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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: Duck69 on August 25, 2006, 09:44:06 AM

Title: Low voltage wire
Post by: Duck69 on August 25, 2006, 09:44:06 AM

I have an automatic gate opener to which I'm adding X10 control.
I have to run low voltage wire from the gate transformer to the gate control box. I also have to run low voltage wire from a UM506 to the control box.
My question is this. Is it OK to use 4 wire low voltage cable to do this ? Or, is the fact that all 4 wires are in the same cable cause a problem ? 2 of the wires to provide power to the opener and the other 2 wires for the UM506 to provide momentary contact.

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: Oldtimer on August 25, 2006, 10:46:44 AM

The critical spec is the size of the wire in the low voltage cable to power the gate not having the control circuit in the same cable.  Does the gate opener manufacturer specify what size wire is required over different distances for proper operation?  The lower the voltage the more amperage in most cases and the higher amperage makes wire size critical. Once you have found that out you'll probably be able to get four conductor low voltage wire of the right size at an electrical wholesale outfit.  Having the control circuit in the same bundle shouldn't be a problem whatever the wire size.

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: JimC on August 25, 2006, 11:21:35 AM

Normally this would not be a problem depending on the length of the wire. If you have any armature radio operators in the near vicinity (you can tell buy the ugly antennas on and around their house) you might want to avoid wire lengths that correspond to multiples of the frequencies they operate on. If this is a concern you might want to concider using twisted pairs.  ;D

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: Oldtimer on August 25, 2006, 01:28:27 PM

Piece of cake.  Go for it!

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: Brian H on August 29, 2006, 04:19:40 PM

I take it that the RR501 is for receiving an RF remotes signals and it controls the UM506.

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: steven r on August 29, 2006, 04:30:27 PM

Quote from: JimC on August 25, 2006, 11:21:35 AM

...you might want to concider using twisted pairs....

I agree. I'd recommend twisted any case. Not really any more problem to wire and the extra protection of the twisted pair could make the difference between having to rewire later.

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: Duck69 on August 29, 2006, 05:29:28 PM

Yes, the RR501 is for receiving RF and controls the UM506.
The wire I used was 16 gauge dual conductor, multi-stranded, direct burial wire.

Title: Re: Low voltage wire
Post by: Brian H on August 30, 2006, 06:56:45 AM

Looks like a good choice of wire.