PREPARING

WIRING AND
ELECTRICAL
CIRCUITS
LO 1: Plan and Prepare for the Connection of
Electrical Wirings and Electronic Circuits
 INTRODU
Wires in a typical computer system setup are made up of a

CTION
single, solid strand. They run from the service panel
through walls and to electrical boxes. Wires come in three
forms: single strand, stranded, and braided.

• Single-strand wire is composed of only one metal

wire, useful for wiring breadboards.
• Stranded wire consists of several small wires wrapped
together, making it a larger conductor.
• Braided wire is made up of small wires interwoven
together, providing more strength and resistance to
damage when flexed.
• If you are working on a damp floor, place a dry
board or rubber mat under your feet. The tools that
you use must come with insulated handles.

• If you have a heart condition and are sensitive to

shocks, be mindful that these can lead to serious
physical injuries. At the beginning of an electrical
project, you must first shut down the power. This
breaks the circuit so that no electricity can go
through the wires. The human body is conductive
like a wire and can channel electricity, such that if
you touch a "hot" wire (often identified as black or
colored), the electrical current will go through you
and into the ground.
• To reduce or eliminate the shock, wearing rubber-
soled shoes or standing on a thick, non-conductor
such as a dry wooden platform or floor covering is
advisable.

• Now, if you touch both a hot and a neutral wire

(often identified as white) or ground (green or bare
copper) wire at the same time, your body will
complete the circuit and the current will pass
through you even if you are standing on a non-
conductive surface. As a rule, avoid coming in
contact with any bare wire by using a rubber-grip
insulated tool that you must hold only by the
handle.
CABLES
A cable consists of two or more wires encased in a
protective cover. The packaging indicates the gauge and
number of wires. For example, "12/2 WG" means two
(black and white) 12-gauge wires plus a ground wire.

• Non-metallic (NM) cable, sometimes called Romex,

contains two or three insulated wires with a bare
ground wire wrapped in plastic. This cable can be
installed in walls, ceilings, and garages.
• Underground Feed (UF) cable has wires wrapped in
solid plastic for watertight protection, suitable for
outdoor installations.
CABLES
Armored cable wraps insulated wires in
metal, serving as a grounding path. BX (AC)
has no ground wire but includes a thin
aluminum bonding wire, while Metal Clad
(MC) has a green insulated ground wire.
WIRE COLORS
AND SIZES
Wires are color-coded to easily determine
their purpose. Wires coated with black,
blue, orange, brown, grey, and red are
called hot wires. Hot wires carry power
from the source to the electrical device.
Neutral wires are white-coated wires,
and they carry power back to the service
panel. Green and bare-coated wires are
ground wires that provide a conducting
path connected to an earth ground.
WIRE COLORS
AND SIZES
The thickness of the wire is determined by Maximum
its gauge number. The lower its gauge Wire Gauge
Amps
number, the thicker the wire. Hence, a 12-
gauge wire is thinner than a 10-gauge
wire. Always keep in mind that the thicker 14-gauge 15
the wire, the more amperage (amps) it can
carry without overheating. On the other 12-gauge 20
hand, the thinner the wire, the more
chance of pushing the electricity through it 10-gauge 30
with more pressure.
STRIPPING WIRE
Before you make an electrical connection, you
must strip the insulation from the end of a wire
using a stripper instead of a knife or wire cutter.
You have to do this right to avoid any damage to
the copper wire. Check the bare wire after
stripping to make sure it is not distorted.

Open the stripper, insert the wire into the

correct notch, squeeze the stripper shut, give a
slight twist, and slide the insulation off.
STRIPPING WIRE
The insulation should slide off easily with no
mark on the wire. If a stripper leaves a nick
or scrapes the wire, check that you are
using the right hole in the stripper;
otherwise, use a new one.
SPLICING WIRE
Hold the stripped wire ends
tightly next to each other. Grip
both ends with pliers and twist
clockwise. When you feel more
resistance, stop twisting to avoid
breaking the wire.
SPLICING WIRE
Cut the tails off the tip of the
splice, leaving about 3/2 inch of
spliced wire. Using pliers, push it
easily into a wire nut and ensure
that both wires are held firmly
together.
SPLICING WIRE
Choose a wire nut to fit the size
and number of wires and twist
the nut clockwise to tighten. Tug
on the wires to make sure the
connection is tight. Wrap the
bottom of the nut with electrical
tape.
STRIPPING AN
ELECTRICAL CORD
Before stripping, separate a
lamp cord, which is also known
as a zip cord, by pointing the tip
of the utility knife between the
two conjoined wires. Afterwards,
pull the cord to split it into two.
STRIPPING AN
ELECTRICAL CORD
Using your fingers, twist the
exposed strands clockwise until
they are tight.
STRIPPING AN
ELECTRICAL CORD
Twist the wires together
clockwise by hand and add the
wire nut.
ELECTRIC
CIRCUIT
An electric circuit refers to the complete
pathway in which electrons can flow through
the influence of a voltage. Typically, an
electric circuit is composed of wires and
cables connected to different individual
electronic components. In order for the
electricity to flow, the power source must
have two terminals: one positive and the
other negative in charge. If the positive
power source is connected to the negative
source, a circuit is created, allowing the
electricity to flow.
ELECTRIC
CIRCUIT
As you have learned in your
Physics class, electrons always
move by kinetic energy created
by negatively charged bodies
to positively charged bodies
with an established voltage
across a link called "circuit."
 ELECTRIC
CIRCUIT
The words "positive" and "negative"
serve as indicators of a charge's
direction. Through a circuit, the
speed of the electrons will flow from
the spot with an excess of negative
ions (charged atoms or molecules)
to the spot with a lack of positive
ions, depending on the resistance of
the particles that compose the
circuit wires.
 ELECTRIC
CIRCUIT
The circuit can be destroyed by excessive heat during
the process if there are too many electrons
simultaneously crossing the circuit. Since the number
of electrons exchanged in the circuit at a given time
may be limited by the resistance, it will eventually
result in loss of energy as heat.

You can also install a switch in an electric circuit. When

you press the switch connecting the tips, the circuit
will be "closed," and this makes the current flow;
otherwise, if a circuit is open, the current cannot flow.
END
OF
LESSO
N