Wire inserter tool

I bought a new ballast for my fluorescent tube from TLC. The one shown on their website has ordinary screw terminals. See

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one that actually arrived has push-fit terminals that I can't seem to get the wire to fit into properly. It just doesn't make contact. Is there a special push-fit inserter tool? I've got one somewhere for telephone wiring that I used years ago, but these wires are thicker and the push-fit connecter is bigger than for telephone wiring.

Reply to
GB
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Aren't the the ones you open with a small screwdriver blade and inset the wire?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Minchin

Could you explain that a bit more please?

Reply to
GB

Sorry, a couple of typos crept in. It should have read:-

Aren't they the ones you open with a small screwdriver blade and then insert the wire?

n.b. push fit connectors are usually designed for solid core wire not stranded.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Minchin

Does it not also have backstabs (holes to push the conductors into)? As someone else said, these are all designed for solid core equipment wiring nowadays. The IDC connector part is designed for pre-wired luminaires with contactless plugs to punchdown all the connections at once. However, most luminaires aren't wired like this, so most ballasts also have connections for individual stripped wires.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

It's solid core wiring, fortunately. I'll take the light apart again and check it out, but I didn't see any connectors on the ballast apart from the v-shaped punchdown connectors. I left the wire unstripped (well, cut off the stripped bit actually) and pushed it into the v as best I could, but once assembled the tube connected to that ballast did not light.

Reply to
GB

It does not sound like the type I was referring to. Could you file a slot in the tip of an old screwdriver to press down either side of the wire without distorting the V cutter.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Minchin

Once you've inserted the *bare* wire, pull it out - or rather try to. That will tighten the gripper. Although I've never needed to do this.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That's the problem. They're not insulation piercing types. And they work fine on flex too.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Ah, okay! I'll try what you suggested. If it's stripped AND I can't pull it out, it must be making a decent connection. :-)

Reply to
GB

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