I just cut the end off the wire of a 12v DC buck booster and the positive and negative wires were not insulated! One was red and other looked like copper but when I put the multimeter to it only got a connection when applied to the very ends of the wires. What type of cable are they? Is it coating that I can sand away?

 

Photos?

Not enough to go on yet.

 

enameled wire? (magnet wire)

 

Look up Formvar insulation.

 

I agree that it is "enamel" coated magnet wire. The colors you see are the color of the enamel insulation.

The cable is done this way to make it smaller and more flexible. I have seen video cables done this way using 3 colors of wire.

The coating is very rugged. It can be sanded or scraped away to allow soldering. Some types of magnet wire coatings can be removed by a hot soldering iron. I don't think wire in cables work this way, but I am not sure.

 

When I've used enameled wire, I've either scraped the coating off with an X-acto blade or burned it off. I seem to recall that it could also be dissolved.

 

When I've used enameled wire, I've either scraped the coating off with an X-acto blade or burned it off. I seem to recall that it could also be dissolved.

This made me realize that the wire strands are *very* small. The chemical method may be the only one that will work well.

 

Someone mentioned burning off, If very small Ga, I have used a ordinary match as you can control the amount of heat easily, rather than a more aggressive source.
Max.