Why the long leads?

[et...@whidbey.com]

Resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc, when made for soldering into through
hole curcuit boards, have really long leads. Why are they still made
this way since the leads all get cut short? Is it just for handling?
It seems so wasteful. The long leads are great for folks like me
making home made electronic stuff like kits. I'm not complaining and
perhaps I should shut up but I just wondered again after reading about
how resistors are made by looking at the link Spehro provided.
Eric

[George Herold]

We stick indicator LEDs up from a pcb ~1/2 inch through a hole in a
panel.
Resistors get stuck in end on to save area. And when some make of cap
'goes away' long leads makes it easier to addapt a new cap to the old
hole spacing.

(I'm sure lots of other useful reasons.)

George H.

[Michael A. Terrell]

Not all leaded componets go on PC boards. Even when they do, the Pick
& Place has to trim away part of the leads to get rid of the adhesive,
rather than risk bad solder joints.

[Jasen Betts]

originally the long leads were for point to point wiring.

In my parts box I've got some 1uF MLCCs with short leads

but for the long leaded parts the leads don't add much to the cost,
the offcuts can be recycled, and the equipment is designed to handle them


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--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---

[Cydrome Leader]

Jasen Betts <ja...@xnet.co.nz> wrote:
> On 2013-01-09, et...@whidbey.com <et...@whidbey.com> wrote:
>> Resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc, when made for soldering into through
>> hole curcuit boards, have really long leads. Why are they still made
>> this way since the leads all get cut short? Is it just for handling?
>> It seems so wasteful. The long leads are great for folks like me
>> making home made electronic stuff like kits. I'm not complaining and
>> perhaps I should shut up but I just wondered again after reading about
>> how resistors are made by looking at the link Spehro provided.
>> Eric
>
> originally the long leads were for point to point wiring.
>
> In my parts box I've got some 1uF MLCCs with short leads
>
> but for the long leaded parts the leads don't add much to the cost,
> the offcuts can be recycled, and the equipment is designed to handle them

While true, how many decades ago was in when point to point sort of went
away?

It's like how CDs used to come in longboxes, to fit in record bins. That
did eventually change.

[Michael Black]

That's true, the leads never shortened. In reality, they could be a
compromise, somewhat shorter, yet still "long". I don't notice any change
in lead length in forty two years. Maybe half the length is all that's
needed I think that would still leave enough lead for resistors to be put
on end.

Michael

[Michael A. Terrell]

half the lead is lost when they are cut from the tape & reel by the
Pick-n-Place machines. In case no one has told any of you, leaded
components are rare these days in high volume production, when compared
to the surface mount devices.

The tapew will peel of cleanly on very fresh reels, but try it on one
that's been in stock for several years and you'll find stick leads.

[Les Cargill]

I have never found a cable stretcher that worked well. I
suppose they keep 'em with the skyhooks.

--
Les Cargill

[Michael A. Terrell]

Les Cargill wrote:
>
> et...@whidbey.com wrote:
> ? Resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc, when made for soldering into through
> ? hole curcuit boards, have really long leads. Why are they still made
> ? this way since the leads all get cut short? Is it just for handling?

> ? It seems so wasteful. The long leads are great for folks like me

> ? making home made electronic stuff like kits. I'm not complaining and
> ? perhaps I should shut up but I just wondered again after reading about
> ? how resistors are made by looking at the link Spehro provided.
> ? Eric
> ?

>
> I have never found a cable stretcher that worked well. I
> suppose they keep 'em with the skyhooks.

No. They are all on the copper wire production lines. You don't
think they turn down 12" billets of copper to make #60 AWG, do you? :)

[k...@attt.bizz]

They make toothpicks out of logs by turning them on a lathe, don't
they?

[Les Cargill]

Shhh! Don't give the audiophiles any ideas!

--
Les Cargill (now searching for his left-handed monkey wrench)

[Les Cargill]

Cable is what wire aspires to be :)

--
Les Cargill

[Michael A. Terrell]

Only in W.W. II propaganda starring Buggs Bunny, when they are trying
to show people how wasteful they can be.

[Michael A. Terrell]

Wire and a bunch of her freinds get togeter and get everything all
twisted up.

[Michael A. Terrell]

How many of them even know what a lathe is, let alone how to use one?
:)

> Les Cargill (now searching for his left-handed monkey wrench)

You've been warned to keep that left handed monkey in his cage, so he
stops stealing all your left handed tools. ;-)

[Jasen Betts]

On 2013-01-10, Michael Black <et...@ncf.ca> wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Jan 2013, Cydrome Leader wrote:

>>> originally the long leads were for point to point wiring.
>>>
>>> In my parts box I've got some 1uF MLCCs with short leads
>>>
>>> but for the long leaded parts the leads don't add much to the cost,
>>> the offcuts can be recycled, and the equipment is designed to handle them
>>
>> While true, how many decades ago was in when point to point sort of went
>> away?

for commercial production, some time before I was born,
for specialty stuff, from what I read here it's still done.

> That's true, the leads never shortened. In reality, they could be a
> compromise, somewhat shorter, yet still "long". I don't notice any change
> in lead length in forty two years. Maybe half the length is all that's
> needed I think that would still leave enough lead for resistors to be put
> on end.

Many of the hairpin resistors I've seen in commercial products look to have
been made specially for that applicatin, they have a kink in the long
lead at the PCB level and the long lead has paint down to there too.

possibly these:
http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/315/AOA0000CE18-181396.pdf
image top of page 4 (obsolete product)

--
⚂⚃ 100% natural

[Jasen Betts]

On 2013-01-12, k...@attt.bizz <k...@attt.bizz> wrote:

>> No. They are all on the copper wire production lines. You don't
>>think they turn down 12" billets of copper to make #60 AWG, do you? :)
>
> They make toothpicks out of logs by turning them on a lathe, don't
> they?

That they do, but the bit left on the lathe at the end of the process
goes into the furnace, and the veneer stripped off the log is cut up
for toothpicks,

hmm, turning a billet on a lathe produces a wire-like thread, but with
non-uniformity, sharp edges, and heat effects, whether it can be passed
successfully through a wire-forming die, I do not know.

--
⚂⚃ 100% natural