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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: 2PacMan on May 11, 2005, 08:32:28 am

Title: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: 2PacMan on May 11, 2005, 08:32:28 am: I went to Radio Shack to buy wiring for my control panel that i'm hooking up to an IPAC. I saw solid wire and stranded wire. Which is better, or does it matter??
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Setabs on May 11, 2005, 08:43:46 am: I believe Stranded wire is better. Get 20 or 22 guage wire. Get .187 female connectors to use on the microswitches. and solder the female connectors after crimping them to help them from coming loose from the wire.

The reason solid wire isn't as good is because It can't be bent at sharp angle's and if bent back and forth it may break. I think, any other reasons ppl feel free to add.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Tiger-Heli on May 11, 2005, 08:49:56 am: Stranded is easier to crimp to. Solid is a little easier to strip and probably better for soldering. Again, overall, I would say Stranded is preferred.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: RayB on May 11, 2005, 08:53:23 am: I say it depends on the guage. When you get to the really small guages, stranded is annoying because the few strands in there tend to break when you strip it...
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Wade on May 11, 2005, 08:53:50 am: Stranded is better for a CP.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Samstag on May 11, 2005, 09:37:47 am: It's not just that stranded is better for crimping.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: 2PacMan on May 11, 2005, 09:50:41 am: OK, thanks guys...i'm glad i did end up getting the stranded. The guy at Radio Shack was telling me that for conductivity and stuff i'd be better off with solid, but i remembered my Ms Pac has stranded wire in it, so i went with that. Plus, it is easier to bend stranded wire to fit in my IPAC.

I ended up getting stranded, 22-gauge for the wiring and 18 gauge for the grounding wire. Hopefully that will work! Thanks again guys.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Veinman on May 11, 2005, 10:19:48 am: Doesn't the spystyle tutorial show solid wire?

http://spystyle.arcadecontrols.com/index8.htm
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Tiger-Heli on May 11, 2005, 10:59:42 am: Quote from: Veinman on May 11, 2005, 10:19:48 am
Doesn't the spystyle tutorial show solid wire?

http://spystyle.arcadecontrols.com/index8.htm
Yes it does, but I still think stranded is a better choice.
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Stingray on May 11, 2005, 11:09:24 am: Stranded wire all the way.

-S
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Lilwolf on May 11, 2005, 11:21:27 am: I did solid to start off with (some cat5 cables).

but I had to rewire completely because the connections broke all the time. Any time you touched anything they would break.

Basically they are harder to bend... So when you move something, the stress goes to the end.

Stranded
Title: Re: Better control panel wiring - Solid or Stranded?
Post by: Shape D. on May 11, 2005, 11:30:37 am: solid also has a tendency to break when you move it around. and stranded is eisier to work with. especially if your only using crimp connectors. and you can crimp something on to a solid core wire It just takes one hell of an effort to do so.