Groundhog66
Banned
Looking to do a few mods, which gauge wire it typically used for small circuits? I will be doing a couple McCapsules for Longbows, SOB 917 and NG 750.
Tim
Tim
Wire gauge for mods?
- Thread starter Groundhog66
- Start date
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On my M@g mods, from the switch to the driver I run what fits snugly in the holes of the circuit board. Typically 20 gauge is the minimum I like for that part of the light, unless the holes in the driver are smaller.
From the driver to the LED I use 24 gauge Teflon coated wire. The strands are silver plated, so that helps.
From the driver to the LED I use 24 gauge Teflon coated wire. The strands are silver plated, so that helps.
mudman cj
Flashlight Enthusiast
For a balance between flexibility and low resistance in light engines, 24 gauge stranded Teflon-insulated wire is ideal.
I sometimes prefer 26 or 28 when even more flexibility is required or I want to form a good solder joint quickly (smaller wire conducts heat away from the joint more slowly), or 22 to 20 when less resistance is important.
I sometimes prefer 26 or 28 when even more flexibility is required or I want to form a good solder joint quickly (smaller wire conducts heat away from the joint more slowly), or 22 to 20 when less resistance is important.
DonShock
Flashlight Enthusiast
I mostly use 24ga teflon coated wire in my builds. Although if there will be much movement of the wire I will step up to 20ga for more mechanical durability. Very rarely the 24ga is too large for the circuit board holes, but I can usually make it work by trimming a few strands.
Groundhog66
Banned
Thank you for the responses guys, I really appreciate it. :thumbsup:
Black Rose
Flashlight Enthusiast
Which is better; solid or stranded wire?
Stranded wires for more flexibility, usually. With wires these small, they make little difference. Just choose the stranded as its easier to work with.
Black Rose
Flashlight Enthusiast
All I have been able to locate locally so far is 18, 20, and 22 guage wires.
M.S
Enlightened
I use the same 24 awg silver plated copper wire with teflon insulation that I got for my heaphone cable projects. I think that the seller was something like "navships" on ebay...
2xTrinity
Flashlight Enthusiast
I also use 24 Gauge stranded for LED projects, and 18 gauge stranded for Incan projects (much more current). One thing to consider here is that the lengths of wire we're talking about are so short, that you won't get a whole lot of added resistance from the wire, like oy might if you were doing a long run of some kind.
DM51
Flashaholic
There was a good discussion of high strand count silicone wire in this thread, post#60 onwards. petrev found some ultra-flexible 10 ga. cable with >1,500 strands.
greenLED
Flashaholic
Black Rose
Flashlight Enthusiast
Thanks for the tip. I bought some 24 awg wire from him yesterday.
Juggernaut
Flashlight Enthusiast
I use Solid copper 20 gauge wire for all my projects, because my father brings it home from work for free. It comes from old florescent lighting that is being changed out. It is really inflexible, but at lest I'm quiet sure I'll never really over power it. However I used 16 gauge wiring on my 1000 Watt GE light and it gets hot really fast so I need thicker I wire I think.
shakeylegs
Enlightened
Here's a handy online calculator (scroll down):
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
And here is a table of volt-amp/gauge recommendations:
http://www.batterieswholesale.com/battery_wire_gauge.htm
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
And here is a table of volt-amp/gauge recommendations:
http://www.batterieswholesale.com/battery_wire_gauge.htm
Electricity travels along the outside of a wire. Size for size, stranded wire can carry more current than solid wire since there is more area to travel on each strand of wire that the stranded wire is made up of. Solid wire is a lot stronger & cheaper to make.
