[Milsurplus] Aluminum wire story

[KD7JYK DM09]

> " A good source of large diameter copper cable is welding cable - - 
> visit your local welding shop or ePay. Its a nice flexible black or 
> red cable."

Absolutely.  Also, check ebay, and other sources for "silicone wire", 
followed by gauge.  All different sizes, colors, limp as an overcooked 
noodle, and very high current for the size.  I have my eyes on several 
types for various projects.

Regarding crimp connectors...  In many applications, I have covered the 
transition from connector to wire with shrink tube.  I've used various 
tubes, the little packs of stuff from Radio Shack, surplus from C&H 
Sales, stuff from auto parts stores, you name it.

I had a project that I would consider far more critical than usual, so I 
bit the bullet for that, and bought 3:1 shrink ratio, thick wall, with 
adhesive inside from an electrical supplier called WedCo.  Relatively 
expensive when compared to the slightly less used surplus crap we often 
press into service, but, worth every penny, or, in this case about 100 
pennies per inch.

The next critical project I foresee is to wrap numerous wiring harnesses 
in EMI tape (copper/nickle/polyester, conductive adhesive), with the 
super flexible silicone covered wire coming out at every point a 
"ground" can be found.  Sort of a poor mans TEMPEST rated setup for some 
vehicle computers (noisiest bloody vehicle I've ever owned!)

Kurt