Need prototyping tips please!

Thread Starter

jut

Joined Aug 25, 2007
224
Hello. I want to start making my projects on wire-wrap PC board. Can someone please give me a general list of all things I need to get started? I can't seem to find a website that talks about getting started in wire wrap prototyping.
 

Caveman

Joined Apr 15, 2008
471
There really are just a couple of basics.
1. You need the perf-board to put the parts on.
2. You need the wire to wirewrap. Generally you can find 30AWG wirewrap wire. Get at least 3 colors, preferably red, black, plus one other (I like green).
3. You will need a wirewrap tool.
4. You will need a wire stripper. Some wirewrap tools have these built in.

Enjoy
 

techroomt

Joined May 19, 2004
198
what caveman said, and, although you can unwrap by hand, an unwrap tool helps a bunch. depending on how much power your running, you may want some 26 ga wire.
 

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
There are handy wire wrap socket labels. I think Mouser carries them. They are a friction fit over two pins, so they hold the sockets in place. And they have the pins numbered from the back side so you get the correct pins connected.

A small crochet hook or a spring hook is handy to fish wires out of runs.

You can unwrap by hand, but wrapping consistently is a job for a powered tool. Do the first by hand and then consider spending the money. Same for precut and prestripped wire.

The price is high, but you can't work with anything but tefzel insulated wire. Ordinaly insulation is too thich/too soft. The silver coating on the wire wrap wire makes the connection last.

Work off a schematic. Make a list of each connection to be wrapped. Something like U8 - 12 -> U22 - 5 works for me. That is the chip labeled U8's pin 12 attaches to U22's pin 5. Check the connections off as they get made. Overkill for a counter, driver and display, but necessary when you have 10 -12 logic ic's to wire.

If this is a prototype for production, record every change, both on the wrap list and on the schematic if that was in error.
 

Thread Starter

jut

Joined Aug 25, 2007
224
How do you go about installing resistors, caps, transistors and the like? I understand that wire-wrapping is meant for square terminals.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,408
Wire Wrap was abandoned as a technique for production boards because they tend to fail over time as oxidation sets in. For breadboarding they are OK, but if this is going to be a project that is used for a while solder or protoboards are better.
 
Top