Selecting flexible wire, avoid budget China silicone

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

I want to have flexible silicone wire, but instead of tinned copper - I would like to use OFC copper instead. Is there a wire code, or chart I can look up that tells me of the different standard wire types and their insulation? Or to keep it simple, can someone advise me on wire brand / vendor they have used - flexible, thin-stranded copper wire ?

I mostly use regular wire for everything, except on rare project the wire needs to be flexible. I want the same quality of copper, and not skeptical cheap china wire that is made of who-knows-what.

2

Edit:
oops, those are not silicone.
I have ordered and used silicone insulated wire from China and have no problem with it.

Here is where I ordered from China.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=bruceshark-005&_armrs=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xsilicone+wire.TRS0&_nkw=silicone+wire&_sacat=0

Why not tinned?
.

3

I would like to use OFC copper instead.

That implies a microphone cable then.
But the silicone implies high temperatures.

You might be asking for something that is not necessary so telling us about why you want this helps to put your request in context.

4

Is there a wire code, or chart I can look up that tells me of the different standard wire types and their insulation?

Here's a breakdown of the AWM types by Belden part numbers: Page Not Found

I would like to use OFC copper instead

The necessity for OFC wire only exsists in the minds of certain modern day audiophiles. Can you say $10K speaker cables? They're the ones that use music to listen to their stereo rather than using a stereo to listen to their music. Just another one of their absurd, very expensive hoaxes.

5

HI,

It's been a while since I worked with OFC copper but I recall the difference compared to "normal" copper used in wire was minimal.

I found two references today, one listed the resistivity as the same for the two alloys, the other is below:

Copper, C11000, ETP (std copper)

Electrical Resistivity (Annealed) 10.3 Ohms-circ mil/ft @ 68°F
Electrical Conductivity (Annealed), 100% Copper IACS @ 68°F

COPPER, C10200, Oxygen Free
Electrical Resistivity 10.3 Ohms-circ mil/ft @ 68°F
Electrical Conductivity OFHC 101% Copper IACS @ 68°F

Also note that CCA is copper coated aluminum. Another wire type all together. I've never seen it in hookup wire.

So at best, the OFC has 1% more conductivity.

Now lets look at how wire is drawn. The wire extruders monitor resistivity per unit length as the wire is being extruded. They adjust the process to keep the resistance / unit length just above the IACS minimum. So for a given gauge wire you would be unlikely to benefit from any small increase in conductivity.

Regarding tin plating. The tin plating is there simply to fend off corrosion and aid soldering or compression connections. I can't think of a reason for it to be a negative.

As for flexibility, I've found the Chinese silicone insulation to be more flexible than Beldon silicone test lead wire (of the same gauge). I believe the Chinese insulation is thinner and I think Beldon adds compounds to make the insulation "tougher".

So personally I don't see the benefit of OFC wire in any normal project. One place OFC copper is big is with Audiophiles. That alone should tell you something.

Another story regarding stranded wire:

Some time ago I was performing a test and required 40 ft of 2 conductor #14 stranded wire. Thinking I was being smart I purchased a 50 ft #14 extension cord. Long story short, it wasn't IACS copper. The resistance was at least double (I don't remember the exact number). It was unusable for my test. So there is "wire" out there that isn't "copper" wire.

6

While it is true that OFC in a speaker cable is a total waste of time and money, in a microphone cable where it is later subject to a large amplified gain, it will reduce cable noise and microphonoy.

7

you want a copper wire that is more flexible than ordinary wires?

Why do you want this type of wire? any specialty? telecommunications?

8

DocStein99:
I want to have flexible silicone wire, but instead of tinned copper - I would like to use OFC copper instead. Is there a wire code, or chart I can look up that tells me of the different standard wire types and their insulation? Or to keep it simple, can someone advise me on wire brand / vendor they have used - flexible, thin-stranded copper wire ?

I mostly use regular wire for everything, except on rare project the wire needs to be flexible. I want the same quality of copper, and not skeptical cheap china wire that is made of who-knows-what.

You don't really need to care whether its oxygen free or not, you need to care that is actually copper, not CCA.
Oxygen free gains little unless you will be running at the sort of temperatures where hydrogen embrittlement
is an issue, at which point you'd be more worried about your connectors melting...

CCA is a real scourge - never buy cheap wire on eBay unless it specifically states its not CCA or you don't
need any current handling. CCA is not nearly ductile enough for flexible cabling anyway.

9

I purchased three wire gauges of silicone insulated wire from this ebay link:

eBay Silicone wire

I originally chose this supplier because they had all the gauges I wanted to try and could supply insulation in different colors which I'm assuming is the same quality.

I purchased #26, #24 and #22 all in black. I received each and am happy with the wire (so take it for what it's worth):

  • All three wire sized were the same brand/quality/marking etc. Indicating these are not random lots of wire.
  • All are tin plated copper based on simple abrading of the tin and seeing a copper color beneath.
  • All have a very high strand count could be 37 strands but seems like a lot more
10

I only use the flexible wires, for things like my solder/desolder irons (or most any wired hand tool at my desk). Battery connections for the 5+ remote drones and rovers I'm building, battery connections for temporary stuff where I unplug and move it around 100 times to figure out where it's going to eventually stay. Inside the control panels where levers / potentiometers are moving. I have no real concerns with audio or RF, my electrical skills are really not on that level.

I've also been buying "WELDING" cable/wire for the big battery current projects like the bigger rovers, mosfet spot welder - and the 90 amp DC welder.

I have already got BURNED enough times with the ALUMINUM CCA stuff - so now I am cautious of ordering anywhere. Normally when I scrap trashed stuff, I actually save the wires from appliances and wherever, since the SONY televisions seem to use good stuff. There is also a salvage yard I buy wire from where they have shelves of spools of all sizes of wire, except it's mostly the thick-rigid strand stuff with the hard plastic insulation.

11

And the oxygen free copper?

12

What I know about OFC copper is that it should be as close to pure copper as I can buy. I just want strong battery/power cables and find myself spending too much time searching and possibly getting confused.

13

What I know about OFC copper is that it should be as close to pure copper as I can buy

So you do not want OFC then.