makin a wiring loom

[rybes]

as it was a sunny day i decideed id pull the sheet of me black kwak and see what i could do with the wirin loom. been 2 years and i aint seen it so instead of tryin to sort out what ive got im thinkin of makin me own loom. howd i go about knowin what thickness cable i need for what circuit. also, how long do i buy cable 3 meters sound bout right ?
then when ive worked that out wheres a nice cheap place to buy wire and loom buildin goodies ?


cheers all  :D

[Timbox2]

These are the folks Ive used before, good service and pretty cheap

http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/ (http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/)

[Sin_Tiger]

 helpful chaps.

[iansoady]

Or these people (http://www.autosparks.co.uk/index.php?cPath=88&oscsid=jmnqcjg4a2sqksoo3qcktbjkf0) who seem to have a good range and have been recommended to me by others. As well as cable they have a good selection of connectors which can be hard to find.

Wiring is easy if you're methodical and careful. You can take the opportunity to go up a size which gives the electrons an easier time of it. Don't cut the cable till you're absolutely sure it's long enough.....

I always solder my terminlas but I know this is frowned on these days. Never caused me a problem in 40 years or so though.

[NeilD]

and this are worth a try for  OEM type connectors....

http://www.kojaycat.com/Motorcycle%20connector.htm (http://www.kojaycat.com/Motorcycle%20connector.htm)

[Sin_Tiger]

Why is soldering a problem, I've always done it :icon_scratch

[rybes]

cheers for all ya replies, links and helpful ideas. i cut the loom up in the end leavin the plugs with enough long straight wire as i could. now its just a case of joinin em all back up.
im with you sin. i thought solder was the only way to go. ian, whys it frowned upon ?

[iansoady]

Why is soldering a problem, I've always done it :icon_scratch

The conventional "wisdom" is that soldering can cause wires to become brittle and that crimping gives a better joint. This may well be true if you have professional grade equipment but I would doubt it for normal DIY kit.

Oh, and I'm not talking about those horrible little crimp terminals you get in blister packs.

[Sin_Tiger]

If I have run short of a size, I will strip the sleeve off and still solder them and I think I'll keep on doing it.

[Bixxer Bob]

+1  solder and heat shrink :D

[BruKen]

Why is soldering a problem, I've always done it :icon_scratch

The conventional "wisdom" is that soldering can cause wires to become brittle and that crimping gives a better joint. This may well be true if you have professional grade equipment but I would doubt it for normal DIY kit.

Oh, and I'm not talking about those horrible little crimp terminals you get in blister packs.

just to back you up: (skip to page 4 unless yer an OCD eccentric Brit steamer "Fred in his shed" type)

http://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/tyco/ET.pdf (http://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/tyco/ET.pdf)

However soldering a plug designed for crimping is not an ideal solution either. Then you have block plugs, but that could become a right P.I.T.A