Electronics novice commencing with a specific project

@shutter-log 

Thanks for the explanation. I'm visually oriented and I'm trying to follow your sequence but I don't understand two things:

1) I've never heard the term "twitch" applied to electronic wiring before. Can you please explain the process ?

2) I can't understand how you can apply heat shrink AFTER you insert the wire in the hole.

I'm hoping to learn something today 🙂

Hi @shutter-log,

   I totally agree with comments above, especially those from @will regarding ensuring you have reliable and accurate electrical connections ... a high proportion of problems are due to a connection error or failure.

  However, if you are still stuck, having built a solid system, then I offer a recent personal observation, albeit from rather different circumstances and different hardware system.

Namely,  a pair of microSDcards, of a brand I hadn't used before, both appear to work fine in both a Windows PC and in Android phones, but neither will work in an embedded system. This is in spite of various attempts, including reformatting. Meanwhile a 'well-known' brand of SDcard works fine in the embedded system. (Both the failing and successful cards claim to be similar capacity and speed grades.)

Hence, whilst I haven't yet identified the actual failure mechanism, you might have better luck by trying an SDcard of a different brand, and maybe consider one of the 'well-known' brands.

As I say, only a wild suggestion.  Best wishes, Dave

Posted by: @will

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@shutter-log 

Thanks for the explanation. I'm visually oriented and I'm trying to follow your sequence but I don't understand two things:

1) I've never heard the term "twitch" applied to electronic wiring before. Can you please explain the process ?

2) I can't understand how you can apply heat shrink AFTER you insert the wire in the hole.

I'm hoping to learn something today 🙂

I was taught, many years ago, that the term 'twitch' - as applied to wire - meant a simple twist to secure plain wire, for example fencing wire, often temporarily.  In that context it's an old Australian farmer's term. 

So, after twitching the wire to the relevant card shield hole, I slipped a short length of heatshrink over the wire to abut the edge of the shield card to insulate the twitched wire from its neighbour.

I hope this clarifies my technique - which I suggest should be consigned to the electronics rubbish bin!  Having said that, given that the technique seems to work for me, I'm pleased to be able to continue along my steep electronics learning curve.  

@davee Thank you for your suggestions, Dave.

@shutter-log 

I understand now, thanks.

I usually just twist the exposed wire end to make sure all the component strands are together and then apply solder to that (if the PCB hole is large enough). Then stick the wire end through until the insulation butts up against the PCB, solder the wire on the other side of the PCB, then use side cutters to trim the soldered side back to a smaller bump.

That way I don't need pliers or heat shrink, just side cutters 🙂 It never occurred to me to twist the wire around the PCB but I understand your methodology now.

@will Knowledge, experience and capability: my aspiration!

@shutter-log Wow, I never heard of anyone doing that. Use headers, then you can use the part in a temporary scenario, or a permanent scenario where you solder connecting wires to the pins and away from the board where too much heat can cause intermittent problems. Watch some videos to get some pointers as to dupont headers, solderless breadboards and solderable breadboards. It's always good to have a lot of tools in the toolbox.

Thank you, Ron.