WIRING TECHNIQUES

 Introduction:

•         Before you can build or design, you will need to recognize how to use proper wiring techniques in order to start connecting simple circuits.

•         Learning these techniques will ensure that you are following proper electrical safety procedures.

Objective:

Students will be able to:

•         Define different wiring techniques

–       Choose appropriate electrical components.

–       Select proper electrical wire color configurations.

–       Select proper wire connectors for various applications.

–       Complete various electronic projects.

Choosing gauges:

•         The most important wiring practice is to observe proper wiring sizes.

•         Failure to choose the correct size can result in marginal performance of your circuit or even overheating of your wires or connectors.

•         Always use one size larger if possible.

Wire Color Selection:

•         Properly choosing the colors for your wires can help you decipher your wiring configurations.

•         To the right is a picture of a bad configuration and a good configuration.

•         For low DC voltages use the following color codes:

            Black – Negative

            Red  –   Positive

            Green - Ground

Conductors:

•         Conductors are defined as materials that allow the flow of electric current.

•         Metals are usually good conductors while nonmetals are not.

•         The most common conductor used in electrical wiring is copper.

Insulators:

•         An insulator is a material that has few, if any, free electrons and resists the flow of electrons.

•         No material has been found to be a perfect insulator, but common insulators include air, glass, rubber, plastic, paper, and porcelain.

•         An advantage of using insulators in circuits, is that they provide the ability to place wires close together without the risk of a short circuit.

Wire Terminals and “Quick connects”:

•         Terminals are used to safely and easily connect wires to a device or load.

•         They are usually crimped onto the ends of wires, or soldered directly onto the terminal.

Advantages:

Single pole wire connectors

•         Allows a clean connection between the wires.

•         They can be “crimped” on instead of having to be soldered together.

•         You can safely separate the wires without having to cut or splice.

Design Different Connecting Leads:

•         Objective:

–       To learn the different types of connectors available when connecting wires together.

•         Materials:

–       Wires

–       Battery (or power source)

–       Connectors

Self Evaluation Test:

•         Why should we use a wire color code?

–       To identify positive, negative, ground, or any other type of signals.

•         Why do we need to use insulators?

–       To prevent a short circuit connection and to protect you from shock and other safety reasons.

–       Why do we need to use conductors?

–       To connect electricity from one source to other components.

–       To complete an electrical path.

•         What happens to an LED if you connect one lead to an insulator?

Nothing. Electricity doesn’t flow through an insulator.