He is doomed to ride a motorcycle forever round and round in circles inside one of those early wooden tracks that resembled a huge barrel.
Electrical connector help
- Thread starter STRider
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STRider
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I used to love watching that. I also remember a ride that was similarly-shaped, called the Rotor, where people went in, stood against the wall, it started spinning, and then the floor lowered. It was fun watching women slide down inside their dresses.
OP
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STRider
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We had the Roundup, which were stand-up cages at the edge of a large disk which was open and would then spin and tilted after it was going fast enough. But you were fixed in your position and weren't allowed to move.
Then there was the Gravitron, which sounds like the Rotor. Looks like a flying saucer (for the old fogies, the "Jupiter II" from Lost in Space comes to mind) and once inside you leaned against a slightly tilted padded plank. Once it started pinning, that plank would slide on rails and rise about a foot or so as the centripetal force push it outward and upward. Because you weren't strapped in, daring youth would flip themselves upside down so their feet were at the top and their head at the bottom. Witnessed a kid pass out and slide headfirst onto the floor when the ride ended. Brought him to in a hurry!
Hey, wasn't this thread about connectors?!?
Then there was the Gravitron, which sounds like the Rotor. Looks like a flying saucer (for the old fogies, the "Jupiter II" from Lost in Space comes to mind) and once inside you leaned against a slightly tilted padded plank. Once it started pinning, that plank would slide on rails and rise about a foot or so as the centripetal force push it outward and upward. Because you weren't strapped in, daring youth would flip themselves upside down so their feet were at the top and their head at the bottom. Witnessed a kid pass out and slide headfirst onto the floor when the ride ended. Brought him to in a hurry!
Hey, wasn't this thread about connectors?!?
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
Just OOC - who would solder this / who would not / and why?
I have had different opinions from "qualified" electricians. Which leads me to believe if properly crimped, there's no need to solder.
What say you?
I have had different opinions from "qualified" electricians. Which leads me to believe if properly crimped, there's no need to solder.
What say you?
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Regardless of whether a terminal will be soldered or not does not effect the need for a quality crimp. If solder is required to secure the connection, then it was poorly crimped.
Solder is not intended to secure the wire to the terminal, so a proper mechanical connection is always required even if solder is to be applied, with some exceptions such as circuit boards, LED fitment, etc..
In general terms, solder should not be used on any connection where movement/vibration will be present. Soldering leaves the wire at the terminal very brittle and more prone to breakage if there is movement or vibration. A terminal properly crimped to a clean wire does not need solder to enhance the electrical conductivity of the connection, so a crimped joint is preferable in these circumstances.
If you look at the electrical connections on any car/truck/motorcycle, etc., they are overwhelmingly crimped connections with precious few solder joints in the electrical system.
Solder is not intended to secure the wire to the terminal, so a proper mechanical connection is always required even if solder is to be applied, with some exceptions such as circuit boards, LED fitment, etc..
In general terms, solder should not be used on any connection where movement/vibration will be present. Soldering leaves the wire at the terminal very brittle and more prone to breakage if there is movement or vibration. A terminal properly crimped to a clean wire does not need solder to enhance the electrical conductivity of the connection, so a crimped joint is preferable in these circumstances.
If you look at the electrical connections on any car/truck/motorcycle, etc., they are overwhelmingly crimped connections with precious few solder joints in the electrical system.
OP
OP
STRider
Site Supporter
In an earlier part of my life where my HAM and master tinkerer father would've soldered any and every connector, I've since been advised that a properly crimped terminal is superior to a soldered connection and in fact such a crimped connection should never be soldered. This is coming from a plethora of contacts I've made through FIRST Robotics which brings together professionals in many fields as they serve as mentors, coaches and technical support for their programs. This applies to connections where the wire would be subjected to vibration or other physical stress at the point of insertion to the connector. Where the strands enter the solder stress points are created where eventually the strands will crack and fractures. Over time the resistance will increase and possibly to the point of complete physical failure. Obviously a connection to a circuit board, for example, must be soldered.
OP
OP
STRider
Site Supporter
What he said!
Yes and no.
In a dry stable environment the crimp is one and done and the best.
But in a wet, movement, thermal environment you will need an over coat of something.
Soldering the crimped connection would be one type of over coat.
I often will use clear finger nail polish.
We use conformal coat at work.
With push on connectors we use a silicon grease (oops!) to keep moisture out and prevent fretting (connectors turning black).
or do nothing and check it several years from now.....
In a dry stable environment the crimp is one and done and the best.
But in a wet, movement, thermal environment you will need an over coat of something.
Soldering the crimped connection would be one type of over coat.
I often will use clear finger nail polish.
We use conformal coat at work.
With push on connectors we use a silicon grease (oops!) to keep moisture out and prevent fretting (connectors turning black).
or do nothing and check it several years from now.....
I think the key is to buy the best quality pair of crimping pliers you can get, then a big bag of terminals, and practice crimping the wires on.
I have previously used cheap crimpers and struggled to get a decent connection, sometimes all crimped up tight and looking good, then on pulling on the wire when inserted in the connector it pulls out of the crimp, very frustrating.
Back in the 80's built an engine bay wiring loom and invested in a good quality pair of professional pliers and could not believe the difference compared to the cheap home mechanic type pliers.
As said above, no need to solder if crimped properly, however a poor crimp can give you all kinds of grief.
I have previously used cheap crimpers and struggled to get a decent connection, sometimes all crimped up tight and looking good, then on pulling on the wire when inserted in the connector it pulls out of the crimp, very frustrating.
Back in the 80's built an engine bay wiring loom and invested in a good quality pair of professional pliers and could not believe the difference compared to the cheap home mechanic type pliers.
As said above, no need to solder if crimped properly, however a poor crimp can give you all kinds of grief.
mello dude
Half genius, half dumazz whackjob foole
Agree a high quality automotive crimp tool is a must, then also before any job, I practice a few crimps separately. (Besides, my soldering "skills" suck.)
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
I will try to join wires to the fuse box cable with screw connectors inside heat shrink sleeves . The Chinese crimpers had crimp shapes along the handle but the best crimpers have the pressure jaws at the tip of the tool with much more leverage past the pivot join .
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
True. Keep in mind however that to much of a good thing, in this case leverage, is not always a good thing. A crimp that was accomplished with to much compression can be just as prone to failure as an under-crimped connection. The difference being that the cause of the failure is different. As important as the force applied during the crimping process is the selection of the correct crimp die to prevent over-crimping, or avoiding excess force when using a tool where the die does not limit the amount of compression.
They must be the ones with a ratchet built in . But good value if the wire causes a life or death situation . All part of the tightrope act we all enjoy with bikes .
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Not necessarily. The ratchet type can be had at a very reasonable price actually, and they work far better than the standard non-ratcheting type because they usually have much better dies. My set was under $50.00 CAD, so about £30.
There are much better quality, and much more expensive, wire crimpers available that when set to the proper wire and insulation gauge will not allow the connector to be over-crimped no matter how hard they handles are squeezed. Some are ratcheting, some are not. They are even calibrated to a recognized standard, come with a calibration certificate, and depending on where they are being used they need to be sent for re-calibration every six or twelve months. Overkill for our needs and far to expensive for my blood.
There are much better quality, and much more expensive, wire crimpers available that when set to the proper wire and insulation gauge will not allow the connector to be over-crimped no matter how hard they handles are squeezed. Some are ratcheting, some are not. They are even calibrated to a recognized standard, come with a calibration certificate, and depending on where they are being used they need to be sent for re-calibration every six or twelve months. Overkill for our needs and far to expensive for my blood.
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
I found the material the crimps are made off an important issue...
Some alloys are quite brittle, causing the tabs to actually crack in the dye during the forming process; some suffer fatigue on the contact side, providing loose/intermittent contact (or getting hot, annealing the other connector and the piece of cabling while at it...) later on...
Others appear been badly galvanized, corroding soon after installation...
I rather select towards higher priced, brand vendors, then chasing Gremlins later on...
Some alloys are quite brittle, causing the tabs to actually crack in the dye during the forming process; some suffer fatigue on the contact side, providing loose/intermittent contact (or getting hot, annealing the other connector and the piece of cabling while at it...) later on...
Others appear been badly galvanized, corroding soon after installation...
I rather select towards higher priced, brand vendors, then chasing Gremlins later on...