nkyreef
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 10, 2017
- Messages
- 595
- Reaction score
- 550
- Location
- Northern KY/Cincinnati
- What state or country do you live in
- Kentucky
There isn't much out there in terms of extending the float switches that come with Reef Octopus Varios pumps so hopefully this helps someone here in the future. While I could find an OEM extension cable for power I could not find one for the float switches. I don't know the exact length of the cable but I'd estimate around 3'. I needed 8' to reach my pump controllers that are mounted in a cabinet next to the tank. I didn't want to splice the cable (that's much too easy :p). The connectors are a type XS8 2 pin connector. I bought a small project box and some 20 awg two conductor cable. I should've bought a smaller gauge wire as soldering the 20 gauge wires was really difficult. I bet you could get away with 24 gauge.
I started by drilling the mounting holes for the female XS8 connectors and holes on the opposite end for the cables to exit:
Wires routed thru holes and stripped. Notice the nut that secures the connector to the box:
Next I attempted to solder the wires onto the connectors. It was difficult due to the thickness of the wire and very tiny solder points on the connectors. Luckily, I had a few ferrules laying around that I could crimp on. Once the nut was screwed on I put a dab off hot glue (not shown) to secure the cable to the box. I drilled the holes so that the cable fit tightly but the glue assured me the crimp connections would not be compromised if the cable was pulled too harshly:
Soldering the male XS8 connector was equally as difficult. I had to use the same ferrules as on the female connectors but had to cut them down so they would fit within the connector housing. Later I added electrical tape between the connection points to better insulate them:
The finished product:
I started by drilling the mounting holes for the female XS8 connectors and holes on the opposite end for the cables to exit:
Wires routed thru holes and stripped. Notice the nut that secures the connector to the box:
Next I attempted to solder the wires onto the connectors. It was difficult due to the thickness of the wire and very tiny solder points on the connectors. Luckily, I had a few ferrules laying around that I could crimp on. Once the nut was screwed on I put a dab off hot glue (not shown) to secure the cable to the box. I drilled the holes so that the cable fit tightly but the glue assured me the crimp connections would not be compromised if the cable was pulled too harshly:
Soldering the male XS8 connector was equally as difficult. I had to use the same ferrules as on the female connectors but had to cut them down so they would fit within the connector housing. Later I added electrical tape between the connection points to better insulate them:
The finished product:
