Knowledge modern technologies and methods of working with electrical fittings, is it really necessary? Yes, you need to know how to connect electrical wires correctly.

This can be useful during installation and installation of any power supply systems. Is the wiring burned out, does the lighting fixture need to be replaced, or new equipment needs to be installed. Such knowledge may not be necessary, but it would be better to know all the common methods of connecting electrical wires

Application in terminal block circuits

Terminal blocks are electrical products made of non-conducting material, inside of which a conductive sleeve is inserted, having a pair of screws at opposite ends. They serve to secure the wire. An excellent choice for implementation modern way wire connections.

When choosing a reliable connection of wires, it is important to remember: terminal blocks are produced with different holes for many cross-sections.

This method is almost always used for connections in junction boxes of any type, during installation, installation of wall and other lamps. It is suitable for. It is easy to mount a network using such fittings; you just need to insert the bare ends into the holes and, using moderate force, securely tighten the screws. The wire itself should not be crushed. Having figured out how to properly connect electrical wires using terminals, it is worth exploring other equally reliable methods.

Terminal method rating: Excellent fastening quality. Their prices are reasonable. Quite quick and easy installation. A good opportunity to connect different conductors, for example, aluminum and copper.

It is not recommended to connect aluminum and stranded circuits with blocks. This is due to the high fragility of aluminum wires and the great flexibility of the stranded wire conductors themselves. But overall a decent method.

Spring terminals

Quick installation of electrical networks is sometimes simply necessary. For example, install temporary lighting on a balcony, terrace, gazebo. Wago spring terminals are an excellent product for such work. A modern and of course reliable way to connect wires. Although they are new to the electrical accessories market, installation using spring terminals is quick and, importantly, convenient.

The main difference between the use of the Vago terminal blocks themselves: they are more convenient to connect any wires in electrical boxes than with twisting. Here, for high-quality installation, a unique clamping mechanism is used, rather than a simple screw. Manufacturers produce both disposable and reusable vagon systems.

1. In the usual version, this product is used for one-time use; during repair work in the future it cannot be restored. It is removed and a new one is installed in its place.
2. Wago reusable terminals are a little more expensive, but with their help you can disconnect the assembled contacts several times, rewiring the circuit to suit your needs. This speeds up the process of repairing or installing permanent and temporary networks. A simple lever-type mechanism provides the advantage that it is possible to carefully but efficiently fix any wire without damaging or squeezing it.

With the help of a vault, it’s easy to do the fastening yourself; you just need to strip the insulation and insert the required wires into the mounting hole. Press the lever. It's important to get it right.

Wago Clamp System Rating: A unique opportunity to combine any aluminum, copper and other conductors. There is an option for connecting multi-core cables simultaneously (two or more).

Wago universal clamps allow you to fix any thin stranded conductor without damaging it. Another plus is the compact size of the pads.

Wago self-clamping terminals

Excellent quality and durability. The Vago type block has a technological hole that provides access for a screwdriver with a voltage indicator. The operation of any power line can be checked at any time. Perhaps one drawback is the considerable cost of the terminals themselves. But this type of wire connection is the most modern and fastest.

Isolation with PPE caps

Deciphering the product is not difficult, connecting insulating clips (PPE). They are ordinary nylon or plastic caps with an internal lock.

The simplest type of connection of wires, it is carried out after twisting the conductors themselves, the cores. Caps are often used to connect wires in junction boxes and to mark connections with the desired color.

Evaluation of the use of such products: Quite low cost of PPE. The use of safe material prevents ignition of electrical wiring. Easy installation, put it on a twist of wires and you're done. These caps have a wide range of colors, which is convenient. Of course, if the wires are not color coded, colored PPE has the ability to determine or simply mark zero, phase and other necessary electrical routes.

There are also disadvantages: Insufficient level of fixation. Multicore wires can be installed only after soldering.

Installation of networks using sleeves

This option claims to be the most reliable connection method. Any load and quality of wires.

Crimping wires with sleeves

The conductive wires are inserted into a special tube - a sleeve, and crimped with a certain force. There is one thing, but. The cross-section of the wires should not exceed the cross-section of the mounted sleeves. Having inserted and crimped the clip, the sleeve is carefully insulated with heat-shrinkable tubing or other insulating materials.

Overall rating. A great way to securely connect wires. The direction of the conductors can be on different sides of the tube or on one side. The sleeves are quite inexpensive. Good way how to reliably connect the wires to each other.

There are also disadvantages. Disposable use of sleeves, they are not dismountable. To carry out such work you will need a tool: pressing pliers, which are also used as a special tool. They remove the insulation. They have a crimping device in their arsenal, and electrical installation work takes a little longer.

Soldering or welding wires

This method is reliable. Typically, this method of connection in a junction box involves first stripping and twisting the ends, after which they are dipped into heated solder. It is advisable to connect aluminum to aluminum wires by soldering. They are then insulated using a heat pipe or insulating tape.

Evaluation of the soldering method. It gives strong chain contacts and excellent quality, not expensive, it is the most reliable method of connecting electrical wires in a soldered box.

Technological disadvantage. You can't do this without a soldering iron. The speed of work is not high. The connection is naturally not detachable. It follows from this that soldering is done in extreme cases, using more modern connection methods. It has not been popular among masters for a long time because it takes more time.

There is also a less common method for connecting electrical wires, welding. The process is similar, but requires the use of a special welding machine, of course, and certain skills.

Contact twisting method

Not a new, one might say “old-fashioned” method, it consists of spiral twisting of the cores among themselves. The essence of all work is to twist the stripped conductors using pliers, and cover the twisted area with insulation. These are, perhaps, all the ways to twist wires.

Evaluation of this connection method. High speed all installation work. The cost part is minimal.

Flaw. It is prohibited to connect together strands of different compositions, copper and aluminum wires., oxidation is inevitable. According to the regulatory framework, fastening wires with twists in a junction box is not recommended for use in rooms with flammable materials, high humidity, basements, or in any house built of wood. More details about the twisting method. I definitely recommend watching a video about which is better: twisting or Vago terminal blocks.

Wire clamp "walnut"

Such a device is simply a cable clamp that has two plates inside and several screws for tightening, usually in the corners. It is enough to screw the wires to the plate itself. Then put a carbolite shell on top.

Grade. An excellent option for connecting any electrical wires in a large and medium-sized junction box. Definitely, these types of products are quite convenient and have a high degree of protection. Makes it possible to quickly connect a wire to a thick gauge track without tearing it.

Flaws. Dimensions allow installation only in spacious distribution boxes and switchboards. Over time, the screws loosen.

Tip: When choosing fittings and method, remember the following:

• It is necessary to work only with an isolated tool and use protective equipment.
• Be sure to post a “do not turn on” warning sign on the shutdown panel or meter.
• Connect electrical appliances according to the attached instructions.

Having considered the main types of wire connections, you can easily select the right option. And having a simple tool and a diagram at hand, you can mount it yourself. More details

When installing or repairing electrical wiring, when connecting household appliances and a lot of other work requires connecting conductors. In order for the connection of wires to be reliable and safe, it is necessary to know the features of each of them, where and when, under what conditions they can be used.

Existing methods of connecting conductors

Connecting wires can be done in several ways:

• welding is the most reliable way, providing high reliability of the connection, but requiring skills and a welding machine;
• terminal blocks - easy to do and quite reliable connection;
• soldering - works well if the currents do not exceed the norm and the connection does not heat up to temperatures above the norm (65°C);
• crimping with sleeves - requires knowledge of technology, special pliers, but the connection is reliable;
• use of spring clamps - wago, PPE - are quickly installed and, subject to operating conditions, ensure good contact;
• bolted connection - easy to perform, usually used in difficult cases - when it is necessary to switch from aluminum to copper and vice versa.

The specific type of connection is selected based on many factors. It is necessary to take into account the material of the conductor, its cross-section, the number of cores, the type of insulation, the number of conductors that will be connected, as well as operating conditions. Based on these factors, we will consider each type of connection.

Welding – high reliability in any conditions

When connecting wires by welding, the conductors are twisted and their ends are welded. As a result, a metal ball is formed, which provides a stable and very reliable connection in any conditions. Moreover, it is reliable not only in terms of electrical characteristics, but also mechanically - the metal of the connected wires after melting forms a monolith and it is impossible to isolate a separate conductor.

Welding - it is important to heat the metal, but not melt the insulation

The disadvantage of this type of wire connection is that the connection is 100% permanent. If you need to change something, you need to cut off the fused piece and do it all over again. Therefore, for such connections, a certain supply of wires is left in case of possible alterations.

Other disadvantages include the need for a welding machine, appropriate electrodes, flux and operating skills. In addition, welding takes a lot of time, it is necessary to protect surrounding objects, and it is also inconvenient to work with a welder at height. Because electricians this type connections are practiced in exceptional cases. If you are doing it “for yourself” and know how to handle a welding machine well, you can practice on scraps. The main trick is to not melt the insulation, but to weld the metal.

After cooling, the welding site is isolated. You can use electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.

Connecting wires by crimping

To crimp wires, a special aluminum or copper sleeve is required - it is selected based on the size of the twist (bundle diameter), and the material is the same as for the conductors. The bare wires, stripped to a shine, are twisted, a tube-sleeve is put on them, which is clamped with special pliers.

Both sleeves and pliers are different, there are several types. Each of them has its own rules of use (the number of wires that can be packed in a sleeve), which you need to be well versed in. It is necessary to pack the wires according to certain rules, measure the size of the resulting bundle, and adjust it to the requirements. In general, a rather dreary task. Therefore, this type of wire connection is mainly used by professional electricians, and more and more often they are switching to spring clamps.

Terminal blocks

One of the simplest and most reliable wire connections is through terminal blocks. There are several types, but almost all of them use a screw connection. There are sockets of different sizes - for different sizes of conductors, with different numbers of pairs - from 2 to 20 or more.

The terminal block itself is a plastic case in which a metal socket or plate is sealed. A bare conductor is inserted into this socket or between the plates and clamped with a screw. After the screw is tightened, you need to give the conductor a good tug to make sure it is tightly clamped. Due to the fact that the connection points remain uninsulated, the terminal blocks are used in rooms with normal humidity.

The disadvantage of such a connection: due to the ductility of metals - especially aluminum - the contact weakens over time, which can lead to an increase in the degree of heating and accelerated oxidation, which again leads to a decrease in contact. In general, the connection of wires in screw terminal boxes must be tightened periodically.

Advantages - speed, simplicity, low cost, does not require any skills, except the ability to use a screwdriver. Another important advantage is that you can easily connect wires of different diameters, single-core and stranded, copper and aluminum. There is no direct contact, so there are no risks.

Soldering

First, about soldering technology. The connected conductors are stripped of insulation, cleared of the oxide film to bare metal, twisted, and then tinned. To do this, the conductors are heated with a soldering iron and applied to rosin. It should cover the joint completely. Tinned wires are twisted first with your fingers, then pressed using pliers. Instead of tinning, you can use soldering flux. They wet the wires well, but after twisting.

Then, in fact, the soldering process begins: the joint is heated with a soldering iron or narrow torch. When rosin or flux begins to boil, take some of the solder onto the soldering iron tip and bring it into the soldering zone, pressing the tip against the conductors. The solder flows to fill the gaps between the wires, making a good connection. When using a torch, solder is simply added little by little into the torch.

Next, after the soldering area has cooled, according to the technology, it is necessary to wash off the remaining flux (they accelerate oxidation), dry the joint, cover it with a special protective varnish, and then insulate it with electrical tape and/or heat-shrinkable tubes.

Now about the advantages and disadvantages of this method of connecting wires. In low-current systems, soldering is one of the most reliable methods of connecting wires. But, when installing electrical wiring in a house or apartment, it is criticized mercilessly. The thing is that solder has a low melting point. When large currents periodically pass through the connection (this happens if the circuit breakers are incorrectly selected or faulty), the solder gradually melts and evaporates. Over and over again, the contact becomes worse and the connection heats up more and more. If this process is not detected, the matter may well end in a fire.

The second negative point is the low mechanical strength of soldering. It's the tin again - it's soft. If there are a lot of wires in a soldered joint, and if they are also rigid, when you try to pack them, the conductors often fall out of the solder joint - the elastic force is too great, which pulls them out. That’s why it is not recommended to use soldering connections when wiring electricity: it’s inconvenient, time-consuming and risky.

Spring clamps for connecting wires

One of the most controversial ways to connect wires is using spring clamps. There are several types, but the two most common are wago terminal blocks and PPE caps. Externally and in terms of installation method, they are very different, but both designs are based on a spring, which creates strong contact with the wire.

There is controversy about this spring. Opponents of using wago say that the spring will weaken over time, the contact will become worse, the connection will begin to heat up more and more, which, again, leads to an even more rapid decrease in the degree of elasticity of the spring. After some time, the temperature may rise so much that the body (plastic) will melt, but what can happen next is known.

Spring clamps for electrical wiring - popular connections for wires

In defense of using spring clamps to connect wires, if they are used according to manufacturers' recommendations, problems are very, very rare. Although there are many fakes of both wago and PPE, as well as a sufficient number of photographs of them in melted form. But, at the same time, many people use them, and, under normal operating conditions, they work for years without complaints.

wago wire clamps

They appeared on our market several years ago and made a lot of noise: with their help, the connection is very quick and easy, and at the same time has high reliability. The manufacturer has specific recommendations for using this product:

Inside these devices there is a metal plate, which ensures the proper degree of contact. The shape and its parameters of the plates were specially developed and tested. The tests were carried out on a vibration stand for many hours, then heated and cooled. After which they checked electrical parameters connections. All tests were passed “excellent” and branded products always perform “five”.

In general, the range of Wago products is very wide, but for installing electrical wiring or connecting home appliances and lighting fixtures, two types of wire clamps are used: series 222 (detachable) with the ability to reconnect or change the connection, and series 773 and 273 - which are called permanent.

Detachable

Spring clamps for electrical wiring Wago 222 series have a certain number of contact pads - from two to five - and the same number of locking flags. Before starting the connection, the flags are raised up, the conductors stripped of insulation are inserted into them (all the way), after which the flag is lowered. At this point the connection is considered complete.

Wago wire connectors - connection methods

If necessary, you can reconnect the connection - lift the locking flag and remove the conductor. Convenient, fast and reliable.

The 222 Vago series can be used to connect two or three, even five conductors made of copper or aluminum (you can connect different metals in one terminal). Wires can be single-core or multi-core, but with rigid wires. The maximum cross-section is 2.5 mm 2. Soft stranded wires can be connected with a cross-section from 0.08 mm 2 to 4 mm 2.

One-piece

There is another type of clamps that does not provide the ability to redo the connection of wires - series 773 and 273. When using these terminals, the work is generally done in seconds: the stripped wire is inserted into the appropriate socket. The spring present there clamps it, ensuring contact with the plate. All.

These spring loaded wire clamps can be used to connect solid aluminum or copper wires with cross-sectional area from 0.75 mm 2 to 2.5 mm 2, stranded with rigid wires - from 1.5 mm 2 to 2.5 mm 2. Soft stranded conductors cannot be connected using such connectors.

To improve contact, the wires must be cleaned of oxide film before connecting. To prevent oxidation from continuing, wago manufacturers also produce contact paste. The inside of the clamp is filled with it and it itself corrodes the oxide film, and then protects the wires from oxidation in the future. In this case, only heavily oxidized, dark conductors, and the clamp body is filled with paste.

By the way, manufacturers say that, if desired, the wire can be pulled out of the clamp. To do this, grab the wire with one hand, hold the terminal box with the other and rotate them back and forth with a small range, in opposite directions, stretching them in different directions.

Clamps for lamps (construction and installation terminals for lamps)

For quick and convenient connection of lamps or sconces, wago has special 224 series terminals. With their help, you can connect aluminum or copper wires of different sections and types (single-core or stranded with rigid wires). Rated voltage of this connection 400 V, rated current:

• for copper conductors - 24 A
• 16 A for aluminum.

Cross-section of connected conductors from the installation side:

• copper 1.0 ÷ 2.5 mm2 – single-core;
• aluminum 2.5 mm2 – single-core.

Cross-section of connected conductors on the side of the chandelier/sconce: copper 0.5 ÷ 2.5 mm2 – single-core, stranded, tinned, crimped.

When connecting copper wires, it is necessary to use contact paste, and aluminum wires must be stripped by hand to bare metal.

This product has two disadvantages. The first is that the price of original terminals is high. Secondly, there are a lot of fakes at a lower price, but their quality is much lower and they burn and melt. Therefore, despite the high cost, it is better to buy original products.

PPE caps

PPE caps (which stands for “connector insulating clips”) are very easy to use devices. This is a plastic case, inside of which there is a spring that has a conical shape. The conductors, stripped of insulation, are inserted into the cap, and the cap is turned clockwise several times. You will feel that it has stopped scrolling, which means the connection is ready.

How to make a wire connection using PPE

These conductor connectors are produced by many manufacturers; they are available in different sizes, for different diameters and the number of connected conductors. In order for the wire connection to be reliable, the size must be selected correctly, and for this you need to understand the markings.

After the letters PPE there are several numbers. Depending on the manufacturer, the number of numbers varies, but they mean the same things. For example, there is this type of marking: SIZ-1 1.5-3.5 or SIZ-2 4.5-12. In this case, the number immediately following the letters indicates the type of case. “1” is set if the body is a regular cone, on the surface of which grooves can be applied for better grip. If there is a SIZ-2, then there are small protrusions on the body that are convenient to grasp with your fingers and twist.

All other numbers reflect the total cross-section of all conductors that can be connected using this particular PPE cap.

For example, PPE-1 2.0-4.0. This means that the body of the connecting cap is ordinary, cone-shaped. With its help, you can connect two conductors with a cross section of at least 0.5 mm 2 (in total they give 1 mm, which corresponds to minimum requirements- see table). This cap contains a maximum of conductors, the total cross-section of which should not be more than 4 mm 2.

Connecting wires using PPE caps

In the second version of marking, after the abbreviation PPE there is only a number from 1 to 5. In this case, you just need to remember which of them is useful for which cross-section of wires. The data is in another table.

PPE caps and their parameters

By the way, only copper wires can be connected with PPE caps - aluminum wires, as a rule, are thicker than the maximum allowable for these connectors.

Bolted connection

This connection is assembled from a bolt of any diameter, a suitable nut and one, or better yet, three washers. It is assembled quickly and easily, serves quite a long time and reliably.

First, the conductors are stripped of insulation and, if necessary, the top oxidized layer is removed. Next, a loop is formed from the stripped part, the internal diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the bolt. To make it easier, you can wrap the wire around the bolt and tighten it (middle option in the right picture). Afterwards it all comes together in this order:

• A washer is placed on the bolt.
• One of the conductors.
• Second puck.
• Another conductor.
• Third puck.
• Screw.

The connection is tightened first with your hands, then with the help of keys (you can use pliers). That's all, the connection is ready. It is used mainly if it is necessary to make a connection between wires made of copper and aluminum; it can also be used when connecting conductors of different diameters.

How to connect aluminum and copper conductors

By the way, let us remind you why you cannot directly connect copper and aluminum wires. There are two reasons:

• This connection gets very hot, which in itself is very bad.
• Over time, the contact weakens. This happens because aluminum has a lower electrical conductivity than copper, and as a result, when the same currents pass through, it heats up more. When heated, it expands more, squeezing out the copper conductor - the connection becomes worse and gets hotter.

To avoid such troubles, copper and aluminum conductors are connected using:

• terminal blocks;
• wago;
• bolted connection;
• branch clamps (make connections of wires on the street).

Other types of connectors cannot be used.

How to connect wires of different diameters

If it is necessary to connect conductors of different diameters, twisting should not be present to obtain good contact. This means you can use the following types:

• terminal blocks;
• wago;
• bolted connection.

The New Year holidays are over and now it’s time to get to work. Let me start by saying that in this article we will look at such a thing as connecting two computers. If, for example, you have two computers or two laptops at home, or a laptop and a computer (like mine, for example), then sometimes a situation arises that you need to transfer something from one computer to another. Okay, if it’s a small file, then you can just use a flash drive. And if, for example, a whole film library or photo gallery is stored on one computer, then transferring it with a flash drive will not be very convenient.

In this article we will look at connecting two devices using HomeGroup. Many people have probably heard about it, and probably seen it on their computer, but haven’t even looked into what it is. With the help of a home group, in a couple of keystrokes (if everything is done correctly, of course), we will connect in my case a computer and a laptop. Of course, provided that you have a home network, that is, a router is installed or, as it is also called, a router and these computers are connected to it. No matter how, through wired network or via Wi-Fi.

So I have a computer and a laptop. On one of them you need to create a home group. I will do this on the computer. And on the other we will simply connect to this group. You can even connect three or four devices.

So, go to the lower right corner, namely to the system tray and click right click mouse over monitor icon

In the window that opens, find the “Homegroup” item and launch it

The Home Group creation window opens, click on the corresponding button

Here we select which folders will be opened for exchange between two computers. I opened everything, because I still have nothing there, since in standard folders I don’t store information, otherwise you’ll find hell later. So, we have configured the permissions, now click the “Next” button

In this window, the program will give us a password for the group. You can change it at your discretion, but it is better not to touch it and write it down in a safe place. It will already be there when you connect the second computer to the first. In this way, the group is protected from unauthorized access and if you do not have this password, you will not be able to join this group. Click the done button and our group has already been created. Now you can join it from any other computer on the network, the main thing is to know the password.

In order to join the host computer, we also open the Network and Sharing Center on the laptop. If you forgot how to do this, then scroll above and remember. Only this time a window with a “Join” button will appear. Let's press it.

Here we also check the boxes for those resources that we want to open for the host computer. In general, don’t worry, leave everything as it is and click “Next”

In the next window we will need the password that was given to us main computer. I hope you wrote it down, if not, you will have to re-create a new password on the first computer. In general, enter the password, click next and the laptop will connect to the computer

Now you need to configure access to the drives or folders that you want to open for general use. You can open the necessary disks both on a computer and on a laptop, in general it depends on what resources you want to use together. I will show you with an example and open one disk for public use on the computer on which the HomeGroup is created. To do this, open “My Computer” and right-click on the desired drive or folder, depending on what you want to share. In the opened context menu select “properties”

Here we just need to check the box in front of the inscription “Open general access to this folder" and click the "Ok" button. That's it, the disk is now completely open for general use. Now I can access it from my laptop and view, copy or write files to it.

Now all that remains is to open the network on my laptop, find the main computer and now we see that drive “E” is designated as shared folder. Basically, go there and do whatever you want.

This is how easy it is to connect two computers to each other via a home wired network or Wi-Fi.

Yes, and one more thing (I think you read the article to the end). There is a small nuance. It happens that everything seems to be done, but the computers do not connect and an error is displayed. It depends on what antivirus you have installed, not even which one, but what edition of the antivirus, with or without a firewall. If the antivirus is installed with a firewall, then it may not allow the connection to pass through and will need to be either disabled or added to the exceptions of the partner’s computer. If you have any difficulties with this, write in the comments, I will be happy to help you establish a connection between the two devices (if there is time).

This article will come in handy if your apartment has not one, but two computers. Sometimes documents need to be transferred between them, and children can play games online. Today we will talk about how to connect two computers to each other.

One of the most simple ways– use of the so-called twisted pair cable. The cost of the work cannot be cheaper, but the data transfer speed is much higher than in other cases. It makes sense to lay a cable if the distance between PCs is less than 100 meters.

We will need:

1. Network card in every computer. Attention! They may already be installed on your computer (check), otherwise you need to buy them.
2. Twisted pair – copper wires twisted in pairs in insulation. There are shielded (STP) and unshielded (UTP). UTP is suitable for our needs, and it’s easier to buy such a pair.

3.RJ-45 plugs (also called “jack”), 2 pcs. It is possible that similar ones are used in your telephone socket.

4. Crimping tool (called a “crimper”).

What's the first step? We measure the distance between computers along the route of future cable laying. Then we go to the store and buy the same amount of twisted pair, as well as a few meters in reserve. We also take forks and crimping tools there.

The purchased cable must be crimped using the Cross-over type. This option is used when connecting computers without using a hub or similar devices. This is done like this:

1. From both ends of the purchased cable we cut off the sheath by approximately 3 centimeters.
2. We unravel the wires inside and place them according to the picture.

• In this order, we insert the twisted pair conductors into the RJ-45 plugs. Important! The order of colors is not the same for different forks.

• We take a crimping tool, insert the forks into it one at a time and squeeze the crimper handles until they stop.

There are only simple steps left - setup operating system. Let's show all the steps using Windows 7 as an example:

1. Connecting the jacks to the connectors network cards(usually located on the back wall of system units; you won’t confuse them with anything else, since plugs cannot be inserted into other connectors).
2. Open the Control Panel, select the System item, and in it you will need Settings remote access– Computer name tab – Edit. We give a name to the computer and the group of devices in which it will work. The system will prompt you to reboot, but we’ll refuse it for now.

• We again need the Control Panel, and there we need the Network and Sharing Center. Find the item Connect by local network, click Properties – Internet Protocol Version 4 (double-click here) – Use the following IP address. Enter the IP address 192.168.1.2 and the subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

• Reboot the computer

• We perform the same actions with the second computer. Important! The computer name must be different; only the last digit in the IP address must be different. The workgroup names and subnet mask are the same as the first device.

• To use files from one computer on another, you need to specifically allow this. To do this, right-click on the required folder and select the “Sharing – Access tab – Advanced sharing settings” section. Check the “Share this folder” checkbox.

That's all. You learned how to connect two computers together into one network.

All electrical engineering, since the time of Faraday, uses wires. And for as many years as wires have been used, electricians have been faced with the problem of connecting them. This article explains what methods there are for connecting conductors, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.

Twist connection

The easiest way to connect wires is twisting. Previously, this was the most common method, especially when wiring in a residential building. Now, according to the PUE, connecting wires in this way is prohibited. The twist must be soldered, welded or crimped. However, these methods of connecting wires begin with twisting.

In order to perform high-quality twisting, the connected wires must be cleared of insulation to the required length. It ranges from 5 mm when connecting wires for headphones to 50 mm if it is necessary to connect wires with a cross-section of 2.5 mm². Thicker wires are usually not twisted together due to their high rigidity.

The wires are stripped with a sharp knife, insulation stripping pliers (ISR) or, after heating with a soldering iron or lighter, the insulation is easily removed with pliers or side cutters. For better contact, bare areas are cleaned with sandpaper. If the twist is supposed to be soldered, then it is better to tin the wires. Wires are tinned only with rosin and similar fluxes. This cannot be done with acid - it corrodes the wire and it begins to break at the soldering site. Even washing the soldering area in a soda solution doesn’t help. Acid vapors penetrate under the insulation and destroy the metal.

The stripped ends are folded parallel into one bundle. The ends are aligned together, the isolated part is held firmly with your hand, and the entire bundle is twisted with pliers. After this, the twist is soldered or welded.

If there is a need to connect the wires to increase the total length, then they are folded opposite each other. The cleaned areas are placed crosswise on top of each other, twisted together by hand and tightened tightly with two pliers.

You can only twist wire made of the same metal (copper with copper, and aluminum with aluminum) and of the same cross-section. Twisting wires of different sections will turn out uneven and will not provide good contact and mechanical strength. Even if it is soldered or crimped, these types of wire connections will not ensure good contact.

How to connect electrical wires by soldering

Connecting electrical wires by soldering is very reliable. You can solder untwisted wires, but such soldering will be fragile due to the fact that the solder is a very soft metal. In addition, it is very difficult to lay two conductors parallel to each other, especially when suspended. And if you solder on some kind of base, the rosin will stick the soldering area to it.

A layer of rosin is applied to the pre-tinned and twisted conductors with a soldering iron. If another flux is used, it is applied in the appropriate manner. The power of the soldering iron is selected based on the cross-section of the wire - from 15 W when soldering headphones to 100 W when soldering twisted wires with a cross-section of 2.5 mm². After applying the flux, tin is applied to the twist with a soldering iron and heated until the solder completely melts and flows into the twist.

After the soldering has cooled, it is insulated with electrical tape or a piece of heat-shrinkable tubing is put on it and heated with a hairdryer, lighter or soldering iron. When using a lighter or soldering iron, be careful not to overheat the heat shrink.

This method reliably connects wires, but is only suitable for thin wires, no more than 0.5 mm², or flexible ones up to 2.5 mm².

How to connect headphone wires

Sometimes the cable near the plug breaks off in working headphones, but there is a plug from faulty headphones. There are also other situations in which it is necessary to connect the wires in the headphones.

To do this you need:

1. cut off a broken plug or an unevenly torn cable;
2. strip the external insulation by 15–20 mm;
3. determine which of the internal wires is common and check the integrity of all conductors;
4. cut the internal wiring according to the principle: leave one alone, common by 5 mm and the second by 10 mm. This is done to reduce the thickness of the connection. There can be two common conductors - each earphone has its own. In this case they are twisted together. Sometimes a screen is used as a common conductor;
5. strip the ends of the wires. If varnish is used as insulation, it will burn off during the tinning process;
6. tin the ends to a length of 5 mm;
7. put a piece of heat-shrinkable tubing on the wire 30 mm longer than the expected length of the connection;
8. put pieces of thinner heat-shrinkable tube 10 mm long on the long ends, do not put on the middle (general) ends;
9. twist the wires (long with short, and middle with middle);
10. solder the twists;
11. bend the soldered twists outward to the unprotected edges, slide pieces of thin heat-shrinkable tubing onto them and heat it with a hairdryer or lighter;
12. push a heat-shrinkable tube of a larger diameter onto the joint and warm it up.

If everything was done carefully and the color of the tube was matched to the color of the cable, then the connection will be invisible and the headphones will work no worse than new ones.

How to brew twist

For good contact, the twist can be welded with a graphite electrode or gas burner. Torch welding has not become widespread due to the complexity and the need to use gas and oxygen cylinders, so this article only talks about electric welding.

Electric welding is performed using a graphite or carbon electrode. Graphite electrode is preferable. It is cheaper and provides best quality welding Instead of a purchased electrode, you can use a rod from a battery or a brush from an electric motor. It is better not to use copper electrodes. They often get stuck.

For welding, you first need to make a twist 100 mm long, so that the finished one turns out to be about 50. The protruding wires need to be trimmed. For welding, it is best to use an inverter welding machine with adjustable current. If this is not the case, then you can take a regular transformer with a power of at least 600 W and a voltage of 12–24 V.

Near the insulation, “ground” or “minus” is connected using a thick copper clamp. If you simply wrap a wire around a twist, the twist will overheat and melt the insulation.

Before starting welding, it is necessary to select the current. The required current varies depending on the number and thickness of the wire that makes up the twist. The welding duration should be no more than 2 seconds. If necessary, welding can be repeated. If everything was done correctly, a neat ball will appear at the end of the twist, soldered to all the wires.

How to connect wires by crimping

Another way to connect wires is crimping. This is a method in which a copper or aluminum sleeve is placed on the wires or cables to be connected, and then crimped with a special crimper. For thin sleeves, a manual crimper is used, and for thick ones, a hydraulic one is used. This method can even connect copper and aluminum wires, which is unacceptable with a bolted connection.

To connect using this method, the cable is stripped to a length greater than the length of the sleeve, so that after putting on the sleeve, the wire sticks out 10–15 mm. If thin conductors are connected by crimping, then twisting can be done first. If the cable has a large cross-section, then, on the contrary, in the stripped areas it is necessary to align the wire, fold all the cables together and give them a round shape. Depending on local conditions, the cables can be folded with the ends in one direction or in the opposite direction. This does not affect the reliability of the connection.

A sleeve is tightly placed on the prepared cables or, when laid in opposite directions, the wires are inserted into the sleeve from both sides. If there remains in the sleeve free space, then it is filled with pieces of copper or aluminum wire. And if the cables do not fit in the sleeve, then a few wires (5–7%) can be cut off with side cutters. If you do not have a sleeve of the required size, you can take a cable lug by sawing off a flat part from it.

The sleeve is pressed 2–3 times along its length. The crimping points should not be located at the edges of the sleeve. It is necessary to retreat 7–10 mm from them so as not to crush the wire during crimping.

The advantage of this method is that it allows you to connect wires of different sections and from different materials, which is difficult with other connection methods.

A fairly common connection method is a bolted connection. For this type you need a bolt, at least two washers and a nut. The diameter of the bolt depends on the thickness of the wire. It should be such that a ring can be made from the wire. If wires of different sections are connected, then the bolt is selected according to the largest one.

To make a bolted connection, the end is cleared of insulation. The length of the stripped part should be such as to make a ring that fits onto the bolt using round pliers. If the wire is stranded (flexible), then the length should allow, after making the ring, to wrap the free end around the wire near the insulation.

In this way, you can connect only two identical wires. If there are more of them, or they are different in cross-section, rigidity and materials (copper and aluminum), then it is necessary to install conductive, usually steel washers. If you take a bolt of sufficient length, you can connect any number of wires.

Terminal block connection

A development of the bolted connection is the terminal connection. Terminal blocks come in two types - with a rectangular pressure washer and with a round one. When using a terminal block with a pressure washer, the insulation is removed to a length equal to half the width of the terminal block. The bolt is released, the wire is slipped under the washer and the bolt is clamped again. On one side, you can connect only two wires, preferably of the same cross-section and only flexible or only single-core.

Connecting to a terminal block with a round washer is no different from using a bolted connection.

The connection of the wires is reliable, but cumbersome. When connecting wires with a cross-section of more than 16 mm², the connection is unreliable or the use of lugs is necessary.

Self-clamping terminal blocks WAGO

In addition to terminal blocks with bolts, there are also terminal blocks with clamps. They are more expensive than usual, but they allow the connection to be made much faster, especially in connection with the new requirements of the PUE and the ban on twisting.

The most famous manufacturer of such terminal blocks is WAGO. Each terminal is a separate device with several holes for connecting wires, each of which is inserted into a separate wire. Depending on the version, it connects from 2 to 8 conductors. Some types are filled inside with conductive paste for better contact.

They are available for both detachable and permanent connections.

The stripped wire is simply inserted into the terminals for a permanent connection and spring tendrils fix the wire inside. Only hard (single-core) wire can be used.

In plug-in terminals, the wire is clamped using a folding lever and a spring clamp, making it easy to connect and disconnect wires.

Since the wires do not touch each other, the terminals allow you to connect wires of different sections, single-core to stranded, copper to aluminum.

This method of connecting conductors works best at low currents and is most widespread in lighting networks. These terminals are small in size and easily fit into adapter boxes.

How to connect electrical wires with lugs

Another way is to use tips. The tip looks like a piece of tube, cut and turned flat on one side. A hole for a bolt is drilled in the flat part. The lugs allow you to connect cables of any diameter in any combination. If it is necessary to connect a copper cable to an aluminum cable, special lugs are used, in which one part is copper and the other is aluminum. It is also possible to place a washer, brass or tinned copper, between the tips.

The ferrule is pressed onto the cable using a crimper, similar to how wires are connected using crimping.

Soldering tips

Another way to use the tip is to solder it. To do this you need:

• stripped copper cable;
• tip designed for soldering. It is distinguished by a hole near the flat part and a thinner wall;
• bath of molten tin;
• a jar of phosphoric acid;
• a jar of soda solution.

Carefully! Wear protective glasses and gloves!

In order to solder the tip, the cable is cleared of insulation along the length of the tubular part and inserted into the tip. Then the tip is successively immersed in orthophosphoric acid, in molten tin for a time sufficient for the acid to boil away and the solder to flow into the tip. This is checked by periodically briefly removing it from the solder. After impregnating the tip and cable with solder, the tip is dipped in a soda solution. This is done to neutralize acid residues. The cooled tip is washed with clean water and is ready for further work. Such a tip can be connected to aluminum busbars and lugs without the use of adapter washers.

Connectors for cables and wires

Cables can also be connected using special connectors. These are sections of pipe in which threads are cut and bolts are screwed in. There are detachable connectors, in which the bolts are unscrewed, and permanent ones. In permanent connectors, the bolt heads break off after clamping. There are also connectors designed to connect wires and cables of different sections. The cables are inserted end-to-end into the connectors, facing each other.

Connectors used on overhead power lines consist of two halves connected by bolts. The wires are laid in special grooves towards each other, parallel to each other, after which both halves are clamped with bolts.

Connecting wires and cables using couplings

If the cable to be connected is in the ground, water or rain, then conventional methods of isolating the connection are not suitable. Even if you apply a layer of silicone sealant to the cable and compress it with heat shrink tubing, this will not guarantee tightness. Therefore, it is necessary to use special couplings.

Couplings are available in plastic and metal case, poured and heat-shrinkable, high-voltage and low-voltage, regular and small-sized. The choice of coupling depends on the specific operating conditions and the presence or absence of mechanical loads.

Connecting wires and cables is one of the most important points during electrical installation. Therefore, all methods of connecting electrical wires must ensure good contact. Poor contact or poor insulation can lead to short circuit and fire.

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