What are component leads made from?

[brad]

I know this is a bit of a dumb question, but are they just plain metal, or are they coated in something?

[R.G.]

Most resistor leads are steel, plated in nickel, and then solder or tin coated.

Some component leads are copper, plated with tin or tin-lead.

[Paul Marossy]

I've also wondered about this, but never asked.  :?

[MartyB]

I knew there had to be steel in them - my pickups/foreceps are magnetized (unwanted) and bits of trimmed leads always want to stick to them.  I'm guessing steel for strength or cost considerations - or, hmm...do they use magnets for resistors in circuit manufacturing?

[petemoore]

Seeing how almost every bit of electron flow happens only on the surface of wire [hence tubular wire] the middle part could be made of anything,..anything that makes a good middle part...
 I suppose they want strength and non rustiness and ...
 I always figured they just used copper, but it makes sense they'd not want to with the price of it.

[brad]

Ahhh, thanks R.G.!  

The question occurred to me when I was at the electronics store watching the counter guy pick up all my components to ring them up on the register.  I was thinking that he must have a fair coating of crud on his fingertips by the end of the day from all the components he's had to count.  Finger licking good!  (or not).

[Paul Marossy]

I never really thought about it too much - as long as it solders well, I'm happy.  :wink:

[brad]

Well, I don't really solder much anymore...but I DO breadboard, and it's crossed my mind that I should probably find out sbout what the component leads are made from before I go eating another packet of crisps.

Hence why I was thinking about the store clerk's fingers!  I'm weird like that lol  :lol:

[MartyMart]

I knew there had to be steel in them - my pickups/foreceps are magnetized (unwanted) and bits of trimmed leads always want to stick to them.  I'm guessing steel for strength or cost considerations - or, hmm...do they use magnets for resistors in circuit manufacturing?

My portable home phone has a small speaker in it, whenever `i put it
down on the work bench, loads of "lead trimmings: stick to it !!
I got a few "stuck in my hand" the other day when I grasped the phone
with a bit too much "gusto"   :lol:   !!

Marty.

[puretube]

I use an old speaker-magnet instead of a vacuum-cleaner whenever the floor needs it...

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I use an old speaker-magnet instead of a vacuum-cleaner whenever the floor needs it...

Get one of those kiddie's push toys & put the magnet underneath, then you don't have to bend :wink:

[vanhansen]

I use an old speaker-magnet instead of a vacuum-cleaner whenever the floor needs it...

Get one of those kiddie's push toys & put the magnet underneath, then you don't have to bend :wink:

With the popping balls inside the clear dome.  My daughter has one of those.  

[JimRayden]

LOL, it would be a nice sight to see a full grown man running around the house with one of these. But it's Puretube, so.... I think he'll pull it off some day.

Oh, and change the little balls to 12AX7's, to stick to your theme... and make you want to run around even more, to see those tubes come awake.

---------
Jimbo

[SonicVI]

I hate the tiny little bits of of cut stranded wire that get stuck in my feet.

[zachary vex]

i'm not certain that the skin effect (electrons flowing on the surface only) applies to low frequencies.  i know that as the frequency increases, surface effect increases (to such a degree that a tesla coil doesn't cause much injury to a human because all of the RF power literally flows on the surface of the skin.)  audiophile sites claim that surface area is critical for speaker leads to keep highs pure.  *shrug*  i'm pretty sure that DC flows through the middle of any conductor as well.

interesting how components have steel leads, huh?  with all the ballyhoo about silver solder and oxygen-free copper...

[R.G.]

i'm not certain that the skin effect (electrons flowing on the surface only) applies to low frequencies.

And I'm *certain* that it doesn't.

One of the things that knowing the theory does for you is to make you able to calculate these things. At DC the skin effect is demonstrably, theory and practice, zero.

There's a theoretical equation that lets you calculate the skin effect as a function of frequency. Seems that it's predictions are dead accurate by testing. As frequency rises the current is pushed to the outer edge. The current density decreases exponentially with depth at a rate determined by the frequency. For RF, this is serious and the skin can be very thin. At audio, however, the "skin" is millimeters thick for high audio. Current at the center never reaches 0, by the way.

If you'd like to know how thick the skins are, I can point you to the equations.

[scratch]

and at microwave frequencies (at least in the power output stages) they are 'wave guides', essentially square conduit for transmitting power out to the horns due to this 'skin effect'

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Skin effect is why so much microwave stuff is silver plated.