Tape Wire Lesson

Here are the tools you will need to put tape wire in your house.

Tape Wire This comes in different lengths. Be sure to get enough for the size of house you are building.

Brads Brads also come in two lengths. I will discuss this later.

A tester

A Transformer

The Junction

You will also need a small hammer and tweezers or pliers to hold the tiny brads in place.

First determine where you are going to want your lights. Then draw a line on the walls were the tape wire will run. I used a Sharpie but you should draw the tape wire lines in pencil. Here I have drawn in the front door and where the furniture will go.

Marking around a room

Marking ceiling lights

Marking between floors

I have planned floor outlets on the right wall and porch lights on each side of the front door on the outside. Can you see where I marked the ceiling for a light fiztureup there and in the last photo see where the tape suns up the side wall out to the ceiling and around the floor to the upper level?

Connecting the transformer

Attaching the junction

I am connecting the transformer to the tape wire at the back corner on the side of my house. ou can also make the connection under the foundation, if there is room. More on that later.
I have attached the junction to the transformer to make sure of the placement. Be sure to leave room between the edgeof the house and the junction for the transformer so it does not get knocked around.

Tape with Wrinkles

Smooth out Wrinkles

The tape can have wrinkles in it. Can you see where the pencil is pointing? You should try to make the tape as smooth as possible as you lay it. I use my thumbnail to press it flat as I am laying it on the walls. If you can lay the house on its side while running your tape wire it will be easier.

Tape wire around walls

Tape Wire Around Doors

Tape Wire Over Floor

Peel the backing off the tape and carefully place it on your pencil lines. It is not important tha it is exact except where you want to hook in your lights and/or outlets later. I have run a line along the floor in the upstairs room to attach the ceiling light from downstairs. You can seee a dot where the hole in the floor is to run the wires through from downstairs.

Connected tape between floors.

Connected tape walls.

Testing the tape

To make a junctioon, just overlap the tape and connect it with the copper brads. Here you can see that I used tow brads for each color in the strip. Always be careful n ot to connect the copper side to the silver side. This will short out your system.

Test the tape each time you make a connection to be sure that you have power to the next piece of tape wire.

Take phots if the tape run or make sketches witht he exact placement of the tape. Attach these documents to the house (in an envelope taped to the bottom is a good way) so if there is a problem in the future you will have the diagrams to go by.

For this house I am putting the junction for the transformer under the house. I have tested and see that the pins on the junction are too long for the thin plywood of the floor so I have glued a piece of scrap wood tot he floor to make it thicker. Be sure that there is enough room in your foundation for this. Before permanently attaching the junction with the provided screw I have attached the cord from the transformer to make sure it will fit.