the final step and bane of my existence- wiring

[andare]

Also. I don't know of anyone else using this, wire

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VFQBJH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But I can't say enough good things about it. super flexible, holds up to bending and fiddling, strips easily, and I even think it doesn't melt as easily if you accidentally get it too hot or hit it with the iron by accident.

Is this wire already tinned? If so, I'll never be able to find it in Poland anyway haha

Edit: found something from that brand on Polish Amazon but it's not pre-bonded https://www.amazon.pl/BNTECHGO-sili...1675847485&sprefix=bntechgo+24,aps,321&sr=8-1

 

[jhaneyzz]

Solid core teflon wire. It's silver plated and tough as nails. And since it's solid core it stays where you put it. Essential in tube work...

200 ft 22 Awg Solid Core Silver Plated Mil Spec 600V Teflon Wire Audio Tube Amp | eBay

This is for 200ft of a Mil Spec M16878/4 - 22 Awg Solid Core Silver Plated Teflon. Orange, Black, Blue, Yellow, White, Brown, Green, & Violet. PTFE Wire in 8 lengths of 25 Feet each. Colors might change depending on.

www.ebay.com

Hmmmm.... this intrigues me....

 

[jhaneyzz]

Hey... How did they get a picture of my basement..???

 

[jhaneyzz]

@jinx_defusing
I’ll be repeating some suggestions, and I bet one not repeated…

When I upgraded to a LARGER solder-suckerupper, that helped tremendously.

Sometimes you need to ADD solder before trying to remove it.

Get a small drill-bit that fits the pad holes (2mm or 1.5mm? 1.2mm?).
HAND-drill the wires and solder out of the bogged hole. A screw-driver type grip to hold the bit is highly recommended. GO SLOW, or you’ll surely brake the bit and getting the broken bit out is even more annoying than the tediously long time it takes to drill out the PCB pad. Once I upgraded to a better soldersucker, I’ve never needed copper-braid nor drillbits again.

Don’t stress over a lifted pad or trace — often you can bodge a connection to whatever component the pad/trace was leading to (so don’t throw away botched projects as you may be able to salvage them later).

Define "Larger" what exactly are you using?

 

[jhaneyzz]

Solid core teflon wire. It's silver plated and tough as nails. And since it's solid core it stays where you put it. Essential in tube work...

200 ft 22 Awg Solid Core Silver Plated Mil Spec 600V Teflon Wire Audio Tube Amp | eBay

This is for 200ft of a Mil Spec M16878/4 - 22 Awg Solid Core Silver Plated Teflon. Orange, Black, Blue, Yellow, White, Brown, Green, & Violet. PTFE Wire in 8 lengths of 25 Feet each. Colors might change depending on.

www.ebay.com

Do you just get a random color from this guy... I'm not looking to standardize on pink wiring.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Hey... How did they get a picture of my basement..???

View attachment 41707

I know!!

Apex USED to be in Pasadena, which is only half an hour from my house. I went there to pickup 8 100' spools of 22ga and 8 50' spools of 18ga in black, white, purple, blue, red, yellow, brown and green (he didn't have orange, dammit) back around 2003 I recon (gun smoke reruns are on today) and the picture above is ORGANIZED compared to what it looked like then!!!

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Do you just get a random color from this guy... I'm not looking to standardize on pink wiring.

He's selling this in 4 or 5 (100' or 125') colors. It's in the description. No pink!

 

[Alan W]

I’m another big fan of solid wire. I’m still working from large spools of 24, 22, and 18 g I bought in the 80s, I don’t remember how much was on them, (sold by the pound) but I got a great deal on some JAN surplus Teflon. The only issue (beyond stiffness) is how hard getting the insulation off is. It’s been the source for my HiFi speaker wire, interconnects, even custom USB cables between digital processors.

Just like some solder suckers are beter than others, (and if you like Engineers solder suckers, wait till you try their pliers!), solder, and desoldering braids also vary in quality. Don’t cheap out on the braid. Make sure it’s flux loaded. (They use a powdered flux on braid, you can’t easily tell if it’s there.) Confusingly, it often helps to ADD solder to the braid before using it, especially on clearing out through holes. Practice!

I’m slow building; but it’s a past-time for me, a hobby, so speed is not important. I pre-cut, strip and form (since it’s solid core) all my wires before attaching them to anything. I also have a habit of pre-tinning pretty much anything I stick a wire on. Prior to this year (thank you PedalPCB) most of my pedals were veroboard, so everything is off board wired except the components. A lot of practice…

I didnt use a flux bottle until I was doing a lot of SMT, and now use it all the time. I like the squeeze bottles with needle like tips. They jamb, you get good at running a fine wire down them.

i do also have a secret weapon though. An arcane set of “French miniature reamers” that has helped me over the years. The smallest goes down to about 1/3 mm.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

I’m another big fan of solid wire. I’m still working from large spools of 24, 22, and 18 g I bought in the 80s, I don’t remember how much was on them, (sold by the pound) but I got a great deal on some JAN surplus Teflon. The only issue (beyond stiffness) is how hard getting the insulation off is. It’s been the source for my HiFi speaker wire, interconnects, even custom USB cables between digital processors.

Just like some solder suckers are beter than others, (and if you like Engineers solder suckers, wait till you try their pliers!), solder, and desoldering braids also vary in quality. Don’t cheap out on the braid. Make sure it’s flux loaded. (They use a powdered flux on braid, you can’t easily tell if it’s there.) Confusingly, it often helps to ADD solder to the braid before using it, especially on clearing out through holes. Practice!

I’m slow building; but it’s a past-time for me, a hobby, so speed is not important. I pre-cut, strip and form (since it’s solid core) all my wires before attaching them to anything. I also have a habit of pre-tinning pretty much anything I stick a wire on. Prior to this year (thank you PedalPCB) most of my pedals were veroboard, so everything is off board wired except the components. A lot of practice…

I didnt use a flux bottle until I was doing a lot of SMT, and now use it all the time. I like the squeeze bottles with needle like tips. They jamb, you get good at running a fine wire down them.

i do also have a secret weapon though. An arcane set of “French miniature reamers” that has helped me over the years. The smallest goes down to about 1/3 mm.View attachment 41708View attachment 41709

I started using stripmasters at the same time I started using teflon because of the difficultly. But with stripmasters, it's literally ONE SECOND and the EXACT amount you want removed is done. One size does 18ga and larger, another does 20 and smaller. Kind of a bummer to have to buy two, but man when you're working on house outlets, this thing is literally da bomb....




edited:

The video

 

[jhaneyzz]

Use this link at your own peril:

Shop Miniature & Small Hand Tools from Micro Mark

Micro-Mark is the online destination for miniature hand tools at low prices. Explore our full selection of small hand tools, including micro chisels, hammers and tweezers.

www.micromark.com

 

[Passinwind]

Is this wire already tinned?

I think the (60-ish!) individual strands are, but not the whole bundle. It's frequenty used for radio control stuff and in many cases that crew uses screw terminals, where tinned wire is a big no-no.

After trying quite a few flavors of desoldering braid I've settled on Aven, which Mouser stocks. You absolutely need to pre-tin it IME.

 

[jimilee]

I start out meticulous with my wiring, but by the end, I just want it to be over.

 

[KR Sound]

I usually let out a big sigh, but in the end I kinda enjoy it for now. Making everything fit just right without looking like I just threw it together. I think I’d rather do that than stuff resistors.

 

[jimilee]

I usually let out a big sigh, but in the end I kinda enjoy it for now. Making everything fit just right without looking like I just threw it together. I think I’d rather do that than stuff resistors.

You can say that again!

 

[jhaneyzz]

I'm slowly transitioning into being diligent and detailed.

I use to think populating the board was the hard part and the offboard wiring should be easy so I rushed through it.

When I finally realized that 99% of my troubleshooting solutions came down to off-board wiring I started slowing down.

That's kinda why I'm messing with a couple of PTP projects and messing with solid wire. It kinda forces you to slow down and not make stupid mistakes and omissions.

I probably should have taken up pedal building in my 20's rather than my 50's...

 

[RetiredUnit1]

I'm slowly transitioning into being diligent and detailed.

I use to think populating the board was the hard part and the offboard wiring should be easy so I rushed through it.

When I finally realized that 99% of my troubleshooting solutions came down to off-board wiring I started slowing down.

That's kinda why I'm messing with a couple of PTP projects and messing with solid wire. It kinda forces you to slow down and not make stupid mistakes and omissions.

I probably should have taken up pedal building in my 20's rather than my 50's...

I started bending wire when I was 11, but it was sterling silver wire. I've been making jewelry as long as I've been playing guitar. So I'm used to a ***tiny*** broach taking 15 hours over five days to complete with 20 silver solder joints all made with an acetylene torch that can turn the entire thing into a melted blob of glowing metal in 3 seconds, and bending wire with tools, as well as three dimensional angles, etc.

I really enjoy this aspect of building amps and pedals, and to me getting it right is really the most important and enjoyable part. Of course having it work is pretty important too, lol....

 

[spi]

I use these desoldering needles when I need to clear solder from a hole

Stainless Steel Desoldering Needles (stompboxparts.com)

Before I had these I'd use a regular needle (and usually stab myself in the process).

 

[KR Sound]

I started bending wire when I was 11, but it was sterling silver wire. I've been making jewelry as long as I've been playing guitar. So I'm used to a ***tiny*** broach taking 15 hours over five days to complete with 20 silver solder joints all made with an acetylene torch that can turn the entire thing into a melted blob of glowing metal in 3 seconds, and bending wire with tools, as well as three dimensional angles, etc.

I really enjoy this aspect of building amps and pedals, and to me getting it right is really the most important and enjoyable part. Of course having it work is pretty important too, lol....

View attachment 41751

Sexxy.

 

[apc42069]

I usually let out a big sigh, but in the end I kinda enjoy it for now. Making everything fit just right without looking like I just threw it together. I think I’d rather do that than stuff resistors.

I actually love popping resistors! But it’s because I’m at my freshest. I feel like wiring only sucks because you “finished!” Let’s fuckin JAMMMM or least see if she works! Oh right, gotta wire this bish.. ugh.

 

[apc42069]

Does anyone else have serious problems adding wires to their builds?
I can't quite tell you why I hate doing this so much. Probably because I run into problems during this last step in almost every build. It seems like it should be the easiest part, but something always seems to go wrong. Generally, the issues I run into are related to at least one of the wires needing to be replaced after I've already soldered at least one end of the wire.
These damn things are so fragile. They come apart, but of course, the end of it is soldered into place and then I have to remove it. I have completely destroyed so many projects while trying to remove the solder and the little bits of wire that get stuck to the board.

Could it be that the wires I am using are just cheap? Are some wires substantially more durable and well made compared to others?

Am I being too rough with the wires? Do I need to handle everything in an extremely delicate manner during this step of the build?

Why is it so damn hard to remove solder and then re-apply it again with a replacement wire/component? Is it just me, or are solder suckers absolutely useless? Meanwhile, the effectiveness of copper wicks seems to be hit or miss. This is the part where I have destroyed so many projects. While trying to remove the solder, I may be getting the PCB too hot. I have never done a clean removal of solder. I will end up not being able to get to all of it. Or I end up ripping out the small metal circles and I am left with a PCB that contains holes, but the replacement solder will not have anything to bind with.

is there someway to just .. bypass this step or something. I hate wiring. So much.

Does anyone know of any electrical wire is is exceptionally durable?

how do I remove solder without completing ruining an entire project ?
Please advise.

There IS actually a way to skip soldering wire…terminal blocks! In the end it’s a bit of a faff, and will murder your wallet- but give ‘em a shot? https://www.taydaelectronics.com/dg301-screw-terminal-block-2-positions-5mm-250v-16a.html

I have a hunch you’ll be happy with any quality pre-bonded wire. Gavitt 22awg pushback gets my vote.