This section has detailed instructions for wrapping techniques for the various components involved. It is by no means the only way of doing it, as the process is also a work in progress.



General rules of thumb:

1. You should always try to start and end your traces at a peg

2. The tail end of a thread should come out of the side of the peg that is away from the other components (this is where the most fraying will occur)

3. When running between pegs, have the thread come out of the center (as opposed to around the side) for a more firm hold with the cap, and for straight traces at increments of 90 degrees.

4. Run your traces prior to inserting any of the components, to make them easier to change out if necessary.

5. Insert the peg caps once the components are in place. If there is an excess thread at the peg, pull it tight, insert the cap, and then snip off the excess.

6. I strongly suggest you test your circuit early and often with a multimeter; resistance of the threads should register but should not exceed a few dozen ohms.



Detailed wrapping instructions (each accompanied with pictures)

- Peg: Start and end your trace at a peg. First, pin down a small length of thread next to the peg, and feed it through a central slot. Wrap once or twice around the perimeter, then add a few half-wraps; pass the thread through a central slot, then 3/4 of the way around the outside, then through the opposite central slot. When ending a trace, do the same procedure. Make sure to leave some extra thread to pull it taught before inserting the cap (after the components), and trim the excess to keep the fraying end in check.

- Battery: Start with a few loops around the half of the peg that is not conjoined with the sphere. Then run the thread along the perpendicular slot, into the slanted slot of the sphere itself. Wrap one or two loops around the sphere: around the contact point with the battery and then through the slot again. After these loops, run the thread back down through the central slot, and back out through the end peg. Hold everything in place by inserting a peg cap at the 45 degree angle into the peg.

- Toggle Switch: This has two components. The base of the switch is placed in your circuit, and has two pegs on either side. Wire up one end of the switch by wrapping these two pegs, but make sure your thread runs straight across as pictured. For the second part, start with the separately printed toggle. Form a loop around the front of the switch, where the connection will be made with the thread that you just ran. Follow the thread along the grooves, and tie a knot around the back of the switch, as tight as possible. Snip off any excess thread, but it's OK to leave a little there. Once this is done, snap the switch into the circuit (still with the other end of the thread untethered). Make sure that the switch is in the ON position before you wrap the loose thread around another peg, otherwise there will not be enough slack and you'll either not be able to switch it on, or you'll force it and the thread will snap.

- Trace Hop: This is for when wires have to cross each other in the plane. You can help alleviate the need by building your circuits in two parts (with holes) and gluing them together.. but you still need sometimes to hop over a wire. Like with PCBs, these are unshielded traces. Along one direction this component has a lower slot, and in the perpendicular direction it has an upper slot. I suggest you run the thread in the lower slot first.

- Components: the LEDs, resistors, capacitors, and transistors are all quite similar. They have two to three leads with the corresponding pegs, which should already be wrapped into the circuit board. When you insert the components, it is helpful to have fine point tweezers to help guide the leads into the peg. If it does not slide all the way in, that's fine -- the peg cap will do the rest. Be careful when bending the leads, especially for the LED slots, because they are not particularly malleable and will break after just a few bends. Once in place, pull any excess thread at the peg and slide the cap into place. Trim any excess thread, and use tweezers to wrap excess component lead around the peg (or clip off).