I am building some wiring for an Arduino UNO, probably the same for all of the Arduino products. The two pictures show the box of connectors I purchased and the crimper ordered at the same time. [box of connectors] [crimper] The problem is certainly in part me and the tremors in my hands, but, I might have the wrong parts. When bringing the wire, connector, and crimper all together I have to use small needle nose pliers to pre-crimp the little fingers on to the insulator before I can get the wire and socket/pin into the crimper. The smallest crimp option is used. Then after crimping, I had wires slip out. That means I must use the pliers again to post crimp and be sure the connector will not fall off. And then, one of the connectors did not seat in the connector, meaning it can easily be pulled out. It does not get to the point where that little plastic finger clicks down and makes it stay in. A long time ago, while on active duty, I attended a technician’s school run by NASA people. We called it Arts and Crafts. It covered soldering, crimping, wire-wrapping and other such skills. The crimpers we used there were such that it was held flat, the pin/socket dropped into a round hole in the center, the wire inserted, and when squeezed, the crimper came in from four sides and crimped both the insulation and the conductor. We had to use a specific wire striper to get the striped length exactly right. That was much easier, but probably more expensive than what I have now. The question is: Do I have the right connectors and crimper? Is there a tip that someone might provide to help me do this better? Before posting a similar topics panel was displayed showing this tool: Preciva Dupont Crimping Tool AWG26-18 It looks very much like the one I have but it is different. Then again, a very tiny difference may do the trick. Any recent advice on that one.

Crimping is a far more specialized and precise operation than it appears at first glance. First, the problem could be that your crimpers aren't very good. Crimp dies have to be made specifically for the terminal to work ideally and wire length and wire insulation thickness are critical. That said, I have had fairly good luck with some cheap crimpers, but it's hit and miss. If you find that you're having to "pre-crimp" anything before you can get the terminal into the die, then that's a problem. It tells me that the die you have is not made for that terminal. Likewise, if the wires are slipping out. A good crimp cold welds the wire to the terminal and should require pounds of force (at least a firm pull) before the wire pulls out. My basic technique is to put the terminal into the die and squeeze the crimper just enough to hold it in place. Next, put the stripped wire into the terminal, making sure it's at the right depth and that the insulation ends at the right spot. Then squeeze until the crimper completely closes and the ratchet releases so you can open it again. Inspect the crimp (the book I link below shows what various crimps should look like), and pull gently on the wire, holding the terminal in your other hand. A crimp for wire around 26-22gage should withstand at least a 5-lb pull, ideally a lot more, before it separates. This book has everything you need to know about crimping and more. Molex/TE Connectivity actually has a shorter book with good tips about crimping, but I can't find it online at the moment.

Ah. Dupont cables. I absolutely love those. I actually had a video of me crimping one. I think it was a 24AWG. Let me find it. Those are used for much heavier gauges and I think are more for the ring/fork connector where you would consecutively put a screw to secure it

[image] bkelly: Is there a tip that someone might provide to help me do this better? Here is a PDF that should help with crimping of Dupont connectors. 3ee2dd7711bd7c7ae07838b46b296b43c6a070c7.pdf 1266.73 KB [image] If you leave the carrier strip on the connector until you are completely finished with crimping, you should find the whole process quite a bit easier. BTW You might find this thread interesting (900+ posts, get a coffee). [image] Share tips you have come across General Electronics This post will contain the index for this thread. This is going to be a work in progress Links to topics will be added so you can select a topic covered (in alphabetical order). Jump Links 123 blocks 44 Button IR remote Advanced electronic videos Alligator clip DIY tool Alligator Clip 3rd Hand to Binder Clip Alligator clip soldering aid tool examples Anti static wrist strap Arduino As ISP Arduino links of interest Arduino protection for pins when bread boarding Battery connector r…

I actually intentionally remove the carrier strip prior to crimping (because the edge of the connector will be more smooth if I remove it prior to crimping and sand it down a little bit). It's just that after you remove it it become a bit more difficult to get the header into the crimper and Usually I will crimp it twice -- I will first crimp a little bit too backward (crimping the front half of the "conductor crimp") and then very tightly against the "rubber crimp" a second time to tighten the "conductor crimp". There might also be a adjusting nut/plate on your crimper that decides how much force it applies before it "spring back". You might need to fiddle with that a bit.

Leaving the carrier strip on makes the process 100s :wink: of times easier as you are in total control over the connector placement. [image] The last step in the process should be a quick re-forming with smooth flat pliers (see image 8) as seen in the above PDF.

[image] LarryD: Leaving the carrier strip on makes the process 100s :wink: of times easier as you are in total control over the connector placement. Even better, don't break it off the longer carrier strip!

Good tips here. You encouraged me to google for this and found much more than expected. Discovered my wire is much too big. Wire on order. Learned to adjust the crimping pressure, and to not put the wire too deep into the connector. I think the next round will be much better. Thank you for your time.

This wire is a bit expensive but IMO best to use. 26 AWG (30 strands) and 28 AWG (16 strands) works well with the Dupont connectors. [image] 30/28/26/24/22/20awg Stranded Silicone Cable 200 Meters 10 Color Mixed Wire... 30/28/26/24/22/20/18/16AWG Stranded Silicone Cable 10 Colors Mixed Wire Kit 100M. 30/28/26/24/22/20/18/16/14/10awg Silicone Cable 4Color Mix Stranded Wire Kit 20M. 30/28/26/24/22/20/18/16/14/12/10/8awg Stranded Silicone Wire 10M Black&Red Mixed.

I like silicone cables because they are very flexible and very resistive to heat, but they crack very easily (because they are soft). whereas "hard shell" ones have much more tougher insulation, to which the crimpers are able to grip much better (without tearing it apart), but are not very flexible and cannot take high heat without melting (e.g. accidentally touched on by soldering iron) That link point to what seems like the silicone cables I was talking about. FURTHERMORE, there are different ways a crimper can bend the headers to crimp the wires: [image] I would assume all three crimps are same headers made with different crimpers. With the extreme majority being the leftmost and only the most extreme exotic ones are the right/middle ones. Which means that while your headers might be designed with the intent of being used with the middle or the right crimper (and are not used in one) they don't provide optimal results. Even they work with all three. I have a cheap crimper that does the leftmost crimp and so far I am pretty happy about the quality. However obviously there are better choices and I would hoped I had learned them earlier. [image] where can i get the left crimper die i want it now http://www.mattmillman.com/a-new-budget-dupont-crimp-tool-is-bought-to-my-attention/ http://www.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/ However obviously nobody would want to spend $400 on a old, used Molex "official" DuPont crimper. So ... yeah. At least get the ones without the central "notch", I guess.

You can do whatever you want, but if you want to do things right then abandon ye "dupont" and get with Molex (C-Grid) or resign yourself to the Wonders of GIGO.

[image] bkelly: when squeezed, the crimper came in from four sides and crimped both the insulation and the conductor Probably these: https://www.dmctools.com/products/crimp-tools/indent-crimp-tools/ You're right, they're pricey.

Connectors and crimping

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LarryD January 24, 2022, 6:35am 3

Here is a PDF that should help with crimping of Dupont connectors.

If you leave the carrier strip on the connector until you are completely finished with crimping, you should find the whole process quite a bit easier.

BTW
You might find this thread interesting (900+ posts, get a coffee).

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Connectors and crimping

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