Splicing wires hardly seems like a complicated task, but in fact it can be. I trust that if you're reading
this, you've already read the guide to soldering and the guide
to crimping, so I'm writing this mainly for pedagogical reasons.
Do's:
Do make sure that the ends of both wires are clean, dry, and adequately stripped.
Do make sure that your finished wire will be long enough that there is no stress on the joint.
When soldering, Do use good quality electician's solder and flux. You can buy a "flux pen" at most
places that sell solder -- it's easy to work with and does not leave a mess that needs to be cleaned up.
When crimping, crimp each side of the butt splice twice, preferably at different angles.
Do a "tug test" when you're done. This is not a destructive test, but a light tug to make sure that the
connection is tight.
Do wrap your connection, and the wires at least 2 inches around it, with lots of tape, heat shrink tubing,
or other forms of strain relief. Otherwise your connection will flex right around the connection and could break.
Don'ts:
Don't use insulation displacement connectors (IDCs). This is a Serious Breach of Decorum, and you will be punished
with an unreliable connection.
Don't just twist the two wires together and wrap them with black tape. This is also a Serious Breach of Decorum.
If you are splicing multiple wires, don't put the splices side by side -- stagger them so that where one ends, the
next begins. This way, if there is a problem with one splice, the chances of arcing are reduced.
Don't use plumber's solder or your arc welder to solder wires.
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