Point-to-point wiring is a really useful prototyping technique that sits in all tiers of electronics experiments. Often at a coarser scale, point-to-point wiring using thicker insulated wires cut and formed to create jumpers for transferring a breadboard creation onto a protoboard is an excellent place to start. We then might wander off into the lands of custom PCBs but at some point (pun intended) point-to-point wiring makes sense as a prototyping approach again, particularly when dealing with SMD ICs as in the picture above. The Prototype Wiring Tool makes smaller form factor point-to-point wiring projects much easier to achieve.
Supplied with a roll of 30 AWG enamelled magnet wire this wiring pen allows you to precisely place these fine wires between components. The enamel on the magnet wire acts as an insulator so you can cross and touch wires as your build becomes more crowded. The enamel is thin enough though that when you apply a soldering iron to a section it will melt away allowing it to be soldered. The system is somewhat similar to a product called Roadrunner that those from the 1980s might remember, but this is explicitly designed for free-hand wiring and use with surface-mount components.
The workflow seems to be to solder one end, move the tool and set the wire route, solder the other end and then trim to release the tool. The tool looks well-built and comfortable to use with its foam overlay section. Glancing at the tip of the tool we imagine that it could possibly handle slightly thicker wire through the included tip making it even more versatile. It appears to use Luer-Lock style tips, so a variety of sizes could be easily swapped out by buying Luer-Lock syringe tips and cutting the sharp tip off!
