Novice wiring question.....

Oxnard Montalvo · Post by **Oxnard Montalvo** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:51 am

Hi all,

Just getting round to lighting a couple of kits that don't require much in the way of electronics, just some straightforward white LED's. I've always recycled/repurposed already wired bulbs before, and thus in starting from scratch this time, find myself in the position of needing wire for the job... Being a complete beginner with this stuff I have no idea what kind of wire to buy (diameter etc.) Many of the descriptions online are confusing to me, (solid core, etc) I'm just looking for some ordinary thin wire for LEDs, and I have no idea what to shop for....

Any advice greatfully taken

Thanks in advance!

brt · Post by **brt** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:25 am

30 or 32 AWG. Runs in tight spaces. Not sure about whether stranded or solid suits you better. Stranded gives me a bit of an issue sometimes when stripping it.

mhvink · Post by **mhvink** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:50 am

30-32 AWG stranded wire requires a special stripper due to the (usually) Teflon jacket (insulation). At that size, stranded is stronger than solid core, but solid will allow you to bend the wire and it will retain it's shape better.
You can find small guage wire at most electronic supply stores, Radio Shack (hurry before they all close) and even at Hobby Lobby stores.

Anything over 22 AWG will be fine to use. The higher the number, the smaller the wire. The size will be dependant on the amount of current you intend to shove through it. LED's don't require much current at all, small electric motors to drive propellers, warp nacell spinners, etc. need more current.

Mike

blakeh1 · Post by **blakeh1** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 5:18 pm

If you go with the 32 guage you can pick up a wire wrap tool as well. It has the tool to strip the wire, plus wrap it onto pins/thicker wire

eeun · Post by **eeun** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 12:18 pm

I'm cheap, and salvage old computer cables for wiring.
One old printer cable has more wire than you'll probably ever need for model lighting. Nice stranded wire, with lots of different colours of insulation.

Darth Humorous · Post by **Darth Humorous** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:26 am

You can also use fine magnet wire. The insulation can be scraped or sanded off where needed.

Mark

Lord Darth Beavis · Post by **Lord Darth Beavis** » Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:26 am

Power recliner remotes generally have a ton of small wire. My dad let the magic smoke out of his chair, and it was cheaper to replace the chair than to repair it. Before it went out to the dump, I cut the remote off, and stripped out the wire. I think it had 8 different colors, and was about 5 feet long. That should keep me busy for a while!