Superfluous question of the day: What type of wire do you prefer to use? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mclute0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 04:20:25 am
content: I was taking to a designer that said they hate tin plated wire but could not come up with a real reason. I have seen other people order hookup wire from Amazon and complain that it is not copper wire when the description clearly states tin plated, and the wire is clearly what it says (yes, I had ordered some).Copper, Tin Plated Copper, Nickel Plated Copper, Silver Plated copper, Constantan, some other?There are so many kinds to pick from, and some undoubtably have their special usages, but the question is,"What type do you keep near your bench to use for general use? And maybe why?"Edit: I admit to being a utp addict myself, mostly pulled from service cat5e and usually with lousy insulation that melts badly when soldered.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 04:49:39 am
content: I don't really care about the actual conductor part, but as far the insulation goes, the only wire I like to use is PTFE. And more specifically Soviet MGTF. I tried a couple PTFE wires I could get in the US, and they were not as good. But it is entirely possible that I did not get the right stuff.MGTF is not easy to get in the US and I'm lucky to get a huge spool from my dad, which would last me a while.You can cut PTFE wire to exactly the length you need, strip the ends, tin them, solder them. The insulation is incredibly easy to cut without damaging the conductor and it does not warp or shrink with soldering temperature. Prototyping is a breeze.The wire seems to be available from Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/0-07mm2-AWG28-AWG29-Purity-Copper/dp/B0894Z4G4S/For prototype use I see no real difference between the conductor type, all work more or less the same. There is probably some difference on the mass production scale.

author: e100
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 06:43:32 am
content: Cheap tin plated wire stored in humid conditions often acquires a dark corrosion layer which has to be manually removed before soldering.(In a hobby context)For proto board work I mainly use the 0.8mm "dead soft copper jewelry wire". This is often brass or silver plated for corrosion resistance. For insulation I slide 1mm diameter silicone tubing over the top.For copper wire ends that go into terminal blocks, I solder on a short length of 1mm nickel wire folded back on itself. This is stiffer and stronger than copper, corrosion resistant, lies flat in the connector and the rounded end doesn't stab your fingers.for general hookup I either use conductors removed from CAT5 network cable, or "flexible high temperature wire", AKA fine multi-stranded tin plated copper silicone insulated wire. Silicone is far weaker than PVC of the same thickness but the ability to re-solder without the insulation creeping back makes it worth it.Beware of copper clad aluminium and copper clad steel conductors often found in cheap/fake network cables.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 07:14:31 am
content: Quote from: mclute0 on August 25, 2022, 04:20:25 amCat5e. Carries a good signal. Not all the same color. Works great in a breadboard and/or terminal block. Carries a fair bit of current. Works sorta good as a fuse if not (j/k). Have so much of it laying around (in dubious condition for any re-use in long runs) since cat 6 came around.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 07:54:49 am
content: Alpha 3051 22AWG 7 strand. Plugs into a breadboard in a pinch, though you really want to tin it beforehand. Fits the most common crimp connectors (Molex KK, SL, "Dupont", and equivalents and etc.), handles enough amps, and everyone stocks it. Or Belden or other equivalents.Wirewrap wire is great to have on hand, and the Kynar(R) (PVDF) insulation is firm to handle, easily stripped, and reasonably resistant to soldering, making it great for patching circuits (bodge wires).You wouldn't usually need high temperature stuff, but silicone and Teflon(R) (PTFE) are the likely suspects there. Silicone itself is rather nice for being higher temperature than neoprene rubber, but just as (or more?) flexible.Teflon almost always comes in silver plated form, which is nice, trivial to solder (until it gets a bit of tarnish anyway). Avoid nickel plating for soldering: it's a right pain, requiring much longer to break through the oxide layer -- or using a more aggressive flux that you'll never be able to clean out of the insulation/stranding.Tin plating is fine for pretty much everything. It can end up unsolderable from time to time. I'm not sure exactly what it is; I've removed wire from 1960s equipment even, and had it sometimes solderable, mostly not. Could be just straight-up age (more specifically, time at temp: so, a long time at room temp, but much less in hot equipment), but there must be some effect from insulation type or impurities to also account for the variation. I've also seen only-some-years-old wire that's unsolderable.Tin plating is probably slightly better for crimps, as the oxide is conductive, and the deformation process disrupts surface oxides anyway. Definitely better for breadboarding, for the first reason (whereas copper oxides may be rectifying to insulating).Tim

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 08:22:22 am
content: Silicone insulated, tin plated copper, high strand count. Highly flexible, temperature resistant, easy to work with, no need for strippers up to about 20AWG just pull with your thumbnail.Disadvantage is that the insulation is soft (as above, just pull with your thumbnail), so abrasion resistance is not as good as PVC if that is a potential issue for you.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 03:53:51 pm
content: Yes, worth noting, neoprene, urethane and other rubbers can get impressively tough indeed; but silicone is always a bit friable in contrast. So, say you need the flexibility at temp, well, you don't have much choice there, and you'll have to be more careful with it -- minding sharp edges in its environment, say. But at lower temps, some of these other materials, you can drag it through glass and run a forklift over it and it won't look any different.Fine stranding is also popular for welding (usually with the cheaper neoprene), since it's so flexible. Hence, "welding cable". Very nice stuff, though a bit pricey too.Tim

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2022, 09:44:59 pm
content: For crimping cheap PVC type is fine as its easy to strip, and I can easily source many colors.For soldering, its not nice as the insulation melts back so quickly.Quote from: e100 on August 25, 2022, 06:43:32 amHave you heard of wire ferrules?

author: e100
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2022, 02:18:52 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on August 25, 2022, 09:44:59 pmSome time ago I asked this question about crimp toolshttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/is-there-a-dummies-guide-to-crimp-terminals-and-tools/This revealed the crimp industry to be a confusing mess of proprietary connectors and tools.In a professional context you would buy the connectors and matching tool from a trusted supplier and pass the cost onto the customer.For hobby work where you are perhaps doing 50 connectors per year, the cost of a quality crimping tool and holding a stock of genuine (non-fake) terminators for different wire sizes isn't cost effective.

author: deadlylover
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2022, 09:00:32 am
content: I use dual wall ETFE tin plated copper for most things. (like m22759/34)Sometimes PTFE is hard to strip, I have good wire strippers but when you're upside down in a passenger footwell trying to repair a harness, ETFE strips easy with mortal wire strippers while still being pretty strong.

author: Wolfram
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2022, 11:59:32 am
content: PEX/XLPE insulation all the way, like UL 3266 wire for instance. Cheaper and easier to strip than PTFE, easier to bundle than silicone, and none of the issues of PVC with the insulation melting or shrinking when you solder them.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2022, 09:16:35 pm
content: Quote from: e100 on August 26, 2022, 02:18:52 amOK but not sure how that is relevant as it does not apply to terminal blocks.All terminal blocks will work with a generic wire ferrule. Soldering a wire into a terminal takes longer and is less reliable.You can get a ratcheting ferrule crimper and ferrules kit for <$30.If you don't do enough to justify the cost though, thats fine.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2022, 11:24:34 pm
content: It depends on the task. If I'm soldering it then it's hard to beat silicone insulation. For general project wiring where I want a variety of colors and the current being carried is low, I like the multicolored stuff that comes from old computer cables. Some of it has insulation that turns into a melty mess really quickly but some is slightly more resistant to heat. For line voltage wiring I like stranded copper of the sort used in decent quality power cords.