24 Gauge wire

[Cajonpassfan]

Help! Got a deal on some solid 24 Ga. copper wire, a bit lighter than what I've used before, to use for wiring Tortoises' power supply leads. The longest lead is about 6'. I assume the 24 Ga. wire can handle the continuous stall current. (Using a 1 amp, 12 V power supply for 23 Tortoises). Should I worry about the wire size?
Knowledgeable comments appreciated!
Otto K.

[eja]

Ohm's Law

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/ohmlaw.html

Have fun....

[peteski]

What eja said.

Is that 6' (24' if you count both conductors) run going to carry the stall current of all the machines at once?  In any case, you can calculate the voltage drop and power dissipated by the wire to see if it is too light to handle the load.  I think you'll be fine.

[Cajonpassfan]

6x2=24? 
No, the 24 gauge wire only runs from the control board to the Tortoise. One switch machine at a time except for crossovers, where there are two Tortoises controlled by one set of wires. I'm pretty sure I'm good.
Otto K.

[C855B]

You're more than good. Tortoises are advertised to be 16mA at stall. That's nuthin'. Relatively speaking, 24 ga. is a fire hose.

[peteski]

6x2=24? 
No, the 24 gauge wire only runs from the control board to the Tortoise. One switch machine at a time except for crossovers, where there are two Tortoises controlled by one set of wires. I'm pretty sure I'm good.
Otto K.

That is correct - since you run 2 conductors between the power supply and device, the wire length is doubled.  for single machines you are fine.

Friend uses a CAT-5 network cable for his Tortoise machines and some of the runs are probably closer to 20 or 30 feet (that is 40 or 60 feet of wire per machine).  I'm pretty sure CAT-5 cables use wire thinner than 24 AWG.

[John]

Friend uses a CAT-5 network cable for his Tortoise machines and some of the runs are probably closer to 20 or 30 feet (that is 40 or 60 feet of wire per machine).  I'm pretty sure CAT-5 cables use wire thinner than 24 AWG.

I use CAT5 for all my tortoise runs, and signal mast cabling from my SE8Cs .. no problem

[davefoxx]

I use CAT5 for all my tortoise runs, and signal mast cabling from my SE8Cs .. no problem

Prove it, John.  A rumor started eight days ago has it that you tore down the layout and moved to Carolina.   

DFF

[John]

Prove it, John.  A rumor started eight days ago has it that you tore down the layout and moved to Carolina.   

DFF

It's already rebuilt

[davefoxx]

It's already rebuilt

And, amazingly, it fit into a space that looks suspiciously just like your old basement.  Good planning, sir.  Impressive.   

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks for the feedback everybody, even if I don't understand Peteski's math. I do have high hopes of making some wiring progress this weekend....a rainy weekend he in sunny SoCal
Otto K.

[peteski]

Thanks for the feedback everybody, even if I don't understand Peteski's math. I do have high hopes of making some wiring progress this weekend....a rainy weekend he in sunny SoCal
Otto K.

It is sunny in Northeast Mass. this morning, but the temp. is only in the 40s.. 

Maybe I'm not understanding you correctly.  If you have 2 electric devices (like a power supply and a switch machine)  6' feet apart, and you need to connect them together in a way that they will work, you need to use a pair of 6' wires. You need to think of the wire as a loop between the devices. That is a total 12' of wire length between those 2 devices. This is important when trying to seriously calculate the total resistance of the wire, or the voltage drop, or power dissipated.  But with the info you provided, and with the collective experience of the people who replied, there is no need to do any calculations - you should be all set.

[Cajonpassfan]

Pete, I get the 12, didn't get the 24. But as you said, it's really moot...
Thanks for your help. Time to get off the iPad and onto (or under) the layout
Otto

[peteski]

Pete, I get the 12, didn't get the 24. But as you said, it's really moot...
Thanks for your help. Time to get off the iPad and onto (or under) the layout
Otto

That is because ... it would be me!  The fuzzy Polish Reverse Notation math.      24 was a wrong answer.   Sorry! I don't know why I did that, and why I didn't see that mistake after it was pointed out few times. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Lol Peteski, mystery solved, but I'm not gonna touch your ethnic-based explanation with a ten foot Pole
Otto