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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Wire Wrap
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panky Guru  Joined: 02/10/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1101 |
Hi Folks, My new CG ColourMax arrived recently and I was very interested in the prototype area. But my experience in using and re-using a prototype area with soldered components is that it is a disaster waiting to happen, particularly with multi layer boards. Back in the 70's I was introduced to Wire Wrap - a wonderful way of knocking up an impromptu circuit that was quick, simple and could use and re-use the same sockets over and over. Mind you, the IBM 360/75's that I worked on then had their entire backplanes done in wire warp! ... and they were BIG backplanes! The sockets, kynar wire and tools are all still readily available and not overly expensive on the web and although I haven't looked, I am sure you could find some YouTube info on wire wrap. It is also a great way to use the Arduino expansion area with blank shields with wire wrap sockets mounted. Lastly, I believe you can get carriers for SMD components that could be plugged in a wire wrap farm (shield with wire wrap sockets) and wired any which way. Cheers, Doug. ... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it! |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
Just about all main frames were massive in those days. I remember in the late 60s, visiting the TAB centre in Melbourne and looking at the back of the computer. It was a tangle of fine wires going in all directions with little burrows formed in the criss cross of wires where the last alteration or fault was. Tempted as I was, I never really got hold of wire wrapping, instead, preferring to use the same kynar and mylar wires to "touch" solder the wires on the underside of the board, keeping the stripped bit to about 1 mm. I built an Apple 2 computer that way, and it worked well. I found that if you used a pointy soldering iron and a pair of tweezers, you could solder one wire on to a IC base or component on one side without de-soldering the wire on the opposite side of the same pin. I still use that technique much to Downwind's disgust. That is if I haven't done a PCB. David M. |
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muddy0409 Senior Member  Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
I have also done some small wire-wrap stuff, but to be doubly sure of the connections I would also solder the wraps when all tested OK."to be sure, to be sure!" One of these jobs is still running perfectly after 15 years, a board full of CMOS chips. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| panky Guru Joined: 02/10/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1101 |
A very good explanation and history is at http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Wire_wrap http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap ... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it! |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
I was wondering about the power supply capability if the proto area is being used - I can't remember seeing anything about that. Also I notice that the proto area has 3.3v & 5.0v available but how would you easily connect, say a 12v input supply to it to power a small relay. I think there needs to be Vin track to the proto area as well as the 3.3 & 5.0v lines - maybe on V2? Greg |
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CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
J12 has Vin on it, right next to the sea-of-holes prototyping area. I'll gather information on the power supply and add that to the documentation. Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3802 |
Solder header pins in the holes and then wire wrap? (No need to solder the wires, too, wire wrapping is very reliable.) hmm, wonder where my wire wrapping tool is... John |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
I found something I wrapped more than 30 years ago. Z80-based controller. And it still runs, partially. The monitor runs and works fine. The application code was stored in battery-backed RAM and even if it still ran, there are a few missing parts. Picture of wire-wrapping: 
I have more colors of wire, now, as I use it to do point-to-point wiring. 
Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| TinkersALot Regular Member  Joined: 20/11/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 72 |
I have been known to use a good quality of double sided tape product and just taped a bread board down over the sea of holes. Makes a good dabble zone that way. Adds a bit to the cost of experimenting -- but I pull less of my own hair out too. |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
Don't forget that there are "prototype" shields that can be used on the shield footprint area: 
Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
Wire wrapping was a way of life for me at one stage. Not only did I do my own boards similar to Robs, but I also worked on DEC PDP-11/40 and 11/34 systems (and later), which were all wire wrapped back planes. We had duplex computer systems set up in semi-trailers, that were driven all over Melbourne and later rural Victoria. When one of your wire wraps came loose, you used a Crochet hook find the broken wire. This usually took from hours to days in this hay stack of wiring. :-) Don... Edit: In DEC tradition, every wire was yellow.  https://www.dontronics.com |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
Like Panky, my intro to wire wrapping was at IBM. I started during the '60s. Some IBM gear was almost total wired but most of the good gear (the 360 systems and later) were a mixture of multi-layer backplanes with wire wraps. Even new systems would come out with a load of wire. Maybe they just could not route all of the nets on a board and had to do some with wire. Then there was the fixes, they called them ECs (Engineering Changes). Some of them were hours of just doing wire wraps and Deletes. A Delete was to cut or disconnect a back plane pin out from an in board net usually as a prereq to adding a wire. Big priority today is find the wire wrap tools unless the heat gets me first. I'm in northern VIC and expecting 42C today. |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
It is 42F here. Why are you complaining about the heat? 
Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
I left Darwin (in the tropics) at 32C yesterday, and flew into a southern state that will have 42C today. Tropics was a cool change. :-) Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| panky Guru Joined: 02/10/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1101 |
Hi Bob, Yes, IBM was slick - their wire was teflon coated so in the event a hot iron got anywhere near it, it didn't melt. IBM loved yellow and a pale blue. The yellow was nifty as it came in tubes in a whole variety of lengths with the ends pre-cut so you could strip it with your thumbnail. I still have quite a lot which I use regularly. Cheers, Doug. ... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it! |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Hi Mobi, Don would have been in the Racing industry then but didnt go to TAB untill 1988 (as did I) I am still there and I can tell you some boards are still wirewrapped... I was also about to say I think TAB must have got a bulk deal on yellow wire-wrap as everything I ever saw including the PDP vans Don Mentioned was yellow but then that was before our shift to the TAB in 1988 (we were taken over by TAB) same job different company. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Hi CG, Dead right - I missed the Vin on J12 
Greg |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Hi Doug, My wire-wrap stuff disappeared years ago. I had a look on e-Bay last night but the hits all seemed to be to do with jewellery wire wrapping. Do you have a link available? Greg |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalog DrillDownView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&freeTe xt=wire%20wrap&search_type=jamecoall Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Thanks CG but shipping from Jameco to Australia costs - all up it would be close to $70! I found an e-Bay one for $24 from Hong Kong - zero shipping cost! Wire wrap-unwrap tool $24 |
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