wire drills, wire gauge, a few other questions

[Schappy]

Hey guys,
Back on here after a few year hiatus. What size wire drills to you use to drill pcbs. What gauge hookup wire? Any tips on soldering wire to pot lugs?

[Seljer]

For drill bits I generally use 0.8mm diameter over all my home made PCBs and then enlarge whatever doesn't fit up to 1mm or 1.5mm. I had some fancy high speed carbide bits but I broke most of them (all the small ones!), now I use regular HSS bits and haven't had any trouble. I have a little jewellers chuck to hold them because my drill press' regular one doesn't really want to grip onto anything under 1mm. I believe some of the standar holes on PCBs would actually be 0.7mm but theres enough extra space on typical pads so it doesn't matter (though you're pushing it a bit if you drill everything to 1mm without making enlarged pads on your transfer image).

Hookup wire 22AWG or 24AWG seems to be about the right size for this stuff. 26AWG if you're working something very small.

For pot logs, if it's the type without the actual lugs, one of those "helping-hand" work holder things helps a lot. Otherwise hitting the lugs with some emery cloth to get some oxidation off before soldering makes the solder more willing to stick.

[greaser_au]

'Wire size' drills are very hard to come by except in a few parts of the world (those that still routinely use horse-drawn vehicles for transport*). #71 would be good for ICs, up to #61 for  thicker pins.

I got interested in modifying/fixing locks for a time. Lockwood (a .au standard pattern) and Schlage (a .us favourite) use a wire size (#32) drill hole for tumbler pins.  I tried to chase down the right size, but had to settle for a 2.9mm drill bit (about 0.0008" undersize) out here in the antipodes - the runout in my drill press was more than enough to make the 0.115" pins fit easily!

david

*I'm kidding, really! 

[italianguy63]

For anybody on a budget like me.  Do this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/high-speed-steel-micro-drill-bit-set-30-pc-61526.html

Chuck them up in an appropriate dremel collet.  They are so cheap, if you break some-- who cares.

MC

[JFace]

I wouldn't go any smaller than 0.8mm, but even that is tiny for DIY. I like 1.0mm as it fits just about every component. I use a 1/16th bit for board mounted pots (alpha) and jacks (neutrik). I use 1/8" for board mounted DC jacks. 1.0mm is good for wire pads.

The one and only time I attempted to use a hand drill I broke two bits before finishing one PCB. That same day I bought a dremel drill press and never looked back. An essential for me.

I like to use 22 or 24 awg pre-tinned wire. Plain stranded or solid core have both been not as good as the pre-tinned in my experience. Put some heat shrink over your lugs after soldering wire and it will last you a long time. I also use solder that contain a resin core so the soldering flows better.

[davent]

I use #71 carbide bits, covers almost everything typically used on a pedal pcb. For the rest, 22awg wire pads & big diodes, 4001's etc., #64's. Next time i'll get #70's as unsoldering from the #71 holes can present a bit of a challenge.

#71=~0.026"/0.66mm
#64=~0.036"/0.91mm

[CodeMonk]

I get these:
http://drillcity.stores.yahoo.net/10wirsizpac8.html
They have a 3/8' shank so they should fit in most drill presses.

#62

22awg wire and board mounted pots and switches need a little bigger, maybe #60.

Yeah they are carbide.
And yeah, I broke at lot of them at first, but I adapted.