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Connector Help — Parallax Forums

Connector Help

Nick WaldvogelNick Waldvogel Posts: 71
edited 2008-03-04 14:59 in General Discussion
I have been trying to find a few different connectors for a couple of projects that I have been working on.· I haven’t been able to find a source that doesn’t want you to buy at least 100 of them each when I can find a site that sells them at all….
I’m hoping that someone can tell me a specific site I can find some of these or sites that seem to have really good selection of connectors for the ordinary guy.
The ones I’m looking for are:
Sumitomo Brand 6180-6181
Amp Brand 4-1437290-0
Molex Brand 33472-2001
Of course I’m also in need of the matting connectors and the pins.· Any and all help is appreciated!
·
Thanks,
·
Nick

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Comments

  • UghaUgha Posts: 543
    edited 2008-03-04 03:54
    I've used
    www.performance-pcs.com
    for molex connectors before.
    I really like a lot of their connectors and wiring sets.
    Remember though, you'll need to buy both the pins and housings.

    To find the connectors (it's a little confusing) move your mouse over DIY...
    you'll see Molex pins and a couple different brands of housings.

    Note: I know that Molex connectors don't need soldering, but I highly recommend a dab of
    solder to hold the wires in good, and then hotgluing the backside (where the wires go in)
    to keep them from "wiggling" when you try to plug them in.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-03-04 04:25
    Nick,

    Typically, a crimped connector should never be soldered. A good crimp tool will create an air-tight junction that needs no further attention. If you do decide to take Ugha's advice and solder it anyway, be sure to take all of his advice and do the hot-glue step as well. The reason is that soldering a crimp connection creates a hard boundary between the soldered and unsoldered strands in your wire. Any stress on the wires from flexing will be concentrated at this boundary, resulting in an overabundance of strain and likely wire breakage. (This is a frequent cause of failure in cheaply-built consumer products with loose wire leads soldered directly to printed circuit boards.) Adding hot glue to the connector shell cavity (from the wire end, of course) will reduce, but not eliminate, the flexing. Remember, though, that once glued, your pin assignment is more or less permanent.

    My recommendation: save yourself both time and problems down the road; use a good crimp tool and forget about soldering.

    -Phil

    Post Edited (Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)) : 3/4/2008 4:30:24 AM GMT
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-03-04 11:15
    This begs the question of why you must buy a small quantity of each of these particular connectors. If you can find other easily available connectors that will work within the space and constrants of the printed circuitry you have, it might be much easier to buy small quantities from a local retail outlet.

    Connectors come in a huge variety so that manufacturers can protect their products from being easily swapped out. It becomes impossible for retail stores to carry everything.

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  • UghaUgha Posts: 543
    edited 2008-03-04 12:39
    Phil Pilgrim: Thanks for the heads-up Phil. Would this be less of an issue if you filled the pin partway with solder, heated it then
    put the wire in (quickly) then soldered the top?

    Nick Waldvogel: Sorry I gave you bad advice. I have been soldering molex connectors for years and never had any problems,
    so I wasn't aware of any. I apologize.
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2008-03-04 14:47
    On the Molex KK and SL type connectors there are actually two crimps, one on the bare wire and one on the insulation. Done correctly, this provides some degree of strain relief so that there shouldn't be a whole lot of motion between the soldered and non soldered sections of wire strands. I also like to add a layer of heatshrink for additional stress relief.

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    - Rick
  • Nick WaldvogelNick Waldvogel Posts: 71
    edited 2008-03-04 14:59
    Thank you to everyone for there comments.· I will check out the site that Ugha
    ·listed.·

    The reason that I have to use these specific connectors is that they are already on the vehicle that my projects are going on.·

    Thanks for all the help and keep the comments coming!

    Nick

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