today we're looking at the Winsta connector range from Wago so i'm going to call it waygo
winster vargo and winston no doubt yeah variance thereof as we go through this video but uh yeah
well let me start with this range is immense scary it's so big i'm not even going to even try
to remember all of the different part numbers oh that's a first on the channel so we're not going
to do the part numbers but we're certainly going to take a dive into what we've got in front of us
here so from the electrician's point of view we love products that save electricians time where
would we be using this kind of connector yeah so this this lives in a lot of commercial electrical
installations particularly when there's lighting installations so i'm thinking office blocks retail
modular building now start to become incredibly popular particularly off-site fabrication where
things are brought to site and you just want to plug them together and yeah that's this system
is ideal for that so a lot of people probably familiar with it if you're not we're going to go
through some of the key key features and benefits to get you started right let's have a look at the
range then because there's different elements within the range that we can use so if i bring
in hand cam which one would you like to start with okay so we'll start with the sizes of connector
available garen it starts with the mini range here so this is the mini okay so that's cables
up to 1.5 millimeter squared and 16 amps yep and then in the in between we've got the the midi okay
the midi one being up to i think four millimeters squared and 25 amps for that one yeah and then at
the top of the range we've got the maxi which is more sort of main power distribution connector
that goes up to 35 amps and we'll take six millimeter conductor so we're not going to feature
too much on that we're going to look at these other ones that have the most variants and there's
also a mystery connector gary all right i like a mystery connector there's also the Winsta RD so let's
have a look at the RD i think that's going to stand for round yeah so this is a round connector that
you can put through 20 millimeter holes or into piping or ducting has been designed for modular
build probably may see it more in housing type applications so i could perhaps plan that down a
25 millimeter conduit or something like that yeah that's it so so that's that's the range um all
pretty similar in how they work but there's some subtle differences between them so best perhaps
have a look at a plug-and-socket arrangement first okay so let's bring a plug-in socket in them
so again the difference plug and socket now a key feature here is regardless whether you've got a
plug in the socket you can't touch the contacts oh so no touching the live parts out like that yeah
and i've seen this is where people mix it up and bring their mains in on the wrong the wrong parts
but again there is no risk of doing that so yeah so they're great um so dead simple push together
and obviously pull apart but there's instances saying a roof you may want to make it more
difficult to pull them apart and you want them to latch not that easy you just get this latching
component and this will hold the two connectors in place in here so i'll just convert that just slot
it into place yeah well that was incredibly easy then bring the other part in and then
i've created a latched socket arrangement yeah really good and that's common across all of the
different sizes in the range okay so you've got the ability to hold them into position which
is great you've also got the ability to mount them as well yes there is so there's loads of
other accessories so mounting blocks and things like that to fix them for surfaces but perhaps
now gary is the distribution so how you distribute power in a building so people
are quite familiar with obviously plug and sockets on down lights and things like that yes
but with this winster system you get lots of options about how you can distribute
power so we're talking about bringing it in taking it out etc yeah so i've done a version here
which is a loop in a loop out arrangement so we've brought in say a switching line neutral
and cpc and gone out to the next light fittings yeah i think so we can go between fittings
there so say i've wired the other the mating part to this down light on the bench here so
i've pre-wired this probably done it off-site i may have even got it from the manufacturer
pre-wired and again that just um plugs it together so it's looping loop out there
down to the fitting there that's the first option okay that will speed it up especially
if you come pre-wired so if that was already on the light fit and you drop it into the ceiling
that actually you know that's going to speed up the install so we're thinking that some of these
sections are going to be positioned around the fabric of the building during the first fix so
second fix is just bring it along and click yeah done yeah so that that's a key difference on the
midi range the fact you can loop in and loop out of this connector so this this is fully assembled
we can have a look at how we actually assembled but if i look in the actual connector part itself
you'll see there's two uh two poles per there's two wiring weights per pole so that's in the midi
range yeah that's that's just in the midi if i contrast that with a mini so it's a five pole
connector here you'll see there's only one uh wiring termination per pole there okay so that
gives an option there so the next question is so how do you distribute power with those
the second option is to use something like this which is a distribution block
okay so distribution block so we're bringing in and we've got in this case a couple of
uh outgoings yeah it's another game so this is the one for the mini and this is the one
for the midi right okay you've got an example and click those together for us so again they just uh
click into place and then you might yeah this might go off to your next fitting and
then downstairs to your downlight okay so supply in first lighting point carry on or to the next
lighting point and they do multi-way versions of this they even do some ones that have a switching
block in there so you might want to take a wire down to a conventional light switch and
back up as well all right okay so thinking of everything and i'm looking at a table
trust me they've thought of everything yeah it is it's immense so that's that's a couple
of solutions there any more solutions for this distribution um so the other option
again you can get lightning manufacturers who incorporate the system into their product right
so that will already be mounted inside the chassis of the light fitting yeah so here's uh here's the
terminals that would go after your ballast within the light fitting and then on the top we've got
loop in and loop out facility here this is a five pole version obviously the circuit conductors plus
plus and minus for the darley connection if you're using the darley dimming protocol
so you can bring that in yeah so again now we've changed color of connector as well there is that
significant yeah so there's a lot of different color options so obviously there's aesthetic color
options there's black and white in terms of cables but there's lots of different options in terms of
connectors but you can't obviously plug a blue connector into a black connector or there's even
special red connectors things like that and yeah the orange brown so look in front of me
here anything blue is going to have the ability to dial it in yes okay nice and simple and then we've
got pinks we've got brown's got reds and that'll be something else within the system yeah so again
it's available so here's a mini version of a DALI with a power distribution block okay yeah
so again um yeah very simple and it's latched in as well as yeah and latched as well so you can't
pull them apart okay we've got a large block down here again is this part of the distribution system
yeah so the fourth way of distributing the power is there's this junction box system
which this one brings in the maxi connector right here bringing in a third one let's have a
closer look then so that would bring in the uh yeah a maxi connector into
it and then send it out you can see it's been internally wired between the various phasers
and into individual um connectors on the outside i think the other box i think we can see those
connections inside there so that's looking as if it's for power is it that's yes it outlets that's
going off to across different lines so we've got a three-phase supply coming in there aren't we so
we just have a little look inside this one we'll see and again there's factory built versions
um so this is a factory built version so you can see where these using these midi connectors
it's possible to loop in and out from the individual connectors and obviously the
phases are distributed between the connectors um so there's factory built versions but you can buy
the component parts and build up your own junction box so so i'm thinking that is fixed to the fabric
of the building yeah we've obviously come in as a second fix i've got all these pre-wired looms
if i'm in a nice position i'm just clicking in that's it done yeah dead easy now people may
keen eye if you're a regular efix viewer we'll see actually we use the vinsta system in our a great
british dim off we did so we we wanted a quick way to swap between lots of different dimmers
and lots of different light fittings so i uh i made myself a custom junction box
and yeah and then brought down so i think it's a fantastic system because it saved time yeah now
i've noticed we've got some tools down here and i'd just like to say before we get in there that
none of them are screwdrivers aren't they they're not and uh well this one could be it's just it's a
new last innovation i think we're going to call that the mystery tool in a minute we'll cut to
some footage where we continue to call it the mystery show we'll tell you about that in a few
a few moments but we have got two tools down here that will look remarkably like screwdrivers
like screwdrivers and again that's to operate the cage clamps again this is a vargo system so
we don't want to be using screws on our connectors we want the cage clamp now where would you use it
so obviously probably the most desirable option if you've planned your installation incredibly
well is to buy all the pre-manufactured leads from the factory so i've got one of them here
so again you can't take this apart and get into it but if you need to do the looping loop out version
you're going to have to make your connector off on site and this screwdriver is used to insert
it into there to open up the operating tool gary so let's have a look when i was trying to catch
you out there so let's have a look at how we use the operating tool to uh to make up this connector
so here's our mystery tool looks like a screwdriver but it isn't it's opened up
those cage clamps in comes our pre-furled ends of our cables okay and then just
pull the tool out that's it closed connection made let's do that again the cage terminals are
closed okay let's bring in the mystery tool again there we go they're open now
insert our conductors once again remove closed connection made next bring in the body in order
to complete the actual connector yeah okay so just remove the end so we can get our cables out
push them into place latch the top on you should see it click into place our only screw now needs
to tighten it up tighten the cord grip now let's try the other end same principle special tool in
bring in now no screws this time just click it together click in the body latch the top on and
watch a special a ratchet cable mechanism coming up on this side oh i like that clicks into place
and then bring our two sets of connectors together job done
so we continue to call that the mystery tool but what is it really yeah so it is the operating
tool for the cage clamps on the 770 series i'm not going to delve into all the part numbers
but that is the uh that's the the chord name for the for the midi series uh and again that's again
thinking by uh by Wago but again this range keeps on giving right so obviously we've looked at our
plug and socket options for cables you can also get them for a chassis mount so this may be in a
in them say a light fitting or something like that and even a good little innovation here it brings
out the earth connection to get to the body you might have a metallic body on the fitting that you
need to connect down there so that's clipped onto this chassis of say the light fitting and already
picked up the the cpc onto the chassis yeah so again very clever and again there's those cage
clamps at the back lots of options when it comes to conductor choice so we obviously used ferrules
on the end of a flexible stranded cable there you can put obviously stranded cable directly
into the cage clamp terminals but what Wago do on their pre-manufactured cables is they create this
ultrasonically welded end which essentially makes that a solid conductor and with a solid conductor
you can push them straight into the cage clamp terminal so just do that there and that's in there
so that again speeds up the process and to remove it we just use the operating tool yeah operating
tool in open the cage clamp and then remove any mounting ideas carries on well done still carries
on so again also available in a two-pole version so say you have double insulated fittings you know
i'm thinking something like an under shelf light there where this might be mounted in the body of
the fixture so that comes pre uh connected to the fitting before it gets to site yeah
okay yeah part of manufacturing against just a case of latch and a plug in so again assembly for
this uh very simple and there's that cable clamp we love that we first saw on the uh on our central
heating junction box that's that ratcheting one is you just pull it down into position it's really
simple again anything to do with vargo he's gives us a simple idea and we're screwless as throughout
the range as well aren't we so more accessories more accessories to think about and so again
if you wanted to mount your distribution block mounting blocks yeah you've got these little handy
little mounting blocks so you wanted to fix them down to something so again two part fixing there
and that secures it onto the fabric of the building yeah if you want the latch again fix two
connectors down uh you can obviously mount that and then push two connectors in and then create a
yeah a latched fixed connector as part of building so yeah so these aren't just designed for you know
these are designed for fixed installations not just for temporary installations yeah and it's
all about speeding up that installation for the electrical contracting team so new refurbishment
all of the the junctions areas go in first fix we bring hopefully light fittings in pre-wired
et cetera click yeah job's done yeah so again yeah so it's it's fantastic yeah so industrial
there's control signal options in in green we've got brown connectors we've got orange connectors
and it's got lawns along the building control protocol i suspect that's down for that if you've
used them and drop a drop a comment below red i know in germany use a lot of central battery based
fire alarm systems i'm suspecting the red is used for that i'm sure our german viewers will tell us
how we've been missing out for so long with this system and how it's used extensively uh in germany
in lots of projects as always we're interested in your comments and feedback okay are you using
this range from vargo the winster range wait for it vince there you go sorry i left it for you so
are you using this range by virgo the vinsta range if you are please leave some feedback below for us
especially for our community tell us all the great features that we haven't talked about leave those
in the comments if someone's in the comments and thinking about using this range and you can help
them we'd love those supporting comments as well if you've never seen it before you think it's a
fantastic idea please leave those thoughts and we'll get back to as many comments as we can you