Traditional wire vs. wire wrap wire

jkiker · Post by **jkiker** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:54 am

Hi all,

In trying to plan my first-ever lighting of a model, I have decided to use a separate resistor for each of the LED's to be in the model. The result is that I do not think I will need a circuit board since I will not be using any special effects.

Most of what I have read so far here about lighting recommends the use of wire wrap wire so I've studied that topic as well. The thing is, wire wrap wire seems to have it's best use when it can be wrapped around a square post. It sounds like quite a bit of force is generated doing this, which provides the necessary metal to metal contact needed for conducting electricity.

My question is, does wire wrap wire also work on rounded wire, such as the connectors on an LED? It seems to me that trying to create significant pressure on an LED lead or one from a resistor would simply break the wire right off the device. So what am I missing? Based on my limited knowledge, it would seem that soldering would be a better option when you only have round leads and wires to connect up, such as a resistor lead to a power wire.

Thanks, Jim

Joseph Osborn · Post by **Joseph Osborn** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:22 am

The leads on all the LED's I've bought in the past few years are square, so no problem there. I also have no problem using wire-wrapping on the round leads on resistors. You can always put a little solder on the wrapped connection for insurance.

TrekFX · Post by **TrekFX** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:59 am

Even on components with round leads, I found it useful to wire wrap to the lead and follow-up with a light touch of solder. Holds everything in place and I'd have to wrap the lead anyway prior to soldering!

Styrofoam_Guy · Post by **Styrofoam_Guy** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:54 pm

I have found soldering much more secure then wire wrapping. Wire wrapping can also take up a lot of room compared to soldering.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 2:50 pm

I prefer soldering to wire wrapping because it's quicker, easier, and as mentioned takes up less room. The downside is you have to buy sockets for ICs because you do NOT want to solder directly to the pins unless you're very, VERY good. Which I'm not.

star-art · Post by **star-art** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:07 pm

There are always several different ways to accomplish something. I tend to think of "good, better, best" like the old Sears catalog used to classify things.

If you want the "Best" practices for your model wiring, plan carefully and make darned sure it will be bullet proof for the long run. That means soldering every single connection. It also means other things like using wires that are strong enough not to break if stressed.

Every joint in your harness is a potential breaking point. Don't wire wrap anything. Solder it. Don't put your resistors inline with your wires. I have learned this the hard way. As you bend and stress the wires getting them installed, your joints can and will break.

Put all your resistors on a small circuit board and then solder or use miniature connectors for that. It will make for a more reliable installation.