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Buying cable in sensible lengths


D869
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This is the kind of thing that I would go to my local Maplins for but I fear that strategy won't work quite soon (or probably already won't work if I want something specific).

 

My post-Maplin strategy for most electronic bits is to go online to the likes of RS. This works very well for many things but they want to sell cable in whole reels rather than by the metre.

 

I'm sure there are other places online that are more hobbyist oriented.

 

I'm also sure that such things can be found on Ebay but I'm often put off buying electronics bits that way by 'free postage'... there is of course no such thing and if buying more than one item it often amounts to 'pay twice for postage'.

 

I guess the best bet would be a more hobbyist oriented web site that has the kind of stuff that we want (switches, cables, relays, connectors) and could potentially supply most or all of the bits needed for one of our projects... including cable by the metre... and just charge once for postage.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Or is there anywhere remaining in the high street that would still sell model railway usable cable?

 

Right now I'm after some multi core cable to attach to a 7 way DIN plug but the general issue is that I'm not very good at planning ahead for this kind of purchase.

 

Regards, Andy

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my advice is ebay look for things from china

to extend my servo cables i bought ready made extensions 600mm cost about £11 but that was for 50

for heavy cable try C.E.F. (bus wires etc)

 

when i order from china I order small quantities so if i want 16 servos I order 8 one day and another 8 after they have been dispatched

also try car boots I got 2 rolls of telephone cable 200 meters each one was £2 the other was £2.50 striped out it is ok for signaling, sensors, leds,etc

 

postage from china is usually a lot quicker than they claim a lot of stuff is 6-9 days

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I bought a reel of brown and one of pink from Hardings Cheltenham High St 40 years ago and haven't run out yet, but for colour coded wire try your local car breaker. Should be able to get a big chunk of a car loom for £5.

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my advice is ebay look for things from china

to extend my servo cables i bought ready made extensions 600mm cost about £11 but that was for 50

for heavy cable try C.E.F. (bus wires etc)

 

when i order from china I order small quantities so if i want 16 servos I order 8 one day and another 8 after they have been dispatched

also try car boots I got 2 rolls of telephone cable 200 meters each one was £2 the other was £2.50 striped out it is ok for signaling, sensors, leds,etc

 

postage from china is usually a lot quicker than they claim a lot of stuff is 6-9 days

 

 

You will probably find that you will the same price for a 100m reel from RS as you will for10/20m from a hobbyist type shop!

 

Mike.

 

I'm sure you are both right, but...

 

I am quite wary of buying from China (or from Chinese eBay sellers pretending to be in the UK). I have done it. Sometimes it has gone well, other times not.

 

... and I don't want to find houseroom for 48 or 98m of cable that I will probably never use... but won't throw away on principle.

 

At the moment I've decided to solve my immediate need by buying a ready made male to female 8 way mini DIN lead from RS and chopping it in two. Eventually i will replace the connectors with some more robust and highe quality full size DIN ones.

 

Regards, Andy

 

Regards, Andy

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I bought a reel of brown and one of pink from Hardings Cheltenham High St 40 years ago and haven't run out yet, but for colour coded wire try your local car breaker. Should be able to get a big chunk of a car loom for £5.

Sounds like the sort of place that is disappearing fast. We used to have a small electronics/electrical shop that catered for hobbyists but they shut down... probably due to competition from Maplins when they opened up locally. I also have a stash of layout wire in many colours, much of it from the pre-Maplins shop.

 

Sorry but car wiring is a bit chunky and oily for a multiway handheld controller lead which is what I'm doing just now.

 

Regards, Andy

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Not sure if I was clear earlier, but I wasn't really referring to 'layout wire' (multi strand). I was referring to more special purpose cables. Today I was after some cable with multiple cores, each insulated from each other but all wrapped up in a single bundle with an outer casing. Anyway I've sorted that one out now for not too much money by buying a ready made lead from RS and I will chop it up.

 

I also noticed that RS sell ribbon cable in 5 metre lengths - this is very handy stuff for cabling to and from Arduinos and such like so I bought some of that too.

 

Regards, Andy

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Not sure if I was clear earlier, but I wasn't really referring to 'layout wire' (multi strand). I was referring to more special purpose cables. Today I was after some cable with multiple cores, each insulated from each other but all wrapped up in a single bundle with an outer casing. Anyway I've sorted that one out now for not too much money by buying a ready made lead from RS and I will chop it up.

 

I also noticed that RS sell ribbon cable in 5 metre lengths - this is very handy stuff for cabling to and from Arduinos and such like so I bought some of that too.

 

Regards, Andy

Could try a Plumbers shop, multi core cable is used for boiler controls etc and can usually be bought by the metre or an electrical wholesalers if you ask for say 0.75, 7 core flex 1M of.

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Thanks all. I think we are thinking on the same lines. Find something close and then chop off the bits you don't want.

 

I'd keep in mind that stuff intended for installation into ducts or walls etc though (e.g. alarm cable) is not designed to be repeatedly flexed like, say audio or video leads... so don't for handheld controller cables or removeable baseboard to beaseboard cables.

 

Regards, Andy

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Sounds like the sort of place that is disappearing fast. We used to have a small electronics/electrical shop that catered for hobbyists but they shut down... probably due to competition from Maplins when they opened up locally. I also have a stash of layout wire in many colours, much of it from the pre-Maplins shop.

 

Sorry but car wiring is a bit chunky and oily for a multiway handheld controller lead which is what I'm doing just now.

 

Regards, Andy

You might be surprised how thin a lot of post 2000 car/van wiring is, nothing like the old Morris Thou wiring where the whole lot only had one 15 amp fuse even wires with one 5 watt bulb on the end had to be 15 amp capable. 

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For 7-core, trailer flex might work. Plenty of colour-coded cores and not too stiff. I concur that the loom out of a modern car is likely to be acceptably clean and made up of surprisingly thin wires. It's also practically worthless to a breaker so shouldn't cost more than a bit of beer money.

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I am surprised nobody has mentioned Rapid yet.

The same components that Maplin used to sell but at a fraction of the price. I have seen some connectors in their store for 69p which cost about £6 in Maplin! The only difference was the packaging.

Order over £30 & postage is free. It usually arrives the next day too.

 

I still end up buying wire in reels of 100m but I get through it fairly quickly.

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I have a stash of cables in my garage loft. When I've scrapped a car, I strip out plenty of the loom (cutting as necessary to make removal easier). Many different colours, all flex rather than single core, and suitable for many uses including layout wiring. And, above all, cheap!

 

Stewart

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For connecting between boards I stripped out patch panels

It's not really bent thats just the photo

the connectors come in big bags because they are so cheap and you can get coloured covers

 

post-19064-0-15406600-1525335036_thumb.jpg

 

Here is what they look like fitted to the board

 

post-19064-0-62354600-1525335303_thumb.jpg

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I have used ribbon cable in various strand thicknesses and number of cores sourced by the metre frkm ebay. When it comes to just wanting a couple of power circuits connected across a baseboard join I use computer internal male to female power supply cables cut in half and chocolate block connectors put on the cut ends.

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Look at brimal.co.uk quick delivery and a useful range of cables at reasonable prices.

Nick

 

Aha - multicore in various different varieties by the metre. Never come across them before but I will give them a try.

 

Seems to have a model railway hobbyist focus too, so lots of potentially useful things with fewer irrelevant items to wade through.

 

Thanks.

 

Regards, Andy

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