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Madman's Wire Wrap Tutorial
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How to Wire Wrap like the Madman

Madman Lighting products are unique because you hook them up by wire wrapping all the connections instead of soldering.  Wire wrap is faster and easier than soldering.  Here's a quick tutorial....

Contents of the Deluxe 8 Lighting Kit:
Delux_8_Kit.jpg

Instruction sheet

9 LEDs— 2 white, 2 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow, 2 green

1 circuit card

3 pin jumpers

24" of 30 gauge wire-wrap wire

10" shrink wrap tubing

36" fiber optic cable

WireWrapTool.jpg

Wire wrap tool showing opening in hollow shaft and channel for wire (not included in kit, available at: www.digikey.com; www.mouser.com; www.RadioShack.com);

StripperWithWire.jpg

OpenWireWrapTool.jpg

Cap of the wire wrap tool removed, showing the enclosed wire stripper

StrippedWire.jpg

Wire (approx. 1.5-2") in stripper head before removing insulation

WrappingWire.jpg

Wire after removing insulation;

WrappedWire.jpg

Ready to wrap!  Wire inserted into wrapping tool and tool placed on a pin, about to be wrapped.  Note: About 1/8” of insulated wire is in the end of the tool that will be wrapped around the pin.

 

WrappingLED.jpg

Side view of wire wrapped around the pin of the circuit board.

AttachedToCircuitCard.jpg

Wrap tool with wire on a pin of an LED, long lead is positive.  (It is OK to shorten LED leads if desired.)

SlicingFiberJacket.jpg

Completed wire-wrap; showing LED attached to circuit board, ready to use.  Note the jumper in place for single LED operation.

OpenFiberJacket.jpg

Slicing open fiber optic cable.

Sliced cable showing optical fibers

FiberBeforeAssembly.jpg

.

LED, short length of shrink-wrap tubing, and loose optical fibers, before shrink fitting

LitUpBeforeAssembly.jpg

Before and after shots of LED fiber optic assembly.  NOTE: You can use either a low-wattage soldering iron or hair-dryer set on ‘low’ to shrink tubing.  The Resident Mad Scientist used a soldering iron to shrink first the LED end, then the fiber end, giving greatest control over keeping the optical fibers touching the LED bulb for best light quality.

LitUpAfterAssembly.jpg

.

FinalAssembly.jpg

 

Lit LED and optical fibers connected to circuit board pins, jumper attached to other set of pins, external power source attached.