Canister Light Cord?

[HenrikBP]

Went to Home D and found SJOOW 16 gauge 3 conductor cable. They didn't have 16/2, and the 16/3 is 8.1 mm OD, which I hope should be a good fit with my original cable being 8 mm OD.

The SJOOW cable seems to be a bit more flexible than the original, but I will also try to find some "super" flexible audio cable of similar diameter, just to compare.

Henrik

 

[Brewone0to]

Grainger has SJOOW 16/2 but the shortest piece is like 30' or so.
Worked great in my Dive Rite lights.
I used it to lengthen one cord 4 1/2", and the other one about a foot for butt mounting.
No leaks what so ever.

 

[HenrikBP]

Thanks BrewOne, that's good to know.

I found the SJOOW cable at Home D, in a good diameter too.

I had a chance to look at some "H" lights this weekend, and they use 16 gauge 2 conductor SOOW cable, which I believe may be even more flexible than the SJOOW.

Of course that cable is 0.37" = 9.38mm, so I'd need to swap out the glands to use it though. I'll see what I can find.

Henrik

 

[HenrikBP]

A bit more searching and I find a bit more info about SOOW / SJOOW cable:

SOOW Cable Products Rubber SOOW, SJOOW Cable - Extension Cords

Apparently their yellow cable is stronger and more flexible than the black one.

McMaster carries both yellow and black cable, although I can't be sure it's WesBell brand. Both yellow and black are close to 8 mm diameter.

Ordered some of both and will report back.

Henrik

 

[HenrikBP]

Been awhile, but I wanted to follow up on how it all turned out.

The McMaster cables were clearly the better quality, and of the two the yellow cable was the most flexible - and perfect diameter to boot. The outer insulation was cast to fit perfectly around the two conductors (no paper filler as in the Home D cable), and both the exterior of the conductors as well as the copper cores were surrounded by a thin layer of super slick film - which is no doubt why the cable is as flexible as it is. The yellow cable also has a wider temperature range of use - which I interpret as the cable will stay more flexible in colder water.

So I went ahead and installed the yellow cable; I unsoldered the old cable and soldered the new one in place, making sure to keep the cord length the same. Of course if your current cable is not the perfect length for you, now's the time to fix that

I got to dive the new cord this weekend, and it made a huge difference. No more big loops and coils catching on everything nearby. And since the light is still working fine, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing is leaking.

Henrik

 

[laurin]

For future reference, this is what I've been using. I haven't had to replace one yet, and the flexibility and general sturdiness are way better than rubber cords:

https://www.elfaelectronics.com/elfa3~ex_en/elfa/init.do?item=55-736-21