In Europe, WAGO terminal blocks are considered perhaps the most common method of connecting electrical cables. As for our country, our people still treat them with distrust, although people who are professionally involved in arranging household electrical wiring are well aware of these devices. Moreover, the term "Vago" is already firmly rooted in the vocabulary of today's electrician.
Terminal blocks WAGO
Today we will deal with the design features of WAGO terminal blocks, consider all kinds of models and variations of devices. To begin with, such terminal blocks can be used both for installation in junction boxes and for connecting lighting equipment.
A distinctive feature of the devices is that they use a special flat-spring clamp "Cage Clamp".
Varieties of terminal blocks
All WAGO terminal blocks are divided by the manufacturer into several series, which are intended for a particular type of conductor, and can also be either with paste filling the entire volume inside the device, or without paste. It is quite difficult for a beginner to understand all this, because there are some nuances here. So, terminal blocks with paste are not suitable for copper cables. For this reason, in order to avoid possible troubles in the future, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with all types of products of this manufacturer.
Products of the 773 series
These are terminal blocks without paste, intended for connecting copper cables per core (the cross-section should be from 0.1 to 0.25 centimeters) in socket boxes, special junction boxes, and so on. It should be added that with their help it is quite possible to connect multicore cables made of copper, but only on condition that a special tip is used.
This series also includes products with paste - they are used to connect cables with conductors made of aluminum. Such terminal blocks are quite easily recognizable by the specific color of the case - in this case, it is gray. For comparison: terminal blocks without paste have a transparent body and a colored insert.
For a more detailed acquaintance with the representatives of the 773 series, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the table below.
Note! The average cost of such products ranges between 14.20 and 52.80 rubles.
Series 222 products
Another, no less popular series of terminal blocks "Vago", which, moreover, is also universal. They, by the way, can be purchased at any building supermarket or specialty store. The cost is quite acceptable.
These terminal blocks are good because they can be used not only for cables whose cross-section can be from 0.008 to 0.4 centimeters, but also in order to connect stranded wires with single-core ones. The maximum allowable voltage is 380 volts, the current should not exceed 32 amperes. The products are produced in one variety - without the use of paste. They can be used not only for connecting lighting equipment, but also in junction boxes. Application in spotlights is no exception.
For a more detailed acquaintance with the products of this series, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the table below.
Note! The approximate cost of these products ranges between 23.10 and 32.30 rubles. a piece.
What if you need to connect a copper conductor with an aluminum one?
If we are talking about single-core conductors, and terminal blocks for connection are used from the 773 series, then two options for solving the problem are possible at once.
Option one. It is necessary to purchase a terminal block without paste. After that, a special conductive paste must be added to the socket intended for the aluminum cable (it must be purchased separately).
Option two. You can also purchase a terminal block with paste, but then carefully clean it from the socket intended for the copper cable.
As you can see, everything is extremely simple, no special difficulties should arise. It's another matter if a product from the 222 series is used - here only one option is possible: the aluminum cable must be connected exclusively so that the socket is filled with conductive paste. And now we will continue to consider what other WAGO terminal blocks are.
Series 243, 224 and 862
As for the 224 series, it is rarely found, but it is also used when connecting aluminum cables with copper ones, both for one and for several conductors. For more detailed information, we advise you to study the table below.
Move on. The 243rd series is intended for conductors whose cross-section ranges from 0.06 to 0.08 centimeters. It is used, as a rule, in circuits with low current, in video surveillance systems, security systems, and so on. What is typical, such terminal blocks have special grooves on the case, allowing you to assemble blocks from several products.
Finally, the 862th series. It is even less common, the manufacturer describes such products as four-wire terminals, which are designed to connect copper cables with both one and several conductors.
Note! Estimated cost varies between 12 and 38.50 rubles. a piece.
Learning to use WAGO terminal blocks
As noted above, these terminal blocks are used in junction boxes and panels, as well as when connecting lighting or any other equipment. The products allow you to interconnect both single and multi-core cables. Terminal blocks of various series are designed for specific operating conditions and installation location.
Note! There are two versions of these terminals:
- disposable models (it is impossible to remove the cable back from them);
- reusable (in this case, the cables are fixed by means of a special clip).
Let's consider how the commit is performed in each case.
Disposable Models
Representatives of the 773 series are intended for only one connection, and only single-core cables can be used with them. It is worth noting that it is possible to connect multi-core cables, but the lugs must be properly crimped.
These terminal blocks, as we have already found out earlier, can be produced either filled with a special conductive paste, or not filled with it. The paste itself, by the way, is necessary in order to prevent oxidation of aluminum cables, and the terminals containing it are quite easy to recognize by the color of the case - it is usually dark gray or completely black.
The connection procedure itself is as follows: the wire is stripped and placed inside the terminal block until it stops. For fixing in this case, a special clamp is used, which does not allow the cable to come out back.
Note! In extreme cases, the wire can still be removed - for this you need to scroll it with appropriate effort. But experts do not advise doing this, since the fixing contact is deformed, and there will be no guarantee of the reliability of the further connection.
Reusable models
The 222 series WAGO terminal blocks are reusable. The cable is fixed in them using a special orange lever. Thanks to this lever, the contact is easily disconnected if the circuit needs to be readjusted or, alternatively, to test the circuit.
A separate socket is provided for each of the conductors. The principle of operation of the terminal block is based on a special spring clip, which makes it possible to connect wires whose cross section does not exceed 0.4 centimeters.
For installation using this kind of terminal, the cable insulation must be cleaned by about 10 millimeters, lift the clamp and, when the cable is inserted, lower it back. That's it, the work is complete! The described products are compact, therefore they can be located in any convenient place (including under the sockets). Moreover, crimping is not required in this case.
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What are such terminal blocks for?
It is difficult to imagine electrical installations in which you do not need to connect wires. Previously, this was done using twisting, or, if you were lucky, the contact obtained in this way was still supplemented with soldering. This technique, which, by the way, is still popular today, requires not only the appropriate skills, but also a lot of time. Moreover, the connection itself will turn out to be too large and sloppy. If you use screw terminals, this kind of problem will not arise.
It is worth noting that such a connection still has disadvantages.
- If the screw is under-tightened, the contact will be less reliable. In such cases, the joint can warm up, moreover, it can even lead to ignition.
- The screw can also be overtightened, which can damage the wires (and the terminal itself).
And WAGO terminal blocks do not and cannot have such problems, therefore many specialists prefer them.
Note! Many people mistakenly believe that when using such connectors, the required contact is not created, especially if wiring with a large cable cross-section is installed. In reality, this is not the case, and the described progressive method, based on spring-type clamps, meets all quality and durability standards for electrical work.
So, what are these terminal blocks for? As noted above, when wiring, it becomes necessary to connect several cables. And terminal blocks differ from adhesions or twists in that they are, in principle, one-piece connections, allowing record-breaking fast, if necessary, to disconnect wires, make adjustments to the circuit, equip additional equipment or a circuit. Of course, in extreme cases, the use of adhesion is also required, but this rarely happens.
Also, no special equipment is required to work with terminal blocks. All you need is a tool with which you could clean out the insulating layer. Then the cables are simply inserted into the terminal block and fixed there. Another feature of WAGO is that they are able to connect with each other as reliably as possible even wires with different cross-sections, or products made of different materials. Indeed, now the twisting method cannot be used to connect an aluminum cable to a copper one. Finally, WAGO terminal blocks also save space inside the panel or the junction box, and the connection point looks more neat.
Advantages of Vago terminal blocks
In fact, the described terminal is a flat-spring type clamp, but after revision by the specialists of the Vago company, it received the following advantages.
- A separate clamp is provided for each of the cables.
- The dimensions of the terminal blocks are very compact.
- Due to the high quality of the connection, the likelihood of inaccurate installation due to the "human factor" is completely excluded.
- The current-carrying elements are perfectly protected from accidental contact.
- During operation, the conductors are not damaged or deformed.
But the main advantage is still increased safety and reliability. After all, if, for example, a hidden wiring in the ceiling is installed, then you want to be sure that it does not close, does not burn out inside the terminal block, or does not cause other troubles. But, despite such reliability, all the described terminal blocks provide for the possibility of control and access.
What materials are WAGO terminal blocks made of?
In most cases, the company uses polyamide (abbreviated as PA) as an insulating material. For example, polyamide 6.6 is a material neutral to corrosive processes, it is hardly flammable, moreover, it has self-extinguishing characteristics. If we talk about short-term thermal stress, then the upper limit in this case is 170 degrees (if we are talking about the first type) or 200 degrees (if about the second). At the same time, the lower limit at which the functionality remains at the same level is -35 degrees, which cannot but impress.
Note! As for the current-carrying elements, in most cases they are made of electrolytic copper. The coating is lead-tin (2/5 tin and 3/5 lead, respectively). This, by the way, is the standard coating for all current-carrying products of the Vago company, which is a guarantee of long-term protection against corrosion.
If strong specific pressure is applied to the connection point in the Cage Clamp, then the convex part of the cable is placed in a soft layer made of lead and tin in one or another contact zone. This explains the fact that the connection point is extremely reliably protected from corrosive processes.
But the springs in the terminal blocks of the described company are made of high-quality austenitic chromium-nickel steel, which is carefully checked and has an impressive tensile strength indicator. Over the decades, the use of these materials has not been recorded a single case of rust between the spring steel and other structural materials that are used in Vago terminal blocks (this even applies to plug-in copper cables).
As a result, we note that the cost of reusable products is approximately twice the price of disposable ones, but, as you know, you always have to pay for quality.