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hi im just a new in the pedal effects building, and i want to know which is better, for wire a effect, a stranded wire or a solid wire, i want to use 24awg wire, i have solid, cos i cant dinf stranded, but i want to know you experiences

copachino wrote:hi im just a new in the pedal effects building, and i want to know which is better, for wire a effect, a stranded wire or a solid wire, i want to use 24awg wire, i have solid, cos i cant dinf stranded, but i want to know you experiences

That's the stuff I'm using. Just be careful, cheap one brakes easily

I tend to change my mind every couple of months or so as to which is best - solid core can break, and seems more prone to dry joints, but stranded wire can be less neat, (more prone to spaghetti) and more likely to short circuit due to stray 'hairs'. Best of both worlds is pre-bonded hookup wire, but it seems to be hard to find in the UK.

Personally, sometimes I get mad at stranded wire since you have to be really careful not to let any strands go out of the hole, if the hole is close to the wire's diameter. This, of course, is a small nuisance, maybe not a reason not to choose stranded wire.

I agree that solid wire is neater, and if used correctly, will be a piece of cake to solder. And I think you are able to make better mechanical joints first (on pots, switches etc.) easily, before soldering, by cautiously forming a hook aroung the contact. This actually discards the possibility of dry joints.

So I tend to like using solid wire of 0.5mm (24 awg) diameter. Relatively easy to work with, and has the advantages I metnioned above.

Of course, be careful with bending, as it was noted earlier. It isn't difficult not to damage the wire, it just takes some patience.

JustinFun wrote:but stranded wire can be less neat, (more prone to spaghetti)

Just cut these to length, and tie them together, and they won't spaghetti at all.

JustinFun wrote: more likely to short circuit due to stray 'hairs'

galmar wrote: I get mad at stranded wire since you have to be really careful not to let any strands go out of the hole, if the hole is close to the wire's diameter.

Pre-tin the wires before inserting them in the hole : problem solved. If that 0.8mm hole is too narrow, make it a 1.0 or 1.2 mm hole...

lolbou wrote:Pre-tin the wires before inserting them in the hole : problem solved. If that 0.8mm hole is too narrow, make it a 1.0 or 1.2 mm hole...

You bet I do!

It is still annoying, though! Solid core needs no such things.

You can buy a box containing dozens of solid core jumpers of different pre-cut sizes for a few dollars. It saves a lot of time during wiring, instead of measuring, cutting, stripping, and tinning the stranded wire. Also solid core wire stay tends to stay where you put it and does not spring back like stranded wire, which is a real help for wiring tight spots.