Posted by Andy Desak on 3, 2000 at 11:02 PM:
In Reply to: Re: Need some advice: What's the best wire/solder ???? posted by Druin on 3, 2000 at 7:07 PM:
: : What is the gauge wire and solder that you all recommend when making a joystick? I need a little advice. Thanks.
: Standard wire for these types of low voltage applications would be 22 gauge. the higher the number, the thinner it gets, where 30 gauge is that very thin coil/electromagnet/hobby motor winding stuff.
: I think telephone wire is around 24 gauge and that easily breaks, I find.
Telephone wire will be fine and you should not have to worry about breaking it even if you abuse it.
: I'd also recommend stranded as opposed to solid wire for this type of usage, particularly if hooking up to screw terminals, because it's easier to crimp many fine strands of a wire than it is to try to lock on to a single solid wire, especially when you put more than one solid wire in and try to crimp it down, one will likely come loose easily.
I would reccommend solid.....especially for screw terminals since it is much easier to work with. I basically avoid stranded wire whenever possible. If you know how to crimp the wire and do a good job you will not have to worry about it coming loose.
A poor analogy but good for illustration: Try pulling one strand of your hair. It comes out of your head. Try pulling a handful. your whole head moves with you - it's locked in!
: These connections are low voltage, low current, so there's no such risk as using a wire too thin as there would be in household wiring.
: Solder is just a matter of making sure it's meant for electrical use and not plumbing (no acid core). The specifics like thickness and lead/tin ratio are a matter of choice. Common is 60/40 ratio, and then there's 63/37 ratio that has different thermal properties (melting point etc) but those delicate details don't matter much for soldering just wire and using heavy duty switch contacts - it's only a big issue with tiny semiconductors that you may fry by applying too much heat for too long, trying to melt the solder.
: I normally have thin solder because I can use that for anything, and a 15 watt iron, but I always do find it easier soldering these types of connections using a 100watt gun (instant heat!) and thicker solder, but anything will do.
The correct solder you want for electronics is 'rosin core' solder.....this can be purchased at radio shack. The only time you would ever want to use a solder iron over 30watts is if for example if you are soldering directly to a pushbutton switch or a joystick switch. If there are ever any electronic components near your solder iron never go above 30 watts. And if you are soldering on a circuit board try to work quickly and efficently as excessive heat for a prolonged amount of time can damage the components.
-Andy Desak
Arcade Solutions