HOW TO GET STARTED - WHAT YOU NEED & TIPS.

[Circuitbenders]

Does that mean 10 wires inside isolation, which are 0.1 mm thick?

Yes, i use 7/0.1 for general connections and 10/0.1 for things that need to be more sturdy although its a matter of personal preference really. Some people use solid core wire which i find is a major pain to work with but thats just me.

[iqoruvuc]

Yep - 10 strands of copper wire inside insulation (not seperately insulated).  I generally use 7 strand with 0.2mm thickness as it is a little more durable, but it depends how much space you have to work with.

[Circuitbenders]

I can thoroughly recommend building something along these lines if you are still using bits of bare wire to test for bends.



Thats a case from a cold cathode inverter with two 4mm sockets wired across a 470K pot. The switch selects a connection via the pot or just a straight link between the sockets. You can plug probes or crocodile clips or whatever you want into the sockets but i usually have the probes you can see in the picture.

Essentially its a poor mans bending station but a lot more handy than some big box with loads of ins and outs.

[egr]

Something like this is my project for tonight.  I never seem to have to components I need and the people at Radio Shack start to look at me weird after 2 or 3 visits in the same evening. 

[computer at sea]

I was offered a job at Radio Shack after my zillionth visit there.  While I know that it's hard when you need something right away, you should avoid that place as much as possible.  These days I plan ahead and get most stuff through Jameco or Mouser.  Cheaper and better quality.  Also, Partspipe on eBay, which Paul mentioned in another thread has excellent deals.
That being said, sometimes you can't help but hit up the shack.  I usually have to buy knobs there, cause for some reason I can't get it together to order them.  Again, Partspipe has fantastic deals, particularly on knobs.

[CMYK|BRAD]

Hey i'm new to all this and need some advice on start up gear. Is this > http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=9910&DOY=17m9 < wire suitable for circuit bending. If not is there any recomendations of what wire to use. Can't seem to find the others mentioned in this post. I'm in the uk too so uk stores would be better if you could recommend.

[Gordonjcp]

Basically the kind of wire you use isn't important.  As long as it's thinner than welding cable and thicker than a human hair, it should be all ok.

I usually cut down CAT5 cable for wires.  Flexible "patch cord" cable is usually stranded and can take a bit of movement, while single-core premises cable wire is more suitable for breadboards or where you're not going to be flexing it much.

[CMYK|BRAD]

Cheers man

[Circuitbenders]

i'd say that maplins stuff is way to thick. You'd soon run out of room with lots of cabling like that. Personally i'd go for something with an outer diameter of about 1mm or so.

If you're going to be shopping at maplins i'd recommend something more along these lines for internal wiring:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=29
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=6192

[CMYK|BRAD]

I understand how it could get crowded, especially with somethign small.

[Signal:Noise]

Try doing a Roland 505, even with the finer guage wire from maplins it's still too much internal cabling.

[Circuitbenders]

Try doing a Roland 505, even with the finer guage wire from maplins it's still too much internal cabling.

Use 25 way multicore, its a bit more tricky to work with but it takes up a lot less room

[Signal:Noise]

Genius, never actually thought of that. will give it a go for the next one.

[americantourist]

When looking for resources for wire, one needs to look no farther than an old printer cable!  yes, you too can extract up to twenty five colourful wires, hidden in a simple disposed old cable.  First, cut off the ends (pesky ends!) and select a length that will work for your projects, i rarely need more than ten inches of wire, so i cut my cables up by the foot.  take a blade (exacto or other knife) and place an incision down the outside plastic insulation of the cable.  don't dig too deep into the cable, as to not cut the internal wires.  the outside plastic/rubber that holds the many stranded coloured wires should pull off relatively easily.  and blam!  you now have twenty five colour coded wires, each twelve inches in length.  I always look for cables like this in the trash or being disposed of at the office.  its an easy way to recycle!

[Circuitbenders]

good point, it can be tricky to find somewhere that'll sell you 25 way multicore by the metre. The best way round this is to find a parrellel printer cable with all 25 pins connected and just cut the plugs off either end.

Its a bit tricky to find one with a thin enough cable to work with but they cost virtually nothing these days. I got 30 for 25p each the other day.