Which wires should I use for stripboards?

Question

The wire I use seems to break off the stripboard easily. (Typical wire like the wires given with a 9V battery connector).

What is the norm about the wire to be used for stripboards?

Answer 1

The problem is not unique to "stripboards". Any time you make a connection between a wire and a rigid terminal, you need to control how the wire can flex at the junction. If the bare metal is allowed to flex, it will tend to concentrate the strain and fatigue quickly. It is better to provide a strain relief that forces any flexing to occur in the insulated part of the wire, where the insulation helps prevent the concentration of strain in the metal and improve its lifetime.

One cheap way to do this in stripboard is to enlarge a hole adjacent to the hole you want to connect to, such that the wire with its insulation can pass through it from the opposite side. Then solder the bare wire to the hole you want. There will be little if any movement of the bare part of the wire, regardless of how you flex the other end. To be really sure, use two additional holes, and zig-zag the insulated wire through both of them before making the connection.

Answer 2

I like solid magnet wire or wire-wrap wire of about AWG30 for soldered connections. The thin insulation does not tend to allow the wires to bend preferentially where they are stripped and solid is easier to deal with. Polyester magnet wire can be soldered through so there is definitely no nicks,

It also pays to get a good stripper- if you are nicking the wires and a few strands are damaged, then it will break off at the insulation all the faster. A thermal stripper works well for some insulation types. For Kynar wire-wrap wire I have a little mechanical German-made doodad that works really well (not cheap though).

Stranded wire is best handled by threading it through a hole then soldering it flat against a PCB, which is not convenient for your application (except maybe for wires going off the board to the power supply or whatever) where relatively large gauge (eg. AWG 22 or AWG 24) stranded wire is definitely the way to go.