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Control Panel Database: Post a picture of your Control Panel!
PL1:
--- Quote from: konp on August 21, 2013, 05:54:53 am ---How do people get their wiring so neat and tidy and organised? Every time I try it just winds up looking like the creature from the black lagoon. It's terribly distressing.
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Plan your wire paths before you start.
You can use velcro wraps to temporarily hold wire bundles.
Use zip ties every 3-4 inches to tie the bundles together.
Use loop clamps as needed to hold the bundles in position and/or for strain relief.
--- Quote from: edekoning on August 21, 2013, 06:55:30 am ---For starters, don't use pre-made/pre-crimped wires, or you'll just end up with loads of exces wire length.
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??? Sounds like you're starting at the encoder -- start at the microswitch.
Thread the wire through the velcro wraps until you get to the encoder.
Cut the wire to length, strip the end and connect under the screw.
For the Mini-Pac harness, you can turn the wire several loops to shorten it without cutting it -- use velcro wraps/zip ties to keep the loops neat.
--- Quote from: mcseforsale on August 21, 2013, 10:58:05 am ---Best idea I ever got was from Knievel. It's solid-core doorbell wire. 4 bux a roll (I think 75 ft. per roll) in multiple colors. The solid core stays put since it's less flexible then stranded wire. Just don't use it where the wire will see a lot of bending, otherwise the inner wire will break:
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One thing to watch out for with solid core is that crimp QDs won't result in a strong connection (compared to stranded wire) unless you also solder them.
Scott
edekoning:
--- Quote from: PL1 on August 21, 2013, 02:26:30 pm --- ??? Sounds like you're starting at the encoder -- start at the microswitch.
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No I was more referring to the pre-made ground daisy-chains, which you can't easily shorten. I used f-crimp connectors, which also provide strain relief, so I had to start at the switch.
steved61:
What are these called and what are they used for? See them on some builds but not all.
Thanks
SteveD61
PL1:
--- Quote from: edekoning on August 22, 2013, 07:08:11 am ---
--- Quote from: PL1 on August 21, 2013, 02:26:30 pm --- ??? Sounds like you're starting at the encoder -- start at the microswitch.
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No I was more referring to the pre-made ground daisy-chains, which you can't easily shorten. I used f-crimp connectors, which also provide strain relief, so I had to start at the switch.
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Yeah, pre-fab daisy chains are a lot harder to make look good, but you can mix and match a bit by splicing in a straight wire for the longer runs and using sections of the pre-fab where the buttons and sticks are close enough to use all the QDs on the daisy chain.
I think this approach provides the best results for time/effort expended -- a nice balance between no-effort rat nest wiring and high-effort wiring pr0n.
--- Quote from: steved61 on August 22, 2013, 07:51:30 am ---What are these called and what are they used for?
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They are called Euro-style terminal blocks -- available at GGG and Radio Shack.
The screw terminals allow you to connect two (or more) wires straight across -- top-to-bottom in this photo.
You can easily cut these to length if desired.
Scott
steved61:
But why would you use these on a control panel, instead of direct wiring? What does it get you/
Steved61