Index The index to this thread is found in post number 903 Go to INDEX. [IMG_3826] How about sharing some tips you use? Here is one I use often when I need my third hand to give a constant pull. [2017-01-04_0-01-26.jpg] .

Making Solder Wick More Effective You can make your solder wick more effective by following the procedure in images below. A pair of flat jawed Knipex pliers does a great job of compressing the copper weave in solder wick. We get a 10 to 1 lever action with the pliers, more than enough to flatten the wick. Add a bit of liquid solder flux to the flattened wick. Also add about 2 mm of solder to the wick’s end. Side Note: You can do similar to solder; the flattened solder makes it easier to limit the amount applied to PCB pads. See post #1015. Flattening ‘silver solder’ is also a good way to limit solder to stainless steel. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H]

Moisture Proof Y Cable The procedure in the attached images shows how to achieve a moisture proof, 3 wire (18AWG) cable connection. Use 4:1, 9mm heat shrink with a glue lining. Needle nose pliers are used to lightly crimp the crotch area to make a moisture proof separation between the two wires. [A] [B] [C] [D]

Hi, Also called "double walled adhesive heat shrink", the adhesive is quite robust under most conditions. I use the pliers method on cable assembly that has two cables, 5mm diameter, in a sleeve, then they spread them at the end. The double walled and clamping like that does the job. What you will note with 4:1 is the more it shrinks, the thicker the wall becomes. Tom... :grinning: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

Also, as mentioned in a much earlier thread, the same idea can be applied to heat shrink on the end of a cable to seal it completely from the elements; similar to these cap ends. [image] [image] [image]

Or: [image] Ideal WeatherProof Silicone Filled Wire Nuts-Size:Large-Pack:50/Jar-50 pack ... You can be confident of secure waterproof connections when using Ideal WeatherProof silicone filled wire nuts. For use with two or more pre-stripped copper wires. Three different sizes available to cover a wide range of wire sizes from 22 to 6 AWG.

Solder Flattening with Parallel Pliers. Further to post #1010. Also see post : [image] Share tips you have come across General Electronics Flattening Solder Ahead of Time Further to post #1015. It can be difficult to source thin solder for SMD work. Very thin solder seems to not have an appropriate amount of flux. .5mm is a bit too large for soldering SMDs and usually results in using too much. Parallel Pliers work well for flattening solder as you go; the main problem is it cuts into your soldering productivity and your soldering rhythm. If you have a hard plastic or metal roller you can flatten solder quite fast and do it … You can flatten solder to aid in hand soldering of small SMD components. Use cleaned parallel pliers to flatten a length of .5 mm solder. With the flattened solder, you have an easier job in limiting the amount of solder applied to your PCB pads. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E]

Using Wire Crimps, 453 U-Shaped You can find Terminal Tab Cold Insert Connectors for sale all over the internet. These are made from brass and are quite reasonably priced, about 2 to 3 cents each in volume. You can easily connect two wires as described in the images below. The connection is strong and does not need soldering. Note, using glue lined heat shrink makes your connection moisture proof. If your connector can accommodate stacking the wire strands, follow the instructions given. If your connector is small, you may not be able to stack the strands as shown. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] FYI [Schäfer Crimping Process | Wire Cross Section 25 mm2]

28 AWG DIY ferrules for screw terminals In another post, a user asked how to terminate 28 AWG wire in a screw type terminal strip. @6v6gt suggested to use a Dupont crimp connector to act as homemade ferrule. Below shows how this process can be accomplished. Add heat shrink to act as a strain relief. The colour of this heat shrink can identify the terminal number to use: Yellow would be terminal #4 Brown and Yellow would be #14, etc. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F]

JST connector pins are a bit more sturdy than the Dupont pins. Not sure this extra mass is needed with 28AWG wire :wink: . The JSTs, however, are quite a bit more expensive. [G]

Great idea with the JST connectors, I'm glad my original question has inspired you :slight_smile: I would also like to present some of my solutions for connecting tiny wires to terminal blocks; This involves the use of crimp connectors; the type which are commonly used for automotive use. Specifically I am using blade connector's (DBN1.25-10) ( 5$ AUD for 200pcs on Aliexpress) and ring connectors (RV 1.25-4), as well as some good quality Irwin crimping pliers ( IRWIN VISE-GRIP Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper, 8",). I believe the tiny ribbon cable I am using is around 26 gauge, but 28 gauge should work fine too. First, I strip about 40mm of wire, twist it and then wrap it backwards over the insulation; [20220307_204856] However, if the connector hole is big enough, I found it was even better to bend a bit of the insulation backwards over itself, and then wrap the twisted wire around it, like you can see below. This also improved the quality of the crimp, and meant I only had to crimp it once. You can compare the quality to my original post here; How to connect tiny signal wires into screw terminal blocks? - #10 by GigaNerdTheReckoning I placed the connector inside before I wrapped the wire, which made it a lot easier to slide over the wire and insulation; [20220312_185845] [20220312_185252] Then crimped like so; [20220312_184557] [20220312_182450] These crimping methods are particularly useful for working with small gauge thermocouple wire, like we see below; [20220312_165422] [20220312_170431] This also proves useful for many high amp Solid State Relays, which use large ring connector terminals on the low current input side to the relay; [20220312_173904] Finally, here are the results for the blade connectors. Heat shrink is added for insulation and strain relief; [20220312_190342] [20220312_191726] You can also bend one of the blade's slightly, to allow for multiple wires into a single pole of the terminal, but LarryD's solution seems better suited to this, as it provides more clearance. [20220312_204852]

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LarryD March 4, 2022, 12:40am 1015

Solder Flattening with Parallel Pliers.

Further to post #1010.

Also see post :

You can flatten solder to aid in hand soldering of small SMD components.

Use cleaned parallel pliers to flatten a length of .5 mm solder.

With the flattened solder, you have an easier job in limiting the amount of solder applied to your PCB pads.

I solder "wrong" and it seems better? Fight me?

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Solder Flattening with Parallel Pliers.

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