Anyone know what awg wire to use for a bed that is about 60 watts? My frankenbot kit came with some 24 awg wire that seems to be for the bed, but that seems a bit small. (side note, printrbot starter kit/frankenbot kit comes with ubis 13s now, thats a really great deal)
24 awg is way too small, I would go with 12awg or even 10 awg, Thicker wires the better.
look at the ones on this 60 watt one http://www.ebay.com/itm/600W-110V-200X300mm-Silicone-Heater-Pad-3D-Printer-HeatBed-w-Digital-Controller-/271749512999?hash=item3f45887f27%3Ag%3AgusAAOSwPcVVp62x
How many volts is it?
@Jeff_Dewe Thats 600 watt
So thats 5 amps…i would say 18awg would be fine.
Anywhere from 12-18 would be fine. I’d personally go right in the middle unless I didn’t have it .
I agree, 18awg should be fine since it’s short, 16 would be a better bet. I use 14awg speaker wire for heater elements. Bigger wire (smaller gauge number) is always better though to a point it doesn’t make much sense to go a great deal larger for this app.
18awg UL lamp cord would be better than most speaker wire. It has a higher strand count. It is designed to be flexible.
You aren’t going to see any electrical difference with any well made cable in that gauge. Flexibility could be an issue depending on what one uses. I use Audiopipe brand zip cord type speaker cable. It’s flexible (more flexible than lamp cord), inexpensive. The primary app is car stereo install. I get it on ebay. You can get 18 awg zip cord at the big box hardware stores for cheap.
I would go 12. Definitely get some silicone coated wire as with a moving bed it is least likely to wear out due to moving stresses.
12 awg silicone wire also is very good and very flexible.
60 watts is very small for a bed heater. You can easily get away with 16 gauge, with room to spare. I second on silicone insulation. It’s more flexible and handles higher temperatures.
Get 14 awg high temp silicone.