Source for 3-conductor 14 or 16 gauge zipcord (14/3 or 16/3 - Red, Black, White)

That's pretty large gauge for toy train ribbon wire. Which btw is avaiilable from Olsen's toy train parts.

How about trailer light wire, they have 4 conductor and maybe the market is big enough for reasonable cost. Here is one link...they say 4 conductor but picture 5...

https://www.wireandcableyourwa...llel-wire-100ft.html

I found this - says it is used for trailer wire:

https://www.delcity.net/catalogdetails?item=83141

Then also searched the bay for similar:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/14-3-B...boVXO3f4&vxp=mtr

Hopefully that helps you refine your searching.

I reread that you want red, black, white...sorry, no ideas. Although maybe if you went to sheathed wire...might be the colors you want.

cjack posted:

I reread that you want red, black, white...sorry, no ideas. Although maybe if you went to sheathed wire...might be the colors you want.

I made the same goof !

I appreciate your attempts to find this.  I, too, searched the internet.  I've used sheathed wire in the past.  It's a royal PITA if used as a data and power bus for switches.  You get to cut the sheathing off at certain points and then apply suitcase connectors.  Not much fun and not very convenient. 

I would actually settle for Red, Black and ANY 3rd color.  I might end up with trailor wire.  I will also talk to Olsen's.

Thanks,

George

PLCProf posted:

Don't know your exact situation, but if you are willing to budge a bit you could make up a cable out of single conductors and put them in spiral wrap. You could easily cut the wrap off or slide it away to put on your suitcase connectors. This won't work if you need the flat profile of ribbon cable, obviously.

Thanks, but I've done that.  I was hoping to find something a bit more convenient.

George

Not flat, but it's #14 and red, black, white stranded. I didn't look around the entire site, but they could have other options?

Still not flat, but here's another source that's less per foot. Unfortunately it looks like they have a 1,000 foot minimum order. If you need that much or could split the order with some friends it might be worth a look?

You can get spools of each color and slowly twist with a drill while you pull it off of the spools or you can get a quote from these guys to do it for you.

perhaps a local electric supply could twist it for you.

The parallel bonded stuff is all made for a specific use, hence the brown, yellow, green. Anything with red, black, white is sheathed or custom ordered as parallel bonded.

rtr12 posted:

Not flat, but it's #14 and red, black, white stranded. I didn't look around the entire site, but they could have other options?

Still not flat, but here's another source that's less per foot. Unfortunately it looks like they have a 1,000 foot minimum order. If you need that much or could split the order with some friends it might be worth a look?

That #14 red white and black in the first link looks like solid wire to me. And those colors are standard house wiring colors; probably what it's intended for.

Rod

I appreciate all the help and suggestions being posted.  Having used sheathed wire before, I'm trying to avoid that.  It does give me the colors I want, but forces me to slice open the gray sheathing and struggle with getting 3 suitcase connectors onto the wires.  It will work.  I might end going that way, but I want to make certain there are no parallel wire combinations out there that I missed.

And that business that will custom make wiring color combinations bears investigation.

Thanks again, everyone.

George

For sheathed wire, I would just cut it and terminate it on a connector barrier strip with a number of jumpers for each wire. Then go to the next terminal connector strip, etc.  That would be much easier technically and look better as well. And allows easy changes.

Like these...   

http://www.mouser.com/ProductD...fZ_c8CFQKPaQodY58HJg

Rod Stewart posted:

rtr12 posted:

Not flat, but it's #14 and red, black, white stranded. I didn't look around the entire site, but they could have other options?

Still not flat, but here's another source that's less per foot. Unfortunately it looks like they have a 1,000 foot minimum order. If you need that much or could split the order with some friends it might be worth a look?

That #14 red white and black in the first link looks like solid wire to me. And those colors are standard house wiring colors; probably what it's intended for.

Rod

That's also what I thought from the picture, but the description below lists it as copper and stranded in two different places. May be a generic picture? Anyway, it might be worth a call before purchasing just to be sure, that is if anyone is interested in it. 

If you're OK with solid wire (good for current, but stranded is better for digital signal) you can use 14/3 ROMEX cable from home improvement centers. It actually has four conductors -- Black, White, Red, and uninsulated copper for earth ground. It's used for home wiring switched circuits, I'm planning to put some 12/3 ROMEX in for new power busses for the club layout.