Hook-Up wire

[J Rindt]

Not sure if there is a general answer for this but.....
We are having an E-Waste pick up tomorrow. One of the items I see in our box is a wiring harness for an automobile. Looks lit it went to electric windows and a sound system.
Is that wire "normally" only rated for something like 50-100 volts.....or do you think it would work for 600 Volt guitar amps.?
Thank You

[HotBluePlates]

No idea.

PVC insulation on "300v wire" is pretty thin. It still works well for guitar amps up to 500v.

600v rated PVC wire has stupid-thick insulation; the rating is also for its ability to withstand environmental issues, resistance to being degraded by oil, etc. You don't really need 600v wire in guitar amps, and you'll almost never see anything in old amps with insulation this thick.

As long as you can't cut through the insulation with your fingernail, and the conductor looks thick enough to carry the current you need, it'll probably work.

[DummyLoad]

personally, i wouldn't waste my time with it...

--pete

[J Rindt]

Hey...Yeah...Thanks.
That reminds me... I have always been confused by the rating on "our" wire. I guess the Teflon insulation can be pretty thin and still do a good job. But I have never really been comfortable with the explanations I have read over the years.....about what we really need to be using in a guitar amp.
Is there a definitive answer, or is HBP pretty much on mark.?
Thank You

[PRR]

> wiring harness for an automobile.

What automobile? It matters.

1970s Ford/GM stuff was often TOUGH.

2002 Honda, a lot of it is pretty thin.

You do get a lot of colors and several gauges in a harness.

I would not worry using good car wire in preamp and tone controls.

Heater stings and speaker runs need tail-light gauge wire, not the hair-fine wire Honda uses on the ABS and SRS systems and other frilly runs.

If so thin it makes you uncomfortable, go with your instinct.

I would not use anything dubious for Power tube plates or around the rectifier.

As always, stay away from sharp edges and hot-spots.

[J Rindt]

Again...Thanks
I have no idea what car this stuff came from.
10-4 on the Heaters and Power Plates.
And yeah, the color options are pretty amazing.
In the end, as Dummy Load intimates, it is probably not worth the risk.
Thanks

[HotBluePlates]

I guess the Teflon insulation can be pretty thin and still do a good job.

A lot of the time, insulation thickness isn't so much about dielectric strength (how many volts it can hold back) but how well it stands up to handling and abrasion.

PVC is easy to cut, melt. It tends to be thicker on the wire. Teflon is harder to cut or scuff compared to PVC, won't melt without high heat, can be thinner on the wire for same performance.