Chip operating temperatures

[tom cloud]

>
>     Just my few cents worth.  Any of you lot out there ever heard about 
>     spaghetti strand (a common name).  Comes in long tubes like 
>     heatshrink, except its woven fibreglass and it doesn't shrink.  This 
>     is ideal for containing bunches of wire (or a single wire) in hot

In the electronics industry that's called 'spaghetti' tubing.  It was
around long before the shrinkable variety and it comes in many varieties,
including the fiberglass type you speak of.  In the Newark catalog it's
listed in the index under 'insulating tubing'.  Also called sleeving.
Note that the wires will still get hot, and the insulation may still
melt, so if there's more than one wire in the tubing, they may melt
together and short out.  The teflon tubing is good to 260 C (500 F);
the PVC to 105 C (220 F); the fiberglass doesn't have a rating (in
the Newark cat).

The split polyethylene tubing is rated to 80 C (175 F).

There's lots of heat shrink out there, too.  Some polyolefin (electron
irradiated polyethylene, tougher, higher temp resistance) shrinkable
is rated to 135 C (275 F); kynar to 175 C (350 F); the typical PVC is
rated to 105 C (220 F).

Might try making something to suspend wiring above or away from
real hot stuff -- like maybe use spark plug wire standoff or such.