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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