It’s Time to Try Wire Wrapping Again

Electrical wire wrapping used to be a really popular technique—really the technique for point-to-point wiring. But after several decades of PCBs and soldering being the norm, wire wrapping seems so outdated that it feels obsolete. However, Sawdust & Circuits made a video that makes a really strong case for giving wire wrapping another try.

Wire wrapping is exactly what it sounds like: wrapping the copper of an electrical wire around a pin or post to make a secure connection, rather than soldering. For a huge chunk of the 20th century, that was a conventional way to connect one component to another. But it is something of a lost art now and frankly a technique that I assumed to be unreliable. After all, how secure could a few twists of a copper really be?

Apparently, the answer is “quite secure.” Heck, NASA even used wire wrapping for the Apollo Guidance Computer, because it was so reliable (though they did embed the connections in epoxy). But you can find plenty of hard-used electric appliances and radios from the well over half a century ago that still have perfectly intact wire wrapping.

As shown in the video, the best way to get a really good connection is with an electric wire wrap tool. It is kind of like a small drill with a spinning hollow post that quickly loops the copper around the pin in a very tight coil. Do the same on the other end of the wire and you’re done.

While I do think soldering is an indispensable skill and PCBs are always a good choice, this kind of wire wrapping could be useful when doing point-to-point wiring of simple circuits. And if the new wire wrap tools seem too expensive, try searching eBay for a used model—they’re pretty affordable.