What wire type is best for Turret Board to Vacuum Tube sockets?

[nevetslab]

I"m now at the stage where I need to begin wiring up the newly populated Turret Board to vacuum tube sockets, along with front panel pots.



I have 22AWG 19-strand Teflon insulated wire, all ten colors available, along with 18AWG 19 strand PVC, most colors. I also have a few spools of cloth covered 20AWG Stranded wire, which is quite thick and not so pliable in forming nice neat routings as I see in the Hiwatt DR201 Production Bass Amp shown above.

I'm hesitant to use the Teflon, for fear it would tend to be microphonic. Not sure what the specs are on the 20 or 22AWG PVC that Hiwatt is using. Seems very pliable, somewhat soft, holds it's shape in routing the leads, and holds very tight twists for use in the Heater wiring, along with the drive wires from the Driver Stage to the Power Amp stage (BRN, BLU, BLK bundle).

Any suggestions or comments?

[nevetslab]

I spent a little time searching thru our Archives using the search word "microphonic wire", and found this thread:

https://music-electronics-forum.com/...onto-something

No conclusions made from all of the input from loads of well-respected MEF members on this post. So, I think I'll just do my best to lay in the wiring onto this Preamp Turret Board. I'll see how it goes with the 22AWG Teflon wiring here. I do see that it appears the Heater wiring was laid in AFTER the Preamp Turret Board was wired up and connected to both the panel controls and the tube sockets.

Yesterday, I twisted up two different pairs of 18AWG wire I had, holding the two wires in my bench vise and taking the time to go a tight twist under tension, and then after I got to the end of the wires, I then spent more time tightening the twist, and got a nice tight twist that looks much like the heater wiring in the Hiwatt amp chassis. It clearly appears the heater wiring went on OVER the plate, grid and cathode wiring. I did notice it mentioned in that post the use of the 'old' wiring preference....BLU for Plate, YEL for Cathode, GRN for Grid is what Fender is using on their PCB-based tube wiring, but not in the older hand-wired amps. Also see that color code in the Marshall 1959 Plexi.

[Enzo]

I would submit: coax can be microphonic. but plain wire? I suspect any time that happens it is more the wire dress in the particular circuit, than the wire itself.

[Randall]

I use push back cloth insulated solid wire. It's fast to work with, it looks nice, and it stays where you put it. I'm doing a 5E3 build right now with it. I get it at Mojotone.

[Greg_L]

I use push back cloth insulated solid wire. It's fast to work with, it looks nice, and it stays where you put it. I'm doing a 5E3 build right now with it. I get it at Mojotone.

I like that kind of wire too. The stuff Weber sells is particularly nice to work with. It's cloth coating is a little waxy so it doesn't fray too easily.

[Greg_L]

I"m now at the stage where I need to begin wiring up the newly populated Turret Board to vacuum tube sockets, along with front panel pots.



I have 22AWG 19-strand Teflon insulated wire, all ten colors available, along with 18AWG 19 strand PVC, most colors. I also have a few spools of cloth covered 20AWG Stranded wire, which is quite thick and not so pliable in forming nice neat routings as I see in the Hiwatt DR201 Production Bass Amp shown above.

I'm hesitant to use the Teflon, for fear it would tend to be microphonic. Not sure what the specs are on the 20 or 22AWG PVC that Hiwatt is using. Seems very pliable, somewhat soft, holds it's shape in routing the leads, and holds very tight twists for use in the Heater wiring, along with the drive wires from the Driver Stage to the Power Amp stage (BRN, BLU, BLK bundle).

Any suggestions or comments?

Valvestorm sells a "Plexi wiring bundle" that is, I believe, 22awg PVC wire rated for 600v. It's really nice and easy to work with for builds and there's plenty of it for 15 bucks or so.

[Mick Bailey]

I've worked on a few amps that have been wired with Teflon throughout and none have been microphonic. I wired up one of my own builds using solid-core plain wire with close-fitting Teflon sleeving slipped over (buying a spool of the insulated wire was too expensive at the time) and this was perfect.

[SoulFetish]

If I'm going to buy any wire going forward, I'm getting UL1015 "topcoat" tinned wire. It has a great balance of the flexibility of stranded wire, allowing you to work with, and will stay in place once you've set it in place. Easy to strip, easy to solder.
We had a thread where I was trying to find out what the industry nomenclature was for the wire. Let me see if I can find it..

ah, here it is:
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...d-nothing-else

CE/Amplified Parts sells it
https://www.cedist.com/products/wire...d-600v-50-feet

[Chuck H]

If the lean moves toward PVC just make sure it "irradiated". I tried to save some dough once buying a product that seemed to check all the boxes otherwise but I didn't know to check that the PVC jacket was irradiated. Plain PVC will shrink back A LOT and melt like a marshmallow. Irradiated PVC doesn't shrink back much or melt easily and is probably what most of us are used to. I don't expect you'd buy cheap wire. I only mention it because so many things are over priced anymore that some unscrupulous scoundrel may be pitching the cheaper jacket wire and omitting specific information.

[Chuck H]

If I'm going to buy any wire going forward, I'm getting UL1015 "topcoat" tinned wire. It has a great balance of the flexibility of stranded wire, allowing you to work with, and will stay in place once you've set it in place. Easy to strip, easy to solder.
We had a thread where I was trying to find out what the industry nomenclature was for the wire. Let me see if I can find it..

ah, here it is:
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...d-nothing-else

CE/Amplified Parts sells it
https://www.cedist.com/products/wire...d-600v-50-feet

Everyone does love that stuff. Very easy to work with. I don't find the bonding a necessity but if I were wiring up a lot of amps I might. It makes wiring up HV rail and filament circuits a lot easier than the individually stranded stuff. And it can be routed if one wants to. Which the individually stranded stuff really won't do well.

[nevetslab]

If I'm going to buy any wire going forward, I'm getting UL1015 "topcoat" tinned wire. It has a great balance of the flexibility of stranded wire, allowing you to work with, and will stay in place once you've set it in place. Easy to strip, easy to solder.
We had a thread where I was trying to find out what the industry nomenclature was for the wire. Let me see if I can find it..

ah, here it is:
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...d-nothing-else

CE/Amplified Parts sells it
https://www.cedist.com/products/wire...d-600v-50-feet

I must have missed that previous thread that covered hookup wire. I bought some 25 ft spools of stranded 22AWG wire from Pacific Radio down the street from me, though I ended up using my 22AWG Teflon stranded wire (19 strand). Gotta tin it first, but that's so far gotten the job done. Using 18AWG UL1015 for the heater wire, as well as Power Supply and output wirng. Will also use that on the AC primary wiring that I'm about to get to. Some good information finally, now that I've moved forward.

[Chuck H]

...I ended up using my 22AWG Teflon stranded wire (19 strand). Gotta tin it first, but that's so far gotten the job done.

Oh man! If you're going to be be wiring up a few boards you really should get some pre tinned product. I've used silicone jacket lead with untinned strands and while it made for a good looking build. Mostly because my clumsy soldering skills are less visible on the impervious silicone jacket But having to pre tin every connection is a chore. I'd do it again as a labor of love but not for a "job".

[The Dude]

Knowing Nevets, he probably has a solder pot.

[nevetslab]

Knowing Nevets, he probably has a solder pot.

Interestingly I never did invest in a solder pot.

This afternoon, having managed to get the Hiwatt Stage/Studio 20/40 212 Combo Amp out of the badly beat up shipping box it arrived in from a few miles away, I had to remove the amp chassis to swap out the broken Front Panel Escutcheon with a new one. I got a closer look at their wiring, and discovered they're using 20AWG Solid Core wire with soft, thick colored insulation slid over it. No wonder they can get that tight twisted wire form in their heater wiring, as well as nice right angles in their lead dress. I don't know whose sleeving that is yet, but I do like it.

[Enzo]

Cheap solder pot:

Use an old Weller gun with the two pipes sticking out and the tip which is essentially a wire bent in two. Now take an empty 22 rifle shell and wedge it up within that tip loop. Turn the gun on and melt solder into the shell. Voila, little solder pot.