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Hook up wire for cheap - what do you use?

ANybody here ever use shielded coax for the input? I think it is refered to as Cat6.
Thoughts?
 
jaymanaa said:
... becomes automatic, like wiping the iron before and after every joint.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I wonder if skipping that is why my tips seem to ware out so fast?

Re hookup wire. I have a small scrap pile of wire. Cloth covered, plastic, teflon, whatever, I can usually find something in there that works. If not I grab a roll of NTE from the electronics supply.
 
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Just a note on Teflon insulation. Teflon coated wire is good but one thing to consider.
The Teflon coating tends to "flow" over time and potentially cause a short in areas where something else is touching and putting pressure on it. Areas like where another wire crosses it or where it crosses over a bracket in the chassis, etc.
We found this when we were qualifying the Teflon coated wire for black boxes that were to be used in space applications. We put them through vibration testing, and numerous hot / cold cycles and found the Teflon insulation would fail in these areas much faster than plastic or other types of insulation.
Granted, our gear will not be going through a lot of vibration, and the hot / cold cycles will not be as severe, but the service life of the Teflon insulation is still much shorter than other types.
Will this happen to you if you use this wire? Probably not in normal use, but the potential is still there compared to other choices, so why take the chance, especially in high voltage tube applications.
Just my .02
 
jaymanaa said:
One thing worth mentioning is when I use stranded, I lightly pre tin the wire after stripping it. It sounds like a PITA, but it actually becomes automatic, like wiping the iron before and after every joint.
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You Wipe your iron :scratch2:


I briefly remember learning about that, but havn't done it for years
 
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jaymanaa said:
The only thing about doorbell wire is the insulation. I doubt VERY seriously if it's rated for 400 volts.:no: It also melts real easy.:thumbsdn:
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Agree, doorbell cable is basically the same cable used for alarms and similar applications, there are many outthere, shielded/non-shielded/different AWG, but the most common is non-shielded 22 AWG 2-strand. This cable usually has a PVC insulation of .008" and is rated at 300 Volts.

Irrigation cable is UL Listed for Direct Burial and there are many kinds out there depending on application. The most common use is for irrigation valves and equipment which is low voltage, mainly 24VAC. Cable insulation is PVC and the multi cable jacket is usually LDPE, standard insulation thickness is .015" and withstands up to 176 Deg. F (80 Deg. C). This type of cable is rated for 30 Volts. Very reliable to connect outdoor speakers, but wouldn't use for anything else.
 
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+1 on ApexJr. Steve has a good selection of teflon wire and his prices are hard to beat. Also has teflon shielded in 22AWG which has fairly low pf/ft.

For PVC, I order from McMaster. Good price, great wire! Worst is radioshack.
 
I've purchased wire from both on eBay.

One roll of Teflon wire goes along way when rebuilding tubed gear.

Two rolls, solid 20 gauge and stranded shielded 20 gauge last even longer.

Bob
 
I get mine from other trashed electronics.. .I'm really cheap.. I scrounge my wire when taking old stuff apart for the trash... Got lots of different stuff stashed in a drawer in my toolbox out in the garage..
 
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