Types of connection of electrical wires in a junction box. Methods of connecting wires: twisting, soldering, welding, crimping, terminal block Connecting different wires

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Connecting wires is most likely the most common task in electrical engineering. Since for one reason or another there is a lack of length of conductors in electrical circuits, it is necessary to connect their parts together. Obviously, this creates contact, which is the root of many electrical problems. And it is not the electrical connections at a specific location on the conductors that are implied in this case.

If the contact is made correctly, the electrical circuit will function properly. But, nevertheless, the phrase “electrical engineering is the science of contacts” has long sounded like a byword. Later in the article we will talk about how to correctly connect the wires so that this connection does not create problems for as long as possible. As well as a number of other issues that are essential for twisting wires and covering other types of their connections.

Twisting, which the PUE is silent about

In addition to the frequently mentioned words about contacts, among electrical workers there is another common phrase that the work performed by electricians and miners is often very similar in its lethal consequences. In particular, for this reason there is a PUE - essentially, a set of laws for everything that has to do with electrical networks. Let's take an interest in the Electrical Installation Rules about how the wires should be connected.

On the one hand, everything is clearly stated:

• crimping;
• welding;
• soldering;
• squeezes -

and these are the four officially acceptable ways to connect the ends of conductors. But they all require something additional from tools or equipment, and in some cases quite complex, because:

• for crimping you will need a special tool that matches the conductors being connected;
• welding is impossible without a welding machine;
• for soldering, a soldering iron is required, as well as the material of the connected cores being suitable for soldering;
• clamps require the use of a special electrical wire connector designed for this purpose.

However, to ensure the connection of electrical wires, you can simply twist their wires together, thus obtaining electrical contact. And, despite the fact that twisting is not specified in the PUE, the compressible reliable connection of the wires itself, especially if approved in the prescribed manner, fully complies with the letter of the electrical law of the PUE.

In order for the wires to be twisted reliably, the following conditions must be met:

• the length of twisted conductor strands from the edge of the insulation to the ends is 40–50 mm;
• electrical wires, or rather their contacting conductors, are cleaned with fine-grained emery or a file in order to remove oxide films or insulation residues. You can also use a knife. In this case, movements must be made along the vein. After stripping, it is recommended to evaluate the quality of film removal using a magnifying glass. This will create the best electrical connection;
• In order to properly connect wires without soldering, the twisted ends of the wires must be formed using one of the generally accepted methods. They should be pressed against each other as tightly as possible anywhere in the twist.
• The types of twists used are shown below. These images will help our readers understand how to properly twist.

What is wrong with twisted wire connections and why is it not explicitly mentioned in the PUE? After all, other methods of connecting wires are noticeably inferior to it in ease of installation and minimal cost, for which such a connection of two wires with one core, as well as twisting multi-core wires, is ahead of all. Other methods of connecting electrical wires remain far behind it.

• The main disadvantage of twisting is its weakening over time as a result of repeated thermal expansion of the conductors.

Gradually, due to temperature deformations of the cores, the force pressing them together weakens, and the contact resistance increases. For electrical circuit wires containing low-power consumers such as energy-saving and LED lamps, weakening the contact force will not be dangerous. But for twisting wires in a circuit with electric heating devices with a power of several kilowatts, from a certain moment an avalanche-like process of deterioration of contact between the twisted conductors can begin. Moreover, if such a wiring connection is not noticed in a timely manner, in the best case, either copper wires or aluminum wires, the cores of which are twisted, near it will suffer from damage to the insulation due to high temperature.

• For this reason, the use of twisting in areas with increased fire hazard is prohibited. In these rooms it is necessary to use a more reliable connection of wires.
• Twisting of copper wires with aluminum conductors is not permitted. Just as in any other connection, direct contact between the copper and aluminum cores is not allowed in twisting due to the occurrence of electrochemical processes leading to rapid deterioration of the connection and increased fire hazard.
• It is not recommended to reconnect two wires that have been twisted. Only straight strands are twisted after stripping the insulation, and straightening usually breaks even the strands of a stranded conductor.
• Correct twisting can only be achieved for relatively thin conductors. It is not recommended to twist thick single-core wires. To connect wires to each other with a significant thickness of wires, it is better to use crimping them with a sleeve.

Starting from a certain core diameter, it is not possible to twist the wires at all. An example would be a power cable. Therefore, twisting of a cable containing 2, 3 or more cores is done with thin copper wire as a preparation for a “clean” connection. Then each pair of fixed wires is soldered.

Twisting is half the battle

However, the experiment, which was carried out with twisted stranded conductors, showed the high quality of contact of all wire connections immediately after installation was completed. A hundred twists of sections of stranded copper wire with a cross-section typical for ordinary apartment wiring showed very low contact resistance, which is confirmed by the images below.

Consequently, after twisting, you do about half of the installation work of connecting two conductors. It still remains to refine the resulting connection so that it does not deteriorate over time. And to do this, you need to either create a force that compresses the twisted wires from the outside, or use one of the methods of merging the wires. Merging of conductors is, of course, the best way to ensure minimum resistance at the junction of two, three or more conductors.

The connection of wires by merging the cores is done either by melting them or by soldering them. In any of these options, the lowest value of contact resistance is achieved. But these methods also have significant drawbacks. Both during welding and soldering, the conductors are heated to a temperature that is dangerous for the insulation.

• In order not to spoil it, it is better to hold the twist with pliers immediately behind the edge of the insulation to dissipate heat during welding or soldering and for some time after completion.
• Although there is technology for welding and soldering aluminum conductors, it is still better to deal with copper. But before soldering or welding, the copper core is also cleaned of foreign deposits and degreased.

Welding and soldering eliminates the very concept of contact at the end of the twist, making in this place either a body in the form of a drop (when welding), or filling all the cracks with solder. When connecting wires intended for powerful electrical appliances, welding and soldering are the most correct way to connect conductors. However, the experiment, which was carried out on hundreds of twists already shown, did not demonstrate a significant decrease in contact resistance. This is evidenced by the images shown below.

The images provide clear evidence of the same joint properties between conventional and welded stranded wires. But with increasing thickness of the cores, as well as for thick single-core wires, soldering and welding will have an advantage over twisting. If the wires can be connected by twisting, and there is no powerful electrical equipment connected to them, it makes no sense to solder them, much less weld them.

Detachable connections

The experiments discussed above testify in favor of mechanical fixation of twists. For this purpose, along with sleeves, there are special PPE caps. They make it possible to splice wires, compressing the twist and maintaining the compression force. These are two types of compressions mentioned in the PUE. The first is the sleeve, and the second is the cap. It is screwed all the way onto the stripped conductors. The device, as well as possible types of PPE caps, are shown in the images below.

The abbreviation SIZ reads as:

C – connecting;

I – insulating;

Z – clamp.

Number 1 (SIZ-1) indicates a cap with grooves, and 2 (SIZ-2) indicates the same part with protrusions. Numbers separated by a hyphen indicate the range of wire cross-sections connected to the PPE. The cap is very convenient in that with its use, not only good conductivity of the connection is achieved, but also the ability to separate it. If you need to choose how to connect the conductors to each other, PPE is the best option for home and office electrical networks.

A quick and convenient device that complements separable types of conductor connections is a terminal block. However, its convenience is limited by the load current characteristics. In comparison with the PPE cap, which improves contact resistance, the terminal block worsens it. And it’s very noticeable. To obtain relevant data, a third experiment was made, information about which is shown below. The welded twists were cut off. The ends of the wires are inserted into the terminal blocks.

• The contact resistance of the terminal block is an order of magnitude greater than that of the twist.

But it is not only the most acceptable solution for connecting low-current electrical wiring in an apartment and office.

• The terminal block is a connecting element between wires with copper and aluminum conductors.
• It is convenient to use for connecting wires with different cross sections.
• For copper conductors, it is recommended to apply contact paste before inserting them into the terminal block.
• Aluminum conductors must be cleaned of oxide film before inserting into the terminal block.

Three types of these connectors are used:

In order for the wire to be inserted into the terminal block without effort and, if necessary, just as easily removed from it, a design with a lever is used, which creates a force in the connection to fix the core. WAGO terminal blocks and their analogs are made on this principle.

A very common type of compression is the screw connection. The designs of many terminal blocks, connecting blocks and sleeves are based on this connection. The screw connection allows you to obtain the greatest force compressing the connected cores. But in order to ensure that such a connection does not weaken over time due to vibrations and temperature deformations, a force is applied to it using a spring, which creates a holding voltage.

• Screw clamps are the most effective connection of a single-core wire with a stranded wire, wires of different diameters, including aluminum and copper.
• Since screws, nuts and washers are always available to everyone who has connected their profession or hobby with technology and works with their own hands, if necessary, connecting two wires with their help will not be difficult. However, this is done according to the rules that are illustrated in the image below.

• When using screw clamps, it is necessary to remember that the quality of contact is primarily determined by the area of ​​the contacting surfaces. And it decreases as the core diameter increases. In this case, no efforts of screw clamps will help. For large core diameters, contact pastes and gels must be used. But in this case, soldering and welding will still provide more reliable contact than a screw connection.

Correct connection of wires is the key to safe operation of the electrical network. We must not forget how to twist correctly, choose the optimal type of connection, and also perform it correctly.

When connecting wires of different diameters in series, the maximum load current will be determined by the cross-section of the wire with a smaller diameter.

For example, a connection was made between copper wires with a diameter of 1.6 mm and 2 mm. In this case, the maximum load current on the electrical wiring, which is determined from the table, will be 10 A, and not 16 A, as for a wire with a diameter of 2 mm.

Connecting electrical wires by twisting

Until recently, twisting was the most common method of connecting wires when doing electrical wiring; due to its accessibility, all it took was a knife and pliers. But, according to statistics, twisting is an unreliable way to connect conductors.

The photo on the left shows how twisting is unacceptable. If one conductor is twisted around another, the mechanical strength of such a connection will be insufficient. When twisting wires, you must make at least three turns of wires around each other. In the middle photo, the twisting is done correctly, but a copper conductor is twisted with an aluminum one, which is not permissible, since when copper comes into contact with aluminum, an emf of more than 0.6 mV occurs.

In the photo on the right, the twisting of copper and aluminum wires is done correctly, since the copper wire is tinned with solder before twisting. You can twist several wires together at once; in a junction box, sometimes up to 6 conductors are twisted, wires of different diameters and from different metals, a stranded wire with a single-core wire. Only the stranded wire needs to be made single-core by first soldering it with solder.

Connecting electrical wires by soldering

The connection of copper wires with high-quality soldering is the most reliable and is practically not inferior to a solid wire. All of the above examples of twisted wires, except for aluminum and tinsel, when tinning the conductors before twisting and then soldering them with solder, will be reliable on a par with solid wires. The only drawback is the extra labor involved, but it's worth it.

If you need to connect a pair of wires and the twisted conductors must be directed in different directions, then a slightly different type of twist is used.

By splicing two pairs of double wires in the manner described below, it is possible to obtain a compact and beautiful connection by twisting both single-core and multi-core pairs of conductors. This twisting method can be successfully used, for example, when splicing broken wires in a wall, extending a wire when moving a socket or switch from one place on the wall to another, when repairing or extending the length of a carrying cable.

To obtain a reliable and beautiful connection, it is necessary to adjust the lengths of the ends of the conductors with a shift of 2-3 cm.

Twist the conductors in pairs. With this type of twisting, two turns are enough for a single-core wire, and five for a multi-core wire.

If you plan to hide the twists under plaster or in another inaccessible place, then the twists must be soldered. After soldering, you need to go over the solder with sandpaper to remove any sharp solder icicles that could pierce the insulation and stick out from it. You can do without soldering if the connection is accessible and the currents flowing through the conductors are not large, but the durability of the connection without soldering will be much lower.

Due to the shift of the twisting points, there is no need to insulate each of the connections separately. We attach a strip of insulating tape on both sides along the conductors. Finally, you need to wind three more layers of insulating tape. According to the requirements of the Electrical Safety Rules, there must be at least three layers.

Wires spliced ​​and soldered in the manner described above can be safely laid in the wall and plastered on top. Before installation, it is advisable to protect the connection with a vinyl chloride tube placed in advance on one of the pairs of wires. I have done this many times, and the reliability has been confirmed by time.

Connecting wires in junction boxes

When I moved into an apartment built in 1958 and began doing renovations, I was immediately confronted with the blinking of the lighting bulbs in time with the hammer blows on the walls. The primary task of repair arose, carrying out an audit of distribution boxes. Opening them revealed the presence of poor contact in the twisted copper wires. To restore contact, it was necessary to disconnect the twists, clean the ends of the wires with sandpaper and twist them again.

When trying to disconnect, I encountered a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The ends of the wires broke off even without any effort. Over time, copper lost its elasticity and became brittle. When stripping the wire, the insulation was apparently cut in a circle with a knife blade and notches were made. It was in these places that the wire broke off. The copper became hardened due to temperature fluctuations.

You can restore the elasticity of copper, unlike ferrous metals, by heating it to red and quickly cooling it. But for this case, such a technique is unacceptable. The ends of the wires no longer than 4 cm remained. There was no choice for connection. Just solder.

I exposed the wires with a soldering iron, melted the insulation, tinned them with solder, tied them in groups with tinned copper wire and filled them with solder using a 60-watt soldering iron. The question immediately arises: how to solder the wires in the junction box if the electrical wiring is de-energized? The answer is simple, using a soldering iron powered by a battery.

So I updated the connections in all junction boxes, spending no more than 1 hour on each. I am completely confident in the reliability of the connections made, and this has been confirmed by the 18 years that have passed since then. Here's a photo of one of my boxes.

When leveling the walls with Rotband in the hallway and installing a stretch ceiling, the distribution boxes became a hindrance. I had to open them all, and the reliability of the solder connection was confirmed; they were in perfect condition. That's why I boldly hid all the boxes in the wall.

Connections currently practiced using a Wago flat-spring terminal block greatly reduce the time spent on installation work, but are much inferior in reliability to soldered connections. And if there are no spring-loaded contacts in the block, they make connections in high-current circuits completely unreliable.

Mechanical connection of wires

Soldering is the most reliable type of connecting wires and contacts. But it has disadvantages - the inseparability of the resulting connections and the high complexity of the work. Therefore, the most common type of connection of wires to electrical contacts of devices is threaded, screws or nuts. To ensure the reliability of this type of connection, it is necessary to perform it correctly.

Linear expansion due to temperature changes is different for metals. Aluminum changes its linear dimensions especially strongly, then, in descending order, brass, copper, and iron. Therefore, over time, a gap forms between the contact of the connected metals, increasing the contact resistance. As a result, the screws must be tightened periodically to ensure reliable connections.

In order to forget about maintenance, additional slotted washers, called split washers or Grover washers, are installed under the screws. The Grover selects the gaps that arise and thereby ensures high contact reliability.

Often electricians are lazy and do not twist the end of the wire into a ring. In this option, the contact area of ​​the wire with the contact pad of the electrical device will be many times smaller, which reduces the reliability of the contact.

If the formed ring of wire is slightly flattened with a hammer on an anvil, the contact area will increase several times. This is especially true when forming a ring of stranded wire soldered with solder. Instead of a hammer, you can add flatness with a file, grinding off the ring a little at the points of contact with the contacts.

This is how it should be done ideal threaded connection of wires to contact pads of electrical appliances.

Sometimes it is necessary to connect copper and aluminum conductors with each other, or with a diameter of more than 3 mm. In this case, the most accessible is a threaded connection.

The insulation is removed from the wires to a length equal to four screw diameters. If the veins are covered with oxide, then it is removed with sandpaper and rings are formed. A spring washer, a simple washer, a ring of one conductor, a simple washer, a ring of another conductor, a washer and, finally, a nut are put on the screw, screwing the screw into which the entire package is tightened until the spring washer is straightened.

For conductors with a core diameter of up to 2 mm, an M4 screw is sufficient. The connection is ready. If the conductors are made of the same metal or when connecting an aluminum wire to a copper wire whose end is tinned, then there is no need to place a washer between the rings of the conductors. If the copper wire is stranded, then it must first be tinned with solder.

Connecting wires with a terminal block

Connecting wires with low current load can be done using terminal blocks. Structurally, all terminal blocks are designed identically. Thick-walled brass tubes with two threaded holes on the sides of each are inserted into the housing combs made of plastic or carbolite. The wires to be connected are inserted into the opposite ends of the tube and secured.

The tubes come in different diameters and are selected depending on the diameters of the conductors being connected. You can insert as many wires into one tube as its internal diameter allows.

Although the reliability of connecting wires in terminal blocks is lower than when connecting by soldering, much less time is spent on electrical installation. An undeniable advantage of terminal blocks is the ability to connect copper and aluminum wires in electrical wiring, since brass tubes are coated with chromium or nickel.

When choosing a terminal block, you need to take into account the current that will flow through the switched electrical wiring wires and the required number of terminals in the comb. Long combs can be cut into several short ones.

Connecting wires using a terminal block
with Wago flat spring clamp

Terminal blocks with flat spring clamps Wago (Wago) from a German manufacturer are widely used. Wago terminal blocks come in two designs. Disposable, when the wire is inserted without the possibility of removal, and with a lever that makes it easy to both insert and remove wires.

The photo shows a Wago disposable terminal block. It is designed for connecting any types of single-core wires, including copper and aluminum with a cross-section from 1.5 to 2.5 mm 2. According to the manufacturer, the block is designed to connect electrical wiring in junction and distribution boxes with a current of up to 24 A, but I doubt it. I think it’s not worth loading the Wago terminals with a current of more than 10 A.

Wago spring terminal blocks are very convenient for connecting chandeliers and connecting wires in junction boxes. It is enough just to forcefully insert the wire into the hole of the block, and it will be securely fixed. In order to remove the wire from the block, considerable force will be required. After removing the wires, deformation of the spring contact may occur and a reliable connection of the wires when reconnected is not guaranteed. This is a big disadvantage of a disposable terminal block.

A more convenient Wago terminal block is reusable and has an orange lever. Such terminal blocks allow you to connect and, if necessary, disconnect any electrical wires, single-core, multi-core, aluminum in any combination with a cross-section from 0.08 to 4.0 mm 2. Rated for current up to 34 A.

It is enough to remove 10 mm of insulation from the wire, lift the orange lever up, insert the wire into the terminal and return the lever to its original position. The wire will be securely fixed in the terminal block.

The Wago terminal block is a modern tool-free way to connect wires quickly and reliably, but is more expensive than traditional connection methods.

Permanent connection of wires

In some cases, when it is not intended to connect the wires in the future, they can be connected in a permanent way. This type of connection is highly reliable and is advisable in hard-to-reach places, for example, connecting the ends of a nichrome spiral with copper current-carrying conductors in a soldering iron.

Connecting thin wires by crimping

A simple and reliable way to connect wire cores is crimping. Wire strands are inserted into a piece of copper or aluminum tube, depending on the metal of the wires being connected, and the tube is pressed in the middle with a tool called a press pliers.

Crimping can be used to connect both single-core and stranded wires in any combination. The diameter of the tube must be selected depending on the total cross-section of the conductors. It is desirable that the conductors fit tightly. Then the connection reliability will be high. If in a stranded wire the conductors are twisted together, then it is necessary to develop and straighten them. There is no need to twist the wire strands together. The prepared conductors are inserted into the tube and crimped with press pliers. The connection is ready. All that remains is to insulate the connection.

Crimping tips are available for sale, already equipped with an insulating cap. Crimping is performed by compressing the tube together with the cap. The connection is immediately isolated. Since the cap is made of polyethylene, during crimping it is deformed and held securely, ensuring reliable insulation of the connection.

The disadvantage of joining by crimping is the need for special press jaws. You can make your own pliers using pliers with side cutters. You need to round the side cutter blades and make a groove in the middle. After such modification of the pliers, the edges of the side cutters will become blunt and will no longer be able to bite, but only squeeze.

Connecting wires of larger cross-sections by crimping

To connect electrical wires with a larger cross-section, for example, in power panels of houses, special lugs are used, which are crimped using universal press pliers, for example, the PC, PKG, PMK and PKG types.

To crimp each standard size of tip or sleeve, it requires its own matrix and punch, a set of which is usually included in the set of pliers.

To crimp a tip onto a wire, the insulation is first removed from the wire, the wire is tucked into the hole in the tip and inserted between the matrix and the punch. The long handles of the press pliers are used to squeeze. The tip is deformed, crimping the wire.

In order to correctly select the matrix and punch for the wire, they are usually marked and branded press pliers on the matrix have an engraving for crimping what section of wire the matrix is ​​intended for. The number 95 embossed on the tip means that this matrix is ​​designed for crimping into the tip of a wire with a cross-section of 95 mm 2.

Connecting wires with a rivet

It is made using screw connection technology, only a rivet is used instead of a screw. Disadvantages include the impossibility of disassembly and the need for special tools.

The photo shows an example for connecting copper and aluminum conductors. More details about connecting copper and aluminum conductors are described in the website article “Connection of aluminum wires”. In order to connect the conductors with a rivet, you need to first put an aluminum conductor on the rivet, then a spring washer, then a copper one and a flat washer. Insert a steel rod into the rivet gun and squeeze its handles until it clicks (this cuts off the excess steel rod).

When connecting conductors from the same metal, there is no need to place a split washer (grower) between them, but put the groover on the rivet first or second to last; the last one must be an ordinary washer.

Connecting broken wires in the wall

Repairs should begin with very careful removal of the plaster in the area of ​​damaged wires. This work is done with a chisel and hammer. As a chisel when laying electrical wiring in the wall, I usually use the rod from a broken screwdriver with a sharpened end of the blade.

Connecting copper wires broken in the wall

Take a piece of copper wire with a cross-section no less than the cross-section of the broken wire. This piece of wire is also covered with a layer of solder. The length of this insert must ensure an overlap of at least 10 mm over the connected ends of the wires.

The insert is soldered to the connecting ends. Solder should not be skimped. Next, the insulating tube is moved so as to completely cover the joint. If a sealed, moisture-resistant connection is required, then before putting on the tube, the soldered joint must be coated with silicone.

Connecting aluminum wires broken in the wall

A prerequisite for obtaining a reliable mechanical connection of aluminum wires is the use of a Grover-type washer. The connection is assembled as follows. A groover is put on the M4 screw, then an ordinary flat washer, rings of connected wires, then a simple washer and a nut.

Step-by-step instructions for connecting broken wires in a wall are outlined in the article “Connecting broken wires in a wall”

Connecting wires with slip-on terminals

Widely used in household appliances and cars is the detachable connection of conductors using slip-on terminals, which are placed on contacts 0.8 mm thick and 6.5 mm wide. Reliability of fixation of the terminal is ensured by the presence of a hole in the center of the contact and a protrusion in the terminal.

Sometimes the conductors break off, and more often the terminal itself burns due to poor contact and then it becomes necessary to replace it. Typically, the terminals are pressed onto the ends of the conductors using special pliers. Crimping can also be done with pliers, but you don’t always have a new replacement terminal on hand. You can successfully use a used one by installing the terminal using the following technology.

First you need to prepare the old terminal for reinstallation. To do this, holding the terminal with pliers at the press-in point, you need to use an awl or a screwdriver with a thin tip to move the tendrils that compress the insulation apart. Next, the wire is bent many times until it breaks off at the point where it exits the press fit. To speed things up, you can trim this area with a knife.

When the wire is separated from the terminal, a needle file prepares a place for soldering it. You can completely grind it off until the remaining wire is free, but this is not necessary. It turns out to be a flat platform.

The resulting area is broken through with solder. The conductor is also stripped and tinned with solder using a soldering iron.

All that remains is to attach the conductor to the prepared terminal area and heat it with a soldering iron. The antennae that fix the wire are bent after soldering the wire to the terminal, since if they are crimped before soldering, the antennae will melt the insulation.

All that remains is to pull on the insulating cap, put the terminal on the desired contact and check the reliability of the fixation by tugging on the wire. If the terminal has come off, then it is necessary to tighten its contacts. A home-made terminal attached to a wire by soldering is much more reliable than one obtained by crimping. Sometimes the cap is put on so tightly that it cannot be removed. Then it needs to be cut and after installing the terminal, cover it with insulating tape. You can also stretch a piece of vinyl chloride or heat-shrinkable tube.

By the way, if you hold a vinyl chloride tube in acetone for about five minutes, it increases in size by one and a half times and becomes plastic, like rubber. After the acetone evaporates from its pores, the tube returns to its original size. About 30 years ago, I insulated the bases of light bulbs in a Christmas tree garland in this way. The insulation is still in excellent condition. I still hang this garland of 120 6.3 V light bulbs on the Christmas tree every year.

Splicing stranded wires without twisting

Stranded wires can be spliced ​​in the same way as single-core wires. But there is a more advanced method, in which the connection is more accurate. First you need to adjust the lengths of the wires with a shift of a couple of centimeters and strip the ends to a length of 5-8 mm.

Fluff the slightly cleaned areas of the pair to be joined and insert the resulting “panicles” into each other. In order for the conductors to take a neat shape, they need to be tied together with a thin wire before soldering. Then lubricate with soldering varnish and solder with solder.

All conductors are soldered. We clean the soldering areas with sandpaper and insulate them. We attach one strip of electrical tape on both sides along the conductors and wind a couple more layers.

This is what the connection looks like after covering it with insulating tape. You can further improve the appearance if you use a file to sharpen the solder joints on the insulation side of adjacent conductors.

The strength of connected stranded wires without twisting by soldering is very high, as the video clearly demonstrates. As you can see, the connection can withstand the weight of the monitor 15 kg without deformation.

Connecting wires with a diameter of less than 1 mm by twisting

Let's consider twisting thin conductors using the example of splicing twisted pair cables for computer networks. For twisting, thin conductors are stripped of insulation for a length of thirty diameters with a shift relative to adjacent conductors and then twisted in the same way as thick ones. The conductors must wrap each other at least 5 times. Then the twists are bent in half with tweezers. This technique increases mechanical strength and reduces the physical size of the twist.

As you can see, all eight conductors are connected by twisting with a shift, which makes it possible to do without isolating each of them separately.

All that remains is to tuck the conductors into the cable sheath. Before refueling, to make it more convenient, you can tighten the conductors with a roll of insulating tape.

All that remains is to secure the cable sheath with insulating tape and the twist connection is complete.

Connecting copper wires in any combination by soldering

When connecting and repairing electrical appliances, you have to lengthen and connect wires with different cross-sections in almost any combination. Let's consider the case of connecting two stranded conductors with different cross-sections and number of cores. One wire has 6 conductors with a diameter of 0.1 mm, and the second has 12 conductors with a diameter of 0.3 mm. Such thin wires cannot be reliably connected with simple twisting.

With the shift, you need to remove the insulation from the conductors. The wires are tinned with solder, and then the smaller gauge wire is wound around the larger gauge wire. It is enough to wind a few turns. The twisting area is soldered with solder. If a direct connection of wires is required, the thinner wire is bent and then the connection is insulated.

Using the same technology, a thin stranded wire is connected to a single-core wire with a larger cross-section.

As is obvious, using the technology described above, you can connect any copper wires of any electrical circuits. At the same time, we must not forget that the permissible current strength will be determined by the cross-section of the thinnest wire.

TV coaxial cable connection

There are three ways to extend or splice a coaxial television cable:
– TV extension cable, commercially available from 2 to 20 meters
– using an adapter TV F socket - F socket;
- soldering with a soldering iron.

Tinsel wire connection
twisted with single-core or stranded conductor

If it is necessary to give the cord very high flexibility and at the same time greater durability, the wires are made using a special technology. Its essence lies in winding very thin copper ribbons onto a cotton thread. This kind of wire is called tinsel.

The name is borrowed from tailors. Gold tinsel is used to embroider the ceremonial uniforms of high-ranking military officers, coats of arms and much more. Copper tinsel wires are currently used in the production of high-quality products - headphones, landline phones, that is, when the cord is subjected to intense bending during use of the product.

In a cord of tinsel conductors, as a rule, there are several and they are twisted together. It is almost impossible to solder such a conductor. To attach tinsel to the contacts of products, the ends of the conductors are crimped into the terminals with a special tool. To make a reliable and mechanically strong twist connection without tools, you can use the following technology.

The insulation is removed from the 10-15 mm tinsel conductors and the conductors with which it is necessary to connect the tinsel to a length of 20-25 mm with a shift using a knife in the manner described in the site article “Preparing wires for installation”. The tinsel thread is not removed.

Then the wires and the cord are applied to each other, the tinsel is bent along the conductor and the wire core is tightly wound onto the tinsel pressed against the insulation. It is enough to make three to five revolutions. Next, the second conductor is twisted. You will get a fairly strong twist with a shift. Several turns of insulating tape are wound and the twisted connection of the tinsel to a single-core wire is ready. Thanks to shear twisting technology, the connections do not need to be separately insulated. If you have a heat-shrinkable or polyvinyl chloride tube of a suitable diameter, you can put on a piece of it instead of insulating tape.

If you want to get a straight connection, you need to rotate the single-core wire 180° before insulating it. The mechanical strength of the twist will be greater. The connection of two cords with tinsel-type conductors to each other is carried out using the technology described above, only for wrapping, a piece of copper wire with a diameter of about 0.3-0.5 mm is taken and at least 8 turns must be made.

The need to fasten wires together can arise for many reasons, and if you are interested in the question: “How to connect wires correctly?”, We advise you to read the materials in this article. To carry out this type of work, you need to understand what the order and features of connecting the wires are, and carefully study what methods can be used to connect them.

Let's try to tell you in as much detail as possible about the main ways to solve this problem, consider the process of fastening the cables step by step, and show a photo of how to properly connect the wires on your own.

Connection methods

Today, electrical wires can be connected in several ways. The choice of one method or another is made based on your preferences: having learned about all the methods, you can choose the option that is most suitable and convenient for each specific case.

There are six main types of wire connections:

• twist;
• crimping;
• welding;
• soldering;
• screw terminals;
• self-clamping connections.

Let's look at step-by-step instructions on how to connect cables in one way or another.

Twist

Today, connecting electrical wires to each other using the twisting method is prohibited, since it is considered the most unreliable and unsafe compared to other methods. By choosing the twist option, all responsibility for possible consequences will be assigned only to you.

The connection will be very simple: you need to remove about 10-15 mm of insulation from each cable and carefully screw them onto each other. When fastening wires with a cross-section of up to 1 mm, at least 5 turns must be made, with a larger cross-section - at least 3 turns.

Crimping

The connection is made using a special sleeve corresponding to the size of the wiring bundle. The sleeve must be made of a material similar to the cable material.

To crimp the product, press pliers are used, with the help of which the sleeves are crimped. At home, some people clamp the sleeve with pliers, but it has been found that such a connection will be weak and unreliable.

Instructions on how to connect the wires this way:

• Based on the length of the sleeve used for the work, remove the insulating material from the cables;
• twist the wires into a common bundle and place in the sleeve;
• crimp the connector using press pliers;
• insulate the resulting connection with heat shrink or electrical tape.

Welding

Using this method, at the end of the work you will receive an essentially solid cable. He will not be afraid of oxidation processes or any other negative impact characteristic of disconnected wires.

To complete the work you will need the following elements:

• welding machine;
• sandpaper;
• flux;
• personal protective equipment – ​​gloves, goggles;
• carbon electrode.

At the first stage, you need to clean the cables from insulation and strip the wires until shiny using sandpaper. Then twist the wires together. The third step will be to fill the recess of the carbon electrode with flux.

Afterwards, you need to put it into working condition, press the electrode to the place where the cables are twisted and hold it there until a ball is formed, in other words - a contact point.

The resulting contact point must be cleaned of flux and coated with a special varnish. At the final stage, you need to insulate the connection.

Soldering

The sequence of actions will correspond to the previous method using a welding machine, the main difference is that the wires are connected to each other using solder, which is melted with a soldering iron.

The connection obtained by soldering is considered reliable and durable, but this method should not be used in places where the wires may become very hot. It is also not advisable to carry out soldering in places where there is a possibility of mechanical stress on the resulting connection.

Screw terminals

This method will allow you to quickly and easily connect wiring, for example, in a junction box. Such clamps allow you to connect both homogeneous and dissimilar conductors.

The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

• peel the insulating layer from the cables (about 5-7 mm of insulation);
• insert their ends into the clamp and tighten the screw tightly.

Self-clamping connections

This method is the most popular and modern. Self-clamping devices are easy to use.

Also, inside these compounds there is a paste that completely eliminates the possibility of metal oxidation. This function allows you to place both homogeneous and dissimilar conductors in the clips.

The actions will be as follows:

• remove 10 mm of insulating material from each cable;
• lift the lever of the self-clamping device;
• place the conductor in the clip;
• lower the clip lever.

Clamps that do not have levers simply need to be snapped into place.

Even a person who has no experience working with electrical wires can connect the wires with their own hands.

After studying all possible methods, you can choose the one that seems most understandable and easy to you. And by studying the detailed instructions for each method of connecting cables, a favorable outcome of the work can be guaranteed.

Almost everyone had to twist wires at least once. You will say that this is a fairly simple procedure. On the one hand, indeed, in order to intertwine several cores with each other and put them in a junction box, you do not need to have any special skills.

But not everything is so simple! After all, twisting wires is one thing, but doing it QUALITY and RELIABLY is a completely different matter.

Unfortunately, homemade twisting of wires often causes electrical fires. That is why such a procedure should be approached very responsibly. So that you can be confident in your work and not worry about the fact that somewhere you have poorly insulated or twisted the wires securely enough, we will tell you how to do everything correctly.

Why can twisting wires be dangerous?

So, let’s confirm: twisting wires is rightfully considered the most dangerous connection method. Why?

This is because the degree of contact between two or several conductors at once depends only on the quality of the work you perform. Moreover, over time, weakly bent veins will gradually become even weaker. What does this mean? Well, at least because at high electric current loads in this zone there will be too weak contact. The result is heating of the wires, destruction of the insulating layer and a disastrous ending in the form of a short circuit (we are generally silent about fire and electric shock).

According to the rules of the PUE, this method of connecting wires is completely prohibited. Although, of course, almost all electricians resort to a similar method in ordinary everyday work. And here’s what professional practitioners say: if you twist the wires correctly and carefully insulate them, you won’t have any problems at all. The veins themselves can serve faithfully for another couple of decades.

This begs the question - how to twist wires correctly and “forever”? Let's talk.

Reliable twisting of wires: detailed instructions

For the sake of an example, let’s take the simplest situation - it is necessary to fasten a pair of single-core wires together (let’s assume that both conductors are made of copper). The course of action is as follows:

1. Carefully strip both wires using a special tool or a simple knife, removing the insulation by about five centimeters;
2. Degrease bare contacts with acetone;
3. Take a piece of sandpaper and sand the ends of the conductors to a pronounced metallic color;
4. We lay the bare wires crosswise and slowly wrap one wire around the other (the procedure is performed using pliers, the number of turns is at least five);
5. We wind the second core in the same way;
6. We tightly wrap the twisted area with electrical tape (it would also be a good idea to use a heat-shrinkable cambric - a special tube that will protect the exposed area from the external environment).

You can safely note that there is nothing complicated in the procedure. The main thing is to expose sections of the wires by at least five centimeters and confidently twist them together with pliers, thereby ensuring strong contact.

Options for twisting single-core wires

What about the more complex situation of twisting solid and stranded wires together? Here you need to follow the first two points of the above instructions, after which you need to cross the products together and tightly wind the stranded wire around the single-core wire (at a distance of a couple of centimeters from its end).

Reeled in? Then we take the remaining single-core end and bend it in one smooth movement towards the turns of the stranded conductor. When the task is completed, the wires are insulated and placed in a distribution box. Absolutely the same course of action will help when twisting two stranded wires.

By the way, what is important is that we absolutely do not recommend twisting copper and aluminum wires. Not only professional electricians speak about this, but also regulatory documents - the same GOST. You should not make such twists because copper and aluminum have different metal resistance indicators. Also, when they interact, oxidation occurs, and this in turn significantly worsens the contact.

There is also the following nuance: copper and aluminum have different physical properties in the sense that one of the metals is hard and the other is soft. This will also have an extremely negative impact on the quality of contact between the two conductors.

Video about twisting wires

If you want to be sure of the quality of the connection you made, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following recommendations:

Use these tips; they will definitely not interfere with you when performing any electrical work where there is a need to connect wires to each other. What is important to pay attention to is that the above methods do not make the twist waterproof. So if you are planning to fasten the conductors in the wall under a layer of plaster (and without a box), be sure to insulate the joints with cambrics.

What's the conclusion?

So we told you about how to twist wires yourself. We advise you to resort to this method only when installing temporary electrical wiring; in other cases, use more modern and safe methods. Also, never forget to turn off the power to your home before starting any electrical work. Good luck!

In the article we will tell you how to connect the power cable to the panel/battery/amplifier/socket, etc., we will look at diagrams and instructions. Industrial enterprises produce a large number of varieties of power cables and circuit elements through which they are connected:

• Distribution boards;
• Sockets, single-phase, three-phase;
• Connectors of various designs for household and industrial equipment;
• Batteries in DC networks and others.

In all cases, there are features of installation work that are recommended to be observed to ensure high-quality contacts.

Reliable connection of the cable with other network elements ensures long-term and trouble-free operation of the power line itself, all its elements and equipment connected to it.

Connecting the power cable to the distribution board

• Many factors are taken into account before laying the cable to the distribution board:
• Location of control panel;
• Outdoors, in a dry room or with high humidity;
• Design of the switchboard, installation location of busbars and cable fastening elements;

First of all, it is planned from which side the cable will approach the distribution board. In plastic and metal enclosures of the distribution board, the contours of technological holes are stamped in production for cable entry from several sides. This stamping allows you to quickly open the hole from the desired side. Please note that according to the requirements of PUE clauses 1.1.7 and 1.1.8, outdoors in the open air or in rooms with high humidity, cables are installed only from the bottom side of the distribution board. This reduces the likelihood of moisture getting under the outer insulating shell and inside the cabinet.

Cable stripping and connection

Almost all input cables for high current loads have at least double insulation on each core and an outer sheath. Therefore, regardless of what brand of cable, the following operations are performed for installation:

• 
  

  Using a mounting knife, remove the outer insulating layer 150 - 250 mm from the end of the cable;

• Separate the wires; it is recommended to immediately mark the cable and each wire. There are many ways of marking, one of the simplest is to put cambrics on the wires with the appropriate inscriptions. A sticker is glued onto the common shell and wrapped with transparent tape; it indicates where the cable comes from and where, the cable brand, the number and cross-section of cores, and length. Wires of the same color can be marked with colored cambric or electrical tape; this marking is clear to professional electricians. Blue, black color indicates neutral wire, red, brown or white phase, yellow-green ground.
• The cable is inserted into the control panel with a margin of up to 0.5 m for cutting and in case of possible changes in the connection diagram. To do this, near the cabinet it is folded into a loop; if space allows, the loop can be placed inside the cabinet.
• In modern switchboards, holders or crossbars are made for laying cables in vertical or horizontal positions. The cable is secured to the fastening elements with plastic clamps with a lock.
• Inside the cabinet, the cable is mounted towards the busbars or towards the contacts of the input circuit breaker.
• The ends of the wires are stripped of 1-1.5 cm of insulation, tubular lugs of the appropriate diameter are put on them and crimped with a special press.

• The contact tips are flattened on one side and have holes for bolts with which the contact plane is pressed against the busbar or terminal of the circuit breaker.

• Some models of automatic protective switches do not require lugs; the bare ends of the wires are inserted into the contact group and clamped with bolts.

For reliable contact, it is very important that the surfaces of the tips are adjacent to the tires as much as possible. Under such conditions, good current flow will be ensured. Wires with a cross-section of up to 10 mm 2 in the distribution board and ASU can be connected to special blocks with clamping bolts, where no lugs are required.

When connecting the cable to three-phase line switchboards, the requirements for laying the cable to the cabinet and inside remain the same, except for the marking, the neutral wire and grounding are indicated by the letter “N” in the colors blue, cyan and “PEN” - yellow-green. The phases are designated by the letters “A”, “B” and “C”. All cables are marked on both sides and the wire designations on both ends must match. Read also the article: → "".

Connecting power cables to outlets

For wiring in the socket group of premises, it is recommended to use VVG cable. In wooden structures they lay VVGng, which has insulation made of non-flammable material; there is an imported analogue of this NYM wire, but it is significantly more expensive.

Tip #1. It is not recommended to install PUNP brand wires; they are convenient for installation, but very rarely correspond to the declared characteristics. This is due to unscrupulous manufacturers, 80% of the products on the market are defective, the percentage of copper in the alloy is underestimated, the insulation layer and wire cross-section are thinner, and there are many other inconsistencies. These shortcomings lead to emergency situations: the cable cannot withstand the calculated current loads, and the wires burn out.

When planning, the maximum power of electrical appliances connected to the socket group is taken into account; the choice of wire cross-section depends on this. Statistics and practical experience show that for an apartment or private house, wires with a cross-section of 4 mm 2 are laid between distribution boxes in socket groups. From the junction box to the 2.5 mm 2 socket, provided that ordinary household appliances of low power, TV, iron, refrigerator, hand-held power tools and other equipment are turned on.

In distribution boxes and socket boxes, the cable is inserted to 15 - 20 cm, the outer sheath is removed up to 10 cm, the insulation from the wires is 5 cm in the distribution box, in socket boxes up to 1 cm. The bare ends in the distribution box for connection to the socket are twisted together with two pliers . Both wires are clamped together near the end of the insulation, and near the bare ends. The first ones remain stationary; the second ones make rotational movements to twist a pair or more wires.

In this case, you need to have a sense of proportion, twist tightly, but not overtighten until the twist breaks. In the classic version, the ends of the strands in the distribution boxes are welded with a welding machine, a step-down DC transformer, with a graphite electrode. But most often, installers do not adhere to these technologies; the twists are simply insulated with electrical tape or plastic caps. Read also the article: → "".

From the distribution board to the socket, the cable wires are connected in accordance with the requirements of the PUE, by color. A red or brown wire comes from the phase contact; they are also connected in the distribution box and go down to the socket. Neutral wires with blue insulation and yellow-green are connected throughout the network, starting from the grounding bus in the control panel.

The socket is connected to the wires coming out of the socket box; the phase and neutral conductors are attached to the contacts into which the plug from electrical appliances is inserted. A grounding wire to a contact with a grounding designation; the methods of fixing the wires to the contacts may be different, it depends on the type of sockets.

There are contact groups with screw terminals or spring terminals. After connecting the wires and the socket body, they are packed into a socket box, spacer screws are screwed in, and everything is closed with a decorative front cover.

Features of connecting power cables to a battery or other DC sources

At industrial facilities and in household activities, equipment operating from DC sources is often used. The most common batteries are:

• They are installed for the starter, starting the engine and powering other automotive equipment;
• Connect to chargers;
• To inverters (converters) of DC voltage into alternating current 12/220V; 24/220V and others;
• Batteries are actively used as backup power sources in the absence of voltage in the industrial network and other options.

In all of the above cases, in order to ensure long-term and trouble-free operation of the equipment, it is very important to correctly connect the cable:

• The most important requirement for connecting a cable or individual wires to a battery is compliance with the polarities. Otherwise, the electronic components of the equipment may burn out and the battery may be discharged. The wire connected to the positive terminal is usually installed with red insulation; blue or black wires are connected to the negative terminal.

On the battery case, near the contacts, the signs “+” and “-” are indicated. The same symbols are placed on the connected equipment and on the ends of the wires on both sides;

• It is imperative to take into account the cross-section of the wires; it must correspond to the currents of the connected load; this can be correctly determined using pre-calculated tables.
• The reliability of the connected contacts is of great importance; for this purpose, special terminals, lead or brass, are made for acid batteries. The design of the terminals provides places for installing the wires and contacts of the battery; the clamping is carried out with bolts. For lithium-ion batteries, the contact connections may be of a different design.

Before connecting all cells to the battery contacts, it is very important to ensure they are clean, especially on acid batteries that have been in use. Oxide builds up on lead and brass elements, which prevents the passage of current. To remove it, metal brushes are used; you can take a hard toothbrush to treat the contacts with an alkaline solution, which neutralizes the acidic components. After cleaning, you can put the terminals with wires on the battery contacts and tighten them with bolts.

Connecting an amplifier (subwoofer) to a car battery

Some fans of loud music install power amplifiers to car radios and players. The problem with this scheme is that it consumes a lot of power; the car battery is not always enough to provide power for car equipment and musical equipment. In this case, use a separate additional battery. In any case, it is important to correctly calculate all the necessary parameters and perform the installation correctly:

• First of all, the installation location of the amplifier is determined, usually this is done in the rear of the car in the trunk;
• The distance for laying the power cables to the battery is calculated;
• The brand of cable is selected and the cross-section of the wires is calculated based on the power of the amplifier.

For car radios, amplifiers with a power of 50 - 80 W are used, calculations are carried out according to the formula:

I=P/U The flowing current “I” flowing through the wires is equal to the ratio of the power “P” of the amplifier to the voltage of the car battery “U”. If your four channel amplifier is 60W x 4 = 240W, the total power consumption. The current in the subwoofer power circuit will be 240W/12V = 20A. For a power reserve, we will add approximately 20% and, according to the table, select the required wire cross-section based on a current of 24A. With direct current, power depends significantly on the length of the wire from the power source to the consumer.

Practice shows that a cross-section of 1.5 - 2.5 mm is quite sufficient to power the amplifier from an on-board 12V battery.

The wires selected are flexible, multi-core with a reliable insulating layer. The red one is connected to the positive terminal of the battery and the corresponding terminal on the amplifier, through a fuse of the calculated current value.

From the trunk to the engine compartment, where the 4-5 m battery is located, the cable is laid in a corrugated hose. The corrugation is laid into the front panel partition through technological holes with rubber seals to prevent insulation chafing and short circuits under vibration conditions. The negative polarity wire is attached between the negative terminal of the amplifier and the nearest bolt on the car body in the luggage compartment.

Tip #2. It is not recommended to lay control and speaker wires in parallel next to the power wires. This will cause noise and distorted sound playback.

To connect on-board equipment to the battery, cables with flexible multi-core wires are usually used. For the installation of external lighting lines and hidden wiring of socket groups, grades with monolithic rigid wires of small cross-section are laid. To connect distribution switchboards from substations and overhead lines, large cross-section cables of 10, 16 mm 2 or more with monolithic cores and stranded wires made of aluminum or copper alloy are used.

Some brands of power cables

Manufacturers make a large number of brands of wires with stranded wires, but only a few types are in great demand for connecting household, industrial equipment and individual structures. Read also the article: → "".

VVG. A power cable with multi-core copper wires, sealed and durable PVC insulation, is laid to connect the distribution board over the air on cables, along walls, underground and cable ducts in various structures. It is very flexible and suitable for routes with a lot of turns and bends.

AVVG. This is practically the same cable as VVG, but the letter “A” means that the conductors are made of aluminum wire; without the letter, the default means that the wires are copper.

Two letters “B” mean that each core and outer sheath are covered with a vinyl layer of insulation, “G” - the bare cable does not have additional armored protection.

Specifications:

AVK. The cable has a coaxial design, in the center there is a monolithic aluminum core, then an insulating vinyl layer, which is shielded by thin aluminum wires arranged in a row around the diameter along the entire length. The outer shell is made of durable sealed plastic.

The cable is very practical; it can be laid from overhead lines with voltages up to 380V, underground from substations to distribution boards of buildings. One of its main advantages is considered to eliminate the possibility of unauthorized connection on uncontrolled sections of the route.

SIP-4. A special feature of this cable is its self-supporting design, which allows the cable to be placed on overhead lines without cable suspension.

This quality makes it universal; it can be laid along the walls of buildings, underground and cable ducts, in rooms with high humidity. It has reliable sealed PVC insulation on each wire with a multi-core structure.

Main parameters of SIP-4:

Number and cross-section of cores, mm 2	outerØ mm	SIP cable weight, kg/km
1x16	7.5	70
1x25	8.5	100
2x16	15.5	140
2x25	17.5	200
3x16	16.5	205
3x25	18.5	290
4x16	18.5	280
4x25	21.0	395

For the supply from the overhead line to the control panel of a residential building, 3x16 or 4x16 cables are usually used; the number of wires in the cable and the cross-section are quite sufficient for the power consumed in domestic conditions.

AVBbShv/VBBShv. The design feature of this cable is the presence of an armored layer; two steel tapes are wound onto the surface of the cable so that the top one covers the gaps between the turns of the bottom tape. The cable is fully armored, in addition there is PVC insulation on each core and a common sheath.

Explanation of markings:

• A - aluminum conductors can be monolithic or twisted from individual wires; the absence of this letter by default implies a copper alloy of wires.
• B – vinyl insulation of wires;
• BB – armored steel belts;
• Shv – PVC hose as an outer insulating sheath.
• Shv ng - may indicate that the insulation is made of non-combustible materials.

The cable structure can have from 1 to 5 cores of the same or different cross-sections; usually the yellow-green or neutral blue ground wire is made of a smaller diameter. To connect private houses, do not use cables with a wire cross-section of more than 16mm 2. At industrial facilities, the cross-section can reach 300 mm 2 or more.

Specifications:

Number of cores, mm 2	Cable outer diameter, mm		Weight of 1 km cable, kg
			AVBbShv		AVBbShv ng
	~ 660 V	~1000 V	~660 V	~1000 V	~660 V	~1000 V

3x4	15.5	17	380	435	395	450
3x6	16.5	18	435	495	450	510
3x10	19.0	19.5	575	595	595	615
3x16	21.5	22.0	720	744	745	770
3x25	25	25.5	955	980	985	1010
3x35	27.0	27.5	1135	1160	1170	1200
3x50	30.5	31.0	1445	1480	1490	1525
3x4+1x2.5	16.5	—	420	—	435	—
3x6+1x2.5	17.5	—	490	—	505	—
3x6+1x4	17.5	19.0	370	555	390	570
3x10+1x4	30	—	675	—	695

A cable with armored protection can be laid in an environment with high humidity and underground, but this does not exclude the possibility of using it in other more favorable conditions.

Errors when choosing a cable and connecting

• The most common mistakes during installation work are made when choosing a cable. Be sure to take into account the conditions in which it will be operated and calculate the required cross-section. If you install an armored cable with a large cross-section where VVG 3x6 is sufficient, there will be unnecessary financial costs and problems in installation work. You will not receive any advantages during operation and savings.
• When connecting to the distribution board busbars, do not install copper lugs on aluminum wires and vice versa. Heterogeneous metals have different resistances, this leads to large current losses and heating of the wires at the connection points.
• Try to ensure that the busbars in the control panel and the wires are of the same metal, copper or aluminum. If they are different, then use combination adapter lugs to connect aluminum to copper.
• After connecting the cable to the busbars or circuit breakers, connect the maximum possible load for a couple of hours. Then de-energize the switchboard and tighten all bolted connections on the contacts. This is especially important at industrial facilities, where there are large current loads in the network for a long time; contacts are inspected and stretched once a week. If the clamping is insufficient, the contacts will burn out.
• It is not recommended to loop the end of the bare wire around the clamping bolt with washer to contact the busbar. Such a connection has a smaller contact area than a tip, and the current loss will be greater.

Frequently asked questions V polls

Question No. 1. Can aluminum wires from AVVG be connected to a battery?

No, especially for acidic ones, there will be large current losses due to the difference in resistance across the transitions. The contacts are lead, the terminals can be copper, and the wires are aluminum.

Question No. 2. In a car, can an amplifier with a 220V power supply be connected via a 12/220V inverter?

It is practically possible, but it is better to use 12V equipment in order to save energy and safety.

Question No. 3. What wire is best to connect welding machines?

It is possible with multi-core VVG, but it is better with rubber insulation KG, the cross-section is calculated based on the power of the device.

Question No. 4. From power lines to the distribution board at home, which cable is best to use?

The best brand is SIP with a cross-section of 10 - 16 mm2, this is quite enough, less installation costs, and no additional wiring is required at a distance of up to 20 m.

Question No. 5. The cable runs along a concrete fence, they are constantly being connected, stealing electricity, damaging the insulation, how to avoid this?

You can, of course, bury the cable, or run it over an overhead line; if this is expensive or impossible, the best option is to install an AVK brand cable. Its design eliminates the possibility of unauthorized connection in uncontrolled areas.