[twodeko]

since i decided to jump into DIY after becoming an audio enthusiast on student budgeting and free time... i was wondering if i could get some advice on getting some good sounding and not too expensive solder and hookup wire.

advice from all the fellow diy'ers is always welcome, and i can't wait to get involved in this side of the community

my first project will be a CMoy which i will probably do this weekend, and then i'll take it from there.

thanks!

 

[Pars]

Not sure where you are located. For hookup wire, I use mil-spec silver coated copper teflon jacketed wire, 24ga stranded, that I get from ApexJr (www.apexjr.com). You will appreciate the teflon when soldering because it doesn't melt like PVC does if you hit the insulation. I don't like using solid core wire because when flexed too much it can fatigue and snap, plus its stiffer.

Solder... use a good quality 63/37 or 62/36/2 (even the stuff at radioshack is fine). Don't get 60/40 if you can avoid it. Take a look at www.tangentsoft.net/audio for both a CMoy tutorial and he has a guide for tools including solder choices (lotsa good info and advice here).

Also use the search function here as well as look at the "stickies" (the links at the beginning of the DIY section). Good luck and have fun!

 

[n_maher]

Just so you've got choices - I use handmade's 22awg Teflon coated silver plated copper wire (actually Belden wire) which can be found here - Belden Wire - it's not too cheap at .30 a foot (I always order at least 10') and I actually like the stiffness of solid-core wire. Care must be taken to not over bend or repeatedly bend the wire and fatigue it but other than that I think it has more plusses than minuses YMMV.

My 0.02.

Nate

 

[braillediver]

Maybe try some solid core teflon coated Cat 5 Network cable? Use the individual strands.

Some people make speaker cables and interconnects with it.

Half the fun is scrounging up stuff to use.


Mitch

 

[bg4533]

Check Ebay for wire. In an auction I got 5x20ft rolls of different color 22g stranded Teflon coated silver plated copper for $12 shipped. In another auction I got 500ft of similar wire in white for $37 shipped.

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pars Solder... use a good quality 63/37 or 62/36/2 (even the stuff at radioshack is fine). Don't get 60/40 if you can avoid it.

The RadioShack silver solder has a high melting point and is thus difficult to use. It also seems to be murder on tips.

-d

 

[twodeko]

thanks for the replies!

so far its looking like the solid core wire will be a good option since i have seen people use the stranded and it did not turn out as well as i had thought it would. plus it just gives me one more thing to work on in the case.

as for the solder... any brands or types i should get? pretty new here with soldering.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Kester makes the 63/37 and the 62/36/2. Markertek carries the 63/37 for $14.45/lb. which will last you a long time.

Some popular audio solder brands that are a bit more expensive are: Wonder Ultraclear, Cardas and WBT. IIRC the Wonder solder is tin-lead-silver, the Cardas is tin-lead-silver-copper, and the WBT is tin-silver alloy(lead free).

 

[twodeko]

any idea where i can get a good reel of some solder... at a decent price but also of good quality. some recommendations have been given but the www.hndme.com site will not allow me to order to an address not registered on my credit card (im at school)

.

if there is another place to get that belden wire that would be wonderful... key is an all in one type place that might be able to get it to iowa by the weekend.

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twodeko any idea where i can get a good reel of some solder... at a decent price but also of good quality. some recommendations have been given but the www.hndme.com site will not allow me to order to an address not registered on my credit card (im at school) . if there is another place to get that belden wire that would be wonderful... key is an all in one type place that might be able to get it to iowa by the weekend.

I don't know about Belden wire, but Percy Audio (www.percyaudio.com) is a place to get solder -- you can get 1/4 pound for $11-15 which will last a long time. They take CC payments by PayPal, so they probably won't care about your address. You might also try Welborne Labs (www.welbornelabs.com.) Also, DigiKey and Mouser sell solder.

As for this weekend, since it is your first project, I would go to my local RadioShack and pick up some 63/37. It will be fine. The boutique solders may provide some slight sonic benefit, but you are unlikely to hear this unless your components are also boutiquey.

Last, you can call your CC company and add your school address as an authorized address. This will stop payments from being rejected in most cases.

-d

 

[twodeko]

is anyone familiar with the Welbourne Labs silver solder... 24 dollars for a pound of it.

thank you again for all the links... have some .80/ft hookup wire in the shopping cart and am wondering if i should get some solder from welbourne labs.

 

[Nospam]

If you're looking for inexpensive options for wire, I found a pretty good deal at the local Fry's. A package of 22 gauge solid tinned copper wire, five colors, 25 ft each color, all for $5.99. Unfortunately, it's not teflon coated, but come on, it was only $6

It worked well with my Mint, so I think it's a keeper. I do like the idea of using some Home Grown Audio silver wire, but I'm just not sure that it really makes an audible difference for such short runs. Also, the HGA wire is all white, and I prefer some amount of color coding. The white does look good though...

As for solder, I just grabbed a 1 lb spool from the same place I bought my soldering iron (http://www.circuitspecialists.com/). I think the solder was only $8, and the iron was $35. Added a few other items and got a free DMM (although I ended up buying a Fluke anyway

).

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twodeko thank you again for all the links... have some .80/ft hookup wire in the shopping cart

18ga solid core wire will be difficult to work with. I think you'll be happier with 20 or larger. I am personally partial to Kimber TCSS which is 19ga and stranded, and even this is difficult to deal with in small spaces, and often does not fit through holes in PCBs. At Welborne, for a cmoy, if you want fancy wire, I'd go with the 24ga silver coated for $.40. Th cmoy is not a good enough circuit for anything more expensive.

The formula and melting point of the Welborne solder look good, but I've not used it. 1 pound is a lot. I have a 1.5oz roll of solder that has been used to make several projects with many more soldering joints than a cmoy as well as tons of interconnects. I still have more than half of it left. I would bet a pound would be enough to make at least 50-100 reasonably complicated projects, probably more

-d.

 

[bg4533]

Even 22g stranded wire can be a bit tight in some holes. 18g will almost always be too big for signal paths.

I recommend you buy the wire from this auction: Link

I am not affiliated with him, but I bought the same stuff last week and it arrived quick. He has auctions for 50ft of wire too. That wire is plently good for just about anything you want to do.

 

[twodeko]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3868512096

thank you bg for the link... still searching for some solder here. my iron is on the way too, smallest conical tip... weller soldering iron. looked like a good deal to me