- [Gordon] Coming up. We put some live conductors into a bucket, check out all these part numbers, and we show you a hack with
the WAGO 2773 connectors. Today. We're looking at
this the WAGO gel box and specifically how you use it with the 2773 range of connectors that we haven't seen
on the channel before. - Okay. Looking at your table,
you've gone connector crazy and it looks fantastic
should we bring the camera in and look at the gel box. - Yeah. Let's have a look at the gel box. First. It is really
quite a simple concept. You've obviously got our WAGO connector. So this is the 2773 connector here. You basically just place it
inside with your conductors and you snap it shut to make
the joint - the gel joint. Now, we have seen other gel devices before so this is not a silicone-based gel. - Okay. Yeah. - Very important. So that
does improve the stability of the connector over
a long period of time. So it's not silicone based, the gel molds itself around
the connectors very easily, but it's not as sticky as some of those other sort
of silicone gels we've seen. So let's just have a look
at actually the gel here. It's quite interesting. So I can actually, oh
yeah, pull the gel out. Yeah. So, you know, it's a
solid, solid-ish, you know it's moving around, but
I can actually get that back into the box - [Gary] and none of it's
left on your fingers. - [Gordon] Yeah. And there you go. Fingers are still clean. - So when we think about using these in applications, can you give us some examples where
we'll be using the gel box? - Yeah. So I mean, low voltage, or safety extra low voltage
lighting systems are ideal. I've got an example here. We'll show you how to
make up a little while. We have connected this led strip. - Right. - Which is 24 volts through the box. Now, if you're going to use them say in a mains application,
so you might, you know a lot of say bollard
lights and things like that where you might get condensation,
you would have to be inside some other form
of electrical enclosure. - And I see a lot of that
on social media, don't you? You get an IP-rated box,
fill it full of connections and fill it full of reporting gel. - Yeah. And obviously that gel sometimes it's two parts, takes
time to cure and is, yeah, and can be quite expensive actually when you do it as well - It's simple isn't it? Make up your connections, close it down. - It's really super quick
and stay tuned to the end of this video because
we'll show you actually how quick that is and you know - - By dropping it in a bucket
full of water when it's live? Okay. - That's how we like to do it. - So I think we need to
look at it being used. Do we, should we use it
with solid conductors first? - Yeah, let's have a
look at solid conductors. - So you got to strip back
your conductors first, then what length are you going for? - Yeah. So these are 30
millimeters, a little bit longer than you'd have on the two to
one, which is 11 millimeters. So I've just set the depth stop there. Okay. And on these connectors handy little it's a handy little guide
on the connector itself. So you can check that
you've got the right length. Now here's something people may not know, you obviously push it in there now you see that clear window there, Gary? - [Gary] On top? - [Gordon] Do you see the clear window? Yep, when it's pushed in properly you should just be able
to see the insulation and no copper in that
tiny little window there. - That's a top tip that isn't it? Obviously we see the
copper at the other end. - [Gordon] Yeah. So that's nicely pushed into the right place. - [Gary] Right. Okay. So you're going to do all
of the conductors.Yeah? - [Gordon] Yeah. So I prepared them all up and now it's a case of
putting it in the gel box. So just simply press them into
place, hinge the lid over. I'm just going to snap those
connectors on the side. There we go that's our IP
X8 connection finished. - So you can see from that can you where this will have to
go into another enclosure. Obviously we've got the outer insulation from the actual conductors exposed. Also you can enter it
by just opening it up. There's no key or tool in order to enter the actual
gel box itself. Is there? - Yeah. That's it. Then just as we're passing
on, they're obviously solid conductors in the 2773 series. Obviously they're easy to put in. You can actually remove a solid conductor by twisting them and pulling them out. - [Gary] Okay. Is there a recommended number
of times you can do that? - So far you can do that 20
times with a solid conductor. And obviously, you know, you look on there, it's
actually, yeah, it's amazing. You can actually see where the
connector's bitten into that. And I know, yeah. A lot of our viewers in America still struggle with the concept of these when compared
to the wire nuts, Gary. - They certainly do. Okay. They'll catch up eventually. Well, if you want to catch
up, I think we ought to look at the part numbering system
you've got laid out down for us and I recommend anyone who
wants a good copy of it you can screenshot the next bit. - Here we go. Let's have a look. - [Gary] So where do you want to start? - [Gordon] So here's our gel boxes. So they come in three sizes. So 207-1331 all the way to 207-1333. That's obviously the bigger box. That's the smaller box. There is another range
of boxes to accommodate the 2216 series. So that's obviously - - [Gary] For a slightly
larger one, isn't it? - [Gordon] Yeah. For up to
six millimeter conductors. And that's how I begin
to decipher the way. I got part numbers, Gary. Cause along here what I've
done is, is sort of show some examples of the 221 series that you can fit in that box. We've got a fantastic video on that. If you haven't seen it,
that explains all of that. So I won't dwell on that for too long. And then down here,
we've got the 2773 series which all of these take a
four millimeter conductor and you can see all fours down there. - [Gary] So if there was a
sixth there it'd be up to 6 mil okay. - Yeah. And then obviously
the number here is obviously the number of conductors
it can take down the end. So what I've done here is
there's obviously the smaller box can take two of these
to conductor versions. - [Gary] Right. - [Gordon] One of the three,
where if we go up to possibly the larger box can take four
of the two conductor versions, or this is, this is our working out. This is not the official
WAGO data sheet on it. Now obviously you could
mix and match this. You could obviously have
combinations of two and three or two and four, depending on
obviously what type of system - [Gary] I'm just admiring your work now so if people want to screenshot that. They'll probably want to
grab it at that point there. - [Gordon] Well, you know,
I love a part number. - You do love a part number. - So we've seen it with solid conductors. - Yep. - Obviously we can use
fine stranded conductors. And you think there's a little bit of a little bit of a hack or a cheat here? - Well, yeah. So no, you can use stranded
conductors or class two, sort of like your typical conduit cable. - Absolutely. Yeah. - Fine stranded conductors,
you know, on the data sheet it doesn't officially say you can use them with the 2773 series. Of course you can with the
221s that'll take anything. - [Gary] It will do, yeah. - But there is a little hack, Gary, to be able to use these
with stranded conductors class five. Let's have a look at that. - [Gary] So, you know, we
love a ferrule on the channel. How is this going to
be a hack then, Gordon? - [Gordon] Okay. So now you wouldn't think you could use stranded
classified conductors with these 2773 series connectors, but in fact you can, if you
put a ferrule onto them, Gary. - [Gary] Okay. And again, those ferrules are the right length. That was a bit of luck as
well as he didn't have to trim them back. - [Gordon] Yeah well,
they have to be the length obviously you'd have on a solid conductor which is 13 millimeters. So I'm using this with
this IP-rated led strip for outdoor use. Again, a lot of these
come with prepared ends and you need to somehow
join two wires together. So I think obviously using
these, these WAGO connectors in the gel enclosure is an
ideal solution for that. So again, push them through
now, obviously the connector's got the four millimeters square conductor, as you will not get that
if you're using a ferrule because obviously the ferrule and the plastic end take
up some room at the end. - [Gary] Okay. Yeah. So
you wouldn't get formalin because of the extra
metal cracking the ferrule - Crack and prepare them,
put them into the connectors push them into place, click the lid shut. And that's our outdoor led
system protected to IP X eight. - [Gary] And what
voltage would that be at? Twelve? Twenty four? - [Gordon] Twenty-four
won't strip this, Gary. So SLV, we don't have to
worry about another enclosure. - We're going to tease you
just a little bit longer before we put the gel box into water which is just down there. But I want to see what's
in your hand first, Gordon, let's have a look at that. - [Gordon] Well let's just
check out some of the details on the 2773 connector as there's
a lot of markings on there and sometimes that confuses
people a little bit, particularly when it
comes to current ratings. But before that let's have
a look, there's obviously approvals for all sorts of
parts of the world, including UL for the U.S. to keep our
American friends happy and NEC which is Europe and
the PSE, which is Japan. Now they have a completely
different current rating to the rest of the world that
fits their electrical system. But when it comes to
Europe, obviously we're up to 450 volts, 32 amps
and all of the connectors in this range will take a
four millimeter conductor into there. So stranded or solid. - Okay. And we said about the ferrule would just probably have to be smaller - Yes, for fine stranded, yeah. - Wow. Can we, can we, can
we tease you out any longer Gordon? - Well, Gary, time to
bring out the buckets. So let's just hold it there. Do not try this at home. - [Gary] Well, it only seems
fair that I hold the camera once again, Gordon, cause this is going into a bucket of water, I think. - Yeah, well, let's just see
how good these gel boxes are. So prepared some ends
there, flexible cables here we're back to the 221
series connector here. So again, exactly the same
principle, press them into place. - [Gary] Okay. And then
we're going to liven this up, aren't we? - Yeah, do not do this at home because obviously this should
be inside another enclosure but we're going to liven in this up. We're gonna attach a led high bay to it and we're just going to put
it straight in the water. So I've made the end up there ready and see the gel ready to go. We're going to let - - [Gary] We're live now. So I'll just step back a little bit - [Gordon] Okay we'll tap one spring in it - [Gary] Good luck. - [Gordon] Here we go. - [Gary] And we're in. - [Gordon] Straight in. Yeah. So they're just sloshing
about, so this is X eight and obviously we haven't
got a deep enough bucket to mimic X8 or enough pressure. So I'd probably suggest this is a 67 test just give it a good slosh around there. But yeah, the high Bay light is still lit and we haven't tripped any
breakers off, which is great. - [Gary] Well I'll
knock the power off then before we open it up and have
a look on the inside of it - [Gordon] Let's just have a look here. So again, you don't need a tool to do it. So that's another reason
you would put this inside another box for main's
watch look, look at how that's squashed around those
connectors straight away. - [Gary] Yeah. - [Gordon] And yet by magic
I can just peel it away. - [Gary] Okay. And then you're
back in with the connectors. - [Gordon] Yep. - [Gary] Bone dry as well. - [Gordon] Yeah. - [Gary] Can I now reuse the gel box? - [Gordon] So the advice on WAGO is, no these are one time only use because some of that gel could migrate
onto the conductors and may not give a reliable
connection a second time around. - Much to everyone's great disappointment. Yes. No harm was done to Gordon Routledge during the experiment. But of course it wouldn't, would it? because these have been
extensively tested to be submersed into water. The gel box is fantastic isn't it, Gordon? - It is. Yeah. That's a great solution. I'm amazed how actually,
well, yeah, just straight away it goes around the connectors
and forms that IPX 8 seal. So that is a good, obviously yes. We've said this isn't IPX eight. It's a bucket. But it's a, it's a good start. Obviously. I think if
you've used these connectors we'd obviously like to hear
from you. Wouldn't we, Gary? - We would, we always
want those comments below. Is there any top tips
when using WAGO connectors that maybe we haven't said in this video and you'd like to add
those into the comments. Is there somebody in
the comments struggling and you know the answer could you answer that for us as well? We'd like that wouldn't we? Less comments for us to answer as well. As always please leave those below and he'll try and get
back to as many as he can.
