MICC Terminating

[Pete999]

Firstly it's been a while since I learnt all my MICC Terminating skills, and whilst loads of training establishments show trainees how to terminate MICC in a sterile location, i,e, at a vice on a work bench.

I was taught how to measure when and how to fit the gland and pot assembly by a very experienced ex Coal mine Electrician, when you have lots of ends to make off, with no room for getting, or hiding excess cable, when for example you are terminating lots of MICC cables of differing sizes into, say a distribution board, where the finished installation need to be clipped and dressed for ascetic reasons.

Is this still taught in trade schools? ( I do realise MICC is not used much these days) but the training Schools stiil seem to plug the terminating quite a lot, judging from the videos I have seen, is the dressing and termination a lost art? it's all well and good showing students how to terminate MICC in a sterile classroom but in the real world, many young and new Electricians and DIs will still struggle to make it look good and proffesional, if this is all they are trained on. discuss if you feel inclined.

 

[pc1966]

Nice. (Except that white flex)

Exactly my though: neat, organised, nice install. Then someone botches in an extra wire years later!

 

[Dustydazzler]

Had to terminate 2 ends of an Micc cable when at college doing 2360.
we had to connect one end to a consumer unit the other to a Dp switch and it had to Ensure all testEd out ok. We even had to dress and tie it to a short length of tray.
if it went bang you had to do it all over again...
since then I have made off about 2 or 3 micc cables all in the same job fir a company doing work at an old church.
i had to borrow the tools off my dad as I honestly could never justify buying the tools for micc...

 

[Pete999]

Had to terminate 2 ends of an Micc cable when at college doing 2360.
we had to connect one end to a consumer unit the other to a Dp switch and it had to Ensure all testEd out ok. We even had to dress and tie it to a short length of tray.
if it went bang you had to do it all over again...
since then I have made off about 2 or 3 micc cables all in the same job fir a company doing work at an old church.
i had to borrow the tools off my dad as I honestly could never justify buying the tools for micc...

You could get away with just crimp tool!! I have many a time in an emergency.

 

[UNG]

One of my mum's friends used to work at BICC in Prescot in the 60's terminating lengths of Pyro that made up the octopus system wiring kits that were used in concrete high rise flats, she was on piece work and was paid 3d for every end might not sound much but they were fitting 20 - 30 ends an hour
The best I ever got to on site was 8 ends an hour on the small stuff my slowest was 16 ends over 2 days on a 12 and 10 hour shift there was a mix of sizes from 4H16 upto 4H35

I really enjoyed working with Pyro and have still all my tools in one of the many toolboxes that haven't seen the light of day for a while
I've seen most of types that were produced the biggest disaster was the all aluminium pyro followed by the AlCuMIC the aluminium sheath and copper conductors never found them nice to work with and even worse to rework
Then in the eighties we had the shrink on seals, the fire alarm system on one of Pilkingtons new sites was the first site to use them before they were released for sale, we got to find all problems pre release

Never heard it mentioned on any of the forums but does anybody remember the Pyro heat trace cable, when you placed the order you had to order the exact lengths you needed and it always came pre terminated

 

[Pete999]

One of my mum's friends used to work at BICC in Prescot in the 60's terminating lengths of Pyro that made up the octopus system wiring kits that were used in concrete high rise flats, she was on piece work and was paid 3d for every end might not sound much but they were fitting 20 - 30 ends an hour
The best I ever got to on site was 8 ends an hour on the small stuff my slowest was 16 ends over 2 days on a 12 and 10 hour shift there was a mix of sizes from 4H16 upto 4H35

I really enjoyed working with Pyro and have still all my tools in one of the many toolboxes that haven't seen the light of day for a while
I've seen most of types that were produced the biggest disaster was the all aluminium pyro followed by the AlCuMIC the aluminium sheath and copper conductors never found them nice to work with and even worse to rework
Then in the eighties we had the shrink on seals, the fire alarm system on one of Pilkingtons new sites was the first site to use them before they were released for sale, we got to find all problems pre release

Never heard it mentioned on any of the forums but does anybody remember the Pyro heat trace cable, when you placed the order you had to order the exact lengths you needed and it always came pre terminated

Yes remember it but never worked with it.

 

[davesparks]

You could get away with just crimp tool!! I have many a time in an emergency.

You can get away without any of the tools if you really need to, and I have in an emergency.

Strip it with side cutters, ring it with cable shears, fit the pot with grips (carefully) , crimp it with two pairs of grips (very carefully).

There's other things I've done in a difficult situation too, but I don't think they'll go down very well on the forum.

 

[buzzlightyear]

but I don't think they'll go down very well on the forum.

all ears davesparks lol

 

[pc1966]

He was young, he needed the money!

 

[ipf]

You can get away without any of the tools if you really need to, and I have in an emergency.

Aye, when the occasion beckoned.
[automerge]1589393390[/automerge]

There's other things I've done in a difficult situation too, but I don't think they'll go down very well on the forum.

Along with plenty of us, I don't doubt.

 

[buzzlightyear]

He was young, he needed the money

and I thought he was royalty l ,sir davesparkys .lol to the king .

 

[Pete999]

You can get away without any of the tools if you really need to, and I have in an emergency.

Strip it with side cutters, ring it with cable shears, fit the pot with grips (carefully) , crimp it with two pairs of grips (very carefully).

There's other things I've done in a difficult situation too, but I don't think they'll go down very well on the forum.

Better still ring the MI with a plumber's pipe cutter carefully, as for the grips Mole type gips would be preferable

 

[buzzlightyear]

Better still ring the MI with a plumber's pipe cutter carefully

what if water comes out Pete .lol.

 

[Pete999]

what if water comes out Pete .lol.

In that case you would be well and truly screwed Buzz

 

[Dustydazzler]

Are we the only country to have used micc in the past ?
Can’t say I have seen it anywhere else in Europe...
As I say , I have never installed it in a new install.
Just some dry minor repairs when it’s been damaged or needed moving...

 

[davesparks]

Better still ring the MI with a plumber's pipe cutter carefully, as for the grips Mole type gips would be preferable

I don't have either of those tools in my tool bag normally, so can't turn to them for emergency repairs l.