Electrical Wire For My Range Finder Issues:

[Dha Syntir]

For the life of me I cannot find wiring small enough to wire up my leds in my range finder. I've been to every Radio Shack, automotive store, and hardware store in a 20 mile radius and none seem to carry any really small gauge wire. Even online I'm not having much luck. The issue is that my BM stalk is hollow, technically. But when you go trying to put two wires through it, not so much...Anyone else use one of BM's hollow stalks, and how did you get electricity to your leds? Or couldn't you wire them up? I'd hate to have to just glue in two leds that won't light up-and I'd also hate to shell out another $30 or so for another hollow stalk...Any suggestions? Please...

 

[tubachris85x]

Could you post some pics of the setup? Perhpas you can just use one wire, depending on how you set it up.

-tubachris

 

[Dha Syntir]

I'll try and take a few pics and give you a better description when I have more time. Being able to use only one wire would be sweet-hopefully you can help talk me through the gist of it anyway...Thank you very much-and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

[tubachris85x]

Hey, no problem, Im not an expert but Im sure I can help figure something out to solve that problem, and merry christmas to you too!

-tubachris

 

[GrottyFurball]

maybe 18 gage speaker wire?

 

[Dha Syntir]

Here's what I'm working with for the most part. The wire on the rolls are 22 gauge, the smallest available to me at present. What I'd like is something about the size of the led assembly shown in the center of the pic-which are an easy way to use leds on your armor (note that I'm not using the led assmebly for this application. I'll be using the 5mm leds on the right side of the photo below). You just drill the appropriate sized hole, put the assembly through, and use the washer and nut to screw it down tight. It can be limited in it's use I guess as it can be two inches long, and I wouldn't want them poking into me under the armor...Could I use 18 gauge speaker wire? I've never given it the thought really as I didn't think you could, or rather should do that as it wasn't rated to be a power wire. I'm no electrician, so it wouldn't surprise me that I could use speaker wire-just fill me in on the details if you could...

 

[tubachris85x]

hhhhhhhMMMMMMM..........So you'll be using the red and black wires to connect the LED's? Lemme ask, are those wires larger then the wires that are attached to the micro fan? They looks larger. If they are, I would recoomend taking the wires from the same micro fan that you got awhile back, and cut those off, and re-wire them to where you need to. It might work better cause they are really thin.

-tubachris

 

[Dha Syntir]

I never thought to tell you that the wires I'm needing are the same size as the ones on the Radio Shack micro fans we've been using for our buckets. Now I'm sure that'll make it easier for you to be able to tell the size of the wires-even with the pic it's still hard to tell. My goal is essentially to send power up the Bobamaker stalk to the 2 5mm leds mounted on the range finder. If I could just get a line on about a foot of black and red (one of each) wire the size of those on the RS micro fans, I'd be set. I actually think I may be starting to get the hang of wiring the leds and other electronics for our armor for the most part-that is when I have the right parts etc...

Another question. I've been seeing resistors shown in the wiring schematics for some of the led projects I've been seeing online. Will I be needing resistors in anything for my armor/gauntlets/bucket? And if so, which ones should I need and why do I need them? Thanks.

 

[tubachris85x]

I never thought to tell you that the wires I'm needing are the same size as the ones on the Radio Shack micro fans we've been using for our buckets. Now I'm sure that'll make it easier for you to be able to tell the size of the wires-even with the pic it's still hard to tell. My goal is essentially to send power up the Bobamaker stalk to the 2 5mm leds mounted on the range finder. If I could just get a line on about a foot of black and red (one of each) wire the size of those on the RS micro fans, I'd be set. I actually think I may be starting to get the hang of wiring the leds and other electronics for our armor for the most part-that is when I have the right parts etc...

Another question. I've been seeing resistors shown in the wiring schematics for some of the led projects I've been seeing online. Will I be needing resistors in anything for my armor/gauntlets/bucket? And if so, which ones should I need and why do I need them? Thanks.

Well, would you be able to do that with the micro fan wires? If you need more length, I guess the only other option is to get another one and soder that length of wire to the other, and cut it down to size. Thats another idea, but then again, your paying for another micro fan, but getting exactly what you want for the RF stalk.

The resisters if I remmember correctly are only if your having to reduce current? or Voltage? One of the two, but pretty much if you have a power source that puts out more then the device can have go through it, you would need resisters to reduce it. But thats what I remmember being told, or maybe I cant just remember lol

-tubachris

 

[Dha Syntir]

I already have two micro fans here-and the thought of soldering those wires to make one long enough and small enough to work. One question though. If they make that tiny wire for manufacturers for use in micro fan wiring, why can't I purchase similar wire somewhere? It'd make life alot easier on me, but once I get past this little hang up, I shouldn't have the same issue again...That's kinda what I assumed about the resistors. I didn't figure I'd be pushing that much current through anything I'll be wiring, so that's something I doubt I'll need. I just thought I'd ask as I've seen them shown in different schematics etc...Thanks guys, hopefully I'll have enough length of scavenged wire to make it through the entire stalk. I'd hate to have to go back to the drawing boards all over again...So what's with the speaker wire solution? Would I be able to use something like that if this method falls through, if I could find some source as a ground? Couldn't I run a ground wire inside to something metal, something small and out of the way? Just thinkin ahead...Thanks for all your help guys, I'd be lost without it!

 

[CuyvulDar73]

Greetings, just two thoughts from a new guy.
1: computer ribbon wire, if you peel off just two strands it might fit, and it would definately be long enough.
2: is the stalk your using metal or plasic? if it's metal you could use it as one side of the connection and thereby need only one wire running up the inside, just make sure it's insulated or your get a short.

Hope this helps

 

[Dha Syntir]

Well I have found several fixes for my problem-or rather several of you and a buddy of mine who tends to packrat away spare electronics components, wiring harnesses and the like. He happened to bring over some wire scavenged from inside a telephone cord, which Jun Garros Fett had advised me on doing earlier this evening-and many thanks to him also! I found this out after I had pretty much used the spare wire cut off of two micro PCU fans I'm using for my buy'ce-which tubachris85x had opened my eyes to the other day before my computer went berserk on me overnight...

My stalk is made by Bobamaker and is resin with an aluminum (I assume) tube as it's core which makes it hollow, but there's nowhere to hook the ground to the metal in the stalk, so I'm glad I found wires enough to go through it to wire everything up at last. Now I've run into another question for everyone. How did you all run the wire that's run through the stalk, through the helmet so that it can be run inside the helmet so I can mount it/wire it all up inside? I've drilled the hole through the helmet to mount the stalk just large enough to accomodate the bolt and not the wire from the stalk. The hole on the lower section of the stalk where the wire comes out is about an inch above the bolt hole. So do I drill a seperate hole for the wires or fix the hole so that it'll allow the wires in, and not impede the bolt from swiveling up and down. Can anyone clarify how to do this so the wire doesn't show and also has enough slack so the RF/stalk can swivel up and down also??? Between this and glueing in my visor is about all that's really standing in my way of getting my bucket finished finally. Well I guess they're never really finished, but you know what I mean...Thanks guys, you've all been patient with me and a great deal of help. I truly appreciate your time and thanks again!

 

[pennywise]

Go to a hobbie store and get some wire for model train set lights. Also the wire can be split with a contact on the range finder post and then on the helmet so when the rangefinder is in the lower position the contacts touch completing the circuit therefor lighting the led's and there are no wires exposed to get pinched when raising and lowering.

 

[VashDstampede]

Hey bud,
Once you find your wires (you can probably use speaker wires), check out this thread:
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/showthread.php?p=222804#post222804

Ely

 

[Dha Syntir]

Thanks for the heads up, that was very helpful. Did you hollow out a solid resin RF or make a hollow one? It looks like you've got everything but the kitchen sink in there! The way I've planned mine is for right now I'm just using a solid resin RF which I've drilled the led lights and ground out a perfect rectangle so that the stalk fits securely up inside the RF. I planned on just going ahead and wiring everything needed and and glue the leds in place and run the wire down the stalk and out the hole at the bottom and then through the helmet to where I'll have the switch and a 9V battery/holder-simple and user friendly for the technologically challenged...My last problem is how and where do I drill through the helmet so I can run the wires through to the inside of my helmet-so the wires are virtually unseen? I thought I'd just make a notch in the top of the hole I drilled to bolt the stalk on, to accomodate the wires.
I'll leave enough slack in the wires so the stalk can move up and down without it getting hung up etc...If anyone has used a Bobamaker resin stalk let me know how you ran your wiring inside your bucket without the wires being seen, Please...Thanks for all your input folks, you've just about walked me through this issue with minimal frustration on your part I believe this time! That's got to be a good sign of a prosperous New Year to come! Thanks again guys!

 

[Dha Syntir]

I can't believe what I just found. I was digging in my desk drawer for my soldering/electrical tools, and beneath the pouch holding the tools was a ziploc that happened to have some kind of harness from an old PC I had-and they were the right size and length to wire the helmet twice over...That tends to be how my luck runs, sometimes I wonder if I'm the target of the universe's cruel jokes... All that searching about and bugging you kind folks, when the solution to my problem was 6 inches away the whole time! :facepalm

 

[tubachris85x]

Well, just goes to show you, tha you can find solutions anywhere if you know where to look. Everytime im at a store or something, im always thinking in theback of my head, "hmmm. what kind of thing could I possibly use that to make." Good find, cant wait to see your finished product

-tubachris

 

[Mike M.]

i'm thinking about using the hollow rf from my rubies helmet. i think i can get 2 led's to run off a watch battery, a couple itty bitty capacitors to make them blink correctly, and a mecury switch out of an old thermostat. it's not a lot of space to work with, but that's the beauty of technology. if they can fit a phone, mp3 player, gps, video player, replaceable memory card, and internet device into a cell phone that is only 7 mm thick when it's closed, i can make two lights blink in a little plastic case!

 

[HMPOTC33]

I designed and built the fire fly type light set up you see in the Haunted mansion at Disneyland/WDW. I would say you might consider using "grain of rice lights" and they sell the appropriate gauge wire for them at any Radio Shack store. You'll use one small wire to each leg of the bulb, and this wire is really a little thicker than a hair, easy to work with, and the range finder will have plenty of room in it for the entire assembly.

 

[Dha Syntir]

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely look into it for sure!