What gauge wire does a temp probe need?

[Offroader]

I notice they use very thick wire for the temp probe on my cromotor v3. Probably like 16 gauge wire which seems unnecessary.

I was going to add a fan in the motor and was thinking about using smaller wire for the temp probe.

Will something like this wire work, this is Teflon coated 36 AWG wire. Very thin stuff.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11849__Turnigy_Teflon_Coated_Wire_36AWG_1mtr_Red.html

Does anyone see a problem of using wire this thin, or is there a reason the cromotor builders used such thick wire for the temp probe?

Thanks,

 

[thinmint]

The teflon coating on that wire can easily be scratched off, resulting in shorts - No good in environments where wear and tear are expected.
The 16ga wires used on the cromotors are that size simply because of its strength.

 

[cal3thousand]

16AWG is a bit big, but 32AWG is too small.

As long as you have the wire properly shielded from abrasion, I would say 22 AWG is a good spot. It also depends on your other wiring and how much heat they will generate. If you use a thin wire/jacket and have phase wiring that will generate heat, it could be a bad situation as alluded by thinmint

 

[MAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER]

I have those wires, you can easily remove teflon coating with your nails, so they are not strong wires!

 

[crea2k]

The wire is that thick because the way the temp sensor works is the warmer it gets, the more the resistance changes, the thick wire is used as to add no extra resistance to the thermistor, if you use too thin cable you will be adding resistance to the resistor value as the cable will be resisting the current flow. This will mean that your temp reading is off because a 10k resistor could become an 11k resistor or more if the cable is thin enough. Thicker cable = less current loss / less resistance.

 

[crea2k]

I used speaker wire to re cable mine, as its pretty much the same thickness as the white stuff that originally ships with the cromotor.