6:35 If you look at your crimper as shown in this moment of your video, you will see a star shaped washer, that has what look like teeth on the top half of the crimper. That washer has a phillips head screw attached to the outside of the washer. That is where you can adjust the crimper to make the connection stronger, or weaker. Simply remove the screw, and rotate the washer, there are arrows pointing in 2 different directions + for stronger, and - for weaker. There is absolutely no need to recrimp a wire terminal 2, 3, or even 4 times as you mentioned. In fact, I actually had to weaken the crimping force on my tool, as it was cutting into the insulation on 12/12g butt connectors.
Thanks for the video. I am embarrassed to admit, I’ve been a hobbyist for many years and find myself disappointed if I have to use a crimp connector for anything at all. I’m very particular with connections and the crimps always seemed too loose. I figured there was no way I was doing it right, yet never sought out a tutorial until today. I was glad to see I wasn’t alone in my frustrations. Between the video and comments, I feel like I’ve completed a master course in crimp connectors. So, thanks again. Very much appreciated
The procedure I use when I am fitting a 22 gauge wire in an 18-22 gauge connector. I will strip more insulation, fold the stranded wire and insert it into the crimp connector round end first, prior to crimping. Loose crimps are caused because the whole isn't 75% or more filled. I am so glad you didn't solder the wire before crimping. Good video.
Hi great video. If you turn around your crimper you will get a better result. When using crimper the coloured dot is the wire side of the crimp. These crimpers have two crimps one for conductor and the other is to crimp around the plastic. They are not the same and would explain your loose crimp. Please do not take this as a criticism the rest of your video was very good and thanks for posting. Cheers.
Yes. VOG, look closely at the half-moon shapes in each position of the crimp dies. Each terminal fits in one location in the die but there are 2 areas (half-moon shapes) that press on the crimp. One of these makes a deeper "squeeze" than does the other one. The correct way to crimp is to make sure the deeper crimp is on the metal of the terminal and the not-so-deep crimp is on the plastic and the insulation of the wire. The not-so-deep crimp creates a strain relief at the outlet of the terminal and holds the wire so that it doesn't move around and ruin your crimp. As Selwyn Tracey says the terminal and wire should be inserted in the crimp tools so that wire end of the terminal comes out the side of the crimp tool that has the colored dot. Also note that the crimp dies in these tools can be removed (take out the screws holding in the dies) and installed such that the colored dots can be on either side. But I think that the dies are designed to fit best in the tool if they are installed with the yellow dot nearest the hand grips. No need for solder!
How refreshing to read a constructive comment given AND ACCEPTED gracefully! Yes, that too is the first thing I noticed. I finally managed to snag a (used of course) 59170 Amp crimp tool and had been using IT backward also. It always seemed to be so awkward, and last night I had a few minutes to read up on how to use it properly. You are so right - the dies are asymmetrical and crimp the conductor different from the insulation. The trick is that the wire goes on the side with the dots - as far as I can tell, that is true for all crimpers. Cheers.
Soldering wire crimp connectors can be OK in low vibration contexts but for automotive or more "active" settings that can be a problem. The act of soldering the tip of a wire makes it very rigid while the main part stays flexible. The point of transiton between states is rather sudden and that is the point along the wire where ALL the bending happens and that is where all the weakening happens until the wire is broken by each wiggle. Crimping only doesn't create that obrupt spot where all the bending happens and so actually is more durable when there is lots of agitation. (why automotive experts prefer it that way :-) ) - Got this info from Jack on EVTV who is quite adament about this and he's almost right on things mechanical/electrical/technological/even-political. Incidentally copper wire seems to become MORE rigid as it bends and so each bending would be inclined to be at a subtly different spot alonge the wire. Crimp connectors on normally and you get to take advantage of the virtues of copper. :-)
I think your regional accent is about the best out of all them. I am from US and we like British accents over here. Anyway, thanks for the great info. I am new at using the crimper to make DuPont connectors and I appreciate the time you took to share your knowledge.
A little tip for those of you making connections using crimp-on connectors, invest in a bottle of Nolox. Ideal is the company that primarily sells it here in the states, and is used on mechanical lugs where aluminum wire is used. It is a conductive gel used to prevent corrosion on aluminum to aluminum contacts or copper to aluminum. Squeeze a SMALL amount into the wire opening before you insert the bared wire, then crimp as normal. Also, those spade connectors are notorious for crap connections in a vibration-prone application (cars, planes, boats) a LITTLE dab of Nolox into the female spade end before insertion will help to avoid said issues. you're welcome👍
Thank you! Good to know I'm not the only one who never has any luck crimping wires to connectors. I never thought of pulling off the insulation first and then soldering the connector onto the wire - what a great idea! Thank you for an excellent video...
brilliant video... love your accent, im a Japanese female, study to be a electronic engineer in naval science... you video help me a lot... lots of love from miruyoshi, Japan
Love this. I'm a belt AND suspenders guy and like you, I don't trust the crimp alone. A little extra time with some solder on top of the crimp will give me peace of mind.
As a panel wireman I use crimps and bootlaces all day. The cembre crimper and nippex bootlace crimper are very reliable. Your crimper will have a + and - to adjust the tension of the spring. This will ensure a good connection. A pull test will also confirm if. The cable is sound. You can also tell if you’ve miscrimped as it doesn’t feel right.
PVC insulation tape is never a permanent solution, particularly for crimp connectors. It's prone to degrading and unravelling over time. Heat shrink sleeve is a much more durable alternative. It also makes a much neater result.
Thanks very much for this informative video. It bothered the heck out of me that I could easily pull the crimp connector off of the wire, which means it's a very unreliable connection. I almost went out and bought a dedicated crimper until I watched this. I much prefer the soldering method!
Thanks Man. I have had a similar experience with crimping wires. I can never, ever get those crimped well enough to feel comfortable about the connection long term. I certainly like the idea of pulling back the insulation to visualize what you are crimping and there is in-fact a good tight squeeze on the wires. And of coarse the soldering of the connection seals the deal with confidence. A lot of my applications need to be waterproof so I think I may buy the connectors without a sleeve and use a good heat shrink over the connector. Thanks for the video, its helpful for a self taught person like me to see what others are doing!
Just before seeing your video I was already soldering my wires connectors because I didn't want to spend for an extra tools just to crimps 😆 Old reliable methods are the best even if it require more dexterity and time.
You are able to increase the crimp strength by changing the tooth the screw just above the handle is holding in place. I have had a few pairs of crimps and have always had to adjust this. However, soldering will always be better. Awesome video!
I am a solder it before crimp it person but the weakness of a solder connection is vibration. Try this experiment tin a section of copper multi strand wire. Bend the tinned section back and forth, it will snap very quickly, usually where the tinned area merges with the un-tinned. Soldered joints should not be used where vibration is an issue. You do have to balance that against the downside of a crimped cable which is electrolytic corrosion caused by different metals touching each other. In my view the best connection is a marine type. The copper cable comes with each individual strand tinned with a zinc, tin and lead solder. The cable is still very flexible and is crimped onto high quality tinned brass terminals. This type of connection is vibration tolerant and resistant to corrosion There is probably a higher standard for aerospace but for me marine quality is as good as I need.. BTW love your videos
You're absolutely correct about solder embrittlement. If there's any chance of the cable vibrating then you need heat-shrink over the splice. But a crimp splice is better than a solder splice with heat-shrink. For avionics the wire and crimp barrel are untinned. Wire is copper, crimp contacts for connectors are beryllium-copper (or similar) gold-plated (5 microns over nickel flash) for the connector contact area, usually unplated crimp barrel. For electrical distribution the wire is copper and so is the ring terminal. The pressure from the crimp tool is enough to cold-weld them together. A Hellerman Deutsch rep I occasionally encountered showed me one that had been sectioned so the cold weld was visible. The individual strands of the cable cold-welded together and the barrel of the crimp cold-welded to the wire with no voids between the strands or between barrel and strands. The crimp barrel was as thick as my wrist - that takes a serious crimping tool. A good crimp is the most reliable joint you can get. A bad crimp is a failure waiting to happen.
@@bdf2718 We joke that anything in the marine world comes with an extra zero on the price tag I guess in avionics you can add a couple or three zeros. Interesting point about the cold welding that's kind of wow!
Brill - as a complete numpty, I hadn't realised the significance of the colour code! Or sliding the wire on the soldering iron to prevent lumps. Some of my soldering looks like modern art!
Forks are also a viable alternative for wiring stranded wire to outlets and light switches here in north america (Canada & US), especially if the length doesn't allow you to do a usual loop with a piece of insulation sort of serving as a bootlace. There also exist forks with the tips bended upwards, as an extra safety to prevent the wire from slipping out, but they're a bit more annoying to remove and, so far, as long as you tighten down the scrww properly, it won't come off.
I agree with your comment concerning the poor connection that crimping can sometimes chive. I my experience crimping often leaves the wire loose. And I have tried inserting the wire on both sides of the crimping tool.
I too was never happy with how plastic insulated terminals crimped, so I've always done exactly this and pulled the plastic cramp off, crimped and then soldered. You can also buy uninsulated terminals which come with rubber insulation which you slide over after crimping/soldering. I actually like to use heat shrink as well before sliding the insulation over it if I want to be really safe.
this is why i love working on my car it's because i always get to learn something that i didn't know spade, bullet, ring, fork, and butt connectors even the right and wrong way to insert the wire and connector into the crimping pliers twisting the wire versus leaving it straight i love learning this kind of stuff
I am SO glad I had watched your veg oil videos because clearly the algorithm knew I wanted to watch your video on how to crimp these little guys. SO glad i did because having used the method you describe at the end (without solder I confess) for many years, I always felt like a plebian compared to the superior crimp-tool owner/operators. Some of these double-hinged mechanisms are €500+! That's double-unhinged if you ask me. I was eyeing up a €80 set on scamazon, but now that I realise magic doesn't exist, i'll go back to using plyers and patience to get a known-good result. Top video! Edit: Although i've heard that solder on a 240V AC connection might be dangerous, but i've not heard as to why it should be more dangerous as to the exact same connection without solder. Would be good to know the mechanics behind why solder on AC is bad, because it's pretty counter-intuitive.
Thanks for the informative video, I, as a DC electrical hobbyist have been building Brown's gas generators which work on the basis of electrolysis, I've been having trouble with ring connectors ie the wire which I crimped coming lose when I thought it as securely crimped, you say you don't trust crimpers! I thought I was doing something wrong when crimping these ring connectors, but your comment about soldering has me thinking, and the humour helped too lol.
heres the maximum size cable for those crimps. red is 1.5mm, blue 2.5mm and yellow 6mm cable. and the crimpers you was using are really intended for the butt splice connector. if you was putting 0.75 into that 1.5mm crimp, i would strip of extra cable then bend it back on itself to thicken it, usually helps make a better fit and more secure.
I find a big reason for the bad connections on those insulated terminals is because even the matching dies in that ratcheting type crimper cannot accommodate for the insulation itself and doesn't quite squeeze the barrels of the terminals closed like it should. So basically those jaws with the colored dots on em don't work for shit. But if you just use the equivalent non insulated dies which have a detent that punches the barrel down and forces it to form around the detent, there's no way in hell that wire is coming out. I've tested all kinda gauges with all different types of terminals and the wire itself snaps before pulling free of the crimp. The only downside kinda is the detent can sometimes gouge out or make small tears in the nylon insulation. But if you use the heatshrink kind of crimp terminals, that's not a problem at all. It totally heals itself. So really, always use the non insulated portion of the crimp tool for both insulated and non insulated terminals for a rock solid connection.
Pretty good video... thanks. I'd like to say that if using the properly sized connector for the wire gauge being used, and a quality crimping tool, then the crimp should be adequate without the need for soldering. Also, it should be noted that crimping should be used on stranded wire only.
I'm with you on these connectors. I think they get a bad crimp from having plastic over the top. I buy un-insulated ones and used short bits of heat shrink on top. Not to mention the colours look hideous on a nice car build.
I too, dislike Teese primo conector. I only use them on temp installations, and come back to make a better connection. I use some techniques when slicing or connecting terminals when not on a bus bar. First, I never crimp both wires side by side. I always offset one from the other. I Also put the female on one wire and the other female on the opposite second wire and vice versa with the males. This way there's no way to crosswire. Also if splicing severa wires on the same bundle, I offset each butt splice so the finished bundle is close to the original and not having a bulge of splices in the same location. Thanks for sharing.
Where possible, I slide on a short length of heat shrink tubing over the wire first. Then, crimp the connector ( often with the coloured plastic sleeve removed like you did), and finally, heat shrink the tubing for a nice clean and protected connector.
Good stuff. Just this year I decided to finally get into electronics (Actually studying it) and replacing triacs, capacitors, etc. And Friday I was just at a store checking out crimping connectors.
Don't be put off by my comments. Many people LOVE crimping. Just invest is GOOD quality crimping pliers and you should be fine. I'm always too tight to splash out on something that I don't use that often and enjoy an excuse to get my soldering iron fired up... primal urges I guess... man-make-fire-ug Did you get my reply to your second email? I only ask as I was having email problems that day.
Ah yeah, I got the reply :) I've been learning the fine art of video editing. And yep, I prefer the soldering gun for sure. I have a cheapo one that works surprisingly well so far.
I thought I was the only one that did that sometimes with the crimp connectors. I often use non insulated butt connectors, solder them and use marine shrink wrap. It's easier to solder it since it's joined and the solder makes for a very secure connection. It all takes a lot more time though.
Sorry if all ready mentioned or asked, but would it make sense to use a female connector where the wire is a supply of positive (on a negative ground system) since it would be less likely to cause a dead short for the instance when the connector was unhooked than if it were a male?
Crimps are very reliable, if done correctly. Select correct crimp and wire combination, crimp with a quality tool with the correct die and the correct orientation. Select the correct crimp for the job, either plastic insulated, heat shrink, or uninsulated. All have their correct application. Soldering crimps is at best unnecessary, and if done poorly just as likely to fail. The most important thing to do after crimping is give the crimp a good tug, to test security. Critical connections in industry are sometimes verified by sampling using a strain gauge.
the bullet is a great replacement for the butt splicer, and liquid electrical tape is better than tape for bonding to the connections and there's no glue to fail. Also, some connectors have shrink tube as part of their insulation.
I prefer the naked connectors that come with separate, soft silicone boots. I find this type makes a much stronger connection since you are crimping directly metal to metal, not through the plastic protector. You you need to get a dedicated crimping bit for your crimping tool, mind. >
Try ferrule crimping some day. it gives an insanely strong crimp. also, I've always really hated those spade connectors because some of them are very hard to pull out once plugged in, but are unavoidable with some relays and other things. The ring ones are great though.
Thank you so much man, I've had them for years, and I just searched in order to learn where is each one of them used, especially about the fork. However, I also received tips about how to connect them.
Can the terminals with the plastic be used on oven wires? I am talking about the wires that connect to the element. My old connectors got burnt so bad they feel apart and they had no plastic on them so i know it gets hot down there.
we call that connector an EYE, and a variant of it with the side open a HOOK, The spade is a spade, normally two sizes 3/16 and 1/4, this is mainly to keep maintenance personnel from mixing up where they connect like two different voltages...
There are different crimp tools for naked connectors they leave a distinct dimple. I usually also remove the plastic and use the naked crimp tool or whatever it is called and after checking the crimp slip the plastic back on.
GREAT Video! I think your method is better than crimping, but you only show the male bullet connector's plastic cover being removed, but that's the easy one to do with needle nose pliers :) As you don't have the metal connector sticking out to grab hold of, how do you remove the plastic cover on the female bullet connector?
Jeff Thank you for making this very interesting and useful video for UA-cam, Trying to make up wiring cables for my model railway points which use spade connectors. Learnt a lot from your video. Regards TONY
In ref to why some people call fork connectors spade connectors. The simple fact that you are doing this video is evidence that there are people that don't have a clue when it comes to connectors. This is through no fault of theirs, after all they are watching videos such as this in an effort to learn. However, if you imagine yourself as a person that has absolutely no experience with connectors and visually inspect the female half of a of a spade connector, it would be easy to assume that a fork connector is the male half. Thank you for emphasizing the difference.
Good crimping tools are big and expensive. Mine resembles and is nearly as big as a small bolt-cutter. With such a tool, it is possible to apply significant pressure around the connector lugs and create fantastic joints.
I used to build control panels and I used all those connectors . Over here in the states if you had to do a UL listed panel you had to use the manufacturer of connectors crimp tool I don't know if European standards is the same but that would be a good question and most important cheers with a beer
Thank you for this information. Would taking off the plastic cover and then using pliers to fix the wire into the connector would be enough without having to solder it then slip the cover back over?
Crimp connections are used extensively over solder connections in industrial, automotive & aerospace because they are very repeatable. Solder connections are frowned upon especially in power conductors as a fault condition can melt the solder. There is a range of wire gauge for each crimp type but if you have wire which is too thin the crimp will feel loose. It is acceptable practice to add filler strands or to fold the copper over on itself to better fill the barrel before crimping.
Great video indeed! However if I were you I would negate the use of ferrules altogether and just twist the wires together then use the solder thereafter wrap everything with insulation tape ✌️ Great explanatory video 👍
I love the 'solder' idea, however, if you have both hands up tight inside a car dashboard, a bit unwieldy & impractical, but certainly on a workbench, I'm in!
Two things that would've given you a better crimp on the first try. First you were putting the crimp end in from wrong side of crimping tool and second your crimping tool has an adjuster to give you a tighter crimp.
I’m an engineer and a good part of my job is wiring up new machines, I do a similar process to your working method by removing enough insulation to fit the terminal, I removed the exterior insulation of the crimp to expose the tinned metal interior, rather than use needle nose pliers to close the crimp I have an old set of crimping tool that’s to butterfly uninsulated crimps together, I use them mostly as I feel that the needle nose pliers will not close the crimp effectively and has a high probability that the wire will slip out under tension, in the late 90’s I used to fit Clifford car alarms and they supply a special type of crimps that “squeezed the crimp into a oval cross section” these would push a middle of the insulation crimp into itself,like punching an small area through the other side, this was proven to be one of the best ways, as it gave 100% of the surface area of the crimp to the copper wire. It was a good back bone of Clifford alarms that there was a very high success rate of it never failing, great video, keep up the great work!....Phil
Thank you!! My hood pin for my universal car alarm snapped off with a light accidental hand and I have to figure out how to crimp a new (now I know what it’s called) spade connector to a female blue thank you!!
I’ve also used these insulated connectors and removed the insulation as well then crimped with a pliers for non insulated connectors. This gives a strong clamp then I used shrinking tube over. Alternatively you can use the old insulation but you need to squeeze it slightly to prevent the wire bending or moving from the joint. Soldering helps a lot and if the melted metal is absorbed by the wire it will prevent bending because it will be more rigid.
If you're crimping properly you don't need solder. A crimped connection is gas tight and cold welded. Adding solder actually makes the joint worse under vibration or mechanical stress. If you're not worried about either of those you might as well just solder and not crimp. Source: NASA.
I love how you showed everyone how to crimp by soldering lol. I feel the same way about crimping it just seems like it will fail at some point in time.
The crimping tool you are using is sold under several different brand names. My issue is it's easy to confuse which way to orient it on the terminal. Only one way is correct. I labeled mine with a pemanent marker so whem working at odd angles I don't screw up.
I bought a ratchet crimping tool by misstake today, thinking it was a cord cutter/cordpeeling tool, and I had no f-ing idea what I just bought xD But know I see that it actually might be useful! =) I actually wondered some days ago how to attach different connectors on my cords, and it seems that I've just bought the solution without knowing it xD
I am working on an engine harness for a General Motors LS engine and I need to confirm is the end connectors as Mouser 829-13580639/Aptiv 13580639 connectors and I need to know what is the correct crimping tool to use for these connectors. I have been told that crimping tools 12125080 , 624-1028ct, and 601-24-8644p will work, but they seem a bit expensive. Can you confirm these or make recommendations?
6:35 If you look at your crimper as shown in this moment of your video, you will see a star shaped washer, that has what look like teeth on the top half of the crimper. That washer has a phillips head screw attached to the outside of the washer. That is where you can adjust the crimper to make the connection stronger, or weaker. Simply remove the screw, and rotate the washer, there are arrows pointing in 2 different directions + for stronger, and - for weaker. There is absolutely no need to recrimp a wire terminal 2, 3, or even 4 times as you mentioned. In fact, I actually had to weaken the crimping force on my tool, as it was cutting into the insulation on 12/12g butt connectors.
Thanks for the video. I am embarrassed to admit, I’ve been a hobbyist for many years and find myself disappointed if I have to use a crimp connector for anything at all. I’m very particular with connections and the crimps always seemed too loose. I figured there was no way I was doing it right, yet never sought out a tutorial until today. I was glad to see I wasn’t alone in my frustrations. Between the video and comments, I feel like I’ve completed a master course in crimp connectors. So, thanks again. Very much appreciated
The procedure I use when I am fitting a 22 gauge wire in an 18-22 gauge connector. I will strip more insulation, fold the stranded wire and insert it into the crimp connector round end first, prior to crimping. Loose crimps are caused because the whole isn't 75% or more filled. I am so glad you didn't solder the wire before crimping. Good video.
Hi great video. If you turn around your crimper you will get a better result. When using crimper the coloured dot is the wire side of the crimp. These crimpers have two crimps one for conductor and the other is to crimp around the plastic. They are not the same and would explain your loose crimp. Please do not take this as a criticism the rest of your video was very good and thanks for posting. Cheers.
Hi Selwyn. No offence taken my friend. I appreciate the tip. I'm always happy to learn : )
Yes. VOG, look closely at the half-moon shapes in each position of the crimp dies. Each terminal fits in one location in the die but there are 2 areas (half-moon shapes) that press on the crimp. One of these makes a deeper "squeeze" than does the other one. The correct way to crimp is to make sure the deeper crimp is on the metal of the terminal and the not-so-deep crimp is on the plastic and the insulation of the wire. The not-so-deep crimp creates a strain relief at the outlet of the terminal and holds the wire so that it doesn't move around and ruin your crimp.
As Selwyn Tracey says the terminal and wire should be inserted in the crimp tools so that wire end of the terminal comes out the side of the crimp tool that has the colored dot.
Also note that the crimp dies in these tools can be removed (take out the screws holding in the dies) and installed such that the colored dots can be on either side. But I think that the dies are designed to fit best in the tool if they are installed with the yellow dot nearest the hand grips.
No need for solder!
How refreshing to read a constructive comment given AND ACCEPTED gracefully! Yes, that too is the first thing I noticed.
I finally managed to snag a (used of course) 59170 Amp crimp tool and had been using IT backward also. It always seemed to be so awkward, and last night I had a few minutes to read up on how to use it properly. You are so right - the dies are asymmetrical and crimp the conductor different from the insulation. The trick is that the wire goes on the side with the dots - as far as I can tell, that is true for all crimpers. Cheers.
James Wills I was thinking EXACTLY that!!
VOG you’ll prosper in life with an attitude like this chief, all the best 👍
Soldering wire crimp connectors can be OK in low vibration contexts but for automotive or more "active" settings that can be a problem. The act of soldering the tip of a wire makes it very rigid while the main part stays flexible. The point of transiton between states is rather sudden and that is the point along the wire where ALL the bending happens and that is where all the weakening happens until the wire is broken by each wiggle. Crimping only doesn't create that obrupt spot where all the bending happens and so actually is more durable when there is lots of agitation. (why automotive experts prefer it that way :-) ) - Got this info from Jack on EVTV who is quite adament about this and he's almost right on things mechanical/electrical/technological/even-political. Incidentally copper wire seems to become MORE rigid as it bends and so each bending would be inclined to be at a subtly different spot alonge the wire. Crimp connectors on normally and you get to take advantage of the virtues of copper. :-)
I think your regional accent is about the best out of all them. I am from US and we like British accents over here. Anyway, thanks for the great info. I am new at using the crimper to make DuPont connectors and I appreciate the time you took to share your knowledge.
Hi Dave. Thanks for the compliment and positive input. It's appreciated : )
A little tip for those of you making connections using crimp-on connectors, invest in a bottle of Nolox. Ideal is the company that primarily sells it here in the states, and is used on mechanical lugs where aluminum wire is used. It is a conductive gel used to prevent corrosion on aluminum to aluminum contacts or copper to aluminum. Squeeze a SMALL amount into the wire opening before you insert the bared wire, then crimp as normal. Also, those spade connectors are notorious for crap connections in a vibration-prone application (cars, planes, boats) a LITTLE dab of Nolox into the female spade end before insertion will help to avoid said issues.
you're welcome👍
Thank you! Good to know I'm not the only one who never has any luck crimping wires to connectors. I never thought of pulling off the insulation first and then soldering the connector onto the wire - what a great idea! Thank you for an excellent video...
brilliant video... love your accent, im a Japanese female, study to be a electronic engineer in naval science... you video help me a lot... lots of love from miruyoshi, Japan
Many thanks. Good luck with your studies : )
Love this. I'm a belt AND suspenders guy and like you, I don't trust the crimp alone. A little extra time with some solder on top of the crimp will give me peace of mind.
Glad you enjoyed it 😁
That spade-garden-addition joke was excellent. Totally got me as I was half-distracted checking something else while you got rolling here. Well done!
Manicurists...
As a panel wireman I use crimps and bootlaces all day.
The cembre crimper and nippex bootlace crimper are very reliable.
Your crimper will have a + and - to adjust the tension of the spring.
This will ensure a good connection.
A pull test will also confirm if. The cable is sound.
You can also tell if you’ve miscrimped as it doesn’t feel right.
Thanks for your input Carl : )
his crimpers were best suited for the butt splice crimp, as they crimp both cables coming in. theres a different set that only crimps on one side.
Google didn't find a hit on either of those tools.
@@carleynorthcoast1915 Try these:
Cembre HN1 crimping tool
Knipex 975504 Crimping Pliers for wire ferrules
Perfect in every way. All I wanted to know I found right here concisely and simply put. Why cant all of youtube be like this?
Many thanks 😁
PVC insulation tape is never a permanent solution, particularly for crimp connectors. It's prone to degrading and unravelling over time. Heat shrink sleeve is a much more durable alternative. It also makes a much neater result.
Thanks very much for this informative video. It bothered the heck out of me that I could easily pull the crimp connector off of the wire, which means it's a very unreliable connection. I almost went out and bought a dedicated crimper until I watched this. I much prefer the soldering method!
Great video for a noob like me who never paid attention at school and is only just learning this stuff now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Glad to help
wish I had a teacher like you at school , really like the way you make your points
Thanks Man. I have had a similar experience with crimping wires. I can never, ever get those crimped well enough to feel comfortable about the connection long term. I certainly like the idea of pulling back the insulation to visualize what you are crimping and there is in-fact a good tight squeeze on the wires. And of coarse the soldering of the connection seals the deal with confidence. A lot of my applications need to be waterproof so I think I may buy the connectors without a sleeve and use a good heat shrink over the connector. Thanks for the video, its helpful for a self taught person like me to see what others are doing!
Just before seeing your video I was already soldering my wires connectors because I didn't want to spend for an extra tools just to crimps 😆 Old reliable methods are the best even if it require more dexterity and time.
It's whatever works best for you my friend. 😁
You are able to increase the crimp strength by changing the tooth the screw just above the handle is holding in place. I have had a few pairs of crimps and have always had to adjust this.
However, soldering will always be better. Awesome video!
Many thanks : )
Thanks 👍 I was having to use the red crimp on the blue 16 gauge to get a solid crimp..
I am a solder it before crimp it person but the weakness of a solder connection is vibration. Try this experiment tin a section of copper multi strand wire. Bend the tinned section back and forth, it will snap very quickly, usually where the tinned area merges with the un-tinned. Soldered joints should not be used where vibration is an issue. You do have to balance that against the downside of a crimped cable which is electrolytic corrosion caused by different metals touching each other.
In my view the best connection is a marine type. The copper cable comes with each individual strand tinned with a zinc, tin and lead solder. The cable is still very flexible and is crimped onto high quality tinned brass terminals. This type of connection is vibration tolerant and resistant to corrosion
There is probably a higher standard for aerospace but for me marine quality is as good as I need.. BTW love your videos
You're absolutely correct about solder embrittlement. If there's any chance of the cable vibrating then you need heat-shrink over the splice. But a crimp splice is better than a solder splice with heat-shrink.
For avionics the wire and crimp barrel are untinned. Wire is copper, crimp contacts for connectors are beryllium-copper (or similar) gold-plated (5 microns over nickel flash) for the connector contact area, usually unplated crimp barrel.
For electrical distribution the wire is copper and so is the ring terminal. The pressure from the crimp tool is enough to cold-weld them together. A Hellerman Deutsch rep I occasionally encountered showed me one that had been sectioned so the cold weld was visible. The individual strands of the cable cold-welded together and the barrel of the crimp cold-welded to the wire with no voids between the strands or between barrel and strands. The crimp barrel was as thick as my wrist - that takes a serious crimping tool.
A good crimp is the most reliable joint you can get. A bad crimp is a failure waiting to happen.
@@bdf2718 We joke that anything in the marine world comes with an extra zero on the price tag I guess in avionics you can add a couple or three zeros. Interesting point about the cold welding that's kind of wow!
Brill - as a complete numpty, I hadn't realised the significance of the colour code! Or sliding the wire on the soldering iron to prevent lumps. Some of my soldering looks like modern art!
the resting on soldering iron tip!! absolutely brilliant hack, big thanks.
Glad you liked it!
@@vogman had a crimpin' session yesterday, felt like a pro!
Forks are also a viable alternative for wiring stranded wire to outlets and light switches here in north america (Canada & US), especially if the length doesn't allow you to do a usual loop with a piece of insulation sort of serving as a bootlace. There also exist forks with the tips bended upwards, as an extra safety to prevent the wire from slipping out, but they're a bit more annoying to remove and, so far, as long as you tighten down the scrww properly, it won't come off.
I'm brand new to electronics and this video explained literally everything I needed to know about these connectors! Thank you so much!
Same here !!
I agree with your comment concerning the poor connection that crimping can sometimes chive. I my experience crimping often leaves the wire loose. And I have tried inserting the wire on both sides of the crimping tool.
I too was never happy with how plastic insulated terminals crimped, so I've always done exactly this and pulled the plastic cramp off, crimped and then soldered. You can also buy uninsulated terminals which come with rubber insulation which you slide over after crimping/soldering. I actually like to use heat shrink as well before sliding the insulation over it if I want to be really safe.
Apparently, it's not good to crimp and solder because it could cause the wire to break
I do believe your system is much better than standard crimping; thank you PATRICK.P
Very helpful to me. I had no idea how to fit a bullet connector. Now I know. Thanks for taking the time to make & post this, Geoff
Happy to help : )
This is a really excellent introduction to the different types of crimp connectors and the best uses for each type. Thanks!
Thanks Andrea : )
6:06 You're using the tool backwards, that's why the crimps are loose. (sorry already mentioned)
this is why i love working on my car
it's because i always get to learn something that i didn't know
spade, bullet, ring, fork, and butt connectors
even the right and wrong way to insert the wire and connector into the crimping pliers
twisting the wire versus leaving it straight
i love learning this kind of stuff
I am SO glad I had watched your veg oil videos because clearly the algorithm knew I wanted to watch your video on how to crimp these little guys. SO glad i did because having used the method you describe at the end (without solder I confess) for many years, I always felt like a plebian compared to the superior crimp-tool owner/operators. Some of these double-hinged mechanisms are €500+! That's double-unhinged if you ask me. I was eyeing up a €80 set on scamazon, but now that I realise magic doesn't exist, i'll go back to using plyers and patience to get a known-good result. Top video!
Edit: Although i've heard that solder on a 240V AC connection might be dangerous, but i've not heard as to why it should be more dangerous as to the exact same connection without solder. Would be good to know the mechanics behind why solder on AC is bad, because it's pretty counter-intuitive.
So glad that I am not the only one that doesnt like crimp connectors. Thank you for the video
Thanks for the informative video, I, as a DC electrical hobbyist have been building Brown's gas generators which work on the basis of electrolysis, I've been having trouble with ring connectors ie the wire which I crimped coming lose when I thought it as securely crimped, you say you don't trust crimpers! I thought I was doing something wrong when crimping these ring connectors, but your comment about soldering has me thinking, and the humour helped too lol.
I am a complete flop at crimping. Thanks for showing an alternative way to secure the wires.
No problem 👍
heres the maximum size cable for those crimps. red is 1.5mm, blue 2.5mm and yellow 6mm cable. and the crimpers you was using are really intended for the butt splice connector. if you was putting 0.75 into that 1.5mm crimp, i would strip of extra cable then bend it back on itself to thicken it, usually helps make a better fit and more secure.
I find a big reason for the bad connections on those insulated terminals is because even the matching dies in that ratcheting type crimper cannot accommodate for the insulation itself and doesn't quite squeeze the barrels of the terminals closed like it should. So basically those jaws with the colored dots on em don't work for shit. But if you just use the equivalent non insulated dies which have a detent that punches the barrel down and forces it to form around the detent, there's no way in hell that wire is coming out. I've tested all kinda gauges with all different types of terminals and the wire itself snaps before pulling free of the crimp.
The only downside kinda is the detent can sometimes gouge out or make small tears in the nylon insulation. But if you use the heatshrink kind of crimp terminals, that's not a problem at all. It totally heals itself. So really, always use the non insulated portion of the crimp tool for both insulated and non insulated terminals for a rock solid connection.
Very informative video. Clear, concise and a touch of humor too. Thank you!
Thanks man! You made me understand much more about these little guys and how can they help me in my projects!
You're such a dad and I love it
I'll take that as a compliment 😁😁😁
That's exactly what it is! I love your channel!
The joke about your wife recovering cracked me up a lot. I didn't expect it that was good.
Pretty good video... thanks. I'd like to say that if using the properly sized connector for the wire gauge being used, and a quality crimping tool, then the crimp should be adequate without the need for soldering. Also, it should be noted that crimping should be used on stranded wire only.
I'm with you on these connectors. I think they get a bad crimp from having plastic over the top. I buy un-insulated ones and used short bits of heat shrink on top. Not to mention the colours look hideous on a nice car build.
I too, dislike Teese primo conector. I only use them on temp installations, and come back to make a better connection. I use some techniques when slicing or connecting terminals when not on a bus bar. First, I never crimp both wires side by side. I always offset one from the other. I Also put the female on one wire and the other female on the opposite second wire and vice versa with the males. This way there's no way to crosswire. Also if splicing severa wires on the same bundle, I offset each butt splice so the finished bundle is close to the original and not having a bulge of splices in the same location. Thanks for sharing.
Between the video and comments regarding crimping, this helped me out alot. Thanks very much.
Thanks James. Glad I could help : )
Where possible, I slide on a short length of heat shrink tubing over the wire first. Then, crimp the connector ( often with the coloured plastic sleeve removed like you did), and finally, heat shrink the tubing for a nice clean and protected connector.
Best video on this subject, I learned a lot and am now more informed and have a better knowledge on what to use
Glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant, simple informative video. Straight to the point. Easy to follow & understand. Thank you
Thanks Danny : )
You are such a good teacher on these things
You're very kind Mark : )
Good stuff. Just this year I decided to finally get into electronics (Actually studying it) and replacing triacs, capacitors, etc. And Friday I was just at a store checking out crimping connectors.
Don't be put off by my comments. Many people LOVE crimping. Just invest is GOOD quality crimping pliers and you should be fine. I'm always too tight to splash out on something that I don't use that often and enjoy an excuse to get my soldering iron fired up... primal urges I guess... man-make-fire-ug
Did you get my reply to your second email? I only ask as I was having email problems that day.
Ah yeah, I got the reply :) I've been learning the fine art of video editing. And yep, I prefer the soldering gun for sure. I have a cheapo one that works surprisingly well so far.
There's always something to learn ; )
So Clear & Concise Instructions..........A1 Tutorial.
I thought I was the only one that did that sometimes with the crimp connectors. I often use non insulated butt connectors, solder them and use marine shrink wrap. It's easier to solder it since it's joined and the solder makes for a very secure connection. It all takes a lot more time though.
Great video well explained, also nice to see without crap background music
"My wife has recovered fine." That's fire! ;-)
I like to live dangerously ; )
@@vogman 👍🏼
You 🤩🤩wife my wife
This video was great, i got the information i came for and some extra comedy on the side that i wasn't expecting. Lol
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sorry if all ready mentioned or asked, but would it make sense to use a female connector where the wire is a supply of positive (on a negative ground system) since it would be less likely to cause a dead short for the instance when the connector was unhooked than if it were a male?
Crimps are very reliable, if done correctly. Select correct crimp and wire combination, crimp with a quality tool with the correct die and the correct orientation. Select the correct crimp for the job, either plastic insulated, heat shrink, or uninsulated. All have their correct application. Soldering crimps is at best unnecessary, and if done poorly just as likely to fail. The most important thing to do after crimping is give the crimp a good tug, to test security. Critical connections in industry are sometimes verified by sampling using a strain gauge.
Great video - great narration, clear, concise and very helpful - thankyou.
Very kind, thanks : )
Thanks for the video. Your soldering method is great. I will use that next time. From Cyprus
Glad it helped
the bullet is a great replacement for the butt splicer, and liquid electrical tape is better than tape for bonding to the connections and there's no glue to fail. Also, some connectors have shrink tube as part of their insulation.
Sometimes you shouldn't use solder as it can reflow with heat or over time (it's a slow liquid), that's why solderless connections are sometimes best.
If your solder is melting without someone applying heat to it then something is extremely wrong in the electrical connection.
Woah, timestamps at the beginning of the video, good explanations even some jokes. Maybe that last one needs a bit more work but well done!
Thanks for the explanations. Now I understand how this thing works! ✌️
Great informative video. Very valuable information. Thank you for taking the time to explain. Great sense of humor as well.
Thanks Daniel : )
I prefer the naked connectors that come with separate, soft silicone boots.
I find this type makes a much stronger connection since you are crimping directly metal to metal, not through the plastic protector.
You you need to get a dedicated crimping bit for your crimping tool, mind.
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Really helpful, thank you. It helped me re-wire my switch panel on my boat.
Glad it helped
That explains so much. I was using yellow and wondering why all my connections always were so loose . I just needed smaller red ones. Thanks alot !
Glad I could help!
Try ferrule crimping some day. it gives an insanely strong crimp. also, I've always really hated those spade connectors because some of them are very hard to pull out once plugged in, but are unavoidable with some relays and other things. The ring ones are great though.
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the video very informative. My way always to solder the wire and insert it in the connecter then crimp it.
Thank you so much man, I've had them for years, and I just searched in order to learn where is each one of them used, especially about the fork. However, I also received tips about how to connect them.
Glad it helped 😁
Can the terminals with the plastic be used on oven wires? I am talking about the wires that connect to the element. My old connectors got burnt so bad they feel apart and they had no plastic on them so i know it gets hot down there.
we call that connector an EYE, and a variant of it with the side open a HOOK, The spade is a spade, normally two sizes 3/16 and 1/4, this is mainly to keep maintenance personnel from mixing up where they connect like two different voltages...
There are different crimp tools for naked connectors they leave a distinct dimple. I usually also remove the plastic and use the naked crimp tool or whatever it is called and after checking the crimp slip the plastic back on.
GREAT Video!
I think your method is better than crimping, but you only show the male bullet connector's plastic cover being removed, but that's the easy one to do with needle nose pliers :) As you don't have the metal connector sticking out to grab hold of, how do you remove the plastic cover on the female bullet connector?
Jeff Thank you for making this very interesting and useful video for UA-cam, Trying to make up wiring cables for my model railway points which use spade connectors. Learnt a lot from your video. Regards TONY
In ref to why some people call fork connectors spade connectors. The simple fact that you are doing this video is evidence that there are people that don't have a clue when it comes to connectors. This is through no fault of theirs, after all they are watching videos such as this in an effort to learn. However, if you imagine yourself as a person that has absolutely no experience with connectors and visually inspect the female half of a of a spade connector, it would be easy to assume that a fork connector is the male half. Thank you for emphasizing the difference.
Good crimping tools are big and expensive. Mine resembles and is nearly as big as a small bolt-cutter. With such a tool, it is possible to apply significant pressure around the connector lugs and create fantastic joints.
I used to build control panels and I used all those connectors . Over here in the states if you had to do a UL listed panel you had to use the manufacturer of connectors crimp tool I don't know if European standards is the same but that would be a good question and most important cheers with a beer
Thank you for this information. Would taking off the plastic cover and then using pliers to fix the wire into the connector would be enough without having to solder it then slip the cover back over?
Crimp connections are used extensively over solder connections in industrial, automotive & aerospace because they are very repeatable. Solder connections are frowned upon especially in power conductors as a fault condition can melt the solder. There is a range of wire gauge for each crimp type but if you have wire which is too thin the crimp will feel loose. It is acceptable practice to add filler strands or to fold the copper over on itself to better fill the barrel before crimping.
Nice video .. can I use these on a outside shed light if I use a junction box ..sorry never used them
This video was excellent! Very informational and helpful 👌
Great video indeed!
However if I were you I would negate the use of ferrules altogether and just twist the wires together then use the solder thereafter wrap everything with insulation tape ✌️
Great explanatory video 👍
Have You tried adjusting the head for a tighter crimp on the ratcheting crimper? Did make much difference?
I can't find an adjustment screw on my crimpers : )
I love the 'solder' idea, however, if you have both hands up tight inside a car dashboard, a bit unwieldy & impractical, but certainly on a workbench, I'm in!
Two things that would've given you a better crimp on the first try. First you were putting the crimp end in from wrong side of crimping tool and second your crimping tool has an adjuster to give you a tighter crimp.
Very useful and clear demonstration
Thanks : D
I’m an engineer and a good part of my job is wiring up new machines, I do a similar process to your working method by removing enough insulation to fit the terminal, I removed the exterior insulation of the crimp to expose the tinned metal interior, rather than use needle nose pliers to close the crimp I have an old set of crimping tool that’s to butterfly uninsulated crimps together, I use them mostly as I feel that the needle nose pliers will not close the crimp effectively and has a high probability that the wire will slip out under tension, in the late 90’s I used to fit Clifford car alarms and they supply a special type of crimps that “squeezed the crimp into a oval cross section” these would push a middle of the insulation crimp into itself,like punching an small area through the other side, this was proven to be one of the best ways, as it gave 100% of the surface area of the crimp to the copper wire. It was a good back bone of Clifford alarms that there was a very high success rate of it never failing, great video, keep up the great work!....Phil
Thanks for the input Phil : )
Thank you!! My hood pin for my universal car alarm snapped off with a light accidental hand and I have to figure out how to crimp a new (now I know what it’s called) spade connector to a female blue thank you!!
Happy to help 😁
I’ve also used these insulated connectors and removed the insulation as well then crimped with a pliers for non insulated connectors. This gives a strong clamp then I used shrinking tube over. Alternatively you can use the old insulation but you need to squeeze it slightly to prevent the wire bending or moving from the joint. Soldering helps a lot and if the melted metal is absorbed by the wire it will prevent bending because it will be more rigid.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't trust crimp connectors and solders them too!
It's a belt and braces approach : )
If you're crimping properly you don't need solder. A crimped connection is gas tight and cold welded. Adding solder actually makes the joint worse under vibration or mechanical stress. If you're not worried about either of those you might as well just solder and not crimp.
Source: NASA.
I love how you showed everyone how to crimp by soldering lol. I feel the same way about crimping it just seems like it will fail at some point in time.
Very helpful to have the times posted! Thanks!! 👍
Perfect video. Well done.
Cheers from the states.
Many thanks : )
Love the music!!! Perfect, thank you.
The crimping tool you are using is sold under several different brand names. My issue is it's easy to confuse which way to orient it on the terminal. Only one way is correct. I labeled mine with a pemanent marker so whem working at odd angles I don't screw up.
I bought a ratchet crimping tool by misstake today, thinking it was a cord cutter/cordpeeling tool, and I had no f-ing idea what I just bought xD But know I see that it actually might be useful! =) I actually wondered some days ago how to attach different connectors on my cords, and it seems that I've just bought the solution without knowing it xD
That's what's called a happy accident : )
I am working on an engine harness for a General Motors LS engine and I need to confirm is the end connectors as Mouser 829-13580639/Aptiv 13580639 connectors and I need to know what is the correct crimping tool to use for these connectors. I have been told that crimping tools 12125080
, 624-1028ct, and 601-24-8644p will work, but they seem a bit expensive. Can you confirm these or make recommendations?
0:50 😂 I was not expecting that👏👏👏