Ordering wire for pedals - which gauge? (UK)

[kissack101]

Hey,

This might sound a bit obvious, but I'm ordering wire online for the first time (as opposed to buying it/being able to see it first in shops) and I'm not 100% on which type I need?

My options are here: http://www.rapidonline.com/products.aspx?tier1=Cables+%26+Connectors&tier2=Equipment+Wire&tier3=Equipment+Wire

I take it the 0.2mm refers to the thickness of the core? What about the number that precedes it? Any info on this would be appreciated, I'm afraid I'm going to end up with 100s of meters of the wrong type!

Adam.

[Brymus]

24 gauge stranded wire is what you want.
Solid core wire is easier to route but will break easier too.
Teflon coated wire is preferable to me as the insulator wont melt when soldering,but not really neccasary.
Cheap spool of 24 gauge wire from RS will work fine and cost about 3$ and build many pedals.

[kissack101]

24 gauge stranded wire is what you want.
Solid core wire is easier to route but will break easier too.
Teflon coated wire is preferable to me as the insulator wont melt when soldering,but not really neccasary.
Cheap spool of 24 gauge wire from RS will work fine and cost about 3$ and build many pedals.

Thanks for that - I'm trying to figure out what '24 gauge' converts to in mm, a google search appears to suggest ~0.5mm diameter, I'm not sure if the numbers on the Rapid site (for example, "1/0.6mm single core equipment wire") relates to diameter or surface area? Does anyone have any experience with this?

(I think this is one of those areas where a bit of transatlantic standardisation might be helpful?...)

Thanks again,

Adam.

[ryanuk]

I believe the first numbers refer to qty of strands and the latter the area of strands i.e. 16/0.2 = 16 strands of 0.2mm2

Personally, I would go for a lighter guage wire especially if you're wiring inside MXR sized enclousures. 24, which is 2mm+ overall diameter, seems excessive - just my opinion!  

i used to use 16/0.2 - approx 1.6 outer diameter. I used this for ages but as my builds became more complicated and I was using smaller enclosures, I began to find it too hefty for most applications - it just didnt give neat results.

Now I'm using 7/0.2 - just over 1mm diameter. This is perfect and I would recommend it. Its easier to solder and has a better bend radius for smaller spaces.

You can buy samples from eBay for CHEAP. Buy a few various guages and try for yourself. No harm adding different guages to your wirebox!

RyUK

[Schappy]

Anybody have trouble with 24 gauge breaking easily?

I find 22 gauge to be a better option.

[audioguy]

Anybody have trouble with 24 gauge breaking easily?

I find 22 gauge to be a better option.

What are you doing inside of a pedal enclosure to cause the wiring to break? I'm not being sarcastic, just trying to widen my understanding of what other people are doing.

[Mark Hammer]

It's not so much that the wire breaks because of what is going on in the pedal, but rather whether it a) has a tendency to not strip easily, given your normal insulation stripping technique, and/or b) has a tendency to fracture at the solder joint, given the sort of twists and turns you expose the wire to when installing things in a chassis.  Youneed to balance off the ruggedness against any other considerations, though.

Case in point.  I like to make my own battery snaps from the tops/bottoms of dead batteries ( http://hammer.ampage.org/files/DIY-snaps.pdf ) because I find that the kind I tend to get from electronics retailers can't hold up to the abuse that I need (i.e., twisting the leads to fit the battery into awkward and tight spaces).  Using 24 gauge poses too much risk.  I find 22 gauge, or even 20, stands a better chance of holding up.

On the other hand, if I come up with a mod, post-build, and want to sneak in a mini-toggle to do it, 24 gauge is going to be able to negotiate the twists and turns of awkward toggle installations more easily.

[philbinator1]

I got the 22 gauge from Small bear, not solid core or teflon coated and it's not flimsy either.  It's good.

[ryanuk]

Right - Im confused now... but getting there.

Didnt realise that there are differing UK/US standards. Apparently 7/0.2 equates to 24 AWG. However, 7/0.2 has a outer diameter of 1.2mm whereas 24 AWG is only 0.55mm. Not sure how it equates then?

Anyhoo, in answer to original post I recommend 7/0.2 UK guage or 24 AWG - as MarkH says you do have to be careful when twisting joins etc.
16/0.2 or 20 AWG is useful in some applications but I find it a little cumbersome for small enclosures.

Peace Love and Bananas.

RyUK

[Schappy]

I mostly have problems after I wire the pedal up and I have to debug the circuit and also when I box it up. Just in my experience 24 gauge seems unable to withstand alot of movement.

[smallbearelec]

So how about a solid wire instead of a stranded wire

Solid core is fine where you will not be flexing leads during assembly, as you often do when positioning off-board components; use stranded. Solid core is good for breadboarding.

[italianguy63]

The best solution I have found and use is.... I purchase surplus 9 or 10 strand 22 ga. wire in bulk (it is usually shielded).  Like 50-100 feet at a time.  It's cheap.  Then as I need wire I cut off a 6' to 10' length of wire and strip the covering and shielding.  I end up with quality wire cheap.  Usual colors are (Black, white, red, grey, blue, green, yellow, purple, brown, orange).

MC

[GGBB]

Didnt realise that there are differing UK/US standards. Apparently 7/0.2 equates to 24 AWG. However, 7/0.2 has a outer diameter of 1.2mm whereas 24 AWG is only 0.55mm. Not sure how it equates then?

I think the large diameters probably refer to "overall diameter" - outer diameter of a certain wire including insulation.

Note also there is an SWG standard as well that is different than AWG:

Size	Diameter
24 AWG	0.5106mm
24 SWG	0.559mm

[blackieNYC]

Lots of absolute telco wiring - miles of it, is done with multi conductor wire - 24,32, or even 100 conductors. All color coded 24 gauge. Anywhere there is junk, there is multiconductor control cable scraps. Recycle!
Studios, radio stations and pro audio shop are often throwing out "quad-core" mic cable.  4 insulated conductors inside. 24 gauge. If the mic cable is particularly flexible, you'll find the 24gauge wires to be the most flexible available.  Much easier to close up one of my spaghetti boxes.

When I tin wire, I try to do it with the wire end up, and hope to get some solder to wick down into the insulation. When there's no solder in that spot, that's where you see individual strands that start to break. (Some, perhaps, nicked by your stripper. Like ... an englishmans wallet?)

[notnews32]

I use both 22 and 24 for different purposes. I typically use 22 for V+ and Ground connections off the DC jack and otherwise live voltage lines, and 24 to go from the board to the pots for their flexibility... 22 can be a bit stiff sometimes, and tends to stay in place when you bend it. That as opposed to 24 which is more forgiving of bending and cramming into tight spaces.

Color options are nice to have too.. color-coding and differentiating one set of connections from another makes troubleshooting and assembly much easier.

[karbomusic]

Anybody have trouble with 24 gauge breaking easily?

No, I switched from 22 to 24, not a bit of difference in an enclosed pedal unless you are constantly opening it up and twiddling the wires which likely points to something else that needs to be improved instead of wire gauge.

[anotherjim]

7/0.2 for general hook up. Look for bundles such as...
http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_202&products_id=2937

For repair/mods on pcbs, strip or perfboard, a roll of Kynar goes a long way. Tough single strand, fine enough to share pcb holes with component leads...
http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=200_209

Sometimes, even in a screened enclosure, you need screened cable to solve feedback or LFO ticking noise. Basic screened cable will do such as...
http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_205&products_id=1475

I have no affiliation with that particular dealer, just that their webshop is easy for me to find those examples.