Splicing Transducer Cable

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Well, guys and gals of the flotation persuasion, I finally got a few minutes and the supplies and I chopped out a whole bunch of transducer cable on my Cuda 168. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Scared the heck out of me when I cut the cable and saw how many wires there are in there. Used to be only one main wire and the bunch of loose fine bare wires in the old Eagle Fish ID and Fish Easy. With the added features, like temp guage, and other niceties, I guess they had to wire it differently.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lucky my dad was an electrician and my son, TubeN2 still is. I soaked up enough by osmosis to be able to figure out the procedure. Of course, it helps when all of the wires are color coded...which they are. Thanks Eagle.[/#0000ff]

Cuda 168 with long transducer cable, and tools and supplies to cut and splice the cable to shorten it. I should have had electrician tape in the picture, instead of the shrink tubing. I did not know the splice was going to be so thick. Couldn't use the shrink tape.


Cut the transducer cable about 6" to 8" from the connector for the display unit, and 2' to 3' from the end of the transducer rod...according to personal need. Strip off about 1 1/2" to 2" of the black plastic sheathing from each end of the cable.


Puil back the protective sheathing and separate the wires by color code. One set of wires is bare, since they are shielded from contact with any of the other coated wires.


Using an electricians stripping tool (or carefully with a knife blade), strip off a half inch or so from the end of each colored wire..


I used both red and blue connectors. Use the blue which are size 16. The red are slightly smaller and hard to get a good fit. Push the ends of the same colored wires in each end firmly and then crimp them twice with an electrician's crimper.


Wrap two tight layers of plastic electricians tape around the splice, beginning at least an inch from the end of the cut cable sheath and continuing to an inch past the cut on the other end.



With the splice nearer the display unit than the transducer, there is less chance of getting water inside the splice and causing trouble. If you want to further reduce the potential for water intrusion, apply two light coats of Aquaseal...allowing the first coat to cure before applying the second.

[#0000ff]PS...I musta did sumtin' right cause the unit fired right up when I hooked it up to the battery and turned it on. Couldn't mark any fish under my kitchen table though.[/#0000ff]
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[Henerysfork]

TD, do you think if the splices were staggered that one long peice of shrink tube would work?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I am sure it would work, if you could find a long enough length. I was expecting the simple splices I have made with other units, and I picked up the 6" precut pieces. I know that there are industrial users that buy it in longer lengths and then cut as needed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The shrink tube is ideal, but the only real problem with the bulky splice is that it looks shoddy. With some aquaseal or plastic paint on it, it will do just fine. The odds of getting the splice wet are just about zero. I have had the transducer rod slip down into the water a few times, but if the splice is near the display unit, you have more problems than a wet splice if that gets wet. Can you say Perfect Storm? Can you say Titanic? Can you say Deliverance? All good movies but ya don't wanna replay them in your tube or toon.[/#0000ff]
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]There are some cool options out there. First, you can buy butt connectors that have heat shrink on them. make your crimps and heat the butt connectors with a lighter to create a water proof seal around the wire insulations.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Also marine grade heat shrink tape is available. This not only shrinks but has a heat activated glue on the inside that will seal itself even around multiple wire strands. You can buy this from most marine shops in various diameters and up to 12" long. Be forewarned though, none of this stuff is cheap but they do what they are intended to do, make marine quality electrical splices and connections.[/size][/black][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for droppin' in, and for the great input. I thought I had an easy job until I found more wires than I anticipated. But, as Larry the Cable Guy says, I had to GIT 'ER DONE. I was going fishing the next day, and once I made the cut, I needed to finish up somehow, anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is always best to invest a little more to do the job right, than to have to take it apart and do it over, just because the splice fell apart or got wet...or whatever. Ain't modern technology wonderful?[/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

I'm about to acquire the Cuda 168 that Libertized put up for sale on the Utah Board. Don't think I'll be messin' with the cable anytime soon. I'm not as electricly inclined as all yall. Now if it's computers, THAT I understand, not all these wires in these here fancy gizzzmoz.[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There's no need to cut and splice, as long as you don't mind rolling up the excess cable and tucking it into a pocket or your display mount setup somehow. We have several threads on alternate ways to do that.[/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

Yeah, I've been following those posts. I think I'll just coil it up nice and pretty and then use either a rubber-band or a large twisty-tie to hold it all together nice and tight and compact. As far as something to mount the viewer on to keep it stable, I'll have to look into that once I get the unit.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I just went with a 6" piece of 2X4. Holds it firmly in the pocket and easy to screw it down. [/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

Thanks, got that readily available. That's probably what I'll use then at least for starters. I'll make sure and sand the corners and edges down good so I don't end up getting a splinter in my air chamber -- that'd really 'deflate' my ego and my tube pretty quick.
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[JapanRon]

Hey there TubeDude,

I read all the posts to now and my thought too was .... What ?? shrink warp is chopped liver or what ?? ha ha ha

Being an old school PC board prototype guy then graduating to the post/wire shrink wrap connector system, I didn't like the looks of the 'squish the cylnder to connect the wires' connector. What happens is that when the cylinder is pinched, not only are some wire filiments cut automatically BUT..... the pinch causes a wierd bind along the length of the indivisual wires which causes them to be severed immediatley or (worse yet) when you are moving them around to get the system going!

Cut that out! pun intended! Heavy guage wire is one thing but not the wire used in these tranducers and carrying such low V/amp.... don't even what to get started on that issue.

JapanRon
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[hlmn]

He does have a point. They do make heat skrink spice tubes that have a small band of solder in them. a heat gun make short work of the splice job and solder and glue in the skrink tube bond the splice and make it water tight all in one swift move.
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