wire size on the motors

[edthegeek]

The wire on the CIM motors is 14 guage, but regulations require 12 guage wire for anything connected to a 40 amp breaker? What should I do if I want to use these motors on a 40 amp breaker? Currently I'm just connecting the wire that came with the motors to the victor.

[bjimster1]

thats fine. but if you need to "make an extension" then you're gonna have to use the 12 gauge wire.

[Arille]

so you would use the given 14 gauge wire from the CIMS to the victors .. would that mean 14 or 12 gauge going from power +/- to power distribution block/circuit breaker?

Also, is that the same for other motors (e.g. keyang window)?

we kind of used what we had around (14 awg). hopefully theres enough time for us to make corrections in the morning of competition......

[Arille]

Sorry, I think I just found an answer to one of my questions:

<R87> 12 AWG or larger diameter wire must be used for all circuits protected by a 40A circuit breaker.

.. Looks like someone's going to be working morning of competition

Or maybe the CIMS can work off the 30A circuit breakers?? So much for the Maxi style breakers then.. Hmm.. we'll see.

(there was no prior electronics knowledge on our team .. almost everything was trial and error, mostly with some reasoning behind it , dont worry, we were being safe!)

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Arille

Or maybe the CIMS can work off the 30A circuit breakers?? So much for the Maxi style breakers then.. Hmm.. we'll see.

In most situations you will want to run the CIMs with the 40 amp breakers.

[Arille]

Yeah, that's what I thought, but I wasn't so sure of myself .. thanks for confirming it!

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Although the Chalupa motors come with #14 wire, they are relatively short and so have little series resistance to cause heating. It is a good idea to move the Victors feeding your Chalupas (both the large and small) close enough to the motor so you can use the supplied motor leads without additional wire. As pointed out, if you are using these motors for drive they are best fed with a 40 amp breaker. I would go further and make the wiring to the Victor with #10 following the suggestions found in the Tips and Guidelines for wiring.
If you must add wire, then use approved splicing technique or add smaller connectors to the wire. We use the smaller Anderson Power Products connectors. They are polarized and do not require additional insulation.