Any experience with irradiated PVC hookup wire?

[slafferty]

I need to order 600V stranded hookup wire for a vacuum tube analyzer project. Being weary of the awful shrink-back which I have experienced with recent purchases of plain PVC hookup wire, I went looking for something better. Have worked with Teflon/PTFE hookup wire in the past and want to find something easier to strip.

It seems that irradiated PVC (IPVC) wire was created to solve this kind of problem. From what I have read, there is little downside, except for some added cost (which isn't as high as PTFE). However, I read that IPVC is less flexible than regular PVC and cannot find info quantifying that. Concern is heightened by the fact that the 600V rating calls for thicker insulation.

Has anyone who has had experience with IPVC, vouch for it having decent flexibility? I will be connecting about 64-wires to a 8.6x5.3" PCB and don't want to run into a mechanical nightmare, caused by very stiff wire. The board must be able to pivot for servicing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Steve L.
Tronola DIY Electronic Projects and More

[slafferty]

I just wanted to followup with results on testing irradiated PVC hookup wire. It turns out that this seems to be better than PVC in every way and not much more expensive. You can see the details in a short article posted on my website here:
http://www.tronola.com/html/short_subj.html

All the best, Steve L.
Tronola DIY Electronic Projects and More

[ByronInLawrence]

I was searching the forum specifically for recommendations on hook-up wire. Your analysis is objective/ scientific (no IMHO)!

[Conrad Hoffman]

Agreed, the irradiated wire is a great improvement. It is stiffer and I wouldn't entirely discount that in some applications, though if you design the service loop properly folding a board out should be OK even with a large number of wires. Still, I prefer Teflon for almost everything. It isn't difficult to strip if you have sharp and high quality strippers like Ideal. With lesser strippers, stay away from the stuff!