How Do Wire Caps Work?
Wire caps are simple and effective ways of connecting wires. Whether you have small or large wires, wire caps are go-to connecting elements. They consist of cap-like parts that have conductive inner bodies.
Also called crimp-on wire connectors, when you place the ends of two wires into a wire cap’s body, you are able to crimp it. By crimping the wire, the conductive inner body collapses over the end of the wires. Essentially, wire caps are used to join two or more wires with a crimping mechanism.
Apart from the cap-like design, a wire cap is a cylindrical connector with a hollow body. The exterior of the body is usually made of a soft, elastic material, like silicon rubber. Meanwhile, the interior of the body is encapsulated in a conductive material, such as aluminum or copper.
Before using a wire cap, you must be familiar with some safety types. To begin, always turn off the power as electrical shocks are always a hazard when working with live wires. Next, it is recommended to place a strip of electrical tape across all the circuit breakers to stop anyone from accidentally flipping one on.
It is also advised to test all the wires you will be working on with a voltage tester. For this test, may put the probe near the exposed wires to ensure that there is not any voltage. If voltage is displayed on the test, you might have shut off the wrong circuit breaker.
After checking your wires, you can start installing the wire caps. As wire caps ensure electrical conductivity between two wires, you must follow every step with precaution. To achieve safe connections, you must first remove the shielding of the ends of the wires. Once the shielding is removed, the exposed ends of the wires can be inserted into the wire cap.
To complete the next few steps, you will need a crimping tool. Crimping a wire cap creates a permanent connection between the wires by collapsing the cap’s inner body. First, place the wire cap in the center of the crimping tool’s jaws, and when engaged, the crimping tool will force the inner body to collapse.
In addition to wire caps, there are twist-on connectors. In fact, twist-on connectors can be used in the place of wire caps as they have the same functionality. As such, you can either use a wire cap or twist-on connector interchangeably.
What sets twist-on connectors apart from wire caps is their method of connection. To utilize a twist-on connector, you must twist it after inserting the wire into it. While twist-on connectors are convenient, they do not offer the same level of security that wire caps do. For example, vibration can cause the wires to loosen if they are connected with twist-on connectors.
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