Difficulty inserting multi-strand wire into holes in HTIB

Well, if the wire that's in the house walls is not a good fit for the speaker connectors, and it's on the short side to allow you much access anyway, if it were me, I would extend the wires using choc block (barrier strip) or similar, and make the new tails from a more 'appropriate' type of speaker cable, that did fit the connectors ok. If you Google "choc block" in the 'Images' tab, the very first picture is a good one, in case you're not sure what type of connector that I'm referring to.

If you do extend the wires, make sure that you preserve any polarity markings - such as a stripe down one wire, or one wire having a gold core, whilst the other is silver - as it is important when connecting the speakers, that the phasing of the speakers between channels is got right, otherwise, the stereo (surround) image will be woolly and poorly defined, and lacking in main-channel bass. The phasing of the sub with respect to the other channels, is relatively unimportant.

Arfa

If you have the available diameter, try tinning the ends of the leads. The lumpiness will increase the 'grab' of the clip as well as manage the loose strands. There are also crimp-on connectors to do the trick, but more of a PITA to install.

Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA

Here's a novel idea: buy some wire and replace it - or get some inline crimp splices from the auto parts section of a store and use it to add terminal wires.

There is a connector made for the purpose - looks like a test lead end. I use binding posts on the amp and terminate the wire in a copper nail (sold in a hardware store as marine rivets). I cut the heads off, solder the stranded wire to the nail, and add some heatshrink to it.

If you were to use an ordinary tin plated wire brad or finishing nail it would probably be OK unless you have a killer stereo and golden ears.

:My house is pre-wired for 5.1 surround sound with what seems to be :good quality multi-strand wires. : :My "home theater in a box" receives these wires at the back of the sub- :woofer into small holes with some clip-like plastic things. (I am sure :you have seen them on most of the audio equipment especially where AM/ :FM antennae wires go into.) : :Last time when I put everything together it took me hours to put these :wires into those holes because they just don't go in well. I had to :dismantle everything last week as we were getting some work done on :the house. Now, I am struggling to reconnect everything. Just when I :think I did put the wires in and flip the clip, they come out with a :mild pull. And there is this annoying fibre (probably from the :sheathing) that comes in the way. Cutting the wires is not an option :as there isn't much length of wire left. : :What do you all do in this situation? (I couldn't find much on the :Internet - probably I am not using the correct key words.) : :Thanks for you time and help.

What you probably need are wire-end or bootlace ferrules

You will need a crimping tool to make a good quality crimp so that the pin will fit into the connector but some people get by with other methods.

Still got short wires though.

Personally I'd mount a nice (but not audiophool) set of binding posts on a blank electrical faceplate, trim the frayed ends off the wires, connect them permanently to the back of the faceplate. Wall mount it and then use off the reel speaker cable to complete the hookup.

I wouldn't trust the clips on the speakers to handle bootlace ferrules, they rely on the wire being soft enough to give as you flick the clip.

Dressing the end neatly, twisting it together smoothly and soldering the tip so it doesnt untwist (last 1/16" ONLY) is what I always used to do for our shop customers and noone ever came back with a complaint.

Use hollow pin spills. Its just a hollow tube with a plastic guide bit on one end. Slip in the wire, nip with pliers. You can get these from most supply houses.

Those are the things that I mentioned.... Just couldn't remember the name for then.

Thank you all for your suggestions and insights. I bought the following terminal strip.

I don't do much electrical / electronics work so I don't have the necessary tools such as soldering iron and crimping tool. (Obviously, I don't want to buy them as there is no future need.)

I will try to put everything together tonight or over the few days (want to involve our 9-year old). I will feedback only if I encounter some hurdles. Otherwise, you may assume things went well.

Thanks again for your time.

Thank you all for your suggestions and insights. I bought the following terminal strip.

I don't do much electrical / electronics work so I don't have the necessary tools such as soldering iron and crimping tool. (Obviously, I don't want to buy them as there is no future need.)

I will try to put everything together tonight or over the few days (want to involve our 9-year old). I will feedback only if I encounter some hurdles. Otherwise, you may assume things went well.

Thanks again for your time.

Thank you all for your suggestions and insights. I bought the following terminal strip.

I don't do much electrical / electronics work so I don't have the necessary tools such as soldering iron and crimping tool. (Obviously, I don't want to buy them as there is no future need.)

I will try to put everything together tonight or over the few days (want to involve our 9-year old). I will feedback only if I encounter some hurdles. Otherwise, you may assume things went well.

Thanks again for your time.

Yep, that's the stuff I recommended

Just a screwdriver and a pair of small sharp cutters for stripping the wire, is all you should need,

Just remember to preserve the polarities of the wires to continue to get crisp well defined stereo / surround images from your speakers.

Arfa

One of the easiest ways to solve splayed stranded wire it to lightly tin the wire with solder, in effect turning the stranded wires into s solid, more easily controlled single conductor. Hope this helps.

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:One of the easiest ways to solve splayed stranded wire it to lightly tin :the wire with solder, in effect turning the stranded wires into s solid, :more easily controlled single conductor. Hope this helps.

That technique will do at a pinch but it is frowned upon by anyone who knows anything about conductors and cables.

The problem with tinning the stranded ends of a flexible conductor to make it easier to fit into one of these speaker terminal clips is that the solder runs back to a point where a rigid flexing point is created. Any prolonged movement or flexing of the conductor near that point will cause it to fracture at the point where the solder has run back to (the solid to flexible interface point). I have seen this happen more often than I care to remember.

Which is why you only tin the very tip. The soldered portion lets you get the wire in, but the clip actually bites on the untinned flexible stranded part of the wire end so the fatigue issue you so clearly describe never becomes a problem.

The OTHER problem with fully tinned ends is with screw terminals. The solder tends to cold flow under pressure and this loosens the wire under the clamping screw sooner or later leading to a bad contact.

A pliers or vise grip pliers will do an adequate job of crimping. A set of small needle nose, round nose, and diagonal cutters will set you back all of about $5 at Walmart in the crafts section.

The space where the handles come together, close to the cutting head, on ordinary diagonal cutters will also work depending on size of cutter and terminal.

It ain't rocket science to figure out a way to crimp wire terminals. I wouldn't be a bit surprised that it could be done with a pair of rocks.

It only takes a single strand of wire bridging the output to fry some amps. If you do add wire a good technique is to stagger the joints - one long one short - makes the splice smaller and lowers the chance of a short.

It never hurts to have a few tools around. A cheap soldering iron and a small roll of solder will cost maybe 10-15 bucks, if it really takes you hours to get all the wires back in, I would think the investment would pay off several times over even if you only use it once.

:Ross Herbert wrote: :> On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:38:41 -0600, "JDandy" wrote: :> :> :One of the easiest ways to solve splayed stranded wire it to lightly tin :> :the wire with solder, in effect turning the stranded wires into s solid, :> :more easily controlled single conductor. Hope this helps. :> :> That technique will do at a pinch but it is frowned upon by anyone who knows :> anything about conductors and cables. :> :> The problem with tinning the stranded ends of a flexible conductor to make it :> easier to fit into one of these speaker terminal clips is that the solder runs :> back to a point where a rigid flexing point is created. Any prolonged movement :> or flexing of the conductor near that point will cause it to fracture at the :> point where the solder has run back to (the solid to flexible interface point). :> I have seen this happen more often than I care to remember. :Which is why you only tin the very tip. The soldered portion lets you :get the wire in, but the clip actually bites on the untinned flexible :stranded part of the wire end so the fatigue issue you so clearly :describe never becomes a problem.

I see what you are getting at, and yes, I agree that just soldering the tips will be a good solution. However, most inexperienced "solderers" don't tend to be all that circumspect when applying solder in a judicious manner - it just runs so fast.

: :The OTHER problem with fully tinned ends is with screw terminals. The :solder tends to cold flow under pressure and this loosens the wire under :the clamping screw sooner or later leading to a bad contact.

Entirely agree.

If the system uses spring clips I doubt you would notice any difference in sound quality if you just extended the wires. I would do it by soldering a new length on and using a heat shrink sleeve to cover the joint.

The alternative would be to fit speaker sockets on the wall.