wire to use wiring control panel?

[begbie71]

I've got a quick question, anyone know if cat5 cable would be suitable for wiring up the control panel?  I know 22 gauge is normally recommended, but have a bunch of this lying around and wondered if it would work or not.  Thanks.

[Brax]

yes.

[begbie71]

appreciate the quick reply, thanks!

[Silverwind]

I bought 20ga hookup wire from bob roberts... you can get 100 feet single color for 5.. or 100 feet, in 10 colors, for 7...  (easier to trace wires with different colors)

I got the 10 pack.. and it works pretty well.. He said the solid wire of the cat5 won't work as well as the stranded hookup wire that he sells.. (i originally was going to use cat5, but decided against it after he convinced me not to)

anyway.. i figured 7 bucks for a cp isn't too bad..  why spend all the $$$ on the rest to cheap out on your wire.. heh

[Silverwind]

Here is what he had to say

I had "dreams" about what you said that night when I napped :-() I was
dreaming that I was showing you a piece of solid wire heavier than the
CAT-5
& took it & bent it a couple times to show you that it snaps off with a
clean break. I mean in great detail & very vivid... showing that
connectors
don't have a strain relief or even an insulation saddle for wires that
small
.. & solid to boot! I crimped a coupler on to one end & then just bent
it
from side to side a few times & let it fall to the floor
:-(  I kept coming back to that part where you fold up the wire & I was
cringing each time & that was finally what woke me from my sleep!
Dream...
nightmare... something :-)

Anyway... if you use some 20ga stranded... called "hook-up wire" for a
reason :-)... you'll never have any trouble from broken connections,
especially those ones inside a connector that you have to T-shoot to
find,
so it's a one time deal & done. You can get by with 22ga stranded wire,
and
you may be one of the people that never has a problem with it, or you
may be
one that continually has problems with a wire coming out of it's
connector
here or there, causing you grief :-( That's why recommendations on
using
22ga is so divided with an almost 50% for using it & 50% against.

[dhansen]

Uh oh, you're having dreams about this hobby.... time to take a break from it!

 

[eightbit]

Almost any wire will work, 20 or 22 is probably used the most. I used serial cable extension plugs for the normally open so my wire is pretty small but I haven't had any problems, yet... I used 20ga on the ground and its easier to get a good crimp.