[hackpgh-discuss] Re: Robot Arm
- From: Friar <friarzen@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: hackpgh-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2011 18:25:01 -0500
Having done a bunch of wiring as a teen under the supervision of my father
(Head of Building Inspection
for the city of Battle Creek, MI, at the time) You need:
"standard" 10 AWG solid core "3-conductor" wire for 15amp 110V or less
"home" circuits. This has a plastic/paper outer cladding and 3 wires, one
white (hot), one black (negative) and either a bare copper or green ground
wire. Higher amp circuits need thicker (lower AWG) wire, a quick web search
seems to show http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm.
All ground wires in a circuit need to be copper-ring-crimped together, and
any metal conduit or metal junction boxes need to have a dedicated wire
connecting the box to the ground circuit.
Wire should be attached to the walls a minimum of every 18 inches, primarily
with hammered staples that are not allowed to pierce the cladding, or
enclosed in conduit. Each link in a circuit should have at least 6 inches
"extra" wire on each end to allow future work to be done on the circuit
junctions without having to run new wire. The wire should be just loose
enough in the staples to be able to slide without binding (this is normally
to allow for "house settling" and expansion/contraction due to heat,
probably not as much of an issue for the shop). Generally, any place the
wire could potentially be exposed to cutting/scoring/etc should be enclosed
in conduit.
The hardest part is wiring the circuit into the breaker box, that should
always be done LAST, as it is the most dangerous part. Complete the rest of
the circuit first and test connectivity at various places to make sure you
don't have any shorts, then wire the circuit to the panel, and finally
attach a breaker, turn it to ON, and make sure it does not immediately
"pop". From there, you should just double check the voltage at each
outlet/socket, just to make sure nothing is low (which would imply heating
somewhere from resistance and possible fire hazard).
Now, IANALE (I am not a licensed electrictian), so most of the above is from
memory, and was valid in the State of Michigan, so the building codes here
in PA could be different. I also don't know what the requirements are for
any required permits/legalisms that may apply (a pro would include those in
his estimate of work, I assume).
One option to ask an electrician would be to wire it all ourselves, but have
them just come in for the "last bit" of inspecting the work and then
connecting the circuit to the main breaker box. That might cost less.
*shrug*
--friar
On Sun, Jan 2, 2011 at 4:56 PM, Ed Paradis <legomaniac@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Would working on the primary wiring be a good project for the first
> half of the first day (or perhaps during this next week) be a good
> goal for the shopcation?
>
> We'd not need to get it all finished. Just a single extra breaker and
> line would be a world of difference!
>
> I remember it being a "lack of experience" and not a "lack of funds"
> for the DIY route. If someone could just write down what needs to be
> done, I'd feel comfortable doing it.
>
> Things I'd need to know:
> - what type of wire to use
> - tips on attaching the wire to the walls
> - adding a breaker to the breaker box
>
> Other tasks:
> - wire up an electrical outlet
> - wire up a switch
>
> Does anyone have one of those Home Depot "how to do electricity stuff"
> books? Or maybe it was Popular Mechanics or Reader's Digest... I
> think we could figure out everything we need to know with one of
> those.
>
> I'd say something like three separate lines (on separate breakers)
> from the box to the dividing wall would put us pretty far ahead of the
> curve. Off the top of my head, boxes could go right below the tool
> wall with one "up high" near the router for powering stuff up there.
> We might need to cut a hole in the white boards to bring some out on
> the 'meeting area' side.
>
> Ed
>
>
Other related posts:
