Schmidt Wire with B&M Lights?

[Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)]

I bought a Schmidt dynamo coaxial wire from a local bike shop. Each end is just a single straight unadorned wire, though, with no connectors. I need to use it with B&M lights which have two connectors set up like the below photo from Riv. 

Pardon my ignorance, but do I have to purchase the connectors from a speciality source or is this something I can get from a hardware store and DIY? If the latter, what exactly am I looking for? If the former, are there online sources? Thanks in advance. 

[Ian A]

If it is to run out to the tail light, the connectors from the light (assuming B&M/Schmidt etc) require 2.8mm female spade connectors. Either crimp or solder to the coaxial cable and heat shrink to insulate.  2.8mm spade connectors aren't too available at hardware stores. The connectors for the main light to the hub are 4.8mm (effectively 5mm) connectors, and it is easy enough to find 5mm female spade connectors at most hardware stores.

Best thing to do would be to contact Peter White for the right connectors. If you know the length of tail light run you need, he would be able to sell you a complete  run, ready crimped and heat shrinked etc. Having struggled with crimping those connectors and going through quite a few before successful crimpage was achieved, I'd recommend going the professional route. (Although my amateur wiring handywork has held up fine over a few years).

IanA Alberta Canada

[Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)]

Thanks, Ian. Sounds like that's the best thing to do as I'm not handy with solder and finding the right size connectors could be tricky. 

[Kieran J]

Agree with Ian about ordering what you need from PWC. They have everything you need (and then some) and are very cheerful to deal with. 

I find the B&M wiring easier to work with because it's smaller in diameter and the conductors are easy to separate and terminate. The Schmidt co-ax requires a bit more effort and precision to put the connectors on. The main tool you need is some decent wire strippers from just about any hardware store. 

I have never bothered to use solder to terminate them. Even sloppy crimps with pliers will do the job with some heat shrink over it. It's good skill to have, even at the 'crapsmanship' level, if you plan to run custom lengths inside fork legs, inside fender lips, etc.

KJ

[Peter Adler]

Alternately, Peter White sells a premade Schmidt coax cable for taillight attachment (1.something meters with spade connectors preattached) for $12; I think Rivendell charges the same. PW will also put a custom-length cable together for you if you have a special length, using some sort of supercrimper he has. Considering the cost of the cable-less spades and the stress-inducingness of the crimping process, it seems like a trivial expense, even if it means you've got another cable left over.

I like these cables enough that I ordered a spare from PWC a few months ago when I was ordering other oddments. I've used them to attach all-B&M light sets (Luxos U+Toplight Linetec Plus), and shorter ones to attach the Luxos headlights to SP dyno hubs. Works great.

Frankly, I'd go back to said local bike shop and ask why they're selling such cables, without any means to attach them to lights anyone buying such cables would want to use. To my mind, the whole reason for using dyno lights is to reduce stress, not to increase it.

There's plenty of length on the standardized cables PWC sells, which gives you some flexibility in routing and light placement. Here's the standard hub/headlight and taillight cables, loosely wrapped around on my long-wheelbase 24" Trek 720:

  

Then, if you should later decide that you want a shorter, more custom-fitted length, you have a working but overlong cable system from which you can figure out how much to eliminate. Or not, as the case may be; I've been using Schmidt coax cables ugly-style like this for over a decade, and I'm none the worse for wear. Who knows? Maybe the uggo cable wraps act as a thief repellent.

Peter "functionality first; cosmetics later" Adler

Berkeley, CA/USA