Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Maltais on October 9, 2012 at 9:20pm

I hate crimps and avoid them where ever I can!!

I used a trailer hitch connector at the wing roots and the wing tip for the strobes because I want to be able to remove the wings and tips for inspection/maintenance.  In between I used shielded TEFZEL wire in the wings. The trailer switch is way bigger cable, probably 16 gauge or so, but it won't make a difference and compared to the plastic junk connectors that came with my 800$ strobes it sure can't be any worse. Everything worked fine during testing and these wires carry minimal power in them.

For the servos I'm just planning on soldering the wires from the server to shielded TEFZEL as well.  I'm sure the stuff that comes with the kit is OK but I like shielded wire where ever I can put it, especially on long runs.  Soldering the wires and on every strand I'm putting on shrink tube then another larger shrink tube over the entire area where I soldered.  If I ever have to take it off it's easy to sliced the tube off, heat the wire and take it apart, but on things like the tail I don't plan on ever taking it off.

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on October 10, 2012 at 8:03am

I used the Seal-All connectors from Spruce in the wing roots since that's not a perfectly sealed area from the weather. You can get them in various numbers and configurations of pins, but they all have silicone seals so the connections are weather-proof, but still can be connected/disconnected for maintenance.

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Permalink Reply by Ian McClelland on October 9, 2012 at 10:21pm

Hi Rich.

The Ray Allen servo wires are a very small gauge! If you choose to crimp these wires using standard red crimps you are going to end up with poor connections.

This is because the red crimps are too big for the small wires.

Simple fix is to double up the servo wire with another small piece of similar gauge. Crimp and heat shrink over the un insulated end. Problem solved.

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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on October 10, 2012 at 6:00am

The problem with soldering is the wire will break every time right where you stopped the solder.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy D. McCall on October 10, 2012 at 11:58am

If you choose to solder take extreme care to stabilize the wire near the connection, vibration will cause them to break where the solder ends (as Bob stated).  A technique I use (for very small wires) is to strip the wires twice as long, fold them over then push them into the wire terminal and crimp.

 

Tim

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Permalink Reply by Paul Sanders on October 10, 2012 at 3:04pm

I wondered about this when I soldered mine and later wished I had used connectors instead. But I figured that perhaps connectors were no good for that kind of electrical connection?? Maybe before final assembly I'll go in an change it; I'd be much more confident of my crimping ability than my soldering.

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Permalink Reply by Jim B Belcher on October 10, 2012 at 4:05pm

Solder beats a crimp for reliability, assuming you solder it correctly, and have a good mechanical joint. Resin core solder for electronics is the correct solder to use. Don't use acid core solder when you have an electrical connection.

When I must use connectors with crimp terminals, I tend to solder the crimp after crimping, using the crimp only to establish a mechanical connection, and not depending on it too much for the electrical connection. To do this, you may need a variable transformer or similar device so you can control the soldering iron heat.

It's just too easy for corrosion to develop with time in the crimp, and in the connector pins themselves. I avoid connectors, and use either screw type terminals or solder joints whenever possible and/or practical. Unless you invest a great deal of money in connectors (as in mil-spec), they tend to be somewhat unreliable.

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Permalink Reply by Ian McClelland on October 10, 2012 at 11:11pm

You must have Mil-Spec crimps AND a good quality crimping tool to get good reliable joints. I my experiance soldered joints are not as good because the mulit strand wire acts as a brittle single strand wire when soldered.

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Permalink Reply by Jim B Belcher on October 12, 2012 at 5:01pm

You are correct about using mil-spec parts and tools. However, I have few, if any, connections in which the pins aren't soldered.

There are anti-wicking devices available which minimize the solder creeping up into the strands of wire. That will help prevent the problem you cite. Still, it's wise to support the joint so it doesn't get flexed.

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Permalink Reply by Jorge Fernandez on June 30, 2019 at 1:58pm

What is the gauge size for these wires?

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