Which wire do I need to purchase.

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Hi,
I wish to use a small machine in the back up my jeep & looking for some advice on which wire I should buy in relation to the run length / amperage / voltage drop etc.

Machine has a laptop looking power adapter which plugs into the 240 mains then into this machine & on the label it reads 12v / 5 amp.

I will connecting it to the vehicles 12v battery.
From the battery to where the machine will be placed is 5 meters.
The wire I will buy is flat two core.

I’m in some need of what size amp rating I need to use for the length of run mentioned.

As a test I plugged it into the auxiliary socket in the rear of the jeep & have used it say 20 times over the last few months with no issues at all.

I don’t want to use the auxiliary for this as the ignition needs to be kept on hence why I will connect direct to the battery.
Thanks.
 
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Go for cable with a 1.0 sq mm size.....this will carry up to 10A load, and you can forget about the cable length.
You could get by with 0.75sq mm, but this is rated at 6A, and I do think it's a good idea to oversize rather than under.
Motor factors will probably be able to fix you up, or maybe even Homebase off the drum.
If you are connecting direct to the battery, best to fit an in line fuse.
John :)
 
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4mm for 5Amps? That doesn't make sense. It's no more than a sidelight or tail lamp.

John, volts drop at 12v can be a terrific problem. Cable needs to be sized for volts drop rather than current carrying capacity at such low voltages. I would agree with using 4mm singles, flexible, red and black, to minimise the volts drop.
 
I wonder what the "machine" is that the wire has to power. It might be useful to measure the actual current drawn.

Anything connected to a car battery has to cope with considerable voltage fluctuations.
 
I think the OP has asked before, I think a key cutting machine was mentioned last time around...
 
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