FAQs
Yes, the wire is thin and can have a mind of its own, if you let it!
To thread the wire through the wiring pen, extend, say, 150mm of wire from the bobbin – hold the bobbin in your right hand (probably the right hand for a right hander).
Keeping the tip of your forefinger of your right hand on the top of the bobbin to secure the wire, pinch your left thumb and forefinger around the wire close to the bobbin.
Also, if you can, wrap your 3rd and 4th (little) finger around the wire. You are now in a position to draw your left hand away from the bobbin.
The idea is to slightly stretch the wire, and by using the two fingers and the thumb and forefinger, you stand a good chance of doing so..
Equally, if you use just your thumb and forefinger to stretch the wire you will get the same effect, but with the two points of contact on the wire the stretch is more effective.
Once you have slightly stretched the wire, it may loop a bit, therefore, you will need to repeat the process with the thumb and forefinger to straighten it.
Make sure the wire is not too long, as this will create difficulties in threading the wire into the wiring pencil. Carefully roll back any excess wire onto the bobbin.
Hold the bobbin-end of the wiring pencil at a slight angle in your left hand, so that you can easily see the tube. With the wiring pen with brake (RRP-123), keep the brake facing downwards.
It’s a bit easier to thread the brake pen, as the brake itself is used to run & guide the wire into the top of the tube. Then, ensuring that the wire is straight, bring the bobbin in line with the tube and feed the wire through the tube.
As the wire exits the wiring pencil tip, continue to push the wire through the tube and gently fit the bobbin between the pencil lugs. Wind back any excess wire, leaving 12mm extending from the tip., which must be immediately folded over the tip to prevent the wire from accidentally disappearing back up the tube! You don’t want that!!
The control of the wire tension when the wire is drawn from the pencil, is effected by the angle of the wiring pen.
To run the wire from, say, point A to point B, slightly angle the bobbin end of the wiring pencil in the direction of travel.
To apply tension to the wire, when using the Wire Distribution Strips, say, and when you traverse to another Wire Distribution Strip or prepare to connect to another point, simply move the bobbin end of the wiring pen to a more vertical position. To make the connection, move and position the pencil tip to the bottom of the connecting point, and keeping the wiring pencil vertical, wrap the wire around the terminal 2-3 times (keep the pencil tip close to the connecting point at all times, then move the tip away by moving the bobbin end of the pencil in the direction of travel to approx. 6-8mm and cut the wire close to the connecting point. This leaves sufficient wire at the wiring pencil tip for the next connection.
It will require patience, but it is not difficult.
Cut the wire at the connecting point.
Either desolder the disconnected wire from the connecting point with dexterous use of a solder pump, a *desoldering iron or solder wick. Remove all excess solder from the connecting point.
Do not attempt to push through the desoldered end of the wire, as this could damage the coating and compromised the integrity of the enamel coating. It will also be difficult to trace and remove the wire.
Using tweezers, push the cleanly cut end of the wire gently in the expected direction of the wire.
The wire will loop up. Continue pushing the wire with tweezers and looping up the wire until you reach the connection point. You may cut and remove the looped-up wire in several places.
Cut the wire a suitable distance from the connecting point, to enable the removal of the wire by the above-mentioned methods.
*A desoldering iron is a special soldering iron with an integral detachable solder pump, or a soldering iron with a vacuum solder sucker.
There are various ways of doing this:
- Keep the window open and use an electric fan to blow away the fumes to the open window
- Keep the window open and use a small free-standing extractor fan
- Use a free standing extractor fan with a charcoal filter
- Use a soldering iron with an integral filtered fume extractor fitted