1. Home
  2. General Electronics
  3. maximum length of wire?

maximum length of wire?

I have some video equipment i need to power off directly from my car's battery. I need a wire that is not too big, because i need to solder on a special quick-release connector that will be used to easily disconnect the cable from my video equipment. The cable requires 2 wires inside, one for positive and one for negative on the battery. The biggest cable i found with 2 conductors, has 2x 22AWG wires inside. Some tell me that it is too small and some say it will work no problem. I don't want the wires to start melting and cause a fire! The video gear will draw no more than 1 amp total, directly off the car's

12V battery. My question is, what is the maximum length of cable i can use to remain safe? Thnks for your advice.
Reply to
rose250
Loading thread data ...

You won't start a fire by using 22 ga wire, but it is marginal for voltage drop in when used in a bundle or in any conditions that are subject to extreme temperatures, such as in an auto engine compartment or under the carpeting/floor mat. You'd be safer by using 20 ga wire. If the wire is only going to be a few feet (10 feet or less), and used only in the passenger compartment, then your 22 ga wire is probably OK. If the wire isn't going to be exposed to the extreme temperatures in the engine compartment, then you might consider plain old AC zip cord. It comes in several sizes; 18 ga is usually used in small household appliances and can be purchased by the foot in home improvement centers (home Depot, Lowes, etc), hardware section of department stores (Walmart, KMart), and in auto parts stores. If you go that route, be sure to get the variety that has a rib on the insulation of one of the conductors, or different colored wire so you can identify the wires. Most AC extension cords have either or both. Also, Radio Shack used to stock many different kinds of wire.

If the wire needs to go into the engine compartment, be sure and get high temperature wire. Auto parts stores would be the place to start looking for that.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net  (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the 
address)

Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer it gets to the end, the faster 
it goes.
Reply to
DaveM

1A through 22AWG should not be a problem, but if you're worried you can use speaker cable....

I don't want the wires to start melting and cause a fire!

if you're connecting directly to the battery use a fuse near the battery. 2A wopuld be a good size.

make the cable as long as you want so long as your video equipment can hnadle the voltage drop (10s of metres atleast) and the wire isn't left coiled under a blanket.

bye

Reply to
Jasen Betts 

--
Hmm...

I saw this exact same post in another newsgroup, and then in yet another
one to which I replied.

you have made a serious foe paw in that you multiposted this post
instead of having crossposted it.

What happens when you multipost is that if I reply to your post here,
it'll only show up as having been answered on this ng, and the same goes
for all the other newsgroups you posted to.

If you crosspost, though, your posts and any replies to them will show
up on all the newsgroups you've crossposted to, making it easy for
anyone to follow and contribute to the thread from any of the newsgroups
you've posted to. :-)

So crosspost and save everyone a lot of mouse wear and tear. :-)

JF
Reply to
John Fields

Agreed, but then you'll get people moaning that crossposting is wrong. They usually give some silly reason like not wanting their posts to go to "that other group" (said with furrowed eyebrows).

--
http://www.petersparrots.com    http://www.insanevideoclips.com   
http://www.petersphotos.com

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Reply to
Peter Hucker

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.