tinned wire
 

Getting geared up to install the audio system on my boat. Is tinned wire really necessary? Every wire that I have seen in the boat thus far has not been tinned.

Any body have a good source for tinned wire? power and speaker.

What about blade connectors?

yes .... and best source

http://genuinedealz.com/

I recommend going with soldered connections and heat shrink, especially in a boat. Soldering is really easy once you get the hang of it and is much more reliable. You do not need tinned wire to solder.

I recently installed stereo systems in two of my cars and soldered/heat shrunk everything. Really simple. Key is to have something that can hold the wires (like two alligator clips on a stand) so you have two hands free.

This is a really good how-to video.

http://youtu.be/BLfXXRfRIzY

Also I always use the sealed heat shrink or connecters. That way the soldered connection is totally sealed from the elements and can not corrode.

Buy all my wiring and terminals thru Genuinedealz. Prices can't be beat and you get the added protection of tinned wire. A no loose situation.

I used standard non tinned Monster cable in my home for speaker wire......it's corroded green the full length.


For a tid bit of info, I don't think soldered connections are the recommended, or approved??? method do to it creates hard spots, at the joints. Can break off from the movement associated with boating. But then, if the wire is fully supported at the connections, it's not a problem IMO. Just info I've ran across over time. Crimp and sealed heat shrink is the recommended process.

Throw away those cheap Walmart wire crimpers and cheap crimp terminals!
I use rachet crimpers made specifically for connectors with heat shrink, and also crimpers for double crimping with out the shrink. Search Greenlee, Ideal, and Ancor tools. Pricey, but oh so good. You'd never go back to the cheap crimpers and crimps. :)

I use nothing but tinned wire and also recently started buying it from genuinedealz. My previous supplier went out of business. I use tin coated uninsulated terminals and adhesive lined heat shrink. The adhesive lined heat shrink is awesome. When you heat it up with a heat gun, glue in the inside of the tubing melts and flows throughout the entire connection to completely seal it. You end up with a 100% sealed connection.
The other benefit to the tinned wire (called boat cable) is that the outer covering is impervious to water. If you take a standard piece of wire and leave it in standing water (say in the bilge), eventually the water will penetrate the outer pvc covering and corrode the bare copper wire inside. This won't happen to "boat cable". Even if the copper wire does get water on it, it won't corrode because of the tin coating. It's about twice as much as regular wire, but worth every penny in a boat.
Eddie

Another vote for genuinedealz dot com .... I've had a couple sets of "jumper cables" made by them for some friends and myself, that fit Fountain receptacles (a pair of parrot jaw clamps, 10' of paired stranded wire and an Anderson connector) for ~ $75, a fraction of what it cost to buy OEM. They looked, and performed, just like OEM.

I used the adhesive shrink tubing like Eddie recommended. Its great stuff and seals the joint/connection completely. I got it locally from Oreily Auto Parts.
I did not use tinned wire for stereo, just higher end copper. Neither my batteries or stereo wiring are exposed to any water though.

The KnuKonceptz wire is great for wiring stereos. It is super flexible and easy to work with even in heavy gauges. Priced well on ebay.

I too was looking at Knukonceptz too...what model power wire did you use?

Don't remember exactly other than it was 4 gauge for power and ground to each amp.
Both amps are wire direct to a dedicated stereo battery.