Wire guage question

[nobodysweasel]

Lately I've been building pedals using salvaged wire.  I bought a parallel cable (like for old printers) for a dollar at the local thrift store, cut it open, and got loads of cheap wire.  This wire is pretty thin - I would guess somewhere around 26-28 gauge.  So far I've built probably 5 or so pedals using this wire, and everything seems fine to me.  I'm just wondering what the community's opinion is on this.  Is it too good to be true?  Is there some disadvantage that I'm not realizing?

[WaveshapeIllusions]

Not really no. I use 24 gauge wire, which isn't much bigger, without any trouble. The only downside is that thinner wire is easier to break.

However, smaller can be a problem outside of stompbox wiring. At higher voltages or currents, the higher resistance of thin wire can increase losses. Also, at high currents, the wire can fail if it is undersized. For stompbox use though, it doesn't really matter.

[Kesh]

Be fine unless you use it for high current pedals like digital stuff.

[Ghost Planet]

Glad you posted this, I have been wondering about wire gauge my self.

[duck_arse]

keep it between just us, or they'll all want one. I'm using printer cable and luxuriating in the sheer number of colours to choose from. I did notice the other night that the insulation got a bit melted/lumpy when I was heatshrinking though, so you prolly want to watch that. and if current is a problem, you can double-up on your wires, and you still win.

[J0K3RX]

Old CRT monitor cables too I see those out by peoples garbage cans all the time in my neighborhood and you can also get some good shielded wires out of old VCR's, stereos, old PC CD/DVD-ROM audio cables not to mention some good components as well. I actually really like old IDE and floppy drive ribbon cables! They provide great stress relief and make for a real neat appearance. Obviously not good for all connections like power and input/output but for pots and toggle switches etc they work great. I carry some heavy duty wire cutters in my car cause ya never know...

[sgRED]

a good thing with those PC wires is, when you got a pedal with many connections, and you're building it, a soldering iron doesn't have to be stronger than 25/30W, heating time is nominal (1-2 sec) and the components don't melt or fry on you! Another thing is, when you got a simple in/out design that doesn't require to many wires, you can use those PC all grey wires and even separate them, they have nice insulation and if your'e careful you won't miss any of the connections and make a mistake. The thing is, my experience showed me that the same circuit does sound the same with those thick and thin wires ether way. Smart question though...

[armdnrdy]

you can use those PC all grey wires and even separate them, they have nice insulation and if your'e careful you won't miss any of the connections and make a mistake.

What is even better is the rainbow cable. (same as the grey buss connector cable but each conductor is a different color)

If your PCB off board holes are marked on the component side, (with a fine sharpie) the wiring goes quickly with no mistakes.

I usually go through the project and make an off board wiring color code diagram before I start wiring. Then it's "paint by numbers" 

[Kipper4]

I stripped the wire out of an old scart lead. Not all wires usefull but most are fine.
Theyre a little prone to breaking at solder joints.

[sgRED]

What is even better is the rainbow cable. (same as the grey buss connector cable but each conductor is a different color)

If your PCB off board holes are marked on the component side, (with a fine sharpie) the wiring goes quickly with no mistakes.

I usually go through the project and make an off board wiring color code diagram before I start wiring. Then it's "paint by numbers" 

Good things and all great suggestions, and people need to use wires they can find, also the enclosure ideas should be considered towards any kind of shape. Wires also, because as i open different original pedals, i can find, thin or thicker copper and aluminium also, with different sorts of insulation! When you build for yourself you should use anything as long as it is mechanically and electrically consistent... for sure.
And also, when you building something and you finish your last solder joint, you plug the battery in and all the cables, and you get your desired signal but with considerable amount of noise (of some sorts), just put the entire circuit with all the wires in any kind of metal box or a wooden/plastic box covered with aluminium foil from the outside. Then try the circuit and test it for noise in this way. Try to move all the wires to see if it makes any difference, sometimes it helps to move away from it, or you're simply making the noise holding the potentiometer or a trimmer in most cases., or just have your 9V cable going over or near the wires. Remember, your circuit is free from electrical, RF and magnetic interference only when it's in the enclosure thick enough.

[sgRED]

I stripped the wire out of an old scart lead. Not all wires usefull but most are fine.
Theyre a little prone to breaking at solder joints.

If i strip the scart or anything with the same kind of wire and i use it in the pedal build, i just make sure that i use those wires in places that will never move or bend. Then they're soldered and the stay that way for a long period. In the case of the battery clip, or something else like that, i use different kind, that will not brake in time at the joint. Cheers

[nobodysweasel]

Thanks for the great replies.  So far, my only problem is that I've run out of black and red, and have loads of other colors left over.  So I have to get creative with my 9v+ and ground connection colors.  That's a pretty small price to pay, if you ask me.

[Jdansti]

If you find that the thinner wires break, a little dab of hot glue can provide strain relief.

[armdnrdy]

Thanks for the great replies.  So far, my only problem is that I've run out of black and red, and have loads of other colors left over.  So I have to get creative with my 9v+ and ground connection colors.  That's a pretty small price to pay, if you ask me.

I've been through that!
I ended up purchasing a small roll of black and red and use either rainbow ribbon cable or multi colored 24 gauge stranded wire (about 75 feet of 25 conductor cable) that I salvaged from work at the Sheriffs headquarters.

[sgRED]

If you find that the thinner wires break, a little dab of hot glue can provide strain relief.

This guy is absolutely right! Great and awesome idea. And there is also a color chart that you can find and it has the codes and colors of all the different combinations. For example in electrical wiring, a yellow is in place of red. it is used to conduct positive charge, brown, pink, violet, green also. For the negative you just use brighter color, or if the (+) is red opposite (-) is black, brown or white. Or you can make your own color chart when you strip something and make an ad hoc codification. Examples are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_connector_colors#Color-coding_scheme_for_connectors_and_ports
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_color_code#Transformer_wiring_color_codes

Cheers guys 

[senko]

Hey, try getting your hands on some Cat 5e wire (Ethernet cables).  They're cheap and you can find them everywhere (even Goodwill/your local thrift store).   Recycle the scrap and you've got 4 twisted pairs of about 24AWG stranded wire.

Check out my tutorial here and tell me what you think!
http://www.diyaudiocircuits.com/tutorials/easy-cheap-24-awg-stranded-wire-cat5-ethernet-cable/

[duck_arse]

I've started doing COMPLETE wiring diagrams, and they do work a treat. they look a mess with all the coloured pencil, but they do work.

and wiring jigs are good. I use the "cor-flute" vote-for-me posters the pollies leave behind at election time, and make a kinda fold-flat copy of the case I'm going to use. then you can cut the mounting holes with an exacto knife rough as you like, but close to their final positions, mount yr pots and switches, and measure out yr wires and how you are going to run them. having the parts mounted means much less strain on joints from flopping about, and the soldering becames easy cause yr not chasing things across the bench.

you can also make all sorts of insulators and covers and false panels out of that board, and you get to knife a pollie at the same time.

[sgRED]

Hey, try getting your hands on some Cat 5e wire (Ethernet cables).  They're cheap and you can find them everywhere. Recycle the scrap and you've got 4 twisted pairs of about 24AWG stranded wire.

This is probably the best idea for 2013. for all of us "Audio Freaks" out there. I am now thinking to buy a bulk of this wire from a local store, and to leave it for the next circuit. i have a Random number generator Fuzz and a Boss Tone Fuzz just waiting to be housed, so I'll probably replace some of those thick PC wires that i used for those builds, and put the Hairy Ethernet Miracle inside to do it's magic!  

Great!  

[therecordingart]

http://circuitcalculator.com/wordpress/2007/09/20/wire-parameter-calculator/

I've been using CAT5 for a few years now and no issues.

[chromesphere]

Most of the cat5 i have cut open is solid core.  Maybe the ones i have tried are too modern?  Still, it's good for jumper links on breadboard!

I generally go for 22-24 awg wire for pedals.  Its the right size for me.  26 is a little fine for me personally.  I usually buy it at my local electronics shop.  6 core alarm cable, 1 dollar a metre.  (6 meters for a buck )

Paul