Re: What's the preferred method of splicing and joining wires in electronics?

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:25:48 -0800, kasterborus wrote:

If you look in DigiKEy or other electronic vendors they sell crimp
connectors for splicing wire together. Come to think of it, I sort of
remember that Walmart automotive sold some kits for doing just that.

Or similar to what you are already doing, you can always solder the
wires together and then cover with heat shrink.

Thanks - I've found crimping connectors for large wire - 14/16 gauge
but nothing suitable for fine wires (CAT-5).
I don't have very good soldering skills, and my attempts at tinning
and joining were a bit on the "blobby" side.

There are crimp connectors for 24 AWG and even smaller wire, used in
telephone work. A smooth solder joint and some heat-shrink costs less and
looks better.

Just practice soldering, remembering that if the solder
doesn't _wet_ the joint, it's a *bad* joint. Heat the joint first, then
apply the solder. If your soldering tip is clean and tinned (solder-plated),
the solder will flow into the joint by capillary actionn. If you find yourself
trying to smear the solder on, the joint isn't hot enough. One common mistake
is using a dirty or oxidized tip. The first time you heat up a new soldering
tip, coat it with solder as soon as it's hot enough, before it has time to
oxidize. You don't need much, just enough to completely coat the copper.
Keep a sponge or a damp rag handy to wipe off the crud that builds up on the
tip. If you're working with plain copper wire, tin the wire ends before
joining them. It's much easier to solder parts that are already coated with
solder or tin; that's why most small terminals are plated and why good hookup
wire is pre-tinned.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Sanken Lav cable
    ... Who was the Einstein that decided that the signal wire, ... what nimble-fingered tech has the secrets to soldering connectors on ... I use a suture clamp to clamp the copper strands together before twisting them. ... Cut the tinned strands to the desired length and then solder the wire into position. ...
    (rec.arts.movies.production.sound)
  • Re: Couple of noob questions
    ... > pin, got out the soldering iron, and made quite a mess. ... I find the best way is to not solder them at all by using DB connectors ... You strip the wire, crimp on the wire ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Great open barrel crimper for Molex terminals
    ... solder the terminal to the solid wire. ... I have also soldered stranded wire into terminals. ... Solder-type coax connectors are quite unreliable - the heating-cooling ...
    (rec.crafts.metalworking)
  • Re: The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
    ... I just tin my soldering iron and leave the little solder blob on the iron and apply it to the end of the wire. ... Jasco 0201 Premium Paint Stripper, ...
    (rec.radio.amateur.homebrew)
  • Re: Gottlieb System 1 Adventures with Sinbad
    ... hole to thread the wire through then solder. ... Trying to figure out what connectors you're talking about though, ...
    (rec.games.pinball)