What is standard test leads gauge and voltage? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2018, 08:11:29 pm
content: What is standard test leads gauge?DDMs etcI see what Tasker c206 rated only for 49VWhat about china silicone wires?

author: Specmaster
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2018, 08:22:13 pm
content: I think it is either 14 or 16awg, I just purchased some 12awg and that is thicker, I also have 18awg leads that I made up which are thinner than all my ready made leads. I find the 18awg leads are just fine for reading volts and resistance being as they are ultra flexible, but for current you certainly need thicker cables so you can choose either 14 or 16, its your choice.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 11:07:20 am
content: My Hirschmann leads are rated to 60Vdc, but these are stackable banana types that I use on the bench power supplies.0,5 mm² conductor not sure what the AWG is.

author: iainwhite
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 12:08:53 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on September 19, 2018, 11:07:20 amabout 20AWGNice calculator here:https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/wire/index.html

author: Specmaster
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 12:18:38 pm
content: 20awg is way too small, I made some 18awg leads and they are far smaller then leads supplied with a meter, so I think 14awg is correct, 12awg is far to big for the average probe to accommodate.

author: iainwhite
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 12:56:41 pm
content: I checked Probemaster and Pomona for multimeter leads and the size for "standard" leads seems to be 18AWG. They probably look bigger because of the fairly thick silicone sheath.

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 01:25:04 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on September 19, 2018, 11:07:20 amThat was some thin cables my test leads are 1mm² with double isolation and 2.5mm² with single layer of isolation.

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 02:40:06 pm
content: Thanx folks!But WHY DDM wires rated only for 49V then DMMs rated for 600 and 1000 volts?

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 02:46:27 pm
content: Quote from: 001 on September 19, 2018, 02:40:06 pmMaybe because it is banana-banana leads and not probe leads. They are often used at low voltage.

author: Specmaster
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 02:50:24 pm
content: What about shrouded banana sockets that take shrouded test leads? I just purchased some that were only rated at 40VDCAre you kidding me? Brymen leads, rated at 1KV but sockets at 40V makes no sense at all

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 03:23:34 pm
content: That depends on what you want to use them for.18 ga is fairly common on general purpose probes but that's not very good for measuring heavy currents, especially if your meter has a 20A current range and you intend to use it. Better ones tend to be closer to 16 ga, though 14 ga would be even better if you're planning on measuring heavy currents with them.

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2018, 03:53:00 pm
content: YeaIn factTasker WIRE is rated for a 49VChina WIRE is rated for 600VACBut PROBES is marked as 1000VHow many volts rated banana holes?

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2018, 08:05:17 pm
content: Quote from: 001 on September 19, 2018, 03:53:00 pmThe safety standards changed sometime around 1980 which is why you no longer find multimeters with banana jack binding posts or miniature oscilloscope probes with a 400 volt rating.