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For this week's Featured Book, I wanted to find something on wire-wrapping. Although
I was not successful at finding a book currently in publication that is dedicated
to wire-wrapping, I did find a great page on
Wikipedia full of information
and great high-res pictures. There are plenty more resources if you do a Google
search.
Wire wrapping (w/w) used the be a very popular method for prototyping circuits
when DIP and SIP packages dominated the electronics landscape. If done properly
where wraps were placed on posts in order to make changes easier and where care
was taken to avoid crosstalk from long parallel signals runs, w/w was useful at
frequencies into the tens of megahertz, even with digital circuits. I personally
have wire-wrapped more than a hundred boards both as engineering prototypes and
as deliverable assemblies for military equipment. A well-done w/w board can look
like a work of art.
 There used to be machines (maybe there still
are) that automatically do the wire wrapping based on a routing file. Some early
schematic layout software had an option to output a wire-wrap file as well as a
standard Gerber file for PCB fabrication. Wire wrapping is still a very useful option
for breadboarding today even with the predominance of surface mount parts because
SMD-to-DIP adapter products like
Surfboards,
SparkFun,
Futurlec,
SchmartBoards,
Abra, and many others are available. Most of the electronics distributors sell
wire-wrap backplanes, DIP sockets, SMD-to-DIP adapter/breakout boards, w/w tools
and wire, etc.
You might be inclined to think that wire-wrapped connection is not very secure
or high quality, but the fact is that when done properly, each complete wrap around
the square, sharp-edged post provides four independent low-resistance, gas-tight
contacts. The military and aerospace industry have published volumes on the science
behind wire wrapping and on acceptable methods for performing it, as well as manufacturing
specifications for the w/w posts, wire and its insulation, and the tools used to
attach and remove wraps to/from posts.
Posted October 29, 2013
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