Hi, I'm a noob working on my first project. I really need help with understanding wiring techniques. I've barely found anything regarding wiring up specific components. Everyone loves to skip right over it and talk about voltage. (the forum search here is terrible and can't support multiple consecutive words or exact matches or whole words only it seems, even though the example shows quotes supported)
This project involves motors and I've honestly been hoping to avoid soldering at all. I'm worried about the cost of making a permanent connection only to find out it is not good enough (and all the other reasons to avoid soldering).
That said I have toy motors, and other parts (power switches), that have small connectors (flat plates with oval holes in them) which I'm unsure of how to connect them. I would love to avoid soldering if you have a usable recommendation. I have wires that are for breadboarding, the wires are hence solidcore. Some have stiff tips on very flexible wire and aren't very bendable. Bending any of there wires through the connector is very difficult and doesn't seem to lend itself to a "solid" connection. I have no stranded wire in usable quantities right now. The connectors are too large for slipping a 1x plastic tip over of course (which I would love the idea of)
I'm guessing the recommendation is to buy stranded 22 AWG wire and use as much as needed to make a solid connection to these motor connectors and then solder them? Is this correct? Can it be made/expected to work otherwise? Pics/Steps/walkthroughs for alternate methods?
Can someone share if they think that going without solder is a feasible move to test the connectivity. Once I'm comfortable with the wiring layout, making it more permanent isn't a huge concern. It'll just be me failing to solder correctly for a day.
Ah, I didn't realise you meant the motor end. I'm not sure there's an alternative to solder for those, to be honest. You could try crocodile clips just to clamp the bare wire to the tag, maybe? Wrap the wire through the hole and round, and put the croc clip on the outside to secure it.
ok, the croc clips make sense here. But, what type of wire should I use. Again, I'm a noob.
UPDATE - Because I will want to make it more permanent later on. I think the jumper wire with clips is useful for testing. But I'll need a more compact solution for the final connection. I think that it'll be wires that I solder on. ( I would love info on the best way to connect wires and solder them to this type of connector, so that they won't easily break/crack.)
For when I want to make a permanent connection, should I be looping the wire through the hole and then wrapping on itself? Or is simple overlaying it sufficient for the solder to hold it.
I'm no soldering expert, but I'd go for wrapping through the hole. But don't forget soldering best practice is to tin the wire first, which may make it difficult to bend.
Probably a good idea, however you solder it, to reduce force on the joint by securing the wire somewhere with a cable tie. That way if the wire gets jerked, it shouldn't pull on the joint.
First - only use solid core wire for connections/wiring where the wire is not subjected to any mechanical movement or vibration. For wiring that will move often or otherwise flexed, stranded wire is preferred (there are also extremely expensive wire made for connections that flex constantly and/or at high-speed, but you won't need this - but it is something to be aware of).
fr33z0n3r:
For when I want to make a permanent connection, should I be looping the wire through the hole and then wrapping on itself?
The best way to connect such a wire is as follows:
Strip about 1 cm of insulation off the end of the wire.
Twist the end of the wire.
Tin the twisted end with solder.
Tin the terminal loop on the motor with solder (try to leave the hole open - if the hole fills with solder, re-heat and stick a toothpick in it, then remove the heat and allow the solder to cool).
Put the wire in the hole, and bend the wire over in a "U" or "J" shape.
Re-apply heat to the joint to re-flow the solder on the wire and motor terminal loop (you may need or want to apply a tad more solder - not a lot, just a bit - to fill in the joint).
Optional (depending on use of motor): Add a 0.1 uF ceramic disc (non-polarized) capacitor across the motor terminal leads (for noise suppression purposes). When doing this, it is best to tin the leads of the capacitor, then place then in the holes of the motor terminal leads when you do the wires, then re-flow the joint, then clip off the excess of the capacitor leads.
fr33z0n3r:
Or is simple overlaying it sufficient for the solder to hold it.
Avoid this, as solder doesn't have the mechanical strength to support such a connection for long periods (especially if there is vibration or other stress) - it will eventually break the connection.
Just to throw in my own experience. The jumpers that come with breadboards are horrible. I made a few test alligator clips with some jumpers and no matter how I soldered, the wires, if subjected to serious movement will break. Solid wires are better.
