To crimp or NOT crimp

[Ebtronics]

On an Infinity G-amp, I was wondering? A wire from the Power transformer to the IC board has broken. That is an easy fix, just a little soldering but it would nice if the wire was longer!!! Thats easy also, again more soldering.
What I was wondering should I solder the wire I want to add to the wire that needs to be longer... or can I crimp the wires together. I am going to bet it's soldering... That's what we did a lot in the Navy but that was 22years ago. Thanks Eb

[stokes]

Obviously solder will make a better connection.Be sure to cover the connection with some heat shrink tubing.

[Grim]

solder v crimp - both have pro's and cons

I USED to think solder was the only way to go, but I got older and wiser.

The drawbacks of soldering, are

solder runback into the flexible lead, making it non flexible
waving a soldering iron around inside your gear
possible dry joints, if you're not a good solderist, or the connections are dirty
fumes, lead, and general yuckyness (not an issue these days)

just look at the connections in a car loom - all crimped. it's more consistent, and it's quicker.


but then there are times soldering is the only way to go. pcb's are an obvious one. and we always solder the fled leads to the winding wire in the transformer - even though insulation displacement crimps and enamel piercing ones are 'supposed to be' as good.

but then again, everyone has a soldering iron and unlike a crimp you don't need to have the right one for the job. it helps, but it's not the end of the world.

then again (again), you don't need power to crimp a lead, so you can crimp in the middle of a field. if you want to.


hope that cleared things up

[tim]

"just look at the connections in a car loom - all crimped. it's more consistent, and it's quicker."

True, as long as the crimps are done correctly. Using $600 crimping tools with the crimps they are designed to crimp usually make for good gas tight crimps that rival good solder joints but the ubiquitous Radio Shack type crush crimps and tool should be outlawed...they are a never ending source of headaches when I work on amps that other people have used those horrible crimps in for repairs, especially those used in high current circuits. If I have to use those type crimps, I always follow it up with a good solder job (solder the crimp to the wire), using the crimp as the mechanical connection and the solder as the electrical connection.

[Enzo]

It is like anything else, you do a crappy job at it, it won't work out very well. Solder is the same way. How many solder jobs have customers brought your way that needed to be corrected? No connection method is any more reliable than the job done applying it.

[tim]

Oh how true....so many people go by the adage,"the bigger the blob, the better the job".

[mikeboone]

Just a tid-bit of useful info...

If you must crimp, never crimp a solid wire. It will score and fracture leaving you with an air gap. You should only crimp stranded wire. It has void space between the strands that permit compression and a solid connection.

I sometimes use ring terminals to make ground connection,but I fill them with solder when I am done.

Hope this helps someone someday. I found out the hard way!!!

Mike

[Grim]

Just a tid-bit of useful info...

If you must crimp, never crimp a solid wire. It will score and fracture leaving you with an air gap. You should only crimp stranded wire. It has void space between the strands that permit compression and a solid connection.

I sometimes use ring terminals to make ground connection,but I fill them with solder when I am done.

Hope this helps someone someday. I found out the hard way!!!

Mike

you can crimp solid wire, if the crimp is the right sort, the right size and as mentioned above crimped properly. however as most amateurs won't have that gear, then it's good advice.

same goes for terminal blocks, don't solder the end of a flex lead so it goes in neatly, the blocks are designed to work on flex leads. unless of course you use a block designed for solid.

so to summarise, use the right method for the job, the right components, the right tools, and do it properly, and you have no worries