FridgeFreezer]

Good quality insulated crimps are absolutely fine - if you buy Amp/Tyco ones from RS, Farnell, etc. you get quality. Cheap ones are ruddy rubbish.

Anyway... another albeit spendy option is BlueSea's mini-buss-bars;

[Cynic-al]

I daisy chain it either between crimp terminals (I buy the ones that roll around to clamp the cable then heat shrink over them rather than the ones that just crush down onto the cable) or for the carling switches use the socket and daisy chain them but try to cable tie everything into a loom. Taking each lamp cable back to a terminal box individually seems a lot of unnecessary cable to me. 

If you do want a busbar type terminal box look at the marine stuff, I find it's more affordable than the industrial stuff but less boy racer than a lot of the automotive stuff.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tocas-100A-BusBar-Box-Distribution-Black-Silver/dp/B07DN92HVB/ref=asc_df_B07DN92HVB/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310493386938&hvpos=1o10&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5539076475431412216&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046266&hvtargid=pla-726342245007&psc=1

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/183948863922?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=183948863922&targetid=520884172719&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9046266&poi=&campaignid=6744139833&mkgroupid=78343140446&rlsatarget=pla-520884172719&abcId=1139126&merchantid=101483308&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7OSq_fyM5gIVVeDtCh1d0QMTEAkYBiABEgIjlPD_BwE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aramox-Junction-Distribution-Negative-Terminals/dp/B07PPGVXX1/ref=asc_df_B07PPGVXX1/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=224431698442&hvpos=1o12&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5539076475431412216&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046266&hvtargid=pla-782492713881&psc=1

[PaulMc]

2 hours ago, Mo Murphy said:

Dave, Paul Mac has the TD5 type headers in various sizes and configurations.

Mo

 

et voilà

BLACK

Sub-divided into five circuits -

 

BLUE

Sub-divided into four circuits -

 

GREEN

Sub-divided into four circuits -

 

GREY

Sub-divided into three circuits -

 

ORANGE

Sub-divided into six circuits -

 

YELLOW

Sub-divided into five circuits -

 

Supplied (as pictured above) with a 20-Way Splice Connector, Splice Cap and 20 x Sumitomo 090 Terminals.

They are £11.95 each + Postage

.

Edited November 28, 2019 by PaulMc
Tidy-up

[Peaklander]

Just on the Carling switches, it's probably just as easy to daisy chain the switch illumination across the back (using the plugs as you say) as it is to individually cable to them. You can fit two wires into the un-insulated crimps. That's what I did on my Mud console.

[Maverik]

On 11/28/2019 at 2:27 PM, PaulMc said:

 

et voilà

BLACK

Sub-divided into five circuits -

 

BLUE

Sub-divided into four circuits -

 

GREEN

Sub-divided into four circuits -

 

GREY

Sub-divided into three circuits -

 

ORANGE

Sub-divided into six circuits -

 

YELLOW

Sub-divided into five circuits -

 

Supplied (as pictured above) with a 20-Way Splice Connector, Splice Cap and 20 x Sumitomo 090 Terminals.

They are £11.95 each + Postage

.

AGAIN.... you blow my mind.... I was just looking at a couple of TD5 harnesses and I couldn't for the life of me think what those things actually where!!! are these listed on your ebay shop at all?

[PaulMc]

Not on eBay.

[Karel]

On 11/30/2019 at 11:54 AM, PaulMc said:

Not on eBay.

Do you ship them to Belgium and what does it cost?

Grtz

[Snagger]

Daisy chi I g is going to use up a lot less of the limited volume inside the console than those blocks.  I do it by stripping a section of the first wire and twisting the stripped end of the second wire to that, sometimes solders, and covered by heat shrink.  
 

If you’re using LEDs for the switches, and they don’t have incorporated resistors to knock the voltage down to about 3v for green, blue or white, 2.6v for yellow or about 2v for red, then you can use a single resistor for the paralleled LEDs that will be all illuminated together, but it’s frowned upon because did one LED stops working for any reason, the rest of them will get an increased voltage.  With a string of the size likely in this application, if two stop, they’ll likely cause the rest to burn out.  It is best to have each LED have individual resistors when run in parallel.  You can run them in series so their own internal resistance takes care of the voltage. You could see how you get on with four or five LEDs in series - five would be better as I think the alternator might burn a string of four out.

[FridgeFreezer]

41 minutes ago, Snagger said:

If you’re using LEDs for the switches, and they don’t have incorporated resistors to knock the voltage down to about 3v for green, blue or white, 2.6v for yellow or about 2v for red, then you can use a single resistor for the paralleled LEDs that will be all illuminated together, but it’s frowned upon because did one LED stops working for any reason, the rest of them will get an increased voltage.

It's not just that, it's that you're not controlling the voltage or current per LED, and any weaker ones in the string (operating a fraction of a volt lower than the rest) will get the majority of the current and burn out.

[PaulMc]

On 5/29/2020 at 9:58 AM, Karel said:

Do you ship them to Belgium and what does it cost?

Grtz

 

I do ship to Belgium, by Royal Mail Airmail, which isn't too expensive.

The headers are £11.95 each, supplied with 20 x terminals.

Additional terminals are £0.28 each.

I only have a few of the grey and blue headers, but larger stocks of the other four colours (green, orange, yellow, black)

.

Edited June 13, 2020 by PaulMc