Question about wiring up LED speaker rings

[mgabsa]

Can I use marine speaker wire to hook up my LED lights? I have plenty of marine grade speaker wire and that's why I'm asking.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

What gauge is the wire?

 

[David Analog]

I don't see a problem with using a larger gauge wire than necessary for the LED wiring, perhaps up to 16-gauge for the long runs. But I would have a concern with a thick & heavy wire directly connected to the unrestrained leads coming off most delicate LED fixtures or strips. Weight times the shock and vibration as more of a physical issue rather than an electrical one. So as long as you tie-up the wires and use a smaller gauge as an extension from the junction to the fixture/strip, I see no problem.

 

[mgabsa]

I think it's 18 gauge wire. It's the wire that came with marine speakers I bought that I didn't use. The LEDs are speaker rings and the wire coming off is about the same size as the speaker wire. I can secure it well enough that it wont pull on the attached wires to the ring.

My bigger concern was whether their is a difference between speaker wire and electrical wire. I know it sounds crazy, but if its all the same, why not buy an extension cord and use it to wire up speakers?

 

[jonw9]

It is essentially the same wire, especially for the LED purposes.

Some speaker wire is "Oxygen free copper" and then you can get into twisted, cryogenic treated and other stuff (depending on how much that you want to spend).

And for the record, I connected my house speakers with white lamp cord because it matched better than the clear/copper jacketed speaker wire.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

For low voltage any wire will do, but when you start running AC the wire and jacket makes a huge difference. 18 gauge will attach easily to your LED lights. I was worried you had a monster gauge speaker wire and trying to connect it to a little 18 gauge would have been silly. Another part of using wires designated for AC or DC properly is identification down the road. If you saw an orange extension cord running through your garage you would automatically think its AC and not speaker wire. Safety is the issue.

 

[latitudeadjuster]

Did you hook up your rings? Did you run the wire to the courtesy light switch? Interested in this mod this winter.

 

[mgabsa]

Yes I hooked up the led speaker rings on the transom speakers. I installed an underwater Abyss light that came with a relay which is on its own battery connection and switch. The way I have it set up is when the underwater Abyss is turned on the speaker ring lights come on.