13 replies to this topic

[Cthulhu750]

I’m very curious as to the rationale on the solid wire that I’ve seen used on a few winning cars from the worlds event in Atlantic City. I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years of building slot cars.
Im also interested in how the connection between the, I assume, soft stranded wire and the sold wire. If anyone can please enlighten me, that would be great as I always like to try new setups.


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[MSwiss]

We used to use it in wing cars in qualifying to save weight.

 

In the case in the picture the racer is trying to save weight but also lower the CG of the lead wire.

[Cthulhu750]

Thanks Mike , that was my first thoughts. Does it also help with keeping the mass from moving around and affecting the CG? This picture is from the worlds so ever micro gram saved counts


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[MSwiss]

I think it's more less stress on the buss bars, not that there is much to begin with.

[Eddie Fleming]

IMO No connection is without resistance even though it may be very small, and any connection is a possible failure point. 

 

But then I am not a world class racer. 

[old & gray]

I’m also interested in how the connection between the, I assume, soft stranded wire and the sold wire.

 

 

When I saw Ray Lee use this wire on a wing car in the 1990's; he tinned the end of the solid wire applied paste flux (no acid), slid it into the braided wire, then briefly, heated the solid wire to make the connection. 

[Wink Hackman]

Maybe it also avoids the possibility of the leadwire hanging out the bottom of chassis, or interfering, however slightly, with pan movement.

[Bill Seitz]

All of the comments above apply as to how the use of magnet wire may help. As for connecting, it's copper wire once the enamel insulation is removed (chemically or usually mechanical abrasion), so soldering is no different than any other wire connection. However, the weight of solder or whatever else is used in connection offsets any small weight improvement using magnet wire. Mainly, this looks cool and might have some psychological effect, and it's tidy and won't incidentally cause some other problem, but otherwise the real effect on performance in this class of racing is practically imperceptable. The required body and interior will have a greater effect and swamp something as small as the lead wire.

[Bill Seitz]

What's more interesting to me is the soldering of the leads at the guide. Getting the metals hot enough for a good, wetted joint without melting the guide has escaped me. I guess I wasn't willing to destroy more than one guide trying to figure it out.

[Bill from NH]

I use guide clips that fold back over the top of a guide. I solder leadwire  to these clips while they're out of the guide. No ruined guides. If someone wants to use the guides with slots in the top, remove about a half inch or so of the leadwire insulation, stick the bare leads through the slot & wrap the extra length back over the top of the guide. Epoxy the sheath in the slot & leads on top to the guide. This is an old wing car trick called "Lazyman's Leadwire", not my own idea.

[Brian Czeiner]

What's more interesting to me is the soldering of the leads at the guide. Getting the metals hot enough for a good, wetted joint without melting the guide has escaped me. I guess I wasn't willing to destroy more than one guide trying to figure it out.

could it be resistance soldering? I understand its a super small heat area just at the point of contact between metals. 

[Eddie Fleming]

could it be resistance soldering? I understand its a super small heat area just at the point of contact between metals. 

That sounds like a possibility but not how Cleave did it in his Tech Tips series. 

 

He just used a iron and tented wire. As I recall. 

[Brian Czeiner]

That sounds like a possibility but not how Cleave did it in his Tech Tips series. 

 

He just used a iron and tented wire. As I recall. 

 

More than one way to skin a cat.

[MSwiss]

I remember pitting a racer at the Nat's at when I tried to change braids for him, one was soldered to his sunken clip.

 

I was never a fan of sunken lead wires but it seems to be a necessary thing for some of the wing car body mounting that has very little clearance in the front.

 

I would say the technique would be tinned surfaces on both the clip and wire, and using a hot iron with some solder on the tip to promote quick heat transfer, for a super-quick installation.

 

Most likely rosin flux on one or both items, but possibly a micro dot of acid flux on the clip.