QUOTE (Mark Chapman @ 28 Aug 2008, 23:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>On a side note I got around the problem of what to do about scale wiring on my MSE semaphores. I used the wire from a motor winding I got from inside an old DVD player or something of that nature. It is coated with some kind of red enamel and is not much thicker that a human hair yet is perfectly insulated even pressing hard down on it across live rails I could not get my dcc layout to short.....
Such wire is known as 'Enamel' insulated. In modern terms it is a chemical coating. Often it acts as a flux when soldering it, avoiding the need to scrap it clean (known as 'self-fluxing' wire). Wires of around 36 - 42 SWG (Standard Wire Gauge) are probably the best to go for - fine, but reasonable to handle. Once you start getting below 42 SWG the wires are so fine they can be difficult to handle and can break easily.
My first two years of employment were spent designing, making and checking small coil-wound electrical components using these sorts of wires! I'm actually using 38SWG wire for my signals obtained from an old inductor I made during that period but never used as intended.
Regards,
John Webb
Such wire is known as 'Enamel' insulated. In modern terms it is a chemical coating. Often it acts as a flux when soldering it, avoiding the need to scrap it clean (known as 'self-fluxing' wire). Wires of around 36 - 42 SWG (Standard Wire Gauge) are probably the best to go for - fine, but reasonable to handle. Once you start getting below 42 SWG the wires are so fine they can be difficult to handle and can break easily.
My first two years of employment were spent designing, making and checking small coil-wound electrical components using these sorts of wires! I'm actually using 38SWG wire for my signals obtained from an old inductor I made during that period but never used as intended.
Regards,
John Webb
