Hook into wire without cutting it - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: NewBeginner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 08:09:04 pm
content: Hi,I need to hook into a wire of an ATX power supply without cutting the wire.It there any way of doing this? Are there some kind of wire clips for this job? I couldn't find anything alike.Any suggestions are more than welcome.Thank you

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 09:03:44 pm
content: You also get them from 3M with a spade terminal built in.

author: NewBeginner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 09:53:12 pm
content: Thank you for your help.One more thing. Are these connectors electrically safe to use in a system that is only 24/7? Do they make good contact? Any chances of arcs being generated?Has anybody tried these?Thank you.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 10:14:29 pm
content: I've used them. They work surprising well. Only buy the 3M versions - others are hit and miss. They do dig into the insulation, so when you take them off, you might wrap them in electrical tapYes, you can use them for a install. Not sure what they are rated for voltage wise, but I'm sure it way more then what a ATX power supply can dish out voltage wise. They can handle a decent about of current as well.If you just need to "probe" a wire, with out cutting into the insulation, I've used sewing needles to probe the wire without cutting it.

author: Spikee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 10:17:12 pm
content: The bigger (industrial) version (dumb) people use them to cut into the wire and steal electricity.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2012, 10:53:17 pm
content: they are most of the time quite good, just note they are sized for specific wire sizes, and its best not to vary between too much or you can get cases where it only partially cuts into the wire and can be intermittent,

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 12:38:47 am
content: Quote from: Rerouter on October 26, 2012, 10:53:17 pmAnd it should be obvious, but they are for stranded wire only. It squeezes the wire strands between metal piece. This won't work for solid wire.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 06:30:54 am
content: Lift companies use them for shaft cabling during refits here, quite reliable. They only use the 3M units though, nothing else.

author: NewBeginner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 07:57:26 am
content: Thank you all.So if they are properly fitted and if the correct size is used there is no electrical safety issues (like bad contact, arcing, sparks, etc ...) during operation, right?Thank you

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 08:06:42 am
content: Is this for test purpose or some form of permanent connection, the scotch locks are fine for permanent or semi permanent connections , I have used them for years for plant and automotive connections. But for test purpose you can get clips that have a pin like point that goes through the insulation and when retracted hardly leaves a mark, unfortunately I do not know what the test clips are called in order to find a picture on line.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 08:50:17 am
content: Personally I'd trim away a small piece of insulation with a sharp scalpel, solder in the additional wire, then wrap the joint in self amalgamating tape. Or cut the wire, slide on a piece of heat shrink sleeving, then solder the two ends back together with the extra wire then sleeve the joint.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 10:24:12 am
content: You can do that, but it is faster to slip the tap in over the wire, align and then close with pliers. Helpful when hanging on a rope 5 floors above the shaft pit and you are doing 50 connection that day all the way up and down. They do cable tie the bundle before and after the splice area, and after putting in the tails they wrap it in tape and tie the tape closed then tie it to the cableway for strain relief. for the trailing cables though they always use a crimped ferrule and a heatshrink sleeve over it, along with a second heatshrink overall, with a big strain loop as well.They had an issue with the first 2 cables, as they went off straight after a week, and were cut through by the car. Needed 2 new controllers, as they somehow were not happy with having 230VAC from the car lighting service feed fed into the signalling supply and the input circuitry. $20k in smoke, plus the 2 cables. replaced in no 3 with a flat multicore instead of a round multicore, as it will not relax with time.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 10:59:46 am
content: I'd cut it & use either an inline crimp splice, or solder+heatshrink.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 12:26:52 pm
content: I am a fan of solder insert preformed shrinks, but no longer can get them. Lovely on avionics, i used them a lot to terminate PTFE data pair cabling to go into Socaplex plugs. Also were useful to join the 10 screens together to go to the single screen pin, and then you could just slip the joint under the snakeskin and lace it all up with twine again to look neat.

author: Apothus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2012, 03:43:55 pm
content: Yeah splitting may bethe cheapest option. if you are feeling brave most wire strippers will do a good job of stipping the cable open mid way without breaking the strands. However if you are doing a lot of these then time is money so the clips would be the best way to go and from my understanding i would expect them to be very reliable. Especially with the voltages and currents associted with an ATX supply.