lighting wiring connection question

I have installed several LED courtesy lights in my boat. I am going to have them on 2 separate circuits so that I can turn on just a couple with one side of the switch and all of them with the other side. Due to the way I routed wires, I have several wires coming in from different places. I need to be able to tie 3 or 4 wires into one which goes to the switch (pos) and the same for the negative side on the fuse panel. What is the best way to do that without having to solder 4-5 wires together. I know I could get a terminal block and do it that way but I didn't care for the idea of the exposed connections. I was hoping to just get something that I could make all of the connections and have them covered. I know I could use heat shrink but with 4 or 5 wires, I thought it might be pretty ugly. Any ideas?

Re: lighting wiring connection question

Let's see -- you don't want to solder, you don't want to use a terminal strip, you don't want heat shrink, so that leaves crimping and if you don't have a crimping tool, the only other option are wire nuts and that certainly isn't attractive (or very professional on a boat). Solder and heat shrink a single wire to each bundle, or crimp and heat shrink a single wire to the bundle so you have only one termination to make for each bundle.

Re: lighting wiring connection question

I have used a distribution panel that had a cover. Screwed the wires into the panel, snapped the cover in place and it looked great. Now of course, see if I can remember where to get the dang thing.

Re: lighting wiring connection question

Randy... That sounds like what I've been looking for. I've never seen a terminal strip that was covered. (at least one that didn't have fuses.) Let me know if you remember where you got it.

Silvertip....Its not that I don't want to solder....I just though soldering 4 or 5 wires coming into one would be ugly. I guess I can do it in stages by doing one every couple of inches. Still ugly but I could do that if I can't find the covered strip.

Thanks

Re: lighting wiring connection question

I guess I would have done the wiring differently, but then it depends on where you have the lights. Rather than run the +12V and ground wires for each light all the way back to the switch, start at the switch and work down stream to the first light. Make that connection and run the +12 and ground from there down to the next light, then the next. You end up with only one connection at the switch and one ground and you avoid the big bundle.

Re: lighting wiring connection question

Silvertip... I have 9 lights mounted that will be on 2 separate circuits. One will have 2 lights, and the other 7. My switch will allow 2 to be on in one position and all in the other position. On 7 of the lights, (2 on one circuit and 5 on the other) I ran the wiring down the inside of my aluminum gunnel caps. I drilled holes on the under side for the wiring to come out. That was no easy task let me tell you. My deck did not give much clearance and it is difficult to work where you can't get your head. I used a mirror to fish wires out of the hole with a paper clip. I was limited in my options how I could run the wiring with my particular set up.

The other 2 lights are mouted elsewhere and had to have separate wires for them. This is why I have 5 sets of leads. (2 for one side of the switch, and 3 for the other.) You may have been able to come up with a better plan, but that was the best I could do and hide all the wires. I wanted to not solder in case I wanted to change which lights were on the first circuit after I've had a chance to take the boat out and test the lighing on the water.

I think I've decided to just use ring terminals with a bolt and tape them up at least until I've had a chance to make sure I like the light distribution.

Thanks for your input.