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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

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Old 21st Oct 2017, 11:48 am   #1
Viewmaster
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Default Square wire

Does anyone know when square wire ceased to be used to wire up early wireless receivers ?
I believe it was mid twenties??

Also, why was square wire used?
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 12:20 pm   #2
John M0GLN
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Default Re: Square wire

Quote:
Also, why was square wire used?
Only a guess but perhaps with most joints being made with binding posts and screwed connections on coils and valve bases, square wire might have made a better joint especially if more than one wire used the same post.

You can still buy it from https://www.wires.co.uk

John
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 2:45 pm   #3
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Default Re: Square wire

There was at one time a belief (possibly valid given that most amplifiers were triodes) that feedback caused by inter-wire capacitance would have a deleterious effect on the operation of receivers and amplifiers - hence every wire should cross any other wire at right-angles to minimise inter-wire capacitance.

Square wire makes it easier to produce multiple right-angle bends in one or more planes when you're doing self-supporting point-to-point wiring.
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 3:57 pm   #4
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Default Re: Square wire

Square wire can be made by rolling, no need to drill holes in diamonds.
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 5:09 pm   #5
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Default Re: Square wire

You can stil get it https://www.wires.co.uk/acatalog/squ...BC1250_2d003NT
 
Old 21st Oct 2017, 7:37 pm   #6
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Default Re: Square wire

Square wire was used in the "small" computers of thirty or so years ago when the machine would comprise a rack of interconnected printed circuit boards, Connections to the backplane were made point-to-point with wire wrapped around the edge connector pins and square wire made a more reliable joint. I should still have a wire-wrap tool somewhere.
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 11:46 pm   #7
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Default Re: Square wire

Square wire for wire wrap? Square pins, yes, but never seen square wire. Any pics or references?

Google just turns up a lot of jewellery related references.
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Old 21st Oct 2017, 11:53 pm   #8
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Default Re: Square wire

I am pretty sure that some TV/HiFi for a short year or so was wire wrapped with single core hook-up wire that was slightly knurled.
It was very brittle and snapped easily during servicing.
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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 1:24 am   #9
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Default Re: Square wire

No personal experience, but in a book about the history of model railways, it was mentioned that, in the 1920's and '30's, many early experimenters with 00 gauge trains used for building track the rectangular section brass "Busbar strip" that was used at the time by home constructors of radios and was readily available. I would think brass would have been used for its stiffness as it would not be liable to sag like copper and would allow the use of uninsulated self-supporting conductors for relatively long spans. I would think it was rectangular because it would have been cut from brass sheet (as per cut nails)

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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 2:43 am   #10
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Default Re: Square wire

Square wire is still very common in transformers!! You can achieve an almost FULL winding factor. There is almost no wastage of winding space.
Its used today very commonly in wind generator turbines.

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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 10:40 am   #11
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Default Re: Square wire

Junk my previous reply, Herald is quite right it was square pins, not square wire. With red face and apologies for any confusion inadvertently caused.

Frank C.
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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 10:52 am   #12
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Default Re: Square wire

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Originally Posted by joebog1 View Post
Square wire is still very common in transformers!! You can achieve an almost FULL winding factor. There is almost no wastage of winding space.
I believe it is still used in (some) loudspeaker voice coils - you get a better fill factor.

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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 12:28 pm   #13
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Default Re: Square wire

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Originally Posted by joebog1 View Post
Square wire is still very common in transformers!! You can achieve an almost FULL winding factor. There is almost no wastage of winding space.
And in the motors of electric cars - where again the ability to get a high 'fill factor' means you can produce the highest possible magnetic-field in a given geometry coupled with the lowest winding-resistance - both of which improve motor power per unit volume, reduce overall weight and reduce the need for cooling.
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Old 22nd Oct 2017, 8:37 pm   #14
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Default Re: Square wire

Hi Gents, I think Scientific Wire Co stocks it in a range of sizes and enamel colours.

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