Breaking into a wire?

[HughN]

What's the RIBnet approved way of 'breaking into' a wire, i.e., adding a 'tee' or 'wire' into an existing wire?

I wouldn't use sotchloks on a boat (and they are not my favourite things anyway).

Thanks
Hugh

[Chris Caton]

Originally Posted by HughN

What's the RIBnet approved way of 'breaking into' a wire, i.e., adding a 'tee' or 'wire' into an existing wire?

I wouldn't use sotchloks on a boat (and they are not my favourite things anyway).

Thanks
Hugh

Can't think of any good use for scotchlocks, other than chucking in the bin safest bet is to cut the cable you want to tee into, bare all three ends, then tin them, slide some heat shrink tubing over one end, then solder all threes ends together, then slide the heat shrink over the joint, heat it up and job done! but if you can, much better to take the new end back to an existing connection, makes a far better job and makes for much easier fault finding in the future

[captnjack]

Why do you need to "T" into an existing wire at all? What's the source wire and what are the new wires feeding?

[colcreate]

Joining into the middle of a cable is not the preferred way of creating an additional spur. But if you really have to then as mentioned earlier cut solder and heat shrink (adhesive type is best).
Keeping circuits separate and running from a new point in the distribution is a better way especially where fuses are involved.

[HughN]

Originally Posted by colcreate

Joining into the middle of a cable is not the preferred way of creating an additional spur. But if you really have to then as mentioned earlier cut solder and heat shrink (adhesive type is best).
Keeping circuits separate and running from a new point in the distribution is a better way especially where fuses are involved.

The new wire are to tap into the NMEA from the GPS. The wire from the DSC radio hangs temptingly close to a wire passing nearby. To extend that wire to an end would be awkward from a routing point of view. I think this translates as "I am lazy"

[Hightower]

A crimp is also a good way to join your three wires together but only is you have a good crimping tool. You can then slide over your heat shrink for added protection/insulation.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by HughN

The new wire are to tap into the NMEA from the GPS. The wire from the DSC radio hangs temptingly close to a wire passing nearby. To extend that wire to an end would be awkward from a routing point of view. I think this translates as "I am lazy"

What flavour of NMEA is it? AFAIK you can't just "T" in to a NMEA0183 data cable or N2k for that matter.

[Chris Caton]

Originally Posted by HughN

The new wire are to tap into the NMEA from the GPS. The wire from the DSC radio hangs temptingly close to a wire passing nearby. To extend that wire to an end would be awkward from a routing point of view. I think this translates as "I am lazy"

sounds like a plan that you may well live to regret in the future, you know you should be doing a proper job and it will be much harder to sort out when its cold, wet and dark

[HughN]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

What flavour of NMEA is it? AFAIK you can't just "T" in to a NMEA0183 data cable or N2k for that matter.

Whatever the spec might say it works in practise! As long as one of the receivers doesn't drag the voltage down it seems OK. Its asynchronous after all and the transmitter doesn't care who is listening.

[Nos4r2]

I've had to T into 2 cables on the Ballistic.I didn't like doing it, but there wasn't an option apart from sticking busbars in where they weren't practical.

I did it by very carefully removing the insulation from one, twisting the bare end of the other round it as flat as possible and soldering the connection. I covered it with glue lined heatshrink after.

If you use decent glue lined heatshrink it'll take up and seal where the 2 wires exit as well.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by HughN

Whatever the spec might say it works in practise! As long as one of the receivers doesn't drag the voltage down it seems OK. Its asynchronous after all and the transmitter doesn't care who is listening.

Interesting, what are you actually "T" ing together? GPS/VHF/? I thought you could only have 1 talker & 1 listener per circuit unless you had a multiplexer.

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

I did it by very carefully removing the insulation from one, twisting the bare end of the other round it as flat as possible and soldering the connection. I covered it with glue lined heatshrink after.

How did you get heatshrink over a single piece of terminated-at-both-ends wire?



jky

[bcervelo]

Here is a nice description with pics, not from a boaty site but usefull information.
Symon's Electrical 101...

[Trailer Guy]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

How did you get heatshrink over a single piece of terminated-at-both-ends wire?



jky

self amalgamating tape would be the way to go in my opinion

[HughN]

Originally Posted by bcervelo

Here is a nice description with pics, not from a boaty site but usefull information.
Symon's Electrical 101...

Thanks!

[HughN]

Originally Posted by Trailer Guy

self amalgamating tape would be the way to go in my opinion

I'm not taking advice on self-amalgamating tape from someone who probably uses when performing surgical procedures on himself!

[HughN]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Interesting, what are you actually "T" ing together? GPS/VHF/? I thought you could only have 1 talker & 1 listener per circuit unless you had a multiplexer.

(Sshh! If the boat hears you it will all stop working)

GPS -> VHF + PC + Logger

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by HughN

(Sshh! If the boat hears you it will all stop working)

GPS -> VHF + PC + Logger

Ahhh! the logger shhhh! Are the VHF/PC & logger just listening or does the VHF output DSC messages?

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

How did you get heatshrink over a single piece of terminated-at-both-ends wire?



jky

On one,it didn't have a terminal on the end when I broke into it. On the other, the heatshrink fitted over the connector on the end.

[HughN]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Ahhh! the logger shhhh! Are the VHF/PC & logger just listening or does the VHF output DSC messages?

They are all just listeners, which is why it works OK.