I read that British army and the hiwatt guys are making the electronics without pcb but hand wiring the components to each other. I have questions:

- What is the name of that technology , closest I found point to point wiring and I found something like manhattan. I need to learn the correct term to discuss at forums. I think that technology been used to shorten the repair time in faraway country.

- Do they use solder ?

- Do they use knot ?

- If they dont use solder , do they calculate the increase of resistance with each two metal wires knot or dont they calculate that ?

- Is there a correct way to make that knots ?

Thanks,

Mustafa Umut Sarac
Istanbul

 

Wirewrap?

 

I dont know about British militarists, yet the every day I see that PCB is most un-appropriate material for high power high-frequency that is obvious, just by one figure from FR-4 material datasheet - tan(fi)=0,015.
Yes, You may dispute that Rogers inc materials has better, up to 0,0015 tangens, but it is not cheap material and anyway free-air wiring has much better factor.

 

I dont know about British militarists, yet the every day I see that PCB is most un-appropriate material for high power high-frequency that is obvious, just by one figure from FR-4 material datasheet - tan(fi)=0,015.
Yes, You may dispute that Rogers inc materials has better, up to 0,0015 tangens, but it is not cheap material and anyway free-air wiring has much better factor.

Who uses FR-4 for high frequency circuits? ANSWER: NO ONE! Anyone who designs for high frequency knows that he is going to have to use a board material with better specs than FR-4. It could be alumina, saffire, GaAs, teflon, duroid or even one of Rogers offerings. No one uses free-air wiring for production designs. It is neither consistant nor controlable - and leaded components add in their own problems.

 

Breadboarding? Nails pounded into a wood board (breadboard), with component leads wrapped around the nails or soldered to them.

Ken

 

Is this what you're referring to?
It's called "dead bug"

 

Wirewrap and death bug seems promising. Breadboarding is also. And others.

I think I want to build a amp , without board or solder. Everything will be in fly and everything would be wirewrapped. My concern is the resistance of wirewrapped joint. I am not electronic guy and I want to get opinion to my question

 

When done correctly,with the right tool and using wire wrap pins it is actually a lower resistance joint than soldered. But you need to use real wire wrap pins and sockets, wire wrap on standard component leads need solder. The correct pins are of a square cross section and the wire 'bites' into the edge of the pin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap

 

When done correctly,with the right tool and using wire wrap pins it is actually a lower resistance joint than soldered. But you need to use real wire wrap pins and sockets, wire wrap on standard component leads need solder. The correct pins are of a square cross section and the wire 'bites' into the edge of the pin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap

It's actually even a more reliable connection than soldering. However, it CANNOT be used for RF circuits (if you want them to work).