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Best Method for Terminating Unused Wires?


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smoketest 
Member - Posts: 27
Member spacespace
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 4:13 PM / IP Logged  

General question... what is the best method to terminate the multitude of unused wires in a typical RS/Alarm install? Want to achieve a clean professonal looking results and also provide proper issolation.

I am kicking around these ideas and would like to know what others are doing.

1) Depopulate the unused wires from the header/connectors? Pro: very clean, Con: makes it more difficult to reuse or pick up new features at a later date. Run the risk of placing the wrong color wire into the wrong location in the future.

2) Trim all the wires to slightly different lengths so that there is no chance of the ends shorting to each other. Than simply tape/heat shrink the entire unused set together. Pro: keeps every thing connected to the unit, Con: Adds bulk to the finished harness because you are retaining all the unused wires.

i am an idiot 
Platinum - Posts: 13,666
Platinum spaceThis member consistently provides reliable informationspace
Joined: September 21, 2006
Location: Louisiana, United States
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 4:39 PM / IP Logged  
I use the area designed for non-insulated crimps of my crimpers, grip the wire with that section and slide the crimpers to the end of the wire several times.  This extends the insulation well beyond the end of the wire.  Nothing to get in the way of anything.
howie ll 
Pot Metal - Posts: 16,466
Pot Metal spacespace
Joined: January 09, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 4:45 PM / IP Logged  
I go with smoketest, method 2
t&t tech 
Platinum - Posts: 2,601
Platinum spacespace
Joined: October 05, 2008
Location: Trinidad and Tobago
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 7:10 PM / IP Logged  

This is me personally! Take a small flat head to the pin and remove the wire from the harness entirely! Totally neat, makes the bunlde lots smaller and neater! Only con to this is if you have to use those wires later, they can be a bit tricky to re-insert, but i've gotten accustomed to doing that after so long!

Cheers, just droppin in my two cents!

JW.ORG.
COMMIT YOUR WAY TO JEHOVAH AND HE WILL ACT IN YOUR BEHALF.
PSALMS 37:5
kreg357 
Platinum - Posts: 7,781
Platinum spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Security and Convenience. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: January 30, 2009
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 7:54 PM / IP Logged  
I usually do smoketest option 2 in adjacent groups, with heatshrink.
Soldering is fun!
smoketest 
Member - Posts: 27
Member spacespace
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 8:37 PM / IP Logged  

Great dialog guys... keep it comming.

Just for grins...I am going to experiment with the suggested method of elongating the existing insulation. It's a concept I hadn't considered until it was suggested. Have you inspected the elongation at a much later date? Is there any elastic pull back over time?

KPierson 
Platinum - Posts: 3,527
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Joined: April 14, 2005
Location: Ohio, United States
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 9:37 PM / IP Logged  
I cut all wires about 6-8" from the brain then wrap one long piece of Scotch 33 around each wire individually.  This leaves you with one circular bundle of insulated wire where each wire has one wrap of a high quality electrical tape around it.  The "cool" thing about this method is if you ever need a wire you give it a good tug and it pulls right out of the bundle without disturbing the other wires.
Kevin Pierson
KPierson 
Platinum - Posts: 3,527
Platinum spaceThis member consistently provides reliable informationspace
Joined: April 14, 2005
Location: Ohio, United States
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 9:42 PM / IP Logged  

Here's a picture of what it looks like:

Best Method for Terminating Unused Wires? -- posted image.

It's the bundle right in the middle above the red harness.  Nice and close to the brain to keep it clean, all the wires are still there in case the needs of the customer change (which in this picture I am the customer), and it only takes a second to do while prepping the brain on the bench.

Kevin Pierson
el ranchero 
Copper - Posts: 92
Copper spacespace
Joined: October 04, 2008
Location: Illinois, United States
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 9:59 PM / IP Logged  

i leave about 3 inches of wire and cut the rest, in my 25 years of installing, i have come where a custumer wants an upgrade all i do is get the wire and upgrade according, some isntallers take out the wire and its a bitch to do what the custumer wants or when u have to repair an alarm and the wire is not there to fix the problem this is where i go crazy and call out names, but hey we all have diffrent ways of doing our work, peace.

rocker
smoketest 
Member - Posts: 27
Member spacespace
Joined: December 21, 2009
Posted: December 22, 2009 at 10:34 PM / IP Logged  

Man you got to love the pictures, they really make a concept come alive.

Kevin... just so I am clear. It sounds like you make an intial wrap around 1 wire than lay the next wire alone side and make a wrap around it, than lay the 3rd wire along side and wrap it, and repeat until all unused wires have been merged into the bundle. How many wires do you typically fold into this? seems like the tape knob would get rather bulky?

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