Wire Glue - a perfect tool for DIY flashlight modders with actual test (picture heavy) and a little tutorial - how to

I just got the same stuff, same source this week.

FYI, it is very similar to the homebrew mixture I found a year or two ago when searching the web for conductive adhesive.

The guy had done a lot of experimenting and ended up using plastidip (yeah, insulator) and graphite.

This stuff looks to me like clear glue (very similar to clear contact adhesive) and graphite.

The thing is, it is cheaper than I can buy those two things locally and mix them together, so when this runs out I'll probably buy more - well - that's assuming when I do some resistance tests this weekend, it has at least fair conductivity....

Ordered!

It is no magic material. Graphite (fine powdered) witjh some glue added. It has it's own uses however where classic solder fails or it is not really pratical. If you don't go microscopically thin there is almost no chance of poor conductivity. What currnet would sustain is however another thing. It seems it does conduct heat rather well. Graphite aint a bad thermally conductor at all. Would love the strength of the glue would be harder (epoxy?).

But mixing graphite micronized powder with epoxy would get a similar result.

I'll use it to pot drivers.

your drivers will short circuit and it is more expensive than proper potting epoxy

I researched potting recently after failing to pot w/ fujik thermal glue

devcon 2 ton epoxy and alumina is the popular diy mix on cpf, and apparently used professionally by some custom makers

mg chemicals makes some potting epoxies - slightly more expensive than that mix, and by my estimation (based on devcon spec and alumina properties) slightly less thermally conductive

+1

much handier than mixing your own - although they could have done much better w/ the container. I was thinking of getting a syringe, sucking the glue into it and then putting that in a suitably sized sealed, well sealed container (cigar tube?)

+1!!! Do NOT pot your drivers with this!

dthrckt, how did your potting with Fujik fail? I use it all the time with no issues at all.

not really sure - it was a big ol' DX sst-90 driver - it could be that it hadn't fully cured in the middle - maybe it is a little electrically conductive in that state?

it could have been coincidence (it worked before i potted but only for a second or so after I did)

Even if it didn't cause the failure, I figure it isn't worth the effort. I had to apply it in several stages over a number of days (or it wouldn't have cured in the center for weeks, if at all). And since fujik essentially air dries, it doesn't lend itself well to being used in a mold.

I got 9oz of devcon epoxy for $18 delivered and 12oz of 8micron alumina for $15 (which is also a great, very fine, lapping material).

Awesome find, ordered straight away!

Think this conductive glue can be used to connect 18650s for a battery pack?

I'm going to rebuild my laptop 6-battery packs using panasonic ncr, just ordered them and still in shipping.

Rough estimate - current needed for the pack should be around 1.2A - 1.5A.

If this glue would work, I'd definitely prefer it, at least it eliminates potential soldering heat issue for the batteries. The problem is, would it hold the battery tabs well, and would it conducts sufficient current? Any thoughts?

I think you could fix a wire w/ this stuff and then reinforce it w/ epoxy, but you'd have to be very careful reassembling the packs if you just use the glue. if you apply too much at once it takes a very long time to dry.

edit: btw, this stuff works great for connecting driver mode star to ground on 105c drivers I have. last one I just went ahead and assembled the light and after about 10 minutes of use it dried enough to be conductive and went from default to HML operation lol

soldering that gap isn't hard...but why bother...

I'm very confused...

"If you don't go microscopically thin there is almost no chance of poor conductivity" - that means you assume it will have low resistance, since conductivity is the inverse of resistivity.

"What current would sustain is however another thing." - that means you assume it will have high resistance, since the only thing that can impede current is resistance. I=V/R.

Which are you suggesting?

PPtk

I ordered, received and tested it: I made a track of ~2cm length and ~2mm thickness... it had >1kOhm resistance. I wouldn't use it for LED currents - if you do so, be sure to have very short (<1mm) an very wide (several mm) and thick (>1mm in height) 'blobs'. I still would prefer soldering.

OK for signal tracks though (e.g. those config solder bridges some drivers have).

right, it is a budget alternative to the adhesive's that contain silver (like this from same seller) - which I would guess are still mechanically and electrically inferior to solder.

it is useful where solder won't work (ok...eventually I'll get solder that works on aluminum) and you can't apply heat. I think the idea is that your connection has metal to metal contact, and this is for holding it in place without insulating, like most other adhesives would do.

Dr Jones, I'm curious how long you let it dry before measuring resistance- and if you still have that bead if you could measure it again.

I'm wondering how long before it reaches max conductivity (which would vary a lot, based on thickness...).

I tried some similar testing but my MM isn't good enough for meaningful results.

availible from Conrad for those living in Europe

http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/588328/?insert=U1&hk=WW2&utm_source=epro&utm_medium=seosite&utm_campaign=link&WT.mc_id=epro

It's a conundrum riddle! Anyway I think Budgeteer meant you NEED to go microscopic in order to eliminate any chance of poor conductivity.

Microscopic carbon, hmm... as in... toner dust? I wonder... can it work? Toner dust + epoxy = conductive glue? Toner dust is very, very thin. I refill my own toners, and inhaled enough dust to vouch that statement. And to warn whoever tries this to use proper mask. :)

I thought you were going to use it to solder the wires.

dthrckt: I waited several hours before measuring the resistance.

After wrecking a P60 module trying to solder the driver to the pill (cheap iron and inexperienced) I ordered some of this. I only want it to glue in the driver and assure that it completes the ground circuit to the pill. Will I be okay with this?

Thanks for the review Budgeteer. I like your style and my daughter likes your cat.

Thanks DrJones for the quick follow up.

If PilotPTK is confused I think we should pack our bags and go home.