Hi neil,
when done right crimp-on connectors should be good and solid. Crimp on
connectors are a pro solution to the problem of having to join wires back
together and making sure that they are safe, insulated, and not going to
fray apart.
Crimping 101:
1. make sure that teh size of the connector is correct for the guage of wire
you are using. Thin wire needs smaller connectors.
2. The strenght of the connection depends on the crimp getting a good grip
on the wire. The problem is that metal doesn't grip metal that well, and
when you crimp things down hard enough (or screw them down hard enough in a
screw-in connector) you often end up breaking many of the strands in the
wire and risking a stress-fault. SO what you should always do when making
any kind of electrical connection is the following. a) strip the wire with a
good stripping tool, ensuring that all of the strands of the wire survive
the encounter (if strands break the max current that can be carried is
lower). b) twist the strands together (like the strands of fibre in a rope).
c) now for the cunning bit. fold the wire back 180 degrees over the
insulator. Make the fold right at the point where the copper wire is first
exposed. d) now crimp that! You should find the the wire is easier to get
into the connector cos it's been folded over, and more importantly, you get
a much more secure hold on the wire because the crimp is digging into the
insulator. also because the insulator is taking the mechanical strain you
don't risk fraying or breaking the wire.
hope that helps
cheers
Joe
___________________________
Dr. Joseph Garner
University of California
Department of Animal Science
One Shields Avenue
Davis
CA 95616
USA
Phone: (530) 752 1253
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Neil Cotty [mailto:neilc@apphosting.com]
> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2001 4:22 AM
> To: 'MG Mail list'
> Subject: Wiring basics
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've been trying to repair a few bad connections on my V8.
> Too say I am
> _hopeless when it comes to electrical repairs is an severe
> understatement!
> <G>
>
> I have been trying to use crimp on type connectors but am
> finding that these
> just drop off after a while and hardly feel secure even if
> they do manage to
> stay together.
>
> Can someone give me some advice as in what to look for? I am
> - joining two
> wires together, joining two wires into one, using spade type
> connectors here
> and there etc.
>
> The only way I can see is to solder the joints but my local
> parts shops only
> carry these crappy crimp on items. Is there better connectors
> out there or do
> the pros use these things?
>
> Cheers,
> Neil
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