which one its better for soldering/connect?
I dont mod or anything but I could only imagine that solid would be better. Someone who knows will tell you shortly though.
It depends. It’s really all a matter of preference.
Solid wire is more rigid and will not fray, making it easy to solder. But it can be hard on a pcb if you’re rough with the connections.
Stranded wire is more prone to fraying, but is easier on your connections. It’s also a tiny bit more difficult to work with, IMHO.
If you want my advice, just go with 22 or 24 AWG solid pre-tinned. I’m using that stuff right now for my stick. Hope this helps!
stranded is better for pad hacking. close thread!
so stranded is better for pad hacking? can someone confirm this
stranded is indeed better for pad hacking
this is the pad im going to solder btw…any opinions?
:u: if you searched around properly you’d see it’s been confirmed a million times. stranded wire allows for a stronger connection because the solder can go in between all the strands and really become fused together with the wire instead of having solder heaped onto a solid core wire. It’s also more pliable which helps when organizing your wires so it’s cleaner inside. yes solid core is more durable but once it’s soldered and the box is closed there is nothing that is going to be tugging on the wires inside.
thans for the info…where can i buy 24 awg wire? cant find any at radio shack.
In general, stranded is better for just about everything except high current application/dealing with magnets. There is an exception, and that is when you’re dealing with really really tiny wire (~30 gauge), and even then solid is only better because it is much easier to find and is easier to handle at microscopic levels.
I’m pretty sure RadioShack does carry it, but not all stores may have it. You can ask them to ship some to the store and you can pick it up when it arrives, no shipping. Other than that I’m not sure where you would get it. Maybe Home Depot?
http://www.action-electronics.com/ntehuw.htm
You can find it here. They have different colors and sizes too.
Stranded is better for everything but abor…coat hangers. Stranded wire makes crappy coat hangers.
Unless you have a good random electronic’s store you know of, or a Fry’s, your easiest bet is to order wire online. When deciding if the store you’re thinking of is ‘good’, the answer is no if they sell TV’s or cell phones. Smallest my local radio shack will carry is 22 guage; it’ll work though, so grab a roll of 22 guage stranded from there if you must pick up locally.
This is the correct answer for padhacking.
i used stranded 22awg, i suggest stranded cuz the solder can get between the strands as mentioned before by sum1, and you can find it in radio shack with 3 individual colors or just one color.
I don’t know if anyone has offered a complete explanation (in this thread) yet of what stranded offers over solid, so I’ll fill that in right now. Basically, it bends better, and wears less when bent. If a solid wire gets bent 180 degrees in one spot (the length is folded over onto itself), and then back 180 degrees the other way, it will probably break inside the insulation, creating a break in the circuit when the wire is at certain positions; stranded stands up to the inevitable punishment of wiggling and coiling and cramming that the wires from a padhacked controller will endure during its life service as the brain and guts of an arcade stick. If you’re using it properly (cutting cleanly, twisting and tinning) the potential fraying will never ever be a problem for you.
Doood 
I might have to disagree with you a tad bit. I just bent solid 22 gage from radioshack back and forth several times and it didnt break. I think the main reason why its not a good idea to use solid wire while padhacking is due to the fact that being solid, it wont bend as much as stranded and if tugged on theres a good chance it will break off… more so then stranded. On top of that, solder will flow better through the stranded wire giving a more solid connection.
My experiences with trying to use the solid wire from an ethernet cable made me swear off using them ever again - stranded all the way for me.