Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff
Wirewrapping on the cheap - pin headers.
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ChristofferB:
I've previously tried this out, with no further problems, but I'd like to hear it from people who know what they're doing.
Wirewrap IC sockets are massively more expensive than regular IC sockets, and the prices seem to be consistent across most places that sell them. This probably, in part, because the legs are more precisely manufactured; they're very sharp edged, the corners, to allow the wrapping to cut through oxidation and greases etc.

So i was thinking: Is regular pin headers (also square) "good enough" to make a decent wire wrap connection? If so, that would allow the use of IC pattern protoboard, with cheap sockets soldered in, along with header rows. This would be same-side wire-wrap, of course.

I've done this for a Z80 processor board once, but I never got it working (most likely for other reasons).
Of course it will have higher contact resistance than a proper wrap pin, but since wire-wrap still has lower contact resistance than a traditional solder joint, would it still, presumably, be acceptable?

-The problem of shorter pins is not an issue, at least, one could just use double row headers. (a std. header pin will hold two wraps nicely, btw).

[EDIT]
This is the board i made with this system, for a general idea of what the method will look like, and because threads with pictures are better than threads without:




HalfSpace:
Hi ChristofferB,

With traditional wire wrap IC sockets the wire wrapping would be on the non component side of the board where you had to constantly flip between each side of the board to tracing through a circuit. :--
With your technique most of the wiring is on top of the board which is a lot easier to trace through. :-+

I would use the gold plated pin headers as this would reduce oxidation with the wire wrap joint.

Wire wrap for a prototype is ok but if it’s going to be used for a long period of time I would solder the wire wrap joints once you finalized the layout this would improve its reliability.

Your technique looks good to me its alot better than using bread board were you push wires into holes.

HalfSpace  :)
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: HalfSpace on May 05, 2015, 10:26:11 pm ---Wire wrap for a prototype is ok but if it’s going to be used for a long period of time I would solder the wire wrap joints once you finalized the layout this would improve its reliability.

--- End quote ---

Properly done wire wrap is suprisingly robust, and was perfectly suitable for production.


--- Quote ---Your technique looks good to me its alot better than using bread board were you push wires into holes.

--- End quote ---

Oh, either you are samning with faint praise, or you are giving solderless breadboards too much benefit of the doubt ;)
SL4P:
The later wire-wrap technology was pretty clever.

Using the correct wire, tools and pins --- (none of them cheap*)
No need to strip the wire, wrap directly onto the pins, and get a 'better than soldered' moisture-resistant connection sealed under the wire's 'kynar' insulation!

The molecular bond at the corners of the square pin were as good as it gets.
The big deal with higher voltage/frequency projects is the maze of spaghetti and crosstalk.

Kynar == https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinylidene_fluoride
* I still have wire and tools I purchased 35 years ago...!
coppice:

--- Quote from: HalfSpace on May 05, 2015, 10:26:11 pm ---Wire wrap for a prototype is ok but if it’s going to be used for a long period of time I would solder the wire wrap joints once you finalized the layout this would improve its reliability.

--- End quote ---
A properly wire wrapped joint is massively more reliable than any soldered joint. Various statistics say 100 to 1000 times more reliable. The reliability weakness with wire wrap was the need to use IC sockets, not the wire wrap joints themselves.
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