How to make electrical connections (wire taps)

speedview

08-01-2020, 08:54 PM #1

As I've had some stick from you lot about my wire-clips... :whistling:

...I thought I'd do a "How To" for making proper electrical connections :thumbup:

(and some less ideal but perfectly serviceable ones)

The split-twist-solder technique is new to a many people, but this is aimed at newbies, so apologies in advance if it seems like teaching you to suck eggs. Feel free to share with abandon as it's a little plug for my site. Blush

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Which method is best?

Soldering, followed by self-amalgamating tape, followed by insulating tape, produces the best joints but requires the most skill. This is recommended for exterior joints or joints subjected to oil/vibration/heat/dirt/moisture.

Soldering with insulating tape is ideal for interior use as you'll make far less mess with the plain insulating tape, and there isn't really any oil/dirt/moisture to damage the joint.

Wire clips are ideal for beginners, because you can't cut yourself, burn yourself, cut things on the car, melt things on the car, or make a joint that can short-circuit when using these clips. They are only for interior use though; on low-current cables that aren't subjected to oil/dirt/moisture/vibration. Do not use these clips outside the vehicle, in the engine bay, for high-current loads, or anywhere there is vibration.

Which brands are best?

Solder
SpeedView recommend a flux cored lead-tin solder. We like Wharton metals products, but the Rapid Electronics is ok too.

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipme...c6beb63fad
http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipme...c6beb63fad

For particularly dirty wires, as encountered on older cars, you may need additional rosin flux:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipme...c6beb63fad

This stuff is pretty nasty, so ensure that the area is well ventilated, don't bite your nails, and always wash your hands afterwards.

Don't use acid-flux cored solder (plumber's solder) as it will eat the copper wires over time. Don't use solder without any flux or lead-free solder as you will never get the stuff to wick into the wires and make a decent joint. Draper and Sealey products are to be avoided for this reason.

Tape
As far as electrical tape goes, any PVC insulating tape except Sunday market/eBay/Pound Shop tat is usually just fine. (you'll soon see if the adhesive is rubbish)

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipme...tape-71221

Self-amalgamating tape is a more specialist product that you'll usually have to buy online anyway:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipme...tape-60212

Wire Clips

Genuine 3M wire clips are the best, and this is the type supplied in your SpeedView kit.