Post by gmpullman on Oct 19, 2014 23:00:25 GMT -8
Hey, Mike
I feel like my term paper just got critiqued word-by-word 
(and from a fine professor I might add!)
There could be a whole thread devoted to handy and practical wiring tips. I have learned a great deal from some of the electricians I work with and also by peeking into some huge motor control centers and control panels. Some of the computer network and catv guys have some pretty neat tricks, too!
When a club I was involved in started work on wiring I came in one day to find one of the members took a 3/4" spade bit and drilled dozens of holes in most of the 1 x 4 cross members 
!!! WHAT were you thinking? Well, you gotta run the wires through there, don't 'ya?? Geez. The benchwork looked like it had been attacked by drunken beavers!
I showed him some of these little "tree" wire supports that G-B makes that sort of look like a pine tree and you can clip wires in. Plus all kinds of bridle rings and zip-ties with screw holes, wire loom etc. "Hey, those are cool!" was his response! They have nice metal J hooks now with a little wire clip that you can route wire through and make everything neat and tidy.
One time I helped another member track down some shorting problems he was having on his module... didn't take me long to find the staples, like from the big, chrome Swingline stapler. punched right through his wire!
I was lucky to get some PVC wire duct stuff that has notches where you can lay the wire in and route it out through the notches. I ran it from one side of the layout to the other. Bet there's a hundred wires in there but they're all bundled and I can pull out any individual wire I need if I have to.
Maybe there should be a Wiring Essentials 101 thread here to share some of the "tricks of the trade" and we could all tame the rats nest that lurks under so many of our layouts!
Thanks for your response, Mike...
Take care, Ed
