If you use RTV, be sure to use the electronic grade that does not leach out acetic acid when curing.

 

Late chime in here - but aside from holding things together, electrical tape also provides insulation. Insulation can be thought of as a resistor. Layer upon layer of tape is tantamount to resistors in series.

Let me make up some BS numbers: BS because I don't know actual numbers: Suppose a single wrap of electrical tape directly on a copper wire will offer enough resistance to prevent arcing between that wire and ground at - (BS#) 50 volts. Two wraps will prevent arcing at (BS#) 100 volts. Twenty wraps will protect against arcing when 1,000 volts is present on that wire. Again, these numbers are bogus, but probably the reason why electrical tape doesn't specify a "Max Voltage" is because it all depends on how much tape you use. If the tape were to say it can resist 1KV at 20 wraps and I only put 15 wraps, then a spark occurs and then a fire or explosion - who do you think can be blamed?

Maybe there are tapes with voltage ratings on them, I've never seen one. Shrink sleeving is more likely to be voltage rated, but again, application can vary. When working on fuel pumps for C130's it was my job to install shrink sleeving over the length of a pair of wires. The sleeving came in pre-cut lengths and I had to install at least two lengths to cover the entire run. A supervisor told me to pull the sleeving as I shrunk it, thus stretching it. That resulted in using a single piece of sleeving for the full run of wire, but it also left the sleeving pulled thinner. I did that only a few times before coming to some good sense and going back to the way the engineers had planned out the job. This just goes to the adage that if you make something idiot proof, a better idiot will come along.

I think there's a lack of ratings on these things because the user can abuse the installation process and thus give a false sense of security.

 

If you use RTV, be sure to use the electronic grade that does not leach out acetic acid when curing.

Never used RTV. But I HAVE used Hot Melt Glue (HotSnot). You melt and drag a string of the stuff then put it under the sleeving. When heating and shrinking the sleeving the glue melts and is squeezed into the joint. It also oozes out if you use enough. The excess is easily cleaned away. Doesn't have to cure and can be ready to be worked with in a few minutes.

 

Here hard data
Dielectric Strength 800 V/mil EPS-200 Tubing 3m good stuff
3M supper 88 is Dielectric breakdown 10kV per layer

 

@Tonyr1084 you've been buying too much from Amazon or Walmart. No specs. Often reviews for other products than what's being sold. no datasheets. No dimensions. The reviews are usually OK. It's an ersatz Digi-key-like website. I try not to buy from Amazon, but it's really hard.

Self-fusing electrical tape: 875 V/mil https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...using-silicone-electrical-tape-data-sheet.pdf

You need to know which items to multipy to get the dialectric strength of a single layer. 12 mils * 875 V/mil
You need to know what a mill is.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/3M-500-06132-Scotch-Electrical-Length/dp/B00IR4LEWY
Specifications for this item
Part Number 500-06132
Number of Items 1
Brand Name 3M
EAN 0640024980744
Height 0.0 inches

Length 0.0 inches
Material Vinyl
Measurement System US

Yep, the height and the length is 0 inches. Your getting nothing.

It's description is:
3M 500-06132 Scotch Super 33+ Vinyl Electrical Tape, 3/4" Width, 66' Length

That's why I don't like Amazon!

3M 500-06132 Scotch Super 33+ Vinyl Electrical Tape, 3/4" Width, 66' Length

 

Electrical tape - - - Lowes.

Shrink tubing - - - Radio Shack (so far)

Amazon is good if you want to get robbed.

Just bought a new security camera cable from Lorex (dot) com. Cost me $39.00 when I could have gotten the same length from Amazon for less than $16. The one from Lorex is much better than Amazon cables. Also bought a 4 Terabyte HDD to replace the 1 TB drive in my DVR. I WISH the DVR would support dual HDD's but it doesn't. There IS a spot on the board where another SATA socket COULD be placed, but I have no idea if doing so would mean the second drive would be supported.

Going to buy a backup HDD so I can backup certain security events. Otherwise, the recorder just records 24/7. I've tried different settings. But even if I set it to record ONLY motion, I can go a week then check back. Click the checkbox for "ALL" and it's all there. All of it. That has few advantages, but it also means my HDD is full on just four cameras in one week. Sometimes I don't get around to looking at it for a few weeks.

None of that stuff will ever be purchased from Amazon. However, I DO buy junk from there every now and then. Just bought a set of batteries for my cheap drone and a cheap charger. The plugs stink. So I'm going to hard wire the mating connectors directly to the board. (let me explain) There's a board with a tiny azz connector. You plug a cable into that. Then you plug the battery into the cable. The TA connector makes poor contact. So removing them and hard wiring the cable directly to the board will eliminate that one junction. So I DO buy from Amazon from time to time. I've had good success and I've had miserable failures. Tell you about it sometime.

As far as specs on tapes - I've never seen any. Not saying they don't exist, just saying I haven't seen any. Similar situation with RS Shrink Tubing. And I got that because they were closing a bunch of stores. I got a whole bunch of stuff DIRT CHEAP.

 

Amazon is kinda like a Sears Catalog. Great for browsing through although useless in the outhouse.

 

Late chime in here - but aside from holding things together, electrical tape also provides insulation. Insulation can be thought of as a resistor. Layer upon layer of tape is tantamount to resistors in series.

Let me make up some BS numbers: BS because I don't know actual numbers: Suppose a single wrap of electrical tape directly on a copper wire will offer enough resistance to prevent arcing between that wire and ground at - (BS#) 50 volts. Two wraps will prevent arcing at (BS#) 100 volts. Twenty wraps will protect against arcing when 1,000 volts is present on that wire. Again, these numbers are bogus, but probably the reason why electrical tape doesn't specify a "Max Voltage" is because it all depends on how much tape you use. If the tape were to say it can resist 1KV at 20 wraps and I only put 15 wraps, then a spark occurs and then a fire or explosion - who do you think can be blamed?

Maybe there are tapes with voltage ratings on them, I've never seen one. Shrink sleeving is more likely to be voltage rated, but again, application can vary. When working on fuel pumps for C130's it was my job to install shrink sleeving over the length of a pair of wires. The sleeving came in pre-cut lengths and I had to install at least two lengths to cover the entire run. A supervisor told me to pull the sleeving as I shrunk it, thus stretching it. That resulted in using a single piece of sleeving for the full run of wire, but it also left the sleeving pulled thinner. I did that only a few times before coming to some good sense and going back to the way the engineers had planned out the job. This just goes to the adage that if you make something idiot proof, a better idiot will come along.

I think there's a lack of ratings on these things because the user can abuse the installation process and thus give a false sense of security.

Wow, you really opened my eyes. You made all sense. Nevertheless, imagine a tape insulates 400V per turn. It would make all sense in the world to advertise "Valid for 230V", or something like that. I understand that most of the time you do more turns, but, I don't know, it would be great to have some kind of printed text on the tape that says a standard insulation data for wiring. For example: 3000V/mm or something like that, so you can compare which materials insulates more.

Another question... People in home use 130-230V, may be if you have three phase you can have 380V or so. In all these conditions, is it OK to insulate a cable with electrical tape or tube?
Forget about weird conditions, simply 2 cables with a difference of 380V.
When do you start to think that the insulation of this electrical tape or thar tube might not be enough? 2000V? Who works in home with 2000V?

 

When do you start to think that the insulation of this electrical tape or thar tube might not be enough? 2000V? Who works in home with 2000V?

Up to about 40 kV in the CRT days. Don;t know the voltage on a bug zapper. Automotive and lawnmower ignition systems (spark plugs). Microwave ovens about 3 kV DC.

Work put me in spaces like 0-100 Kv DC at 0.1 A; 0-15 kV at 1.5A; 3000 V on a RF generator; that was 1000 W into 50 ohms A Cat 13.56 MHz.
then the lamp that took 22 V at 45 A with 40 kV AC to start it. The HeNe laser. We had a 1W laser too, but it was rarely used. Another syste used 6.3V AC at 3000A (system wasn't used much).

At the other end of the extreme a few picoamps at -100V-0-100 V; variable.

Then there was the EBIC (Electron Induced Current Measurement) system that I set up on the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope)

Countless high voltage stuff like EDAX (Electron Dispersive Analysis of X-rays) and Auger-Sims.

Repairing SEM's Scanning electron Microscope) always had trouble with the high voltage stuff.

Then there was the ION pump and the cold cathode vacuum gauges.

Then I built a 4-terminal current to voltage converter for a front-end to a DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Lock-in amplifier. Lock-in amps look at very low voltages when you have a way of "knowing that the signal is there and when it isn't.

I had 4-ranges from +-100 mA to +-0.1 mA full scale at +-10V output with voltages as low as 1 mV. The device was biasable to +-10V, but it was used around +1 V. 4-terminal meant the lead resistance was compensated for.

Fun stuff when you can put probes on a piece of paper and can measure the conductance, 1/R.

One piece of equipment had a 208 V, 200 A service just for it. Some of the other HV systems had 90 A, 208 3 phase input.

Tracer wire is wierd stuff. it's underground and used to mark plastic pipe so it can be located underground. https://www.kristechwire.com/products-services/tracer-wire-locating-wire/ When I designed the storm drainage system at home, I installed locator wire.

RG6 Coax wire can be copper-clad too. Satellite and TV signals are RF and therefore only need a smaller depth so you can use a copper clad cable.

The RF transmitter used silver plated copper tubes for wiring. Silver is a better conductor than copper and since only the skin is needed for RF, you use tubing.

Then there is Triax cables which have 2 shields and a center conductor. Graphite powder is used to help minimize the triboelectric effect. yes, the wire insulation is essentially lubricated.

Most people never see or even understand this sort of stuff. You can't touch the PCB with your fingers. The oils are conductive and are difficult to remove.

Vented screws anyone?: https://www.nbk1560.com/en-US/products/specialscrew/nedzicom/vacuumscrew/

 

As far as specs on tapes - I've never seen any. Not saying they don't exist, just saying I haven't seen any.

if you looked at the PDF I posted, there are specs, but as I said you have to work for them. It's 0.012" thick, so that's 12 mils. It has a dielectric strength of 784 V/mil, so each layer is worth 12 * 875, so 10,500 V. Not bad for one layer of tape.

 

Another question... People in home use 130-230V, may be if you have three phase you can have 380V or so. In all these conditions, is it OK to insulate a cable with electrical tape or tube?
Forget about weird conditions, simply 2 cables with a difference of 380V.

3 phase would not have a difference of instantaneous 380 V when you take into account the phase relationship. The difference to ground you have to worry about. When you have different voltages like 24 V and 230 V, you need to have a physical barrier or make the voltage rating of the cables the same as for the highest voltage.

If I nicked a black wire within a metal electrical enclosure, heat shrink might be acceptable. Black electrical tape is a crayon. Nothing more.
See https://www.doityourself.com/forum/...taped-wire-sends-power-switch.html#post198221

Romex can be joined without an enclosure with wierd splice gizmos. Basically a plug/socket combination.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-A22899-000/202204326

 

Wire Harness wrapping tape.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CTUW99Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Never gets that awful sticky slimy residue.
I used this to bind together into a harness a bunch of various wires, and has never let go or got sticky.

Only bad thing is it causes birth defects in the state of california when force fed to rats.

 

Somehow I can't see birth defects in RATS as a bad thing...