Another crimper question.

[T i m]

Sort of following on from previous and recent questions around crimping (and my personal / general preference to both manually crimp (if available) and solder) here, I just checked out another of Big Clives Youtube videos on crimping pliers for use on the small connectors you typically find in electronics gear and specifically the

2.54mm 'DuPont' connectors we often use with microcontrollers like the Arduino / ESP32, various sensors and PC mobo headers etc.

One of my latest projects, a 'Charge Multiplexor' allows me to spread a single good / intelligent (fairly expensive) 12V maintenance charger over up to 8 LA batteries using Home Assistant home automation system.

An ESP32 WiFi microcontroller driving 8 relays and a INA219 current sensor monitoring the charge current and voltage (mostly for logging) that atm I've tacked together in a 3D printed box using wires soldered directly to the boards and / or screw terminals where supplied.

Now in theory, once built it shouldn't need to be touched again (you can even change the firmware over WiFi) but I was thinking of what I would have to do, should I need / want to replace any of the modules in the future?

So I was going to replace the ESP32 direct soldered wires with the 2 x

19 pin male headers they generally supply with these things and use 2 x 19 way housings (20 ways cut down) with female crimp connectors and with paint markings on the plug body, ensuring the use of the correct connector the right way round. Whilst no more than 12 of the 38 pins on the ESP32 are used for this project, by using 'full length' connector shells, even if only partially populate means there is less chance of mis-locating the plug / socket combo. Also, if I use a ribbon cable for the screw terminal connection to the relay board, it will also remove any question marks re wire-to-terminal association when I forgot what I did in the future (or next week even), wire one goes to terminal one, two to two etc. ;-(

I would then make this my default 'build style' for future projects.

So, watching the Big Clive video:

He seems to recommend the IWS-2820 crimping pliers, even though he makes a bit of a pigs ear out of using them himself on the demo <g>, so I wondered if anyone else here has crimped this sort of size / style connector and if they have any thoughts recommendations on the pliers please? I normally crimp them manually with my Leatherman pliers (that doesn't actually do the 'crimping' it the way they should but just folds each ear over in turn) then solder, then crimp the strain relief in the same way.

Easy to do in the male as any surplus solder can't really do any harm, not so easy on the female as you can fill the socket. You also have to be fast to minimise any insulation runback.

Cheers, T i m

[jon]

Where is the question ?

[T i m]

<snip>

<snip>

Lost yer glasses Jon? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News]

I've got in excess of a dozen sets of assorted pro crimp pliers. All for different jobs. And still often haven't got the correct one. The three quid DIY ones only suitable for the scrap box.

The most used one by far came from Vehicle Wiring Products, and works nicely on car spade etc terminals. That were once the norm. It's a double lever non ratchet type which cost a lot of money, and is NLA. But produces a perfect heart shaped crimp exactly as you'd find on OEM wiring.

IMHO, if you've not got the correct crimp tool, solder is likely better.

One of the few non correct crimp tools I've found satisfactory is a BNC one, which works nicely for car plug leads. If you have to make your own to get the correct lengths.

I bought a US navy set in a beautiful wood box off Ebay. Mint condition, has about 20 interchangeable jaws. Sadly never found anything it fits. ;-) Probably why it was mint.

[T i m]

;-)

I have some 'market' ones that were bought in a hurry that came with a selection of crimps that do seem to work, you can't typically pull the terminal off the wire etc but I'm not sure if the crimp itself can be formed 'better' (rather than just mostly squished down as with the basic ones)?

I was given a set of crimp 'pins' (the sort of thing that would contain the end of a multistrand cable and turn it into a rigid pin to trap in a screw connector etc) and the very neat crimping tool that comes in and out like the shutter on a camera and so automatically adjusts to whatever crimp you put in it from the smallest to the largest (via different sized crimps etc).

Noted.

Maybe that has been part of my reluctance to use / rely on crimp over solder, I can't typically justify the cost of 'decent' crimping pliers (given most cheap pliers aren't likely to be good) for the number of connections I'm likely to make.

I know the type, the brass ferrules that push into the dizzy etc?

Quite likely (unless you were a tech in the US Navy etc). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[jon]

I have a couple of Hellermann ratchet crimping tools from the 60s each have a triple size jaw, which folds the crimped sleeve over the insulation and conductor.

[The Natural Philosopher]

"I wondered if anyone else here has crimped this sort of size / style connector and if they have any thoughts recommendations on the pliers please? "