leeds Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Terminals do you solder them or crimp them? Are solder type terminals still available? Anyone tried these small gas powered soldering irons? Are they any good? Regards Leeds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I do both. I only use Lucar connectors. That way I use the insulated cover on the wire.Crimp then solder.Take care not too much solder.Then pull the insulated cover over the connector. The finished job is neat and looks like an original part. I eat rat poison mike I can cause trouble in an empty house !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds Posted May 17, 2006 Author Share Posted May 17, 2006 Hi Mike, where do you get Lucar conections from? Regards Leeds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Yes the gas powered soldering irons are good, but get one of the ones with Piezo ignition as they're alot less hassle to light. Also if you get the right ones you can buy a whole selection of different tips for various jobs. Maplin do a good range as a starting point. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardatherton Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I always solder them. I have never had a soldered connection come apart, whereas the crimped ones on my wife's Fiat 500 are rubbish and we keep having to redo them. I have a Solder Pro 70 (or might be Solder Pro 50) which is excellent. No warm up time, refills from standard fag lighter gas and has lots of different tips for different jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I use both depending on the job and situation but I always use good quality connectors and proper crimping tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gromit Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I have a Solder Pro 70 No warm up time, refills from standard fag lighter gas and has lots of different tips for different jobs. I've a gazcat, which looks very like your one. I'd use it over an electric iron any time. Great piece of kit, and I've had it for years with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Hi I used to build FFR Land Rovers at Racal We were always warned that a soldered connection has a solid end to the multicore wire which stops the wire flexing properly. If too much solder flows down the wire then this inflexible end to the wire is outside of the connector and is not supported correctly, leading to fractured conductors due to vibration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Depends on the job. Most of the time I crimp, but I always use the proper crimping tool. Special connectors for multi-way plugs/sockets get crimped if I have the correct tool or soldered otherwise, same with big battery/winch cables - since I aquired a huge crimping tool, they mostly get crimped now too. Crimping is good providing you use the correct tool for the connector and the correct size wire for the connetor. It also gets away from the problem mentioned above with the solder flowing back down the cable and making it solid. Crimping is much quicker and easier too! I have a solderpro120 from maplin, and it is brilliant, but crimping it still less hassle! [/voice of dissent] Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Hi Mike, where do you get Lucar conections from?Regards Leeds Vehicle Wiring Products. How many do you need Brendan?? I eat rat poison mike I can cause trouble in an empty house !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 A soldered joint will have a slightly higher resistance than a crimped one. I tend to crimp then solder low current, particularly sensor leads. The solder is as much there to protect the crimp from moisture as for the electrical contact. High current stuff, I just crimp, but with a proper crimp tool. I have tried just soldering these (before I had the tool) but found the connectors got very hot due to the high resistance and often the solder just melted. If I were only going to do one, crimping wins for most applicatins. Gas powered soldering irons were a revelation for me when they first appeared (early 80's). Being able to solder outside was brilliant. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 theres no substitue for the correct cable method joining technique of twisting them together and wrapping the whole thing in sellotape or maybe masking tape (depending on budget) Fridgefreezer put me onto this technique - I'd never seen a woodscrew used as a fuse until last night (I've always used nails) but they seem a cheap and reliable alternative - thank you Fridge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=4792 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark90 Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I like doing wiring, I find it kinda theraputic Although trying to find wiring problems/shorts/bad earths/etc isn't quite so much fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Original vehicle harnesses are almost without exception made using crimp connections I think. So that is what I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I like doing wiring, I find it kinda theraputic Although trying to find wiring problems/shorts/bad earths/etc isn't quite so much fun No point asking you to figure out why my aircon clutch isn't engaging them Mate who's an avionics technician spent quite a while studying wiring diagrams and tracing it, but ran out of time. Seems the clutch is operated by the ECU (thought the ECU just took a signal to tell it to up the revs, but there you go), so once it's fixed we've still got to rewire it to work without the ECU for when we finish installing the Megasquirt... Think I'll stick to things I can hit with hammers and leave the electronics to Jonathan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 theres no substitue for the correct cable method joining technique of twisting them together and wrapping the whole thing in sellotape or maybe masking tape (depending on budget)Fridgefreezer put me onto this technique - I'd never seen a woodscrew used as a fuse until last night (I've always used nails) but they seem a cheap and reliable alternative - thank you Fridge! I like to think I bring an air of quality to any job, here's a photo of behind Jez's dashboard : I usually crimp terminals 'cos I can't be bothered with fiddly soldering. If you manage to lose too much solder down a wire then yes it will potentially fatigue, but a quick dab on the crimped bit will help keep a decent contact and resist some strain (although soldering is not supposed to be a mechnical connection). Clipping, heat-shrinking, looming & cable-tying wires neatly and to avoid strain makes a big difference to reliability, if things are done properly a connector or wire should not be able to pull off / break / snap in normal use. Strain relief is a big thing when you start playing with lots of expensive cables, we spend a lot of time, money & effort on it at work and you can be damn sure they wouldn't spend anything on it if they could get away with it! As for the fatigue argument, I know it's naughty but I used several big bits of semi-rigid cable on the 109 (it was all I had to hand at the time) and they never gave trouble, even jump-starting from the alternator post worked nicely . Happily I've found some nice flexible cable now so the next incarnation of the loom will be nicer On the subject of soldering irons, I have one of these: Mainly because they're a stores item at work but they are bluddy brilliant, kick out up to 125W (more if you take the tip off and use it in blow torch mode) and the hot-air tip is handy for heat-shrink. RS want £50 for a kit but I know you can get them for less. They're made by Portasol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 looks almost identical to my Maplins jobbie: They often have this on half price if you subscribe to the email flyers. Thats when I got mine... Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomcat Nev Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I always crimp, my father always solders or does both. I went to the expence of buying him a proper crimp tool - he just used it backwards to 'prove' it was not as good as soldering!!!! As of interest all Railway Signalling wiring is done with crimped wires, it used to be PIDG, but there other types in use now, due to a crimped joint being orders of magnitude better at resisting vibration. Cheers Nev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Spalding Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 According to a buddy of mine who works in aerospace: A properly crimped connection is superior - that is, the terminal sized correctly for the wire, crimped with the appropriate tool. Terminals with the hard plastic insulation, commonly available at hobby or do-it-yourself stores, are never appropriate, as the hard plastic prevents a proper crimp. Better to crimp bare terminals and then add heat shrink insulation. Just my second-hand 2¢. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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