Tinned 22G duplex wire where to buy?

[chouliha]

We love using LED lights but find running heavier wires doesn't make much sense. For year I have been buying anchor 22G speaker wire (duplex) and this has worked out great. But a couple years ago I have not been able to find this smaller type tinned duplex wire.

Anyone have a source for 22G tinned duplex wire?

Many thanks

Chuck
Marquesas



jacaranda-journey

[colemj]

I recently bought this to wire some LED lights and was pleasantly surprised to find it tinned and of quite good quality. Much better than I was expecting. I wouldn't wire a mast with it, though - one would want jacketed wire for that.

20m 66ft 20awg Extension Cable Wire Cord for Led Strips Single Colour 3528 5050 - Led Household Light Bulbs - Amazon.com

Mark

[DeepFrz]

Try Ancor...

[Paul L]

ABYC on using smaller gauge wire for LEDs
Minimum Wire Size and LED Lighting - American Boat and Yacht Council

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by Paul L

ABYC on using smaller gauge wire for LEDs
Minimum Wire Size and LED Lighting - American Boat and Yacht Council

Hi Paul

Very interesting and thanks for posting the link.

From the link
"So why not allow for smaller than 18 AWG? Sure, a 22 AWG would safely handle the electrical loads of an LED lighting circuit. But somewhere, someone is going to use that circuit for something else... different lighting or drawing power to a new GPS unit. It would be too easy to exceed the ampacity of the circuit, so a line had to be drawn in the sand at some point and 18 AWG is it"

So if I am using 18G per code for a LED light as the wire of choice and someone decides to wire a windlass using this 18G ....... I have heard of some bonehead rules before but this one leaves me speechless. Gotta love the reasoning behind rules eh?



www.jacarandajourney.com

[smac999]

I wouldn't even use 22awg for a speaker let alone electrical... I don't use less then 14 for any electrical no mater how small.

[roland stockham]

Most authorities recommend 16g as min size that has the physical strength to survive a boat environment which is why you don't see 22g in the chandlers. It is only used for electronics with lots of support and special connectors and even then its a pain because it frequently breaks.

[oleman]

Early digital systems were mostly wired with AWG 22. That size is normally communications and signaling connections for inter board and inter chassis wiring. I have worked on systems with miles of it in cabling.
By the way the AWG 22 was terminated in gold plated crimp on pins in connector shells.
The major wire mfg's make it in twisted pair, shielded if you think it will meet your needs. That would be microphone audio cable. Also single wire in various colors and insulation as required. I have some on the bench for logic connections. Also use AWG 24 up to AWG 30 (wire wrap wire).
Look at the BELDEN catalog at Mouser or Future.
BUT as someone said, fine stranded, AWG 18 is the smallest gauge normally used to carry analog voltages on a live vessel or anywhere else.
ANCHOR has good quality wire for boats.
AWG 16 comes in many colors and is suitable for LED lights.

[Sailorman Ed]

AWG 16 comes in many colors and is suitable for LED lights.

[QUOTE ] Idon't use less then 14 for any electrical no mater how small [/QUOTE]

#10 is also suitable for LED lights but that is not what the poster asked for. Often when rewiring for LED in particular, you need very flexible cable and SMALL to fit behind small spaces. Using #14 is just plain wasteful. If some future owner wants to connect their new windlass or GPS to my LED light circuit, more power to them.

Chouliha - I had some multi-conductor instrument wire that I stripped out of the sheath and got tinned small conductors.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by chouliha

We love using LED lights but find running heavier wires doesn't make much sense. For year I have been buying anchor 22G speaker wire (duplex) and this has worked out great. But a couple years ago I have not been able to find this smaller type tinned duplex wire.

Anyone have a source for 22G tinned duplex wire?

Many thanks

Chuck
Marquesas

jacaranda-journey

I caution you that too small wire will certainly work & I have used it where LED lights needed nil for amps. In a lightening strike last year, the small stuff fused and burned. Black art to be sure, just saying.

[chouliha]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I did check Ancor and see that they still manufacturer 20G duplex wire they sell for instruments. Have not been able to locate 22G duplex tinned so think the 20G will have to do. It's on the list for the next trip back to the States.

Safe sailing

Chuck




www.jacarandajourney.com

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by chouliha

Thanks everyone for your comments. I did check Ancor and see that they still manufacturer 20G duplex wire they sell for instruments. Have not been able to locate 22G duplex tinned so think the 20G will have to do. It's on the list for the next trip back to the States.

Safe sailing

Chuck




jacaranda-journey

Locate the nearest avionics shop at an airport and they should have plenty of 22 AWG twin core twisted shielded wire. It will have either 1000 or 600 volt tefzel insulation. They might have 18, 20 & 24 gauge as well. It is a very common size in aircraft wiring.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Locate the nearest avionics shop at an airport and they should have plenty of 22 AWG twin core twisted shielded wire. It will have either 1000 or 600 volt tefzel insulation. They might have 18, 20 & 24 gauge as well. It is a very common size in aircraft wiring.

I use a lot of aircraft wire as I don't have to pay for it, but do be aware it's almost always all white wire, and it's usually stiffer than other wire, I think it easily strong enough for boat use.
I didn't know what the insulation was, many years ago I was told Teflon, what is Tefzel?

I looked it up, sort of like Teflon, but tougher?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I use a lot of aircraft wire as I don't have to pay for it, but do be aware it's almost always all white wire, and it's usually stiffer than other wire, I think it easily strong enough for boat use.
I didn't know what the insulation was, many years ago I was told Teflon, what is Tefzel?

I looked it up, sort of like Teflon, but tougher?

If it's not white, it's not wire
Don't know any more than you and google about exactly what tefzel is
When I started in avionics way back when, we were told the insulation was teflon, now they tell us it is tefzel. Actually pretty sure it has been tefzel along!

I have wired up all three boats with M22579 wire; http://www.wiremasters.net/m22759.
As long as it isn't kapton - it's unfriendly

[a64pilot]

We had Kapton wiring all over the "A" model Apache, Had an aircraft burn once in some low lying dessert type terrain, next day the guards went to the hospital, apparently Kapton and many other of the composites create poisonous gasses when they burn.
But between old Kapton wiring and those flat Raychem connectors, I learned a lot more about avionics than I wanted to. (I'm not, nor have I ever been an Avionics tech)

Aircraft wiring is tinned, right?