wire size question

Albert · Apr 7, 2005

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

I know I can weigh it, provided it's not on a spool or motor winding
already.

My local electrical shop has a wire gauge, but it stops at 18 gauge.

A microscope might work, but ones that have calibrated distance
measuring on the eyepiece are expensive.

Perhaps a milliohm meter might be able to measure the difference in
resistance of a foot of it or so, but that's hardly a standard item
either.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

A

Ian Stirling · Apr 7, 2005

In sci.electronics.design Albert <> wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Micrometer.
Vernier caliper may also work.
Either under $30US.

Dave Platt · Apr 7, 2005

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

A cautionary note - if it's that critical, then re-using wire which
has alread been wound might not be the best idea. You'd be starting
with wire which had already been bent/flexed, and if you aren't
careful this might put some kinks or irregularities in the winding of
your new coil which might affect its impedance or Q.

I know I can weigh it, provided it's not on a spool or motor winding
already.

My local electrical shop has a wire gauge, but it stops at 18 gauge.

A microscope might work, but ones that have calibrated distance
measuring on the eyepiece are expensive.

You might be able to do it with a vernier caliper.

24 gauge has a diameter of .511 mm or .0020"

30 gauge has a diameter of .255 mm or .001"

Every 3 gauge numbers corresponds to a 2:1 ratio in wire area (amount
of copper). Every 6 gauge numbers corresponds to a 2:1 ratio in wire
diameter.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Gary S. · Apr 7, 2005

On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 17:29:15 -0400, Albert <> wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

I know I can weigh it, provided it's not on a spool or motor winding
already.

My local electrical shop has a wire gauge, but it stops at 18 gauge.

A microscope might work, but ones that have calibrated distance
measuring on the eyepiece are expensive.

Perhaps a milliohm meter might be able to measure the difference in
resistance of a foot of it or so, but that's hardly a standard item
either.

Any suggestions?

Two quick options:

Many kinds of wire have information printed on the insulation.

There are many tables which give the diameter, so machinists verniers
or a mike would do.

Or you could collect a set of samples of known wires and compare. Note
that solid and stranded are a little bit different.

Recycling solid wire from other coils might leave kinks or weak areas
where it was bent before. Insulation integrity matters, too.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Henry Kolesnik · Apr 7, 2005

Get a nice piece of smooth round rod and tightly wind a little over a lineal
inch of wire closely spaced as possible. Count the turns in one inch and
divide the number of turns into one inch and you'll have a very good
measurement without any cost.

73
Hank WD5JFR

<Albert> wrote in message news:0s8b5190savvispr1ga5he5hih23dgm41k@4ax.com...

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

I know I can weigh it, provided it's not on a spool or motor winding
already.

My local electrical shop has a wire gauge, but it stops at 18 gauge.

A microscope might work, but ones that have calibrated distance
measuring on the eyepiece are expensive.

Perhaps a milliohm meter might be able to measure the difference in
resistance of a foot of it or so, but that's hardly a standard item
either.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

A

Albert · Apr 7, 2005

Thanks to my friend who emailed me the answer.

Around 5 dollars on ebay, wire gauge measuring gauge 1 to gauge 36.

Had no idea they made them that small.

Thanks to (you know who you are) and to all who made suggestions.

A

On 07 Apr 2005 21:38:52 GMT, Ian Stirling <root@mauve.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

In sci.electronics.design Albert <> wrote:
Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Micrometer.
Vernier caliper may also work.
Either under $30US.

Pooh Bear · Apr 7, 2005

Albert wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size.

If I need to check, I use a vernier caliper to determine the diameter of
the strands ( 2*r )and then calculate the total cross-sectional area as (
pi*r^2 ) * number of strands.

This gives a result in mm^2. Which is the standard measure in most of the
world.

To do the same you'll need a chart to convert from cross-sectional area to
AWG. Google will find you one.

Graham

Spehro Pefhany · Apr 7, 2005

On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 21:41:05 -0000, the renowned dplatt@radagast.org
(Dave Platt) wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

A cautionary note - if it's that critical, then re-using wire which
has alread been wound might not be the best idea. You'd be starting
with wire which had already been bent/flexed, and if you aren't
careful this might put some kinks or irregularities in the winding of
your new coil which might affect its impedance or Q.

I know I can weigh it, provided it's not on a spool or motor winding
already.

My local electrical shop has a wire gauge, but it stops at 18 gauge.

A microscope might work, but ones that have calibrated distance
measuring on the eyepiece are expensive.

You might be able to do it with a vernier caliper.

24 gauge has a diameter of .511 mm or .0020"

30 gauge has a diameter of .255 mm or .001"

Ooops, you're low by a factor of 10:1 in the inch calculations. Just
as well, since a caliper is hardly repeatable to 1 thou, let alone
measuring a diameter of that size with any accuracy.

Every 3 gauge numbers corresponds to a 2:1 ratio in wire area (amount
of copper). Every 6 gauge numbers corresponds to a 2:1 ratio in wire
diameter.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Dave Platt · Apr 7, 2005

In article <r3eb51d0lnkkv79orj6beru2ai33su1net@4ax.com>,
Spehro Pefhany <speffSNIP@interlogDOTyou.knowwhat> wrote:

You might be able to do it with a vernier caliper.

24 gauge has a diameter of .511 mm or .0020"

30 gauge has a diameter of .255 mm or .001"

Ooops, you're low by a factor of 10:1 in the inch calculations. Just
as well, since a caliper is hardly repeatable to 1 thou, let alone
measuring a diameter of that size with any accuracy.

Yup, I added a zero in there. 24 gauge is 20 mils (.02"), 30 gauge is
half that.

Works out to 50 or 100 turns per inch, close-wound, and the suggestion
to use that method was probably the best and cheapest I've heard.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Bill Janssen · Apr 7, 2005

Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.design Albert <> wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Micrometer.
Vernier caliper may also work.
Either under $30US.

And don't forget to remove any insulation before measuring the wire.

Bill K7NOM

Ross Herbert · Apr 8, 2005

On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 23:21:40 GMT, Bill Janssen <billj9@ieee.org>
wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.design Albert <> wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Micrometer.
Vernier caliper may also work.
Either under $30US.

And don't forget to remove any insulation before measuring the wire.

Bill K7NOM

Correct Bill. However DO NOT scrape the insulation from the wire since
this can alter the physical diameter of the wire. It is best to dip a
portion of the wire in fast acting paint stripper and wipe the
softened insulation off with a rag.

Ross H

John Woodgate · Apr 8, 2005

I read in sci.electronics.design that Albert <?@?.?.invalid> wrote (in
<0s8b5190savvispr1ga5he5hih23dgm41k@4ax.com&gt

about 'wire size
question', on Thu, 7 Apr 2005:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size.

Use a micrometer or a vernier slide gauge to measure the diameter.
Assuming that your wire is enamelled, 24 AWG is 0.022 inch (maybe +/-
0.002) diameter and 30 AWG is 0.011 inch diameter.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

Reg Edwards · Apr 8, 2005

Which gauge are you using?

British Standard wire gauge (SWG) ?
American wire gauge (AWG) ?
Birmingham wire gauge (BWG) ?

They're all different.

John Woodgate · Apr 8, 2005

I read in sci.electronics.design that Reg Edwards
<g4fgq.regp@ZZZbtinternet.com> wrote (in
<d34edc$p8h$1@titan.btinternet.com&gt

about 'wire size question', on Thu,
7 Apr 2005:

Which gauge are you using?

British Standard wire gauge (SWG) ? American wire gauge (AWG) ?
Birmingham wire gauge (BWG) ?

Malt vinegar gauge - brown and sharp. (;-)
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

Ian Stirling · Apr 8, 2005

In sci.electronics.design Ross Herbert <rherber1SPAMEX@bigpond.net.au> wrote:

On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 23:21:40 GMT, Bill Janssen <billj9@ieee.org
wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.design Albert <> wrote:

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Micrometer.
Vernier caliper may also work.
Either under $30US.

And don't forget to remove any insulation before measuring the wire.

Correct Bill. However DO NOT scrape the insulation from the wire since
this can alter the physical diameter of the wire. It is best to dip a
portion of the wire in fast acting paint stripper and wipe the
softened insulation off with a rag.

Blowtorch to heat to dull red heat, and then wipe insulation off.

Ross Herbert · Apr 8, 2005

On Fri, 8 Apr 2005 11:32:17 +0100, John Woodgate
<jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

I read in sci.electronics.design that Reg Edwards
g4fgq.regp@ZZZbtinternet.com> wrote (in
d34edc$p8h$1@titan.btinternet.com&gt about 'wire size question', on Thu,
7 Apr 2005:
Which gauge are you using?

British Standard wire gauge (SWG) ? American wire gauge (AWG) ?
Birmingham wire gauge (BWG) ?

Malt vinegar gauge - brown and sharp. (;-)

B&S is AWG.

Genome · Apr 8, 2005

<Albert> wrote in message news:0s8b5190savvispr1ga5he5hih23dgm41k@4ax.com...

Does anyone know how to measure or determine the wire size. I have
tons of motors, solenoids, and similar items. I need some #24 wire and
some #30 for a coil, but have to be sure regarding the wire diameter
as it's a critical ap and the author of the article says 'don't
substitute'.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

A

Well.... ignoring other things..... perhaps you'd like to explain why it's
so critical or give a link to the article.

DNA

John Woodgate · Apr 8, 2005

I read in sci.electronics.design that Ian Stirling
<root@mauve.demon.co.uk> wrote (in
<4256758a$0$63440$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net&gt

about 'wire size
question', on Fri, 8 Apr 2005:

Blowtorch to heat to dull red heat, and then wipe insulation off.

I'd like to see you do that with 30 gauge wire. For an encore, you could
do it with 46 gauge. (;-)
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

Ian Stirling · Apr 8, 2005

In sci.electronics.design John Woodgate <jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

I read in sci.electronics.design that Ian Stirling
root@mauve.demon.co.uk> wrote (in
4256758a$0$63440$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net&gt about 'wire size
question', on Fri, 8 Apr 2005:

Blowtorch to heat to dull red heat, and then wipe insulation off.

I'd like to see you do that with 30 gauge wire. For an encore, you could
do it with 46 gauge. (;-)

Actually, I do it regularly with .15mm wire (I don't know the guage)
Of course, you have to be able to set the blowtorch so that it's producing
a yellow flame that's not too hot, a lighter works well.

Jim Thompson · Apr 8, 2005

On 08 Apr 2005 20:00:02 GMT, Ian Stirling <root@mauve.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

In sci.electronics.design John Woodgate <jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:
I read in sci.electronics.design that Ian Stirling
root@mauve.demon.co.uk> wrote (in
4256758a$0$63440$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net&gt about 'wire size
question', on Fri, 8 Apr 2005:

Blowtorch to heat to dull red heat, and then wipe insulation off.

I'd like to see you do that with 30 gauge wire. For an encore, you could
do it with 46 gauge. (;-)

Actually, I do it regularly with .15mm wire (I don't know the guage)
Of course, you have to be able to set the blowtorch so that it's producing
a yellow flame that's not too hot, a lighter works well.

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