good wire? where to get?

[jjj333]

Hello, I am about to build my first project, an A/B box, and have some questions about what wire to use.  From what I have read, I understand it is best to get 22 gauge silver plated military spec wiring with a teflon coating.  Is this correct?  Should it be stranded or solid?

Where is a good place to buy this?

Thanks!

[Peter Snowberg]

Welcome to the forum.

In reality you don't need anything quite so fancy.

Any 20 to 24 guage stranded wire will work just fine. Solid wire works fine too, it's just harder to work with and more fragile.

The silver plated teflon coated  mil. spec. stuff sure is nice, but it's just excess.

I like the hook-up wire at http://www.circuitspecialists.com/ but any wire pulled out of an old VCR or boom-box works great too.

[coreybox]

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=85

that is the stuff i have used.

"A military grade of stranded #24, PVC insulation, but the strands are partly bonded so that the wire routes easily."

take care,

corey

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I use solid wire if it isn't going to bend, and ordinary PVC covered 'hookup wire' for anywhere it does (bend solid wire a few times, like if it runs to a pot & you take it out of the box a few times, it will break).
For stompboxes, teflon covering or silver plating makes no difference at all.
Peopel who use SmallBear's all love it. If you aren't on a budget, go for it.. LUXURY

[remmelt]

I have a big stash of wire from old computer pcu's. Lots of fancy colours, but it's a little thick, so sometimes you have to cut a couple of strands to get it through some holes.

[mojotron]

I used 18 ga stranded for a while as it's pretty tough, but by the time I ran out I was ready for 22 ga, which seems just right.

[moosapotamus]

Been a while since I chimed in on one of these "wire debates". To each his own...

I really dislike stranded wire. But, the stuff that's available at smallbear is OK. If you want stranded, that's what I'd recommend.

I prefer 22AWG solid wire. I've never had any problems with it being fragile, hard to work with, or breaking. In fact, I find it a lot easier to work with because it stays put whichever way you need to bend it, no more twisting and tinning the ends, fits easily into pcb holes and solder lugs... and, have you ever tried using stranded wire with a breadboard? pita!

I think some folks have said that it is difficult to strip solid wire without making a small 'nick' in the solid core, which will make it prone to breaking easily. My wire strippers don't seem to do that, so I've never had that problem. Plus, I'll often put a holes through the PCB next to wire pads. Looping the wire through that hole after it's been soldered to the pad gives it a lot of support and will probably prevent it from breaking even if it did accidentally get 'nicked' when it was stripped.

I also find that the quality of the insulation varies quite a bit, not just by manufacturer, but by color as well. For example, I have some red and some black from the same source. When soldering, the red insulation shrinks back much more than the black does.

~ Charlie

[Mark Hammer]

Some time back, Steve Daniels sent me a sampler of the "bonded" 24awg, and I was instantly converted.  It tins beautifully, slips through the drilled PCB when tinned, and comes in enough colours to be able to use colours for functional code.  What I like about it most, though, is how easy it is to have reasonably short leads to pots and toggles that turn corners easily without stressing either the board, the wires or solder lugs on pots/switches.  I hate it when wires fracture because they can't take the strain of going to where they need to go to.  The 22awg stuff I was using previously was VERY nice wire, sturdy, lotsa colors, and a pleasing stranding and price.  But getting it through small holes was a nuisance after tinning, and worst of all it was obstinate and bulky when it came to running short leads from the board to a pot sitting above the board on the chassis panel.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

solid wire is INDISPENSIBLE when working on an amp! it stays exactly where you put it. nice little feature.

also useful on PCB / perf when you need to jump connections. just shape, place, solder.

stranded is nice for hooking up to all offboard parts in pedals. It can flop around and not take any damage from stress. I have 22 AWG wire from NTE. Bright yellow. flipping amazing.

[doug deeper]

i use the 22 gauge stranded stuff from radio shack!
it works the best with my wire stripper. (its a weirdo)

[Rick]

Yup, got to admit I'm 24 guage teflon wired  Got a real load of it ($1.50 for 50' spools) at a place called Addison Electronics in Montreal a while back. They have a lot of surplus stuff, germaniums too, although now not as many great deals as a few years ago. What I find with this wire is because it's very thin, and very strong (and a bit slippery when stripping due to the teflon insulation), you have less difficulty doing a fairly complex circuit with lots of wiring in a small box -it bends and routes beautifully in all small confines. Although solid copper wire has it's uses, I'll use the thin teflon for most of my builds. It is very thin, strong, supple, and doesn't take up a lot of room in your box. ...Rick

[Fp-www.Tonepad.com]

I buy my wire from Small Bear. Good stuff!

[jmusser]

I use 24 gauge stranded wire I've stripped out of telephone cable. You may have seen it before, the blue, orange, green, brown, slate, color coded wire. If you can get hold of a stub of that, it's wonderful. It is probably teflon, because the insulation won't melt, and it solders great. I don't know of any wire better then that stuff.