don't know if this should go in the tool time section, thought i'd try here first. i've got some connectors from radio shack that come with their own little terminals to put on the end of the wires that snap into the connector itself. i've put these on the best i could before with trimming the ends and crimping them with a regular old crimper but they still pull off of the wire with a little force. does anyone know of a crimping tool specifically for putting on these solderless terminals? i know they make pneumatic machines that do this, but is there such a thing as a hand operated one for the home novice electrician? i've looked around and can't seem to find what i just described, and they were clueless at radio shack as well.

thanks.

 

What I usually do with those is to crimp them on like you describe then fire up the soldering iron and solder the end of the wire and the terminal together. There are manual tools to do that but they probably run $100+. If those are Molex connectors, see below:
- http://www.molex.com/cgi-bin/bv/mole...Product%20Name

 

I crimp it as best as possible, then shrink-tube it to the wire. Works excellent.

 

yeah, i should probably just go ahead and do it right and add a dab of solder after crimping. sometimes i rush myself and it ends up biting me in the butt. not sure if they are molex, but i'll just do it right from now on. i was hoping they had a cheap tool to do it, but that was a long shot.

thanks

 

Very easy and fast to solder once you have them crimped on. Just touch the iron to the bottom side and the solder on the crimped top until it melts and wicks in. The crimp holds everything together.

 

I use these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36411

they work awesome. the ends cut the wires and the middle is for insulated connectors and the inside one is for non insulated. what i do is crimp it down with the insulated crimp part then use the inside crimp(non insulated crimp) to smash the center down. My terminals never separate from the wire. for sealing them up i usually just put shrink wrap over the connector. solder is probably the best way but it takes me too long to set up my iron and get it hot. I do solder connectors if i feel i really need too.

 

This is what you want:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103683
One jaw is a "U" (to fit the "back" of the connector), and the other is a rounded "M" to bend down the two tabs. Your connectors probably have two sets; one slightly wider to crimp onto the insulation rather than the wire. The tool has several pairs of slots to accomodate the different width tabs.

Soldering is only if you're desperate; solder can give a good electrical connection but very little mechanical strength (meaning: you can pull the wire right out of the connector even when soldered). Have you ever seen a soldered wire harness in a production vehicle? If you need to solder, do your best to mechanically bond the wire to the connector.

I have had very little luck with the "pre-insulated" crimp-yourself connectors you see by the bag in every hardware store. Under the insulation is an aluminum tube, which you crush onto the wire with a cheap "Crimp" tool. It theory an adequate system, but in practice very difficult to crimp correctly. If you bought a connector body and pins set, you don't have that type. They type you do have (if crimped correctly) is the same as the factory uses.

Note that the Radio Shack tool listed above only goes up to 20gauge wire. That tool is available (at electronic distributors) for larger sizes if that's what you've got.

 

scope -

thanks for the link, i think that's what i was looking for. it's only $11 so i'll order one when they are in stock again. i might end up using this tool and then putting a little solder on it just for grins since i want this to be done right and not have to tear into it again, might as well do it right the first time

thanks again for the link to the tool.

 

klein crimpers or blue point there also others with the same style,
but i saw the kleins at the local home depot here.

most 12v installers use kleins

 

most electricians use klein tools i even have the klein bottle opener