Keep Wires Locked Together With Lineman Splice
Splicing and soldering wires is a basic skill that any DIYer can master, but it all starts with a strong connection between two wires. This is where Lineman docking comes in handy.
You can connect the two wires with a wire stripper and electrical tape, but you need to solder them together to properly connect, or at least use wire nuts . Wire nuts are screwed clockwise onto the end of the braid splice, or twisted and folded as shown in the video above. Wire nuts connect and protect wires, but often you will need an inline splice method that does not change the diameter of the wire.
The inline connector or Western Union connector (it was developed during the advent of the telegraph) is a line-to-wire method that ties two wires together in such a way that if the wires are stretched, the connection will tighten. This is shown in the 2:02 video above.
According to Make , this is NASA’s preferred connection method. Here’s how they suggest doing it (link to page 84 NASA-STD 8739.4 ):
- The cores must be pre-tinned.
- Each wire must have at least 3 turns, and the winding must be tight, with no gaps between adjacent turns.
- Wraps should not overlap and the ends of the wrap should be flush cut before soldering to prevent protruding ends.
- Conductors must not cover the insulation of another wire.
It can be tricky to twist the wires tight enough, so consider the “modified” Lineman joint shown at 58 in the video above. This twists the wires together and then twists them towards itself.
Enjoy strong ties, ready to go in space.
How to twist wires for soldering “wiki useful Wire Barn (YouTube)