Advantage of double winding turrets versus single wire

[Mike_J]

What is the advantage of double wrapping turret connections versus using a single solid core 18 gauge wire to make the connections. I have enough bare 18 gauge silver coated copper wire to do part of the board but not enough to do the whole board. Would need to strip some wire to finish the amp if it is that important.

[shooter]

the mechanical bond is what makes conduction, the solder just keeps it from moving

[Latole]

Like the picture ? No advantage IMO.

Or it may help if you are not sure of your solder ?

[Latole]

the mechanical bond is what makes conduction, the solder just keeps it from moving

Solder make connection to and more. If not why not use Crazy Glue ?

[sluckey]

18AWG is too big. It will be very hard to work with. I use 24AWG.

[Mike_J]

Like the picture ? No advantage IMO.

Or it may help if you are not sure of your solder ?

Yes, like the picture. I am very sure of my solder with my new soldering station that arrived a couple of days ago.

[Mike_J]

the mechanical bond is what makes conduction, the solder just keeps it from moving

I will use needle nose pliers and make a nice firm connection to the turret before I solder it. Thank you for your reponse.

[Mike_J]

18AWG is too big. It will be very hard to work with. I use 24AWG.

That was a good part of the reason I asked the question. The wire I have is pretty stiff and would have a better than average chance of breaking some turrets. Thanks sluckey. I can see how using 24AWG could make the wiring quicker and ensure a good mechanical connection.

[sluckey]

I recommend this for all turret board builders...

     https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/wire-bus-100-foot-spool-tinned-copper

[Mike_J]

I recommend this for all turret board builders...

     https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/wire-bus-100-foot-spool-tinned-copper

Thank you. I will order the 22AWG today.

[Mike_J]

What is the technique for getting the wiring so neat as per Latole's picture in reply #2?

[sluckey]

https://el34world.com/charts/toolhowto.htm

[Mike_J]

https://el34world.com/charts/toolhowto.htm

Thank you. I am pretty sure you have filled in any holes in my understanding of this matter.

[sluckey]

Don't thank me. Thank Doug. 

[acheld]

When I first looked at Doug's and sluckey's wiring several years ago, I was in awe -- and still am.  My boards just don't look that good.  But they work just fine.

As to the wiring, 22AWG wire is good for 7 amps when not used in a bundle or tightly enclosed.  So, way more ampacity than you need.

And 22 is so much easier to get a good mechanical connection with the turret than 20AWG, and that is important. I always use a complete 360 degree wind around a turret -- and you can get this pretty tight just by pulling it off of the spool.   

Cheers.

 

[Joel]

"The bigger the blob, the more solid the job."  No?  Didn't float with my trade school instructors either :-(  Then again, we only got a crappy x5 magnifying glass to inspect our work with.  They used a nice big stationary x20 with lighting... 

If you *really* want a high reliability connection look at wire wrapping.  Wonder if anyone has made a wire wrapped amp?

[mebond11]

I usually wind around the turrets in a laced figure 8 pattern with 22AWG wire...looks nice I think, and the parallel 22 AWG is better than single 20 AWG.   The 20 AWG is too thick to lace.   If I need a thick, rigid wire and don’t have any handy I will chuck 3 strands of 20 AWG in a drill and spin it into a thick piece.   

[sluckey]

One thing that is easy to overlook in Doug's lacing video... He has his turret board securely screwed down to his bench top. He uses a lot of force to tightly lace the turrets so screwing the board is very helpful. This is even more important on a big board.

I screw the turret board to a sacrificial scrap wooden board and clamp that to my work bench. My bench top doesn't look like woodpeckers have been on it.   

[mebond11]

One thing that is easy to overlook in Doug's lacing video... He has his turret board securely screwed down to his bench top. He uses a lot of force to tightly lace the turrets so screwing the board is very helpful. This is even more important on a big board.

I screw the turret board to a sacrificial scrap wooden board and clamp that to my work bench. My bench top doesn't look like woodpeckers have been on it.   

Thank you, good tip!

[shooter]

look at wire wrapping

I worked on a SS audio amp, had to buy a wire wrap tool since all mine vanished over 30 years, was like $50 for the tool!

[EL34]

Like the picture ? No advantage IMO.

Or it may help if you are not sure of your solder ?

You are looking at one of my boards in that photo
There are plenty more pictures of my boards on the library page builds

[EL34]

I recommend this for all turret board builders...

     https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/wire-bus-100-foot-spool-tinned-copper

I sell bus wire by the foot on this page
https://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/WireCable.htm

[dwinstonwood]

I also recommend adding a pair of round-nose pliers to your toolkit.

They're the correct tool for bending loops on the ends of jumper wires, etc. You get a nice, round hook that makes full contact to turrets, and even results in neater soldering.

[Mike_J]

I recommend this for all turret board builders...

     https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/wire-bus-100-foot-spool-tinned-copper

I sell bus wire by the foot on this page
https://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/WireCable.htm

Sorry I didn't look in your store before purchasing the 22AWG wire. The next time I place an order with you I will include the 24AWG wire you carry as suggested by sluckey. Found his advice to always be good.

[Mike_J]

One thing that is easy to overlook in Doug's lacing video... He has his turret board securely screwed down to his bench top. He uses a lot of force to tightly lace the turrets so screwing the board is very helpful. This is even more important on a big board.

I screw the turret board to a sacrificial scrap wooden board and clamp that to my work bench. My bench top doesn't look like woodpeckers have been on it.   

As mentioned earlier the sacrificial scrap wooden board clamped to the bench is a real good idea. I can use the same piece of 1X10 I use as the backing to drill holes for turrets in 1/8" G10. It also has the tool Doug sells to install turrets installed on it. Doesn't work anywhere near as fast as Doug's drill press but takes up very little space. If I was installing turrets in boards frequently like Doug does his system makes sense. I only do one or two boards a year.


If I wasn't always modifying my boards I would buy the populated boards he sells. Because he uses a CNC machine to make the holes the neat spacing it provides gives a head start on a neat job. I can never get my spacing quite perfect.


Thanks to all for their suggestions and helpful advice. When I first started building amps over 20 years ago I was predominantly focused on building something that sounded decent and wasn't real noisy. I still want those things but I want everything to look neat as well and to use the best wiring techniques I can.