Is wire wrapping still a thing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: MarkS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 06:24:39 pm
content: Lately I've been thinking about trying it for prototyping. Is it still a viable option? Are there any good resources that cover it in detail?

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 06:46:49 pm
content: All of the tools, wires, sockets and pins are still available, at least for DIPs and simple components. If you want to use modern parts you will be stuck with socket adapters which may or may not be available.Issues to think about. When wire wrapping was in its prime 10 MHz clocks were considered pretty high speed. I don't know how well the technology will survive with modern switching speeds. Wire wrapping was always a pain to debug and sometimes repair also. Undoing three or more layers of wraps to get to the signal you want is not fun, and it often involves replacing all of those unwrapped wires. Which have another end where the fun continues.It is a fairly fast way to prototype smaller circuits, and the process meshes well with some folks mindset (the same kind who like to create circuits with conductive ink)I can't recommend any learning sources, all of my contact was learned by osmosis, often from others who had learned the same way. The professionals who did it at work often learned in proprietary company classes. You might try searching through online versions of the old electronics magazines. They periodically had articles on construction techniques, including wire wrap.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 07:15:20 pm
content: When a lot of breakout boards and functional blocks are available on small, cheap PCBs with square pin connectors, I find it a very convenient way to prototype. It's much more durable than berg/dupont connectors and produces a neater, more compact result than soldered wires.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 08:25:49 pm
content: I gave up on WW long ago, due to my poor workmanship.Even with a good tool and proper materials, the probability of getting both ends of the wire to wrap properly was too low for practical use.On the other hand, a skilled technician would achieve good results with good tools.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 09:17:42 pm
content: I did a LOT of WW back in the day and I still have all of the tools and the wire, etc but Idon'trecommend it today. Today it's much cheaper, faster and easier to design a custom PCB and have a small bunch of them made in China or other low cost country.Among other problems, I've seen a LOT of WW simply fails to make contact to the WW pins of the sockets. The wire is wrapped on the post but simply doesn't make an electrical connection. I can't tell you have many hundreds of these kinds of faults that I've had to trouble shoot. Another draw back to WW is that you will need to use WW sockets; and they're expensive! Believe it or not, poor connections between IC leads and IC sockets are also a very high failure rate, especially if the leads and the sockets are made of different materials and/or are stored in an area that isn't perfectly dry, because of electrolytic corrosion. Sockets were a good idea when ICs were very expensive and had a high failure rate and had to be frequently replaced, but that's not true today.My advice, design a circuit board and have a few built, and solder your parts directly to the board and forget WW.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 09:47:14 pm
content: Quote from: Stray Electron on September 20, 2023, 09:17:42 pmOr use enamel wire for prototypes. I've build quite a few prototypes using enamel wire (which is available in different colors so you can give power and ground seperate colors for example).

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2023, 09:49:45 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on September 20, 2023, 09:47:14 pmyeh, the enameled wire you can strip by dipping the cut end in a solder blob on the iron is the easiest for bodge wires and protos

author: thermistor-guy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2023, 04:36:23 am
content: Quote from: MarkS on September 20, 2023, 06:24:39 pmI use it for DC and low-frequency test jigs, that connect test equipment to components and modules under test.On the jigs, the connectors are mounted directly to steel sheet, with custom cut-outs, wire-wrap underneath. Jig connectors are typically a mix ofwire-wrap DIN41612 and though-hole D-subminiature. When terminating the D-subs, I'll do a short wrap around the pin, then solder the wrap.I have about 10 colors available, so I use color-coding for twisted pairs and quads, supply rail wiring, and so on. One trick is to do the long wrapsfirst, and the shortest wraps last. That way, the short wraps "tie down" all the longer ones, keeping them close to the steel panel (ground plane).Like any technique, it has its uses, and it can be done well or badly. I've used wire-wrap prototyping all my career, so I'm biased towards it.NASA's workmanship standard:https://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/links/sections/files/301.pdfI use at least two turns of insulated wire on each post - NASA settles for one.

author: RogerThat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2023, 08:53:35 pm
content: It's a very reliable, easy and long lasting wire termination technique. Due to this it is(or maybe was?) common in fixed telephone systems.I have the hand tool and some awg32 wire. I've mainly used it to make wire harnesses for prototypes. Solder pins to DB15 connector and then wire wrap to those. It makes it easy/fast to connect and disconnect wires to your db15 connector..... and the whole thing is reasonably reliable for a prototype which is moved around.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2023, 09:14:18 pm
content: Wire wrapping was surprisingly reliable when done right and was used in many areas where reliability was key.These days I don't think it makes much sense either as others have said. It's now usually cheaper to have custom PCBs made than to spend hours manually wiring stuff, unless you don't count your time.And if you still occasionally have to manually wire things, having a few proto boards of various sizes, enamelled copper wire and pre-tinned wire pieces of various lengths and gauge will do.

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 05:53:18 am
content: Quote from: artag on September 20, 2023, 07:15:20 pmYeah I need to get a big box of connectors/headers for hooking my proto-boards together. I always say, it's quick and easy to desolder wires, but it's still a pain, and easy to splash solder everywhere unsoldering 2 wires in the air.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 09:26:51 am
content: Some wire wrap have silicon isolation that doesn't melt, but some have isolation that melts. Those can be used for direct soldering, without wrapping the wire at all, without cutting the wire, and without removing the isolation. No sockets needed. Solder "through the wirewrap isolation", like this:Either wrapped wire or soldered wire, it will take a long time to manually wire point to point. Might be faster and easier to improvise a mechanically scratched PCB, to use a PCB house, or to pick some other prototyping way. w2aew have a 20 minutes video showing most of the techniques:#122: Electronic Circuit Construction Techniques: review of some prototype circuit building methodshttps://youtu.be/kH110yjYZ2g

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 09:56:47 am
content: The "real" wirewrapping where you use multiple turns as standalone around pins I have never seen a real use for. You need special roughed square pins, round pins are too smooth and don't always connect correctly.What I did use for the last 38 years was the teflon 0.25mm wirewrap wire for prototyping.Strip, Turn once around the pin to make a mechanical connection, then solder it.Works great if you keep the following in mind:The wirestripper should match exactly the wire thickness.It takes some practice to strip the wire and not to knick the wire, don't push too hard.Not all teflon wirewrap wire strips easily, some is just horrific, perhaps age or incorrect manufacturing, get rid of it buy decent one.Also very good to use for botching wires on existing pcbs or replacing lost pcb traces.

author: peter-h
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 10:45:55 am
content: I used it extensively for prototyping up to about 20 years ago. It worked very well. Nowadays one goes straight to a PCB, prototypes from china for peanuts, and then if the thing works, which it usually does, more or less, you are one step closer to the finished product.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 11:41:17 am
content: For difficult designs or difficult smt footprints you can't go without pcb.I still use the generic smt pcb boards with many different footprints to 0.1" breakout boards often though. Too many and complex multilayer designs yes pcb definitely.But for easy things quick weekend stuff I still use proto pcb boards, I don't want to wait two weeks for a package from China