# Hookup Wire #22 or #24.  What is the right size for PedalPCB products.



## burger-patty-and-bacon (Jul 24, 2021)

What is the maximum hookup wire size PedalPCB's will take for the IN, GND, SW, OUT etc of the 3PDT Breakout Board and other open holes where wire is needed?

I need to get more and am not sure if #22 or #24 is needed or what size of the stuff I just ran out was.  Is #24 perhaps too small and I need #22 in which case either of these would be a solid choice (pardon the pun, I prefer solid vs. stranded by a large margin).









						#22 Pre-Bond, Colors, 50 Ft. Spool
					

Small Bear Electronics DIY Parts




					smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com
				






			https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4ZRPEY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A15QN6QABYC6HS&psc=1


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## Barry (Jul 24, 2021)

I use 24 Pre-Bond for everything, LoveMySwitches.com and GuitarPCB.com are my prefered vendors for wire


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## fig (Jul 24, 2021)

I would wager 24 stranded pre-bond / pre-tin is the most common choice.


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## Robert (Jul 24, 2021)

I use #24 for everything... stranded for the signal wires from the In/Out jacks, solid for everything else.

I _personally_ don't care for pre-bond, but it seems most folks prefer it.


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## uranium_jones (Jul 24, 2021)

I got 24 prebond for most "long" connections such as the jacks to the footswitch. I ordered mine from Smallbear. 

I also use 24 stranded, and 24 or 22 solid. One of my favorite things to do is use fully stripped 22 solid as a flexible series of jumpers between a board and the 3PDT breakout board. (Example attached)


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## Feral Feline (Jul 24, 2021)

24 here, with a bunch of 26 for 1590A builds


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## peccary (Jul 24, 2021)

Robert said:


> I use #24 for everything... stranded for the signal wires from the In/Out jacks, solid for everything else.
> 
> I _personally_ don't care for pre-bond, but it seems most folks prefer it.



Just from curiosity, why do you prefer stranded over pre-bonded?


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## Robert (Jul 24, 2021)

I bought a pretty big roll several years ago... back when I was doing a fair amount of stripboard / etched PCB builds, all offboard hardware.

The stuff was just so prone to break after being moved around a bit.   If I had to pull a board back out for troubleshooting I'd always find several wires broken loose at the board.    I started using a bead of hot glue as a stress relief at the PCB, but that was just such a pain...   I swore when the roll was gone (and it seemed like it was going to last _forever)_ I'd never use it again, and I really haven't missed it.  

These days the only longer runs of wire I deal with are the connections to/from the 1/4" jacks, everything else is either PCB mounted or short runs of solid core wire (similar to @quality_jones' pic above).   I generally tin all of my wires before soldering anyway, so pre-bond isn't necessary.

I'm actually fine with the 24 AWG from Tayda...  I've tried cheaper (and more expensive) wire a few times but I always end up right back.


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## finebyfine (Jul 24, 2021)

What’s the appeal of using buss wire / completely stripped solid wire there instead of regular solid or stranded?


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## almondcity (Jul 24, 2021)

24 solid for me, though lately I've been using 22 solid for wire to the in and out jacks


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## Robert (Jul 24, 2021)

finebyfine said:


> What’s the appeal of using buss wire / completely stripped solid wire there instead of regular solid or stranded?



I wire everything up after the boards are mounted in the enclosure.

With stripped solid core I can just drop it straight through (navigate any needed bend with a dental tool), solder, and clip.

Sometimes I leave a small piece of insulation on the wire to set the "depth" when I drop it through.   This lets me push the wire far enough that it just clears the solder pads on the lower board (rather than falling all the way down and hitting the enclosure).    Solder the lower board, pull the insulation back, solder the top board, then clip.  Repeat.


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## Stickman393 (Jul 24, 2021)

Y'all got me re-considering solid core...I've always had similar issues with pre-bond, and I like the way those jumpers look.

Stranded can be a real pain if a single finger breaks off and makes contact with the pad next to it.  Especially on the really fine stranded stuff.

I love the way pushback wire looks in a build, especially with some heat shrink tubing and beeswax to help tame the fraying at the ends, but it tends to be coarse stranded and presents the same problems as pre-bond: it'll snap off a board if you look at it sideways.

I've looked into other alternatives:. Mill-max has individual or joined solder pin/wire solder cup wire to board connectors...looks like a decent option it paired with some heat shrink tubing for strain relief, althogh I can't help but wonder if I would simply be replacing one pont of failure with another. I picked up a few and plan on seeing how that ends up working out.

What I'd really LOVE to do is find some kind of low profile board-mounted ribbon IDC connector that's easy to undo for troubleshooting...but that might be overcomplicating it.  

Molex and JST connectors are great for pedal disassembly, but take up a bunch of extra space that may not be available, take extra time to crimp and terminate, and are pretty tedious and difficult to get just right for a clean-looking harness.  

Truth be told, I should probably just rig up a test platform before I box everything up


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## fig (Jul 24, 2021)

These work okay for testing with a lot of PedalPCB boards;


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## Robert (Jul 24, 2021)

Niiiice, what exactly is that?


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## flemming (Jul 24, 2021)

Robert said:


> Niiiice, what exactly is that?


I immediately had to start looking myself   Here's a start:






						pogo pin probe clip - Buy pogo pin probe clip with free shipping on AliExpress
					

Quality pogo pin probe clip with free worldwide shipping on AliExpress




					www.aliexpress.com
				




I also found some 3d printable versions that I might just try out:









						Search Thingiverse - Thingiverse
					

Download files and build them with your 3D printer, laser cutter, or CNC. Thingiverse is a universe of things.




					www.thingiverse.com
				




Robert


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## fig (Jul 24, 2021)

@flemming nailed it, pogo pins. They have them in different configurations.


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## uranium_jones (Jul 24, 2021)

finebyfine said:


> What’s the appeal of using buss wire / completely stripped solid wire there instead of regular solid or stranded?


It looks (a) cool, and (b) like I know what I'm doing.


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## peccary (Jul 24, 2021)

I used solid core when I very first started and it broke on me all the time. I switched to stranded and my finger tips hated me and I hated having to tin the ends and the curve never really seemed to come out of the wire. I feel like pre-bonded splits the difference pretty well. 

I've never had it break on me but that is likely because of your designs requiring pretty minimal off board wiring and (knock on wood) I don't usually have to do much (if any) troubleshooting with PedalPCB builds.


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## Barry (Jul 24, 2021)

peccary said:


> I used solid core when I very first started and it broke on me all the time. I switched to stranded and my finger tips hated me and I hated having to tin the ends and the curve never really seemed to come out of the wire. I feel like pre-bonded splits the difference pretty well.
> 
> I've never had it break on me but that is likely because of your designs requiring pretty minimal off board wiring and (knock on wood) I don't usually have to do much (if any) troubleshooting with PedalPCB builds.


I've never had an issue with the pre-bonded wire either


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## spi (Jul 24, 2021)

I prefer 24 strand (pre-bonded kind), but I also have some 22 that I use, and either works fine.


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## Feral Feline (Jul 25, 2021)

fig said:


> @flemming nailed it, pogo pins. They have them in different configurations.




I made something similar by taking pins from SIP sockets and soldering them to alligator clips, just for the ins/outs of boards, but of course can't cram that many alligator maws as close together as the Pogo Pins. That's really nifty. I said "nifty".

I wonder how hard it would be to McGyver one's own Pogo Emperor Palpins...


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## fig (Jul 25, 2021)

Feral Feline said:


> I made something similar by taking pins from SIP sockets and soldering them to alligator clips, just for the ins/outs of boards, but of course can't cram that many alligator maws as close together as the Pogo Pins. That's really nifty. I said "nifty".
> 
> I wonder how hard it would be to McGyver one's own Pogo Emperor Palpins...


I have them with 1, 2 and 4 pins. The top-side wiring is spaced a bit differently. You can use a 4-pin clip across the power & LED pads, and It's helpful to have a PedalPCB protoboard or similar along with them.


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