fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (02/19/85)
*** REPLACE THIS MESS WITH YOUR LINEAGE *** Does anybody have experience with a wire-wrapping tool called "Just Wrap?" It's a hand tool with a wire-wrap bit on one end and a spool of 30 AWG wire on the other. Supposedly, it lets you wire-wrap without cutting, stripping or inserting the wire in the end. That would be nice, but is it really easy to use, and does it make good circuits? I've been using pre-cut wrapping wire from Digi-key, which is expensive, but a real work-saver. However, it would be nice just to use bulk wire without all that cutting and stripping. /_\_ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpg!fish
karn@petrus.UUCP (02/20/85)
I don't know if this product is the same, but some time ago (10 years?) I used (or tried to use) something called "slit 'n wrap" that sounds like a similar device to "just wrap". It was terrible. The wire insulation had to be thin enough for the pins to cut it to make contact, an as a result twhenever a wire was just dragged over a pin (without intention of making a contact) the insulation was cut, resulting in a short. The whole job had to be redone. What a mess. Phil
sef@drutx.UUCP (FarleighSE) (02/20/85)
. I have used "JUST WRAP" before and the engineer who designed it ought to be SHOT! The wire is insulated with a very thin layer of enamel an ANY kind of nick, scratch, etc., will break the insulation and short out the lead. . Scott E. Farleigh AT&TIS Denver
jeff@abnji.UUCP (jeff) (02/20/85)
[I'm apathetic and I don't care!]
I have used the "Just Wrap" tool (a similar product by another
company is called Slit-n-Wrap). (The just-wrap is mainly plastic whereas
the slit-n-wrap is metal and thus more expensive). I have mixed reviews
from my experience and that of others.
The tool works on the principle that a sharp edge rubs along the
wire as it is wrapped around the post. This creates a slit in the insulation
and the exposed wire makes an allegedly gas-tight connection to the post.
I have found it easy to foul up and wind up making a poor or no connection,
since it cannot be visually checked. Using some hi-rel sockets, the
pins spun as I wrapped so I had to have a chip in the socket to prevent
them from spinning.
A classmate who wirewrapped a project loved his. He claimed no
bad connections after learning how to handle the tool. Once you get
going, it's really fast (it has a built in cutter - no need to
pick out the appropriately sized wire and load the tool for each end).
A friend who is a technician thinks they are garbage since
they don't make reliable connections.
And that's the way it is. February 20,1985. And you were there.
Jeff 'am I an EE yet?' Skot
{ ihnp4 | mcnc | cbosgb } abnji !jeff
ATT IS at beautiful Somerset, New Joiseygam@wuphys.UUCP (Greg Mohr) (02/21/85)
We use Vector "slit & wrap" for all of our stuff, and it works
very well, in my opinion. I do recommend using the Tefzel insulated
wire, which is pretty tough stuff, rather than the polyurethane
insulated wire (smaller diameter, but slightly fragile).
We have had no wiring problems at all with our boards,
except for the initial sorting of the spaghetti :-) .
Greg Mohr ihnp4!wuphys!gamcem@intelca.UUCP (Chuck McManis) (02/22/85)
"Just Wrap" IS NOT "Slit-n-Wrap!" Slit-n-Wrap used the very funky and unreliable enameled wire. "Just Wrap" uses REGULAR wire wrap wire, the concept is similar but they are different products. --Chuck > . > I have used "JUST WRAP" before and the engineer who designed it > ought to be SHOT! The wire is insulated with a very thin layer > of enamel an ANY kind of nick, scratch, etc., will break the > insulation and short out the lead. > . > Scott E. Farleigh > AT&TIS Denver -- - - - D I S C L A I M E R - - - {ihnp4,fortune}!dual\ All opinions expressed herein are my {qantel,idi}-> !intelca!cem own and not those of my employer, my {ucbvax,hao}!hplabs/ friends, or my avocado plant. :-}
psfales@ihlpa.UUCP (Peter Fales) (02/25/85)
> Does anybody have experience with a wire-wrapping tool called "Just Wrap?" > It's a hand tool with a wire-wrap bit on one end and a spool of 30 AWG wire > on the other. Supposedly, it lets you wire-wrap without cutting, stripping > or inserting the wire in the end. That would be nice, but is it really > easy to use, and does it make good circuits? > > I've been using pre-cut wrapping wire from Digi-key, which is expensive, > but a real work-saver. However, it would be nice just to use bulk wire > without all that cutting and stripping. > > Bob Fishell > ihnp4!ihlpg!fish I used the "just wrap" to put together a fairly large project and regret it to this day. All it does is wrap the wire tightly around the post and depends on the post to cut through the insulation. About 5% of the connections were simply not made causing a lot of hassle getting the board up, and many more were intermittent and kept showing up over the (literally) next few years. Admittedly, I may not have been using the right kind of wire or something, but the package that came with the tool (purchased from Radio Shack) made no mention of any special requirements. Peter Fales ...ihnp4!ihlpa!psfales Incidentally, I would be interested in hearing about any good/bad experiences that people have had with Power wire-wrapping tools. Send mail and I will summarize to the net.
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (02/25/85)
I have a fairly recent Vector Slit-and-wrap. I have had no problems with using it. I used a couple of years ago an OK-Just Wrap. Looked like the same idea, but what a pain! We found that 25-50% of the connections didn't make contact with the pins, it wasn't just me, I let other people skeptical of my technique try it. The thing is counter productive. -Ron
zben@umd5.UUCP (02/26/85)
Three of us used Slit-n-Wrap technology to build an 8080 system with 2102 memory devices (an 8K memory board was about 70 chips on a 6x12" or so card). Needless to say there were a lot of connections in that system, including many that were bussed (like address and data lines on memory board). We were lazy and just daisy-chained them. (There is a better way, one in which you have to rewrap a max of three posts to change a connection). The beast actually ran. Even the funny virtual memory hardware. The technique can be made to work. -- Ben Cranston ...seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!zben zben@umd2.ARPA
tonjon@fluke.UUCP (Tony Johnson) (02/27/85)
> Does anybody have experience with a wire-wrapping tool called "Just Wrap?" > It's a hand tool with a wire-wrap bit on one end and a spool of 30 AWG wire > on the other. Supposedly, it lets you wire-wrap without cutting, stripping > or inserting the wire in the end. That would be nice, but is it really > easy to use, and does it make good circuits? > > I've been using pre-cut wrapping wire from Digi-key, which is expensive, > but a real work-saver. However, it would be nice just to use bulk wire > without all that cutting and stripping. > /_\_ > > Bob Fishell > ihnp4!ihlpg!fish I've used 'just wrap' for TTL projects I've made. You can use standard Kynar wire with the tool. The trick is that you have to use the square post sockets as the corners of the pins provide the needed edge to break the wire insulation as you wrap. This means you have to resort to putting everything into sockets (even discrete components) or using some other method of connecting stuff that you can't get into wire wrap sockets (soldering or using regular wire wrap). My (minimal) experience has been positive for digital stuff. The neat thing about just wrap is that it allows you to 'daisy chain' pins together without having to cut a new piece of wire. So if you have a bunch of inputs that go to ground, you can tie them all low in short order with a single wire...a real time saver. I don't have any idea how it is for analog circuitry (I wire-to-wire solder my analog projects). You can get 'just wrap' kits from most of the mail order suppliers (Digi-Key, Jameco, etc.). Another similar interconnect technology is marketed by Robinson- Nugent. They have boards with holes for dip ICs on one side and little two-tine 'forks' on the other. You take Kynar and push it down between the blade of the the forks which cut through the insulation to make contact with the wire. Like just wrap, this system allows one to 'daisy chain' wire. The time it takes to actually make a connection is a fraction of what it takes with any of the wrapping stuff, although I personally don't believe it's as reliable as traditional wire wrap or just wrap. It's more expensive, but you don't have to buy wire wrap sockets. We use Robinson Nugent extensively at work. We've also had wires 'pop out' if the tech didn't push them down hard enough, and it's a real bear to try and find an open in the maze of wires you create. The larger the project, the worse it becomes. If your careful, you probably won't have too much trouble. Hope this will be of some help. Tony Johnson John Fluke Mfg. Co. Inc. Everett, WA
niemi@astroatc.UUCP (02/27/85)
> ... have a ... Vector Slit-and-wrap ... no problems with using it. My experience exactly. Read ( then follow [8*)] ) the directions!!! Using Vector's wire I had several 100-200 chip industrial controllers wired up by untrained (i.e., machinist) people with no failures. My only problem occurred when a trained electronics tech rotated the tool the wrong way. Great labor saver. Daisy chains connections beautifully. > ...OK Just Wrap ... what a pain! ... 25-50% of the > connections didn't make contact ... counter productive. > -Ron Never tried this one. I did try a Radio Shack model. Using Tefzel insulated wire the slit insulation remained in a hairy cloud around the connection. In my brief experience I had no bad connections but they looked so crummy I stopped using the tool. Bob Niemi, Astronautics, Madison, WI
paul@dual.UUCP (Baker) (02/28/85)
> I used the "just wrap" to put together a fairly large project and regret > it to this day. About 5% of the connections were simply not made. > > Incidentally, I would be interested in hearing about any good/bad > experiences that people have had with Power wire-wrapping tools. > Send mail and I will summarize to the net. Power wire-wrap (tm) tools seem a rather frivolous idea at first, however they give a much better wrap in less time than the hand tools. The best ones are those powered directly by 110V AC. The rechargeable ones are slower, and like all rechargeable things, run out of charge right when you need them most. The Gardner-Denver tools also seem to me to be more solidly constructed than many of the others and are more expensive of course. "Just Wrap" isn't called "Just Cr*p" for nothing!! Paul Wilcox-Baker.
phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (02/28/85)
> Power wire-wrap (tm) tools seem a rather frivolous idea at first, however > they give a much better wrap in less time than the hand tools. yes, power tools are the only way to go. and forget the battery operated trash. -- This is my opinion, I guess. Phil Ngai (408) 749-5720 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPA
jmw@sdchema.UUCP (John M. Wright) (03/01/85)
I have done a moderate amount of "just-wrapping"; the most serious problem is that the built-in cutoff mechanism works too easily; unless I am *very* careful, I find that about one wrap in ten has a broken wire - detectable only with an ohmeter, the *insulation* is *not* broken!
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (03/02/85)
> I've used 'just wrap' for TTL projects I've made. You can use > standard Kynar wire with the tool. The trick is that you have to > use the square post sockets as the corners of the pins provide the > needed edge to break the wire insulation as you wrap. This means > you have to resort to putting everything into sockets (even discrete > components) or using some other method of connecting stuff that you > can't get into wire wrap sockets (soldering or using regular wire > wrap). I used the wire that came with the tool. The OK JUST WRAP (TM) does not even make connections half the time. In addition, I should point out that any wire wrapping procedure is not reliable unless the pins cut into the wire, even when you use uninsulated wire. When wrapping non square pins like resistors, I go back and solder over the wrappings. -Ron