The Daring Dufas wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote:

On 3/4/2009 10:04 AM flir67 spake thus:

just got a motion detector to secure the side of my property, the
china made motion detector has braided aluminum wires I haven't seen
anything made with aluminum wires in years for modern electronics?


What makes you think they're aluminum? They're probably shiny
silver-looking, which is what most small stranded wire looks like when
you strip it. But probably not aluminum, so just go ahead and use it.


This may strike you as a bit odd and you may think
I'm pulling your leg but this is a true story.
Back in 1974 I was working for an electrical supply
house when aluminum Romex was being sold. We also
had copper clad aluminum Romex which had thin copper
layer over the aluminum center. One day we got in a
roll of 18 gauge thermostat wire that freaked me out.
When I picked up reel, it was very light. It was like
picking up a porous fire brick and expecting the weight
of a standard brick. I stripped back the wire and
found it to be copper clad aluminum. I've never seen
aluminum electrical wire that small again. It wouldn't
surprise me if the Chinese have developed very small
aluminum wire because of the high cost of copper.

TDD


Back around 40 years ago I remember when the price of copper rose to a
point where I started seeing TV CRT yokes and power transformers wound
with aluminum magnet wire.

About 20 years ago the fan in the microwave oven we had back then
stopped working. I found that the shaded pole motor winding was aluminum
magnet wire and one end of the winding had broken loose from the
terminal lug it was crimped under. I reconnected it it with a dab of
conductive epoxy and it held up fine for several years until the
magnetron gave out and we got a new microwave oven.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.