Wire connectors, Joining wires together

[Hyun]

regarding DIY joining of wires:

 

most installers, when joining, say, 2 speaker wires together, would use "clips" of some sort. i notice the clip contact points are some grey-coloured metal material, not sure what they are.

 

what do you think of this method, as compared to, say:

twisting both ends of the wires together, and taping it up

 

i suppose these cheap clips aren't of wonderful material, and twisting copper wires together give the best contact, right? are there inexpensive clips available of higher quality that provides the ease of clipping together with the reliability of material?

 

does anyone DIY power cable connection to battery + terminal? i've got a clip but it's of the wrong size/shape. not sure what would be suitable - apparently my clip, which looks like a loop that can be clamped into the + terminal, is too thick in material, and the hole of the loop is too large. so gotta look for something thinner and smaller .. i suppose sim lim would have such a thing, but not sure if any1 knows the technical name of this piece, or the sizing, so that i could ask specifically for it at simp limp ...

[Apollo]

you need proper climping tools not some cheapo clips if you are connecting to the main supply.

 

to tap the main supply, you will need a fuse box as well, no direct connection even if you have a fuse at the other end. for the battery terminal, try getting it fr autobaccs, level 2 ICE SECTION. turn left and it is on the shelve. a bit more expensive but confirm will b correct type.

[Hyun]

thanks!

the clips were referring to speaker wire connects. cos front speakers, for example, will come with their own speaker cables. for my tweeters, they're real skinny, i wonder if they're even 16G .. maybe smaller! i did some re-wiring myself and now without clips i just twist wires together and tape them. probably effective but unelegant.

 

if those clips are "just as good" as twisting together, certainly i'd prefer to use them. so neat.

 

and i suppose the theory is if the tweeter speaker cable is so thin, cut off as much as possible, and use your own larger speaker cables to run reasonably close to the tweeter driver itself, right? dun use the skinny ones attached to the tweeter as much as possible ..?

[Kwongwing]

If you really want to do it right - go to the end of the wire that actually connects to the tweeter, de-solder the original cable and solder on a fresh length of speaker cable of the type/brand/gauge of your choice that is sufficiently long to reach your cross-over unit.

However, do remember to be careful when soldering the cables to the tweeter

[Hyun]

ah yes, yah when i was assembling the tweeter i did see the connection points. but i've no solder so i think i'll skip that part :)

i'll just do the next best thing, probably to use black tape and twist copper around each other hor. simple clips should be more lossy than direct copper.

[Sarong1]

I will have to agree with KW that soldering by far is the way to go. Merely "clipping" it is not a permanent solution, its not durable and you do not fully utilise the potential of the speaker cable.

[Hyun]

for u guys into high end, did u get ur installers to solder? or do they tie the wire strands? or they use some high end clips?

 

i went to DIY up my loose tweeter wires just now. didn't feel like cutting the stock skinny tweeter wires too close to the driver so i left a few inches dangling. though it defeats the purpose - the stock wires are so damn skinny it'll be the limiting factor, but the good thing is it's thin enough to slip between the A-pillar panels.

[Kwongwing]

There is no such thing as a "high-end" clip, as at that level a clip is a compromise. Most installers will choose the crimping route unless you expressly request for them to solder - never twist and use tape in a car environment unless only temporary solution for trial purpose, too much vibration and possibility of loose connection.

Using connectors is always a compromise and for convenience, though in some circumstances it is a necessity (e.g. thick gauge spkr cable connecting to amplifier outputs.)

I believe that the A-Pillar can actually accommodate AWG10 or 12 cables quite easily if the outermost cable jacket is removed.

[Anthonyfd3s]

twisting cables together will cos spark if it is loosen... but put a clip to tighten it after twisting and taping will not hav any problem right? cos i was thinking of the clip problem recently. but i did check eif my ex-installer b4, he said using the clip will not make much different cos the distance is short, although the clip is not a very gd conductor.

and i find the material quite similar wif soldering iron, m i rite?

[Hyun]

one day if i walk around simp limp will search for "high end" clips. donno whether got such thing or not. or any1 got spare gold lying around, we go and custom make a few clips to play with? hehe ...

 

kwongwing, the a-pillar, strip cable, run copper out of panel, into speaker? oh i was trying not to strip - dowan to expose too much copper, apparently the cables can oxidise one right? not to mention short.

[Sarong1]

Hyun, you are paying for the installation and their services, they (installers) should readily have the soldering if they are serious about their profession.

 

For me, I demand and I see that they solder all my connects whenever its necessary. I want it to be a one-time solution.

 

You can buy a soldering iron and DIY. And there is no reason why they should increase your installation by doing the soldering.

[Froze77]

Hi,

 

Just need some advise here.

I bought a set of Sony rear speakers and removed the old ones. DIY myself. I twisted the wires which connect from the speakers to the wire leading to the HU. Besides the loose connection will there be any hazzard? I'm new to DIY of speaker stuff. Thanks for any advice.

[Ae86]

Whenever both the positive and negative wire(assuming without the insulation) touches during playing of your system it will cause very loud pop sound hazardous to your speaker lifespan.