Scrap Wire Find!

[bloxstompboxes]

So I was testing a high voltage cable that came back as a warranty at work the other day, and for once, it was faulty. They are used in The OEC c-arms I work on every day. I was in the process of harvesting a couple of BNC terminated video wires for back ups to use in the future and had a sudden revelation. Instead of throwing all this lovely wire away, I shall take it home and use it for pedals and the like. So away went the actual hv cables, candlesticks, and video wires and to me came all this lovely, multi-guage, tinned, bonded, and multi-colored wire. I checked a couple of wires and they do hold up to heat well and are good sizes for pedals. One of them has got an open somewhere. Hence, the reason it was faulty. No idea which one. Oh well. SCORE!

I have rescued a few enclosures, as well, that I will get around to using some day.

[thetragichero]

i pick up old solid state organs (for free) off Craigslist all the time. besides a TON of high quality wire (i have more than I'll ever need now), i get speakers that work great for guitars, tons of transistors (small signal and power), chassis and transformers, vactrols, bbd chips, etc
I'm a cheapskate so anytime i can avoid paying for components it's a big plus in my book

[GGBB]

Nice! I picked up a bunch of decommissioned cat5 lan cable from work a while ago - 24AWG conductors. Not sure what the jacket material is but it resists heat quite well too. I now have probably more than I will ever use.

Keep the wire with the open - cut off whatever length you need each time and check for an open on the cut piece - when you find it, toss away that piece. The rest of it, and whatever you've used so far, is good.

[bowanderror]

So I've tried using wire from CAT5 before, but it always seems like WAY thinner gauge than I'm comfortable with. Even after tinning the stranded ends well, the connections to my PCB have a tendency to wiggle and break with the slightest movement. Will different types/qualities of CAT5 have different contents?

[GGBB]

So I've tried using wire from CAT5 before, but it always seems like WAY thinner gauge than I'm comfortable with. Even after tinning the stranded ends well, the connections to my PCB have a tendency to wiggle and break with the slightest movement. Will different types/qualities of CAT5 have different contents?

I think not all cat5 is the same. The spec doesn't require a specific gauge for the wires - only a range. This stuff I have feels about 24awg but I think 26 or 28 is more common. It's also more finely stranded than the typical hookup wire that I'm used to. So that adds to the flimsy feel a bit maybe, but I like the finer strands and that it bends more easily. Any time you have a wire connected to something solid and relatively heavy you have to be careful about movement breakage if you don't have some kind of strain relief. Heavier gauge helps, not sure if coarser or finer strands is better.

EDIT: Looked up the spec - requirement is 22-24 AWG with 26AWG allowed for shorter cables. Some cat5 might be solid core  - the type intended for permanent installation - which at 24AWG IMO would break quite easily with wiggle especially if the core is nicked when stripped of its insulation (very common).

[PRR]

> Some cat5 might be solid core

MOST CATx is solid. That's what you put in walls. It is cheaper, and works better in punch-down connectors. If bulk-cable does not say, it is solid.

*Patch Cord* CATx is stranded to survive re-re-re-reconnections. Or should be. I don't doubt that many 99c patch cords are the cheapest solid, maybe even copper-colored aluminum.

CAT6 UnderGround cable is often #23. A strange size but visibly fatter than most. I have also seen this gauge on indoor wire.

[amptramp]

For CAT5 connections off board, many people drill a couple of holes in the board for strain relief so the wire can loop down one hole and up the next before making the connection.  CAT5 is usually solid core to work with insulation displacement connectors and it is not as fragile as some people think.  After all, it is used for rented lines where the cost of service is usually a small increment (our phone / data / cable TV offers "wire care" for $5 a month) if not included in the basic contract explicitly.

[GGBB]

The stranded variation is not uncommon. I've got all kinds of cat5 cables around the house - some came with modems etc. and some bought commercially (plus the ones from work)  - and most are stranded.

[Rob Strand]

If we guess how much wire is there do we win a prize?

[bloxstompboxes]

If we guess how much wire is there do we win a prize?

Sure, you get a free D-connector with an inch of wire still attached, lol.

[duck_arse]

If we guess how much wire is there do we win a prize?

Sure, you get a free D-connector with an inch of wire still attached, lol.

don't you mean three D?

[bloxstompboxes]

If we guess how much wire is there do we win a prize?

Sure, you get a free D-connector with an inch of wire still attached, lol.

don't you mean three D?

Actually, these are the new 4D type. Better for audiophiles with another dimension of hearing.

[PRR]

> The stranded variation is not uncommon. I've got all kinds of cat5 cables around the house - some came with modems etc. and some bought commercially (plus the ones from work)  - and most are stranded.

The "with modem" cables should be "patch", stranded. As you say.

I should clarify: most pre-made with connector cables should be patch/stranded.

When you buy a 100' or 500' roll without connectors, it is generally solid wire unless you choose otherwise.

(I'm in the midst of a CAT-1 project and a little wire-brained today.)

[Rob Strand]

Sure, you get a free D-connector with an inch of wire still attached, lol.