I have been looking at various methods for power connections, mostly that are integral to the bricks. Then two train guys at BayLUG made a presentation using a method for repairing these cables without soldering. This is the old 9V motor connectors (part number 5306xxxx).
They use 22 to 24 gauge silicone wire from BNTECHGO (@Amazon), which is the same manufacturer that I recommend for 30 gauge wire. However 22/24 gauge wire is a little big for concealment. I followed their procedure, but used 30 gauge wire instead.
As you can see from the arrow, there are two connection clips that pierce the insulation and then connect to the wire. But 30 gauge wire is just too small. The contacts will not pierce the insulation.
This is the type of wire I will be using in 30 gauge. What I had to do was solder the wire to the plates.
The lower the wattage on the soldering iron the better, About 60 Watts
seems good. Also you should not use a soldering iron like this. This is
a valuable tool, but not for this purpose.
First step is to place a small coating of solder on the plate as shown here. This will make attaching the wires easier. You should use solder with a diameter no larger than 0.5mm and less is better. I am using 0.015" diameter solder (0.4mm). This just restricts the amount of solder being applied. Too much solder and the back plate will not attach properly.
Next is to strip the insulation from the wire, exposing about 2mm. Carefully tin the exposed wire. Again excess solder will cause the back plate to not properly attach. Then place each wire in the connector slot, mostly just to hold the wire in place. Now carefully solder the wire end to the plate where the solder is. You should not need any more solder, between the tinned ends and plate, there should be sufficient solder for a strong connection.
Now carefully bend the wire over the post as shown. You need to keep the wire close to the post. There is a cavity in the back piece that goes over the wire and the post. This forms the strain relief for the wire.
Insert the back plate until the one way snaps, two on each end are seated correctly. How much force you have to apply, depends on any damage incurred when taking apart and the height of the solder blob connecting the wires. Also the the plate needs to go straight down or the forks will not go straight into the cavities of the back plate. If they do not go into the cavities, they will bend and could short the connection.
If you accidentally touch the plastic with the soldering iron and cause a melted area. Use an Xacto to very carefully scrape away all the excess plastic. All of the surfaces need to be smooth for the back plate to insert and for the connector itself to mate to a Lego surface.
The completed assembly.
One final note, the cable I use is marked with a white stripe on one side. Which side this striped side is attached to is not important. What is important is that you consistent and when connecting the two plates together, that wire runs out the same side when they are connected. If the wires are perpendicular, you will short out the power connection and cause all kinds of issues.
Here is the first implementation of this connection. This is the base of the Maintenace shed on the floating platform. Because of the way the base plates are stored for transport, the Shed cannot be attached. Having floating wires only asks for the wires to broken.
You can see the 2 x 2 connector plate and the wire running out of it. The wire runs between four 1 x 1 round plates that hold the wire in place.
Using the the 1 x 2 modified brick with groove (part number 4216) to hide the wire as it bends over the edge of the base plate and runs underneath the base plate.
Here a 2 x 3 plate attaches the 1 x 2 modified brick to the edge and effectively hides the wire from view.
Now on the bottom of the base plate, the wire comes through the groove of the 1 x 2 modified brick. Two 1 x 1 round plates hold the wire in place at the under side edge of the base plate. Then the wire runs through a 2 x 2 modified plate with pin holes (part number 2817).
How many 2 x 2 modified plates you want to use depends on what you think you risk factor is for the wire getting snagged and pulled, especially during setup and transport. Here I have used 3 and placed them with some stress on the wire. This way the wire does not have any slack in it and does not droop. You can place plates next to each other and create a simulated wire conduit.
This shows the other side of the connection in the Shed. I used a similar wire retention scheme. Now the building will just be placed down and the connection to power is made. Then when packing up, just remove the building. Now there are no loose wires to break. Note that the wire connection is on the same side on the Shed and the platform. This guarantees that the power connection will not be shorted.
Next up are the tower lights on the landing pads.
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