finding hook up wire is difficult ~

[dacflyer]

boy, i never knew getting hook up wire was such a challance, you cannot just say you want 16Ga stranded wire now days, i been looking at newark and the search criteria is mind boggling..lol

if you want 16Ga. stranded you have to know how many strands and what Ga. each strand is.. :O

well what i'd like to know, is there a way to know a wire Ga. size using a caliper with mm. / in." ratings? so that i can compare it with some samples i have in my junk box.
thanks

[gerty]

Print out the chart on this page : http://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Wire-Gauge_Ampacity
It shows wire size(mm/in) and current capabilities..

[Dean Huster]

The only time I use stranded wire is in automotive applications or where the wire is expected to endure some flexing, such as removing a hard-wired PCB.

My wire is typically #22 or #24, obtained from multiline telephone cable, something that you see less and less of these days. I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of a "deinstallation" when stationed at Hanza, Okinawa, and ended up carting off a 100-foot length of cable: 50 individually-shielded pairs, inside each of the 50 shields two insulated #22 solid, tinned wires and a drain wire. Lots and lots of tinned braid and every one of the standard EIA colors could be hand in the wire. I'm still using from that cable.

Dean

[dacflyer]

ya, i have done that also. i have a NEMA comm cable, that i use scraps off of, i have about a 25 ft length.
but for my application i am needing some stranded.
thanks.
BTW i think i found what i need at newark, Phuu that stuff is kinda pricy.
especially if you buy 9-10 100ft rolls ( one of each color )

[Bear]

Dacflyer: A good Belden or Alpha distributor would have the wire you are looking for. I do not know what big city you are close to, but I'm sure they would have a list of distributors in your vicinity on their web site.
Any wire with a MIL-W16878 or MIL-W16878B would be good enough for any number of projects. MIL-W16878 is PVC coated wire and the "B" has a nylon overwrap on the PVC for abrasion resistance. The higher the stranding count the more flexible the wire will be.
Hope this helps.

Dennis