Well, I recently came across an ebay seller (back-promo) who sells handmade silver cables with Litz OCC silver conductors he makes himself. Although he does not supply these wires in bulk he was kind enough to send me a sample and give me its specs. I can say that I was impressed with the wire. The sample was only a few cm but long enough to identify a perfect structure throughout its length. I decided to try and replicated this wire.
It was made of 4 solid OCC silver strands threaded in Teflon tubes of the same internal diameter as the individual wires. The tubes have a 0.12mm wall which is very thin, but still much thicker than any coating found in Litz wires. The insulated wires are helically twisted together to form a 24AWG conductor which is then encased in Teflon. The conductor is extremely tough (actually it is impossible to break) and a lot more flexible than a solid 24AWG wire).
Although I managed to copy the entire design and achieved quite a nice result (not as perfect as the sample I received but still quite symmetrical), I only managed to reach a length of 40-50cm after ending up with lots and lots of broken wires. It is extremelly difficult to thread such thin wires in tubes of the same diameter and I cannot imagine how one can do so for lengths beyond 50-60cm.
Anyway, such a structure is claimed to have all the benefits of a solid core without any of it negatives. I think that both the cost of the materials and the work that such a cable requires is a high price for DIY. But since I have one conductor ready I think I will make a second one so that at least I can form a twin cable and try it out.
When It is all finished I will compare it with my solid silver interconnects and I really hope to be pleasantly surprised.
It was made of 4 solid OCC silver strands threaded in Teflon tubes of the same internal diameter as the individual wires. The tubes have a 0.12mm wall which is very thin, but still much thicker than any coating found in Litz wires. The insulated wires are helically twisted together to form a 24AWG conductor which is then encased in Teflon. The conductor is extremely tough (actually it is impossible to break) and a lot more flexible than a solid 24AWG wire).
Although I managed to copy the entire design and achieved quite a nice result (not as perfect as the sample I received but still quite symmetrical), I only managed to reach a length of 40-50cm after ending up with lots and lots of broken wires. It is extremelly difficult to thread such thin wires in tubes of the same diameter and I cannot imagine how one can do so for lengths beyond 50-60cm.
Anyway, such a structure is claimed to have all the benefits of a solid core without any of it negatives. I think that both the cost of the materials and the work that such a cable requires is a high price for DIY. But since I have one conductor ready I think I will make a second one so that at least I can form a twin cable and try it out.
When It is all finished I will compare it with my solid silver interconnects and I really hope to be pleasantly surprised.