I find braided wire difficult to work with. While I prefer no wires and everything on a PCB, this isn't completely realistic for every application.
When and why should you use solid core wire?
When and why should you use braided wire?
Thank you for your help.
If there is ‘any’ movement, use stranded wire.
I never use solid wire, well, in a solderless breadboard I will.
Learn to make proper Dupont crimps.
Learn to properly tin stranded wires.
+1 on multi-strand wires
Reasons:
They carry current better
Easier to bend - less likely to break from strain
They carry current better
What????
The total cross sectional area of a stranded wire is the same as a solid wire of the same gauge. Same resistance and same current carrying capacity.
The AC power-wiring in your house is solid.
wolframore:
+1 on multi-strand wiresReasons:
They carry current better
I think you're being confused by litz wire which has separately insulated multiple strands and
carries high-frequency AC current better. At low frequencies / DC its just the cross-sectional
area of conducting metal that really matters. Over-bending solid wire can lead to brittle failure
and must be avoided (and yes, it will increase the resistance a bit due to work-hardening).
Solid wire is cheaper, but doesn't tolerate movement and vibration nearly so well. Typically
used for fixed installation in buildings.
In terms of practicalities its much easier to damage multi-strand wire when stripping the ends
if done carelessly.
The only braiding you see in a wire is the outer conductor of a coaxial cable (or in litz wire). Strands
are normally twisted.
Yep exactly what I was thinking due to skin effect. **edit skin effect is only for AC/signal and relevant for audio and RF circuitry but not for DC.
Stranded is easier to use and pull through conduit also.
Thee_Captain:
When and why should you use solid core wire?
When and why should you use braided wire?
Could be tricky due to definitions or gray areas - sometimes. Electrical cable can have single solid core wire, or multi-core inside ..... etc.
Braiding of wires may offer better flexibility (bendability) for cable having a particular cross section that matches a cable having one solid core having similar overall cross section. That is bendability ---- being able to bend or flex up to a limit ----- without compromising the strength or health of the conductor.
You should just choose a cable or wire that suits your needs. If it handles the amount of current that flows through the wire without any issue (getting really hot/burning etc), then that's a good start. And then also think about flexibility or robustness and cross-sectional dimension (geometry/shape), and whether if insulation is required or not.
Also ----- rather than asking straight away ... did you attempt to use google and type in the search engine something like 'solid core wire versus braided wire'? For any comparison type questions --- use google in advance - for at least half an hour.
I find solid core wire much easier to use than stranded for jumpers on a circuit board. I primarily use stripboard, which requires a lot of jumpers.
Great. Thanks for your answers.
So it seems like it is fine to use the solid wire while developing the bread board. For a practical application one would want to use stranded (not braided) wire for all places where there is movement as to avoid breakage (like a coat hanger bent too many times).
In final devices it's good to properly tin the stranded wire to help in making solid connections as well as using prefab connections like Dupont crimps or jst connectors.
Remember, do not solder Dupont or JST crimps.
Thee_Captain:
In final devices it's good to properly tin the stranded wire to help in making solid connections as well as using prefab connections like Dupont crimps or jst connectors.
just strip, twist the strands into one clean bunch and tin with solder... makes it easier to solder onto your board and get them into holes.
larryd:
Remember, do not solder Dupont or JST crimps.
Is that due to too much solder can stop the pin from going into the plastic housing?
It makes them brittle... easier to break off. Also possibility of melting the insulation.
Thee_Captain:
Great. Thanks for your answers.So it seems like it is fine to use the solid wire while developing the bread board. For a practical application one would want to use stranded (not braided) wire for all places where there is movement as to avoid breakage (like a coat hanger bent too many times).
In final devices it's good to properly tin the stranded wire to help in making solid connections as well as using prefab connections like Dupont crimps or jst connectors.
If you are concerned with soldered wires breaking, DO NOT use lead-free solder. Lead solder is flexible at the interface with the wire, but lead-free is not and the wires will quickly break at that point.
Paul
Much better is to use proper strain-relief in high vibration environments...
If tinning the end of multi-strand wire, the trick is to twist the strands together, tin just the very tip then pull back the insulation at least 5 mm, twist and tin the exposed area again, then while still hot, pull the insulation forward over part of the tinned area so that the transition from tinned (stiff) to not tinned (flexible) is well covered by the insulation.
It is this transition point that will experience the greatest bending force from wire movement and tend to break; you need it to be reinforced by the insulation to provide a strain relief.
wolframore:
It makes them brittle... easier to break off. Also possibility of melting the insulation.
I see! Thanks wolframore. Definitely makes sense. The jst connectors are kind of small .... and soldering could lead to some fiddly issues that's for sure.
Southpark:
Is that due to too much solder can stop the pin from going into the plastic housing?
Any flex of the wire will cause the breakage at the point where the solder ends.
Crimp pins are designed for maximum flex life when you “do not” tin/solder the stripped wire ends!
The strain relief, that grips the insulation, is very import to prevent against wire breakage.
I love single core wire from cat5 cable on my perfboards. Easy to route
As soon somethng leaves the board I'll use multi core.
You might what to look at using wire wrap wire.
See post #47
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3093342#msg3093342
PDF for using wire wrap wire:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=445951.0;attach=195518
