How does crimping work?

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-- W . | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because \\|/ \\|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est

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That's for strain-relief - it's a good thing.

That's the cheaper version.

Exactly. It's there for strain relief.

The standard crimp tool for insulated terminals has parallel jaws, and those terminals have no provision for the metal part to crimp onto the insulation. Nor will the insulation fit inside the metal part if you're using the correct size, or at least with most cables. A very thin wall type might. But the design calls for all the metal part of the crimp to be in contact with the conductor.

In the example I posted earlier

note how the lug on the left has a different diameter where it's crimped around the insulation to where it's crimped around the conductor. That difference existed prior to crimping - the diameter of the hole for the wire changes part of the way down the shaft so that insulation cannot go any further.

It's true that this difference is not obviously reflected in the tool I used, but given that plastic deforms much more easily than metal, I can believe that having jaws the same size works out OK (it certainly seems to), and has the advantage that there's no right-way around to insert the lug into the tool.

Sylvia.

The proper crimp tool for the small insulated lugs as far as I know has two crimping sections separated by a gap which is designed to crimp both the conducting section on to the cable and the plastic on the lug to the cable insulation at the same time.The cheaper tool which is more common does one operation at a time (once for the cable crimp and once for the insulation)I think that sylvia's lugs have a heavier section for copper to copper and a flimsy copper skirt which continues back inside the plastic insulation over the cable insulation but I may be wrong.

IMHO, that type of crimp would require a special tool - not the generic type for these pre-insulated connectors.

The tool I have works much better on that type of connector than it does on the type where the lug metal doesn't extend back over the cable insulator. In the latter case, it merely squeezes some plastic which then returns to more or less its original shape.

The tool may really be intended for lugs that crimp a longer section of the conductor, but I haven't come across any such lugs.

Sylvia.

:In article , : Trevor Wilson wrote: :> > Depends on the use. I'd say the most common crimp terminals are in :> > some form of spring loaded contact. : :> **We're discussing CRIMP terminals. Like this: : :>

Aha! Now you have finally made the distinction in your argument...

Commonly used terminals in the whitegoods and automotive areas (ie. QC crimp terminals) are indeed made of brass. But that is about the limit of use for this material. When it comes to electrical crimp lugs, spade terminals etc, then the lug/terminal material is always copper, unless you are using aluminium conductors where the terminal material will be aluminium.

Take a look at the Utilux catalogue (small insulated and un-insulated terminals)

Made it pretty well from the start. As I got the impression the OP wasn't talking about heavy duty power connections.

Almost anywhere you go, there will be more crimped terminals which aren't copper - as they are sprung as part of a plug and socket arrangement. Many inside your computer, for a start. TV as well. Etc.

So? It still relieves strain on the metal-to-metal joint.

Crimping is an emergency fix to me. It's a piss poor connection that can corrode and pull apart. I always use solder after crimping.

solder is not as flexible and causes more trouble than crimping in some circumstances (in areas of vibration etc)

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:

Yup, adding solder will make the connection brittle, and more prone to failure in a vibration environment.

Crimping is actually far more reliable.