Scotchlok not worth the hassle

[cernem1alt]

I have just tried the Scotchlok connecters for attaching the wire droppers to the bus wire and what a waste of money! I tried 4 to attach droppers the power feed and all 4 failed to make contact so I am going to get the soldering iron out and do it the long way, Waste of time effort and money Rant over :'(

[scotsoft]

I hope you have some heatshrink to make insulation easy 

cheers John.

[Lawrence]

I have just tried the Scotchlok connecters for attaching the wire droppers to the bus wire and what a waste of money! I tried 4 to attach droppers the power feed and all 4 failed to make contact so I am going to get the soldering iron out and do it the long way, Waste of time effort and money Rant over :'(

I'm not trying to be smart, but you do have the correct size don't you?
Some people think they only come in blue but there is a larger yellow and smaller red size for different diameter wires.
Apologies if I am teaching you to suck eggs here.

[cernem1alt]

yes I have a mixture of sizes I even used two as a test (the blue seemed to be about right) but still a bad connection not very impressed

[Bikeracer]

I put my droppers in first,each one approx twelve inches long,ran the bus wire to the first dropper and soldered them together after trimming the dropper wire to length,ran the bus wire from there to the next dropper after covering the joint with heatshrink tube and repeated as required.

Allan

[Calnefoxile]

yes I have a mixture of sizes I even used two as a test (the blue seemed to be about right) but still a bad connection not very impressed

I must admit I gave up on Scotchlocks years ago, when trying to wire in a car stereo to an MK2 Escort 

Never used them since, I now always solder any wires or use solder barrels or crimps.

Regards

Neal.

[GlenP]

I've used Scotchloks for my DCC wiring without any problems at all. I suspect it is a wire thickness or insulation issue but each to their own.

Glen

[Chinahand]

I also use 'Scotchblok' connectors without problem. It's all about matching the Scotchbloks to the wire sizes and using the correct crimping tool.

[dean thom]

yes I have a mixture of sizes I even used two as a test (the blue seemed to be about right) but still a bad connection not very impressed

I must admit I gave up on Scotchlocks years ago, when trying to wire in a car stereo to an MK2 Escort 

Never used them since, I now always solder any wires or use solder barrels or crimps.

Regards



Neal.

what is the diff between a barrel and a crimp? Dx

[Sprintex]

I've used hundreds of Scotchloks on my wiring, every single one made the connection first time every time. Like Lawrence I suspect the wrong size for the wires has been used, a common mistake with these things

My droppers are 16/0.2 wire and the DCC bus wire is about the same size as domestic 3-core cable. I used red Scotchloks throughout, the layout has been moved numerous times already and so far no problems. Personally I wouldn't use them on car wiring as they are subject to too much vibration and extremes of temperature, but for a model railway they are ideal


Paul

[MikeDunn]

Just browsed them - assuming I'm looking at the right items http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/ElectricalMkts/ElectricalSupplies/products/scotchlok-wire-connectors/scotchlok-electrical-idc-wire-connectors/#, how can you tell what ones you need ?  And is a crimping tool required ?

Mike

Edit : just checked the wire I'm planning on using - it's 24/0.2  So first : is this OK to use as main wire and droppers ?  If not, what should I use instead ?  And if so, what Scotchbloks are suitable ?

Never done this before, hence these basic questions !

M

[bluedepot]

i used them as well and they seem to work ok for me so far. i do sometimes worry that they will get loose over time, but actually it's more often been the soldering of the feeds to the underneath of the track itself that breaks, rather than any problem with the scotchlocks.

i got them from express models - a dcc bus wiring kit or something they called it, suggestion from chinahand actually, a few years ago now! you can get the same types from rapid, maplins etc etc as well though for cheaper. the bus wire i used was sold to me specifically for use with these scotchlocks, the insulation is softer i presume.

cheers

tim

[Mollington Street]

I've used hundreds of Scotchloks on my wiring, every single one made the connection first time every time. Like Lawrence I suspect the wrong size for the wires has been used, a common mistake with these things

Paul

Me too - never experienced one problem despite having used them to create one layout and to rewire another that I had bought as a complete item.   I only ever used pliers to "crimp" them too !

[Calnefoxile]

Never used them since, I now always solder any wires or use solder barrels or crimps.

Regards



Neal.

what is the diff between a barrel and a crimp? Dx

Dean,

To be honest they do what they say on the tin really, Crimps are a crush joint whereas Solder Barrels are heated up and make a solder joint after being crushed first.

Regards

Neal.

[Sprintex]

Mike,

It's the red tap splice you need:-

http://www.rapidonline.com/Cables-Connectors/Crimp-Red-Tap-Splice-33-0160

And is a crimping tool required ?

No, good pair of pliers will do just as well

Edit : just checked the wire I'm planning on using - it's 24/0.2  So first : is this OK to use as main wire and droppers ?  If not, what should I use instead ?  And if so, what Scotchbloks are suitable ?

24/0.2 will be OK for bus-wire if your layout is on the small side. It's a little bit overkill for droppers, you can go as low as 7/0.2 wire for droppers less than a foot long, 16/0.2 for anything over this. I used 16/0.2 for all my droppers but if it saves on wire purchasing then go ahead and use 24/0.2, it won't do any harm, just might be a bit harder to disguise


Paul


Paul