Soldering crimp connectors

D

damo1271

Full time elf
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
202
Location
Adelaide
After just finishing making some power cables I was wondering...
Does anyone else solder their crimp connectors, or is it just me that does this?
 
buy yourself the crimping tool it is the best thing to do and saves a lot of time. mine also has wire strippers on it.
 
Although one wouldn't solder insulated crimps. Unless you like the smell of burning plastic.

I dont solder crimps cause it can spoil the spring in the contacts.
$5 crimpers will only give a $5 crimp. Buy the best you can afford. My Harwing and AMP crimpers are still top notch.
 
Surprisingly a proper crimped connection gives a better joint than soldering. Lash out and buy some good quality "ratchet" crimpers from an electrical wholesaler. Automotive type crimpers are basically useless.


Cheers
Fing
 
Fing said:
Surprisingly a proper crimped connection gives a better joint than soldering. Lash out and buy some good quality "ratchet" crimpers from an electrical wholesaler. Automotive type crimpers are basically useless.


Cheers
Fing
Click to expand...

+1 for this
 
If you watch the youtube show mighty car mods there is an argument over soldering or just twisting wires together. A car has lots of vibration and solder joints can break where twisted wires can flex. No conclusion to this argument.
 
Fing said:
Surprisingly a proper crimped connection gives a better joint than soldering. Lash out and buy some good quality "ratchet" crimpers from an electrical wholesaler. Automotive type crimpers are basically useless.


Cheers
Fing
Click to expand...

Being a long time control panel eng and manufacturer, I have a real hard time with this statement. Have you anything to back this up? I would be very curious to see the data..

Crimp connections with the proper tool are very good, however, a solder connection done correctly is better as far as I can tell. Crimp connections in certain situations can have expansion and contraction issues over time with heat and cold. Solder not as much... at least in my experience.

As well, by many codes and standards you can solder multiples of wires (more than 2) together as a single joint where as the same is not usually true of a crimp connection.... There are of course some exceptions..
 
Plasma,

I think you missed one of the points at the beginning. They're talking about soldering a crimp connector onto the end of a cable and then putting it into a screw terminal. I have to agree that anything soldered should not be put into a screw terminal as the solder joint is likely to fail over time.

If we are just talking about joining wires together, then you are totally correct, solder is better.

Basic rule I learnt first year of my apprenticeship is that no soldered joint should be put under any mechanical strain, be it tension or pressure.

Regards,
Rowan
 
battle79 said:
Plasma,

I think you missed one of the points at the beginning. They're talking about soldering a crimp connector onto the end of a cable and then putting it into a screw terminal. I have to agree that anything soldered should not be put into a screw terminal as the solder joint is likely to fail over time.

If we are just talking about joining wires together, then you are totally correct, solder is better.

Basic rule I learnt first year of my apprenticeship is that no soldered joint should be put under any mechanical strain, be it tension or pressure.

Regards,
Rowan
Click to expand...

Ah yes.. But help me out a bit.. When I built large ion laser supplies we always crimped then soldered the high power connections on fork terminals. The same is true for many motor connections from manufacturers and rebuilders. Those fork or ring terminals were put under screws and all was good. I assume no one meant this type of set up was not a good idea. (correct?)

Now if you mean don't tin a wire or pair of wires and then put that under a screw directly, I get that part for sure.... That is bad juju
 
If its crimped, then its not soldered. Soldered joints shoud'tn be put under any mechanical strain.. Solder will creep.


One or the other, but not both.
 
plasmadrive said:
Fing said:
Surprisingly a proper crimped connection gives a better joint than soldering. Lash out and buy some good quality "ratchet" crimpers from an electrical wholesaler. Automotive type crimpers are basically useless.


Cheers
Fing
Click to expand...

Being a long time control panel eng and manufacturer, I have a real hard time with this statement. Have you anything to back this up? I would be very curious to see the data..

Crimp connections with the proper tool are very good, however, a solder connection done correctly is better as far as I can tell. Crimp connections in certain situations can have expansion and contraction issues over time with heat and cold. Solder not as much... at least in my experience.

As well, by many codes and standards you can solder multiples of wires (more than 2) together as a single joint where as the same is not usually true of a crimp connection.... There are of course some exceptions..
Click to expand...


Hi Plasma,
I've been in the industrial electronics control workplace for 35yrs and have always been under the impression that "crimp beats solder". Where this came from I don't know, so I accept your challenge to find some data to support or reject this idea ;) .


to start I found this from a RF manufacturer http://www.rfcoaxconnectors.com/Technical_CrimpvsSolder.htm


This site was also very interesting http://www.marinewireandcable.com/2013/11/crimping-vs-soldering-marine-cable-and.html


Their drawback #4 which deals with crimp then solder addresses one of your other posts. they describe it as "functionally unnecessary", which is what I've always been told.


This site has some interesting photo's, which i think gets to the heart of the matter. The question should be "which is better, for what application, and who/how are the joints made ?" http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/139795-the-ultimate-answer-on-solder-vs-crimp/


But all this is insignificant against the real question…. "why is it that Americans don't pronounce the "L" in soLder?" ;)


Cheers
Fing
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top