Hook-Up Wire + heat shrink? Source and tutorials

Super noob question:

Currently building a pair of Don Classics U76. I need some hook-up wire and am located in Germany.
1) What hook-up wire should I buy and from where? I have to make another order from Mouser so that could be a source.
2) The beautiful/clean looking heat shrink wraps for the ends of wires ... also which ones and from where? Also if you know of a  tutorial/walkthrough of applying the heat-shrink wrap, that would be great too.

Thanks!

I stripped the wires from an old computer parallel printer cable for wiring mics that I have built and found that it is excellent for the purpose. Lots of different colours, takes solder very well and nice and flexible. If you can get one of these from the junk pile, that will save you on buying wire. Hope that helps.
Regards,
zephyrmic

zephyrmic said:

I stripped the wires from an old computer parallel printer cable for wiring mics that I have built and found that it is excellent for the purpose. Lots of different colours, takes solder very well and nice and flexible. If you can get one of these from the junk pile, that will save you on buying wire. Hope that helps.
Regards,
zephyrmic

Click to expand...

I had a bunch of wire left over from previous projects but it got left behind in a move Also don't have any other electronics lying around right now.

I'm curious what the "best" choice is for this application and what things to look out for spec wise.

What gauge? What insulation material(s) is/are acceptable/desirable for this application and why?

Stranded wire or solid? I assume that solid wire is a good choice...however maybe not because it's a tight build and stranded is easier to work with? Is it? And then if stranded...what spec? The list of choices on Mouser is very long. (I assume a range is acceptable...but what is that range...?)

As I said, n00b ... I'm pretty good at getting a feel for things and figuring stuff out when I have some direction but I've never spec'd out wire for anything before; I'm starting my working knowledge from zero.

Seeing that you are wiring up microphones, you are looking at very small signals, so you do not need heavy gauge wire to take current, as in amplifiers, etc. The wire I use is stranded wire, which is easy to route, and is also not subject to possible resonances, or ringing, as solid wire may be. The wire I have been using has an outer diameter, including the plastic insulation, of 0.75 mm. It has 7 strands of tinned copper wire, each of about 0.11 mm. The insulation is PVC  in various colours, and is perfectly adequate for the voltages a  microphone will be using. I find it easy to work with and has been ideal in the microphones I have built over the years. And it has taken well to resoldering as I have modified the circuits over time.
You may be able to pick up a printer cable or similar from a secondhand shop, a computer shop, or even a recycling centre. Having been a  computer builder over the years, I have plenty of spare cables to keep me supplied with good hookup wire suitable for my needs.
Hope these comments are helpful. And enjoy the challenge and fun of building!
Regards,
zephyrmic

zephyrmic said:

Seeing that you are wiring up microphones, you are looking at very small signals, so you do not need heavy gauge wire to take current, as in amplifiers, etc. The wire I use is stranded wire, which is easy to route, and is also not subject to possible resonances, or ringing, as solid wire may be. The wire I have been using has an outer diameter, including the plastic insulation, of 0.75 mm. It has 7 strands of tinned copper wire, each of about 0.11 mm. The insulation is PVC  in various colours, and is perfectly adequate for the voltages a  microphone will be using. I find it easy to work with and has been ideal in the microphones I have built over the years. And it has taken well to resoldering as I have modified the circuits over time.
You may be able to pick up a printer cable or similar from a secondhand shop, a computer shop, or even a recycling centre. Having been a  computer builder over the years, I have plenty of spare cables to keep me supplied with good hookup wire suitable for my needs.
Hope these comments are helpful. And enjoy the challenge and fun of building!
Regards,
zephyrmic

Click to expand...

Revised my plan, not going to order from Mouser, there are plenty of options around where I am and they are horrendously expensive for this.

The U76 is not a microphone, it is a 500 series compressor. Does this change the context of your post as I am dealing with line level signals, not mic?

I appreciate the salvage route but I still need some understanding of the basics and will probably buy new for this project.

1) What AWG for internal line level wiring? I'm reading all kinds of stuff like 22 being better for tube projects than 24...but I'm assuming I can still use 22 for non-tube projects...why would one choose one over the other? What is sort of a "standard" wire gauge to use for line level signals inside a non-tube device? 24? And 18 AWG is a "standard" for mains wiring? (not applicable for this project but just wondering.)
2) Stranding...based on your answers and further reading, looks like stranded wire is the obvious choice for this application. However using Mouser purely to see what products are available, there are still a fair few options for stranding within one wire gauge. Does this matter? Again what would kinda be "standard" to choose?
3) Insulation material ... getting further into reading I'm seeing discussions such as the difference of sound between Teflon and PVC insulation ... while I assume this kind of talk is more in the snake-oil direction, this is purely an assumption. Does different insulation material have an affect on the sound? Is this one of those topics that is endlessly debated amongst people? Are there other reasons to be selective when it comes to insulation material for my application?

> one of those topics that is endlessly debated amongst people?

Among people and parrots.

If you don't have a strong feeling, I agree: printer cable, stranded net-cable, anything which stands up to clumsy fingers and won't vibrate to death when shipped on bad roads. I use shrink-tube from the Home Repair Store. (I actually have a huge stash of US Gov contract tubing for surveillance system installation, but do not prefer it.)