Where to purchase wire?

[dardeshna]

Stocking up for build season, I'm at a loss of where to find good electrical wire for use on robots. We like using the red/black zipcord style as it keeps things looking neat.

Amazon has some bundles of 12awg, 18awg and 22awg red/black wires but the reviews aren't great and some even say it isn't true to gauge at all (as in 2awg too thin). Is there a better site to order from?

[cbale2000]

When we first went to zipcord style wiring, we were able to get some (limited selection) locally from RadioShack (back when it was a thing), since they sold it as "speaker wire". More recently we just ordered in bulk from McMaster:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-e...-wire/=15adlbs

(Click the link, then select "2" under the "number of wires" option and "12V DC" under the "Voltage" option)


It's a bit harder to separate than the stuff you can get from AndyMark (or the older stuff we got from RadioShack) but works great and definitely helps clean up cable runs and keep sets of wires together.

[AlexanderLuke]

Powerwerx is typically our go-to with any zip cord. I would certainly recommend.

[Fusion_Clint]

Originally Posted by AlexanderLuke

Powerwerx is typically our go-to with any zip cord. I would certainly recommend.

this!! also a great source for the Anderson Powerpole connectors.

[feverittm]

Originally Posted by AlexanderLuke

Powerwerx is typically our go-to with any zip cord. I would certainly recommend.

+1

They call it "Bonded" wire.

[NickE]

254 buys zip wire at Halted in Santa Clara. It's nice and flexible, high strand count. Can buy by the foot or the spool. Might be relevant since you're local.

[RoboChair]

Originally Posted by AlexanderLuke

Powerwerx is typically our go-to with any zip cord. I would certainly recommend.

Originally Posted by Fusion_Clint

this!! also a great source for the Anderson Powerpole connectors.

Originally Posted by feverittm

+1

They call it "Bonded" wire.

+3?

This is where we get most of our stuff as well.

[Jeremy Germita]

I recommend seeking out local car audio shops. Most will have a really nice high strand count silicone insulated wire that's just heaven to work with.

If not, we've recently become fans of the wire sold by Vex/WCP/CTRE/etc. This is the same wire that's used on the Talon SRX and Victor SP. Its flexibility and ease of routing totally makes up for the lack of bonded wire IMO.

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Germita

I recommend seeking out local car audio shops. Most will have a really nice high strand count silicone insulated wire that's just heaven to work with.

Do a search for 12 gage speaker wire. Monoprice has it for 1/2 the price of powerwerx.

http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_i...seq=1&format=2

[Chief Hedgehog]

A number of years ago FRC 4607 reached out to a local distributor (for residential and commercial electricians) and the company was happy to help us out. They have supplied all of the wire, tools, terminals, etc we needed. Last year they donated more than enough wire for at least 5 more seasons (large spools of R&B for 18, 14, 12, 10, and 6ga). We are now off-loading some of this wire to the rookie teams we are mentoring.

For batteries, please contact your local Batteries+Bulbs. We have connected with two different local B+B and have received 10 batteries for the last couple of years. We just brought in 8 regulation FRC batteries from one particular B+B.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Germita

I recommend seeking out local car audio shops. Most will have a really nice high strand count silicone insulated wire that's just heaven to work with.

If not, we've recently become fans of the wire sold by Vex/WCP/CTRE/etc. This is the same wire that's used on the Talon SRX and Victor SP. Its flexibility and ease of routing totally makes up for the lack of bonded wire IMO.

If you use Anderson Power Poles I woild be weary about using the vex wire a lot. The extremely flexible insulation can make it an extremely frustrating cable to put into power poles and in the end you usually have to cut more insulation off the wire then you really should. Your milage may vary, this is just what I've found from some experience.

[pilleya]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

The extremely flexible insulation can make it an extremely frustrating cable to put into power poles and in the end you usually have to cut more insulation off the wire then you really should. Your milage may vary, this is just what I've found from some experience.

Silicon wire AKA Wet Noodle wire, tends to be a bit harder to strip then typical low strand count wire such as Zipwire which utilises PVC insulation. The reason that it is difficult is that unlike normal PVC insulation the silicon stretches rather than being "cut" by the wire stripper. After having a bit of difficulty myself, I came up with a method of stripping silicon wire for power-poles that I feel is quite effective.

-To start off with you measure the amount of insulation that needs to be removed, for this I hold the 45A PP contact next to the wire, keep in mind that you want wire strands in the smaller crimping part as well. I can't remember exactly, but I think that it is approximately 7mm of insulation that needs to be removed.

-Using a sharp blade of a box cutter, multitool or scalpel etc, start to cut around the insulation at the 7mm mark slowly rotating the wire. You need to be careful that you only cut the insulation and not the strands of wire( they are small and easy to damage, you want every strand possible for a good connection and lower resistance). You keep cutting until you have made a slice around the entirety of the wire, making two separate bits of insulation.

-You then line up the cut with the separator on the wire stripper and pull the insulation off, you could also use a pair of pliers for this.

This method ensures that the insulation is the exact length that you need, it also helps you when you are crimping it as the contact sits flush against the silicon. You can do a similar cutting action with a sharp pair of side-cutters. It is actually very quick to do once you have practiced enough,

Happy Crimping

I'll take some photos of the various stages in the next few days.

[bobbysq]

Originally Posted by pilleya

Silicon wire AKA Wet Noodle wire, tends to be a bit harder to strip then typical low strand count wire such as Zipwire which utilises PVC insulation. The reason that it is difficult is that unlike normal PVC insulation the silicon stretches rather than being "cut" by the wire stripper. After having a bit of difficulty myself, I came up with a method of stripping silicon wire for power-poles that I feel is quite effective.

I've had no difficulty stripping silicone wire with regular strippers. Usually I've had to use a size up from the actual gauge though, otherwise the wire tends to fray and become hard to put into our connectors.

Edit: Based on your method, are you using the good kind of wire strippers that you just squeeze instead of the kind we have?

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by NickE

254 buys zip wire at Halted in Santa Clara. It's nice and flexible, high strand count. Can buy by the foot or the spool. Might be relevant since you're local.

Surprised to hear that. While they do stock a lot of wire, it's often random obscure stuff, because it's surplus, and I always had trouble finding exactly what I wanted there. Maybe more recently they've gotten some new inventory.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Surprised to hear that. While they do stock a lot of wire, it's often random obscure stuff, because it's surplus, and I always had trouble finding exactly what I wanted there. Maybe more recently they've gotten some new inventory.

I was there last week and it looked like they had a fair bit of "normal" wire, although I didn't have a super detailed look.

Although we haven't bought wire from Powerwerx, we bought all our powerpoles from there and I personally have used them for amateur radio stuff. Highly recommended.