by kittiesmademedoit

Wiring kits are a quick way to get all the parts and instructions for standard dollhouse wiring with either round wire or flat wire (flat copper wire, also known as conductive tape).

Kits range in sizes that cover simple lighting layouts (16 Grain of Wheat bulbs) all the way  up to elaborate lighting layouts (100 bulbs ), including non-dollhouse projects.

They generally include the wire, a transformer and instructions.  Some include a small tool or two such as a circuit tester or pilot hole punch but in general you will need, and want, your own set of tools.

With the exception of some of the very simple LED kits (1-2 lights, battery pack and battery), lights and bulbs are included.

Cir-Kit Concept Kits
Cir-Kit Concepts has 4 wire tape kits, 1 round wire kit, and a unique power strip wiring kit that allows for lighting without installing wires

Tape Wire Kits
       Basic             Supplies adequate to wire 5-6 room dollhouse,  transformer not included
       Starter           10 watt transformer,  supports up to 16 12-volt or   23 16-volt GOW bulbs

       Large            20 watt transformer, supports up to 33 12-volt or   46 16-volt GOW bulbs

        Deluxe          40 watt transformer, supports up to 64 12-volt or 100 16-volt GOW bulbs

Round Wire Kit
                              20 watt transformer (with built-in circuit breaker)
Power Strip Wiring Kit
                                1  12-outlet power strip (with fuse)
                              12    1-outlet extension cords
                                2    3-outlet extension cords
                                      (transformer not included) 

Miniature House
Tape Wire Kit
    Basic             Supplies adequate to wire small dollhouse,  transformer not included

    Starter           10 watt transformer,  supports up to 16 12-volt or   23 16-volt GOW bulbs

    Large            20 watt transformer, supports up to 33 12-volt or   46 16-volt GOW bulbs

     Deluxe          40 watt transformer, supports up to 64 12-volt or 100 16-volt GOW bulbs

Others
There are shops that package their own wiring kits using off-the-shelf supplies. 

To Kit or Not To Kit
If you live in an area with a well stocked hobby, doll house, or model railroading shop you will probably discover that the staff are fully qualified coaches and more than willing to help custom select the components needed for your project.  For those with fewer local choices, a kit can give you a solid start and the confidence to move forward.

You might want to start with a non-wired system (battery operated lights, power strip wiring kit) while you consider the best system choice for the completed project.

• Evaluate by convenience and cost.

• Select the kit size that best matches your project size keeping in mind that no matter what transformer size comes with a kit, it can be switched out for a better size whenever you want.

• Compare the kits looking at contents and prices. 

• Compare the expense of of the kit with the expense (include postage and/or mileage) of purchasing the items individually.

Round Wire and Flat Wire (Conductive Tape) are staples in scale model wiring. They are used independently and in combination to create successful wiring systems for hobby scale projects. 

Conductive Threads, products of the e-textile movement, have stretched the scope of possibilities for hobby wiring design, just as light emitting diodes (LEDs) have. Conductive threads will be covered in more detail in a later post.

Round Wire Safety
It’s better to use wire that’s a little too large rather than a little too small. Wire heats up while conducting electricity. Wire that’s too small for the electrical load heats up faster and gets hotter than wire that is the right gauge. Hot wire and combustible material are a bad combination.

I’ve seen the smoldering results of overheated dollhouse gauge wire in a scale model wood structure. The smoke was an interesting effect but the fire scare was not. The wire was the right gauge for the project as originally planned but was not adequate for later modifications.

Play it safe. Wire that is slightly larger than needed conducts electricity just as efficiently while staying cooler. The increased effort for hiding or camouflaging the wire is minimal (if any) and you gain the flexibility to safely add lights and electric gizmos later.

Round Wire Gauge FYI
The larger the gauge, the smaller the number.
Commonly available dollhouse wire is 32 gauge.
The difference in diameter between 32 gauge and 28 gauge is less than 5/100s of an inch. Resistance is the source of heat production in wire.
The resistivity of 32 gauge wire is more than twice that of 28 gauge wire.

Round Wire Sizes and Guide
Gauge             Diameter (inches)             Resistivity (Ohms/Km)
   32                      0.0080                             538
   31                      0.0089                             426
   30                      0.0100                             338
   29                      0.0113                             268
   28                      0.0126                             212
   27                      0.0142                             169
   26                      0.0159                             134
   25                      0.0179                             106
   24                      0.0201                               84

Flat Wire /Conductive Tape
Flat Wire or Conductive Tape is flattened copper wire (approx. 5/100” thick x 3/8” wide) fixed on an adhesive tape. This allows for surface installation that can be hidden under surface coverings.

Fixtures and lights can be easily installed at anytime anywhere along the course of the tape run.

Practically anything can be accessorized with lights. It’s no more complicated than stringing lights on a tree -

1. Position the lights

2. Hide the wire

3. Plug in

Whether its mittens, a grand doll house, or a museum display case diorama – the bulbs and light fixtures can be changed, the plug and power sources can be changed, but the wiring (generally) is permanent.

Wiring small scale projects is not difficult. You will find that you already have the necessary skills. Now all you need are the instructions.

3 MAIN STEPS

There are 3 main steps to wiring a small scale project:

STEP ONE: CREATE YOUR DESIGN

Design away! Imagine your project with all the lights, bells, and whistles.

That means lighting effects, fixtures, switches, (and, yes) bells & whistles, as well as any other electric accents you would like to include.

Create a sketch identifying where each of these will be located.

STEP TWO: DECIDE WHERE TO HIDE THE WIRE

Hiding the wire creates the illusion. Let your imagination run free.

At this stage it doesn’t matter whether you will be using hard wire, tape, thread or any combination of the three. Just keep in mind the primary rule of all wiring: Power needs an unbroken path.

Well planned wiring gives flexibility for last minute (and even years delayed) inspiration.

STEP THREE: PLANNING THE POWER CONNECTION

For most projects this means selecting the right transformer to plug into a standard outlet.

For others, this might mean selecting the correct batteries and battery pack.

And, for some other projects, this might mean connecting to some type of alternative power generator (solar, crank, wind, bike).