Garden light extension cords - Orbit from Mitre 10.

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tristanb

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#293490 25-Jan-2022 22:38

To tidy things up with some outdoor lighting, I'd like to extend the length of a festoon light cord by about 3 metres.

It's Orbit brand, apparently made/marketed by Goldair. I've attached a photo of the fitting. It's 31V DC.

They say they don't sell extension leads for it, and I haven't been able to find any on the internet.

I've found similar looking fittings on AliExpress (under 2 pin connector), but was hoping just for a cord to lengthen.

I guess my best best is to cut and splice 4 meters of cable in?

What would you guys do?

pih

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#2856386 25-Jan-2022 23:04

Cutting and splicing is an option, but being outdoors you'll have to be careful about water ingress. It's not dangerous at that voltage, but it will cause corrosion in the joins if you're not careful.

If you can make one of the joins within the plug housing that might help to weatherproof it a bit. You could also try gel-filled snap joiners (such as these), they will keep the moisture out to a certain extent. The extra cable will add additional resistance, but for your purposes it should be acceptable.

The only other consideration is making sure the wire can handle the current it's expected to carry. If it's in the range of an amp or so you can probably safely eyeball the gauge to match the wire you're splicing to. If it's much more then you may have to check the wire and connectors can handle the current safely.

tristanb

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#2856393 25-Jan-2022 23:29

Thanks!

Was thinking of getting two of these for the splicing:

NZ$ 2.96 20%OFF | IP68 Waterproof Connector M16 2 /3 Pin Electrical Terminal Wire Adapter Connector Screw and Solderless connector for LED Light
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNTQ2zm

Re current. It looks like the output can go up to 9W, so requires 0.3 A.(That's hardly anything right?)

I'll bear that in mind when I get the cable, didn't think too much about it. I guess speaker wire etc might not be thick enough. Was going to get garden light cable somewhere, which I assumed would be fine.

Maybe I'll try to hunt down the old multimeter to see what actually goes through it! I haven't done anything like this in a while.

Goosey

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#2856405 26-Jan-2022 06:49

Mitre10?

They seem to sell a 10m extension?

there will be a garden lighting / irrigation shop out there somewhere which will have a solution.

Link shows 20m, but I saw a 10m there too.. havent checked the specs....

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/non-branded-12-volt-garden-light-cable-20m/p/101337?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrv_dhLvN9QIV2sKWCh0F6w_7EAQYASABEgJx_PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

richms

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#2856633 26-Jan-2022 13:34

tristanb: Thanks!

Was thinking of getting two of these for the splicing:

NZ$ 2.96 20%OFF | IP68 Waterproof Connector M16 2 /3 Pin Electrical Terminal Wire Adapter Connector Screw and Solderless connector for LED Light
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNTQ2zm

Re current. It looks like the output can go up to 9W, so requires 0.3 A.(That's hardly anything right?)

That's not the same plug. I gave up trying to find the right plug so I could use the adapter off a dead set of Xmas lights. They are a sort of constant current supply so will go up on Voltage if you have more resistance but only to about 36v on the ones I tried. That should cover any normal cable losses if you're not crazy with what you add.

Richard rich.ms

tristanb

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#2892702 27-Mar-2022 13:29

Just thought I'd update.

I ended up buying 3mm two-core automotive cable, which was a cheap way of doing it. I could have definitely used 2.5mm, which would have been just 60c per metre, rather than the $1.20/m got the thicker wire. Was still way cheaper than garden cable from mitre 10.

The 3mm stuff was said to handle 10amps, which was way over the top. But the 2.5mm didn't give an amperage on the website, so I went for safer option.

When I cut through the actual lights cord, it was the thinnest wispiest copper I've seen. My cheap wire strippers cut through it! But yeah, it just confirmed the low current required.

Blue and brown wire, I assume brown positive and blue neg, but didn't check as I had two splices - so brown to red, red to brown, would have been consistent even if manufacturer used them in a nonstandard way.

But yeah, it wasn't complicated. It's all under cover of a deck, so doesn't sit in water or soil. I got ip68 joiners from AliExpress to be safe though.

MarkM536

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#2892797 27-Mar-2022 15:32

Bit late now...

I'm part of a few Christmas lighting forums.

A. Hanson from one of the forums has started selling these type extension leads:

https://www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/3m-fairy-light-extension/

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

k1w1k1d

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#2892808 27-Mar-2022 15:57

The easiest way to lengthen garden light cords is to use automotive sleeved twin core and adhesive lined heat shrink.

Auto cable is flexible, weather resistant, and made for harsh environments. Auto 151 is 2x1.13mm2, sometimes called 3mm.

Adhesive lined heat shrink should be available from most auto electricians, or from electrical wholesalers, eg Ideal Electrical. Often called "dual wall". Make sure that you get adhesive lined.