Good wire vs bad wire question
I bought a spool of wire that is crap. It is hard to cut and then strip without also accidently cutting some of the extremely fine strands in the wire. Then when you do manage to cut and strip the wire properly the ends fray badly and are difficult to solder with any amount of precision. I'm wondering how to choose good wire? I really don't know what to look for when it comes to choosing a spool of wire.
@ Thu, 2009-12-10 16:38
I spent some time just
@ Thu, 2009-12-10 22:38
Nail clippers work wonders
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 19:54
Thanks, for the advice. I
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 20:02
No need to spend a lot on a
No need to spend a lot on a wire stripper. I've used one like the picture below for years, and you can buy them for a few bucks.
In a pinch, I've used sissors, diagnal cutters, utility knives, etc. With practice you can do it without a problem, though a tool like the above is my weapon of choice. ; j
@ Thu, 2009-12-10 22:45
I swear by these
I have a pair of these and they are amazing - and do not weaken the wire strands
They are adjustable and cope with ribboncable too.
@ Wed, 2009-12-09 04:14
Most people have a set of
Most people have a set of perfectly decent wire cutters in their mouth :D When I first started they got me by just fine.
@ Wed, 2009-12-09 04:20
That's true. I've used my
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 17:13
Use solid core wire for
Use solid core wire for breadboarding, and stranded wire for more permanent connections like circuit board and perf board. Choose a gauge (thickness) big enough to handle the current you plan to carry. For most small bots 16 or even 18 gauge wire is probably fine.
I second TinHead's comments.
A good pair of wire strippers and some practice is all you need to avoid cutting the wires when you strip the ends. Some wire strippers have an adjustable set screw so you can prevent the blades from closing completely. You may find it helpful to set your stripper for the wire gauge you are stripping. When you get better at it, you can usually do this by feel.
After stripping a wire end, twirl the strands so they stay together. Then you can "tin" the ends with solder. Hold the wire in a hands-free stand or other device of your improvising. apply heat to one side of the stripped end, and then touch your solder to the wire on the other side. It may be helpful to get the solder flowing by briefly touching the solder to the soldering iron tip, and then moving it back to the opposite side of the wire. As soon as the solder starts to melt, begin drawing the iron and solder along the length of the wire. You don't want to put a lot of solder on there. Just enough to soak into the strands and hold them all together.
Good luck!
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 17:32
Well you said it ...
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 17:42
Just expanding on your
Just expanding on your comment.
Hey, I was happy for a post I thought I could contribute to. ; j
@ Tue, 2009-12-08 16:55
hi
Little tricks:
Twist the ends after stripping and put some solder on the twisted ends, it will hold up nicely.
Also I'm stripping wires with a cutter, after some practice you will only cut the isolation.
Wire to be used depends on where you use it, solid core is usually harder to bend but more resistant, soft core is easier to bend but is also more fragile. There is no perfect wire ... just the one that works best :)