I am splicing a switch into a wire in that sends pulsed speed signals in my car. I used AWG 24 solid core telephone wire, 4 conductor. I used 2 wire conductors for each end of the switch, all connections soldered.
Would I be better off re-wiring using a single stranded wire rather than 2 solid wires? Any issues in using 2 wires in each direction (instead of a single wire on each side)? Should I worry about any signal loss issues?
What exactly is a pulsed speed signal? If it is some kind of high speed or high current signal, there could be signal integrity issues.
I don't think there is any problem associated with using two wires in parallel for each leg of the circuit, but the length of the wiring could cause problems.
The biggest issue with solid vs. stranded conductor is that solid conductors are more likely to be broken by the repeated flexing and vibration in a car. Usually in cars (and boats and so on) stranded conductors are used for this reason.
Another cabling issue is the temperature, environmental and abrasion resistance of the insulation. In cars, it is common for the insulation to be exposed to oil, fuel, and other automotive chemicals. If the wire doesn't go to the engine compartment this is less of an issue, but if it does go there, it makes sense to use good automotive wire. That is, stranded wiring with insulation rated for use in a hot, oily environment.
I wouldn't have soldered the wires. Mechanical connections seem to work well under the hood. But since you did solder, make sure you clean the flux from the soldered area. I would also cover it with heat-shrink tubing.
All of this is based on the assumption that you are making a "permanent installation" not just a temporary thing.
If it is just temporary, and not safety critical (remember, I don't know what a pulsed speed signal is) then it is not so important.
I should point out that I don't have automotive industry experience, so take this for what it is worth. ;-)
--Mac
the only issue is it may not be as rugged as the original wire.
NT
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