What type of wire do you use?

No_6 · Post by **No_6** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:20 am

I've been using a combination of 22 gauge solid-core, which is nice because I know that it will carry enough power, but can be a little difficult to work with due to it being stiff. 20 gauge stranded, and either 28 or 30 gauge (can't remember which) solid-core stuff with the spray-on coating, which I burn off. My biggest concern with that is that it won't carry enough current if I'm running a lot of lights with it. On the plus side, it's really, really thin. But stiff. Lots of trade-offs. So what kind and brand of wire have you guys had the most success with?

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:54 am

I usually use wire wrap wire for most modeling work, since I use wire wrap a lot. I'll also use "Speaker Wire" for its flexibility, or "Microphone Wire" for it's small size and flexibility (when I can find it!)

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:01 am

how much current can you run through speaker wire for lights ? what size speaker wire ? how well does it work ?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:51 am

I use 32 gauge 7/40 for individual LEDs. They draw so little of a load it works fine and solders like a charm. I've got heavier gauge stuff for other applications but always use multi-strand wire, it's much easier to solder.

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:12 pm

Speaker wire - to me - is just amber colored "zip cord" or lamp cord, so it should have similar load bearing characteristics for equal wire size - 16 gauge to 24 gauge is common. It handles about any LED load I care to put on it. Fairly flexible, and fairly cheap in 100 foot rolls.

observer · Post by **observer** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:17 pm

A very good sourse of wire is dead computer mice, cut cord at mouse and usb block slit outer jacket
and you have 4 very flexable wires at about 28 guage

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:01 pm

I used 30 gauge wire wrap for all my LEDs and 24 gauge stranded for all the "power" wires. Works out well.

USS Atlantis · Post by **USS Atlantis** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:07 pm

Madman Lighting wrote:I used 30 gauge wire wrap for all my LEDs and 24 gauge stranded for all the "power" wires. Works out well.

30 Gauge wire-wrap for the LED's, 28 gauge stranded for the power runs - though I probably don't put as much through mine as John puts through his

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 6:04 am

Once I got a big box full of information bus cables from some computers and have been using them. They are stranded and solder like a charm.

DLMatthys · Post by **DLMatthys** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:14 pm

MillenniumFalsehood wrote:Once I got a big box full of information bus cables

I like ribbon cables too. I started to buy color coded 20 strand ribbons from Digi-Key. Color standed helps me keep track of what goes where... so I put some of that wire into my kits now.

http://www.dlmparts.com/images/478_TOS_ ... -co_w3.jpg