Cable on DC layout

[Feoffee2]

Hi

i was wondering what type of cable I should use for my layout which is dc. 
I was thinking of using 

32/0.2mm for the bus wire and 16/0.2mm for the droppers. 
is this overkill or would it work. 
thanks

 

[ikcdab]

My large layout is almost all 7 x 0.2 for the traction current and this  works well.

Track droppers ate copper earth stripped from normal household mains cable, but this is just for ease of soldering and they all connect to the 7 x 0.2. I have used 800m of it!

My 12v bus line for point servos, lighting etc is 0.75mm twin cable because that's what I had,but it is overkill for the job.

Ian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Feoffee2]

28 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

My large layout is almost all 7 x 0.2 for the traction current and this  works well.

Track droppers ate copper earth stripped from normal household mains cable, but this is just for ease of soldering and they all connect to the 7 x 0.2. I have used 800m of it!

My 12v bus line for point servos, lighting etc is 0.75mm twin cable because that's what I had,but it is overkill for the job.

Ian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My layout is around 16 x 8. I suppose I could drop to using 7/0.2mm for the droppers and use the 16/0.2mm for the bus wire?

[ikcdab]

18 minutes ago, Feoffee2 said:

My layout is around 16 x 8. I suppose I could drop to using 7/0.2mm for the droppers and use the 16/0.2mm for the bus wire?

I'm sure that would be fine 

Ian

 

[Dagworth]

21 minutes ago, Feoffee2 said:

My layout is around 16 x 8. I suppose I could drop to using 7/0.2mm for the droppers and use the 16/0.2mm for the bus wire?

If it’s DC and OO then if I was building it I wouldn’t  bother with anything larger that 7/0.2 which is rated for more than 1amp, probably a higher current than most DC controllers put out. For point motors (solenoid type) I’d use 16/0.2

 

That's based on having wired more than one layout of that size or larger with wire of those sizes with no problems whatsoever when running. 
 

For DCC I’d use busses but not for DC. 

 

Andi

[DCB]

I would  not use a bus on analogue  DC,  I have to say analogue as Hornby are now using  digital 12 volt 12 VA DC, DCC seems to be about 48VA and most points and rail joiners were designed when 12VA Max was the norm

You really need isloatable sections  for satisfactory operating so a bus has no purpose except as a common return wire but I wouldn't use those either.    I find sections up to about 18 feet work fine  from a single feed and have done for 30 plus years.

I do have droppers on the garden section and they are a total PITA and the latest iteration has them on the surface so I don't have to drill the baseboard.   Bus wires are a must for big layouts where big trains with lights and or multiple locos are run and current draw gets over 2 amps  whether DC or DCC but few people except me run 5 locos on a train on DC (on 2 X 12VA controllers!)   IMHO Drilling holes and and soldering bus wires and dropper wires is to modelling what poo bags are to pet ownership.    Best avoided.      

You can get suitable wires in most skips, old mains wires, 13 anp single core for the bus and 2 amp flex for the droppers. but don't use any conduct or silver in colour, they don't solder readily and my favourite is wiring looms from vans  from a scrapyard, lots of colour coded wires dirt cheap,  

Edited April 12, 2023 by DCB

[Feoffee2]

2 hours ago, DCB said:

I would  not use a bus on analogue  DC,  I have to say analogue as Hornby are now using  digital 12 volt 12 VA DC, DCC seems to be about 48VA and most points and rail joiners were designed when 12VA Max was the norm

You really need isloatable sections  for satisfactory operating so a bus has no purpose except as a common return wire but I wouldn't use those either.    I find sections up to about 18 feet work fine  from a single feed and have done for 30 plus years.

I do have droppers on the garden section and they are a total PITA and the latest iteration has them on the surface so I don't have to drill the baseboard.   Bus wires are a must for big layouts where big trains with lights and or multiple locos are run and current draw gets over 2 amps  whether DC or DCC but few people except me run 5 locos on a train on DC (on 2 X 12VA controllers!)   IMHO Drilling holes and and soldering bus wires and dropper wires is to modelling what poo bags are to pet ownership.    Best avoided.      

You can get suitable wires in most skips, old mains wires, 13 anp single core for the bus and 2 amp flex for the droppers. but don't use any conduct or silver in colour, they don't solder readily and my favourite is wiring looms from vans  from a scrapyard, lots of colour coded wires dirt cheap,  

Thanks. 
I think I have maybe overthought the wiring and can just have a simple power connection to the layout from the controller as I have always done in the past. 
thanks 

[rogerzilla]

One purpose of a bus is to overcome resistance in oxidised fishplates so, unless you replace the bus and droppers with soldered jumper wires between each track section, this will remain a potential (no pun intended) problem.  It very much depends on environmental factors, though.