[alanthing]

Okay, this frustrates me to no end! It makes me feel like a moron too, lol. I swear, everytime I crimp something, it ends up falling off. I know the "tooth" of the crimper (if it has one) has to be on the side opposite of where the two metal pieces meet, because the back of the packaging told me

I've tried the crimpers from both Radio Shack and one from Lowe's. Each time I bought spade connectors and/or quick-connect connectors at those stores for their respective crimpers just to make sure I wasn't cross-breeding funky sizes.

Whenever I've made crimps to put on connectors for my amp lead wire (which I further hooked up to a rocker switch) the connectors fall off eventually. This has happened to the 12 gauge speaker wire spade connectors I applied too. (If you're wondering, I'm 100% certain I've been using the correct gauge connectors and wires together.) Even worse, comes the power and ground wires. I've used 8 gauge connectors. I have NOT been able to find, in store or online, anywhere that sells an 8 gauge stranded crimper! When I bought ring connectors at Tweeter they told me to go to Radio Shack or Lowe's. Sigh. But anyway, I crimped those on with my crimpers, which go down to 10 gauge. And of course, they end up falling off.

What the heck am I doing wrong? Should I be melting a bunch of solder in there before I crimp down or something? I feel like a huge dork, lol... I was looking at Crutchfield for amp wiring kits that have connectors on both ends already. Before I had bought the wire bare from Radio Shack and the connectors from Tweeter but it didnt work. I'm back to square one and I feel stupid

 

[eddiemoney]

The tooth should push where the two metal pieces meet, that way they bend down and pinch the wire, maybe you are reading directions wrong...

 

[alanthing]

Hm, I'm 100% certain it said to do it the other way. Well, regardless, I was doing it the way you described before I saw those instructions (they were on the Lowe's one, I had been using the Radio Shack one.)

Maybe my sizes are screwed up. What brand of equipment does everyone here use?

Are more importantly, where can I buy an 8 gauge crimper??

 

[Greenhayabusa]

spool of solder and a lighter

 

[Azrael]

Tinning the wires with a bit of solder definitely helps. Make sure you aren't crimping onto the wire itself, rather than the shielding of the wire. You can also use solder and heatshrink and forget about the crimping all together. If you make a hook on either side of the wire with solder, then solder them together and heatshrink over it, it will be completely indestructable. I've never seen one of those types of connections fail.

 

[alanthing]

QUOTE

Make sure you aren't crimping onto the wire itself, rather than the shielding of the wire.[/b]

Ah ha! I never knew that!! It makes total sense... I don't know why I never thought to try that. Thanks!

Any takers on the 8-gauge crimper? Where can I get one?

 

[Blackforge]

I have some gold plated battery connectors that screw on so I don't have to crimp

Fits 4 and 8 gauge wire.

 

[alanthing]

Care to link me sir?

 

[Blackforge]

http://www.cardomain.com/item/LITLSRT8

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-blbPjXH5T0s/c...g=714&I=211RTS8

http://cgi.ebay.com/Audiopipe-8-Gauge-Powe...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/POWER-GROUND-24K-GOLD-...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUND-QUEST-BY-STINGER...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=SSRT4 (4 gauge, but it'd probably work too...)

mine are actually monster cable ones that I bought at tweeter awhile back.

 

[alanthing]

Thanks!

Sorry for asking another silly question, but I'm assuming the screw needs to go down on an un-stripped portion of the wire, correct? I seem to remember a connection like this with little screws on my in-line fuse and I had bare wire in there in it came loose.

 

[Azrael]

Just like when crimping, you need to screw it to the exposed wire. Metal to metal connection holds best. Tin the wires with solder before you use those, if you can.

 

[Soundguy50]

if ur doing everything right, it mgiht just be a matter of ur grip on the crimpling plyers. make sure ur grip is toward the bottom of the handle so u can get as much leverage as possible...every once ina while i would squeeze really hard but have a high grip and the wires would fall out...dont know if this is even possibly what u might be overlooking but figured it wouldnt hurt to mention.....all else fails i like to use a set of vice grips instead of crimpers, that way i know things arent moving

 

[Azrael]

^^^be careful with the vice grips. It's really easy to overdo it, and that will be just as bad as not enough pressure.

 

[Blackforge]

I have also seen people using a hammer to put them into place too.

 

[Azrael]

I don't think a hammer would be the wisest of ideas...

 

[lo bux racer]

That's why they make ratcheting crimpers. They just cost a lot more money than the cheesy ones. They do work reliably though. Ask any aircraft mechanic.

 

[Azrael]

We don't use ratcheting crimpers. Maybe back in the day, but now the Air Force is too cheap for that kind of tool.

 

[alanthing]

Originally posted by Azrael+-->QUOTE (Azrael)

Make sure you aren't crimping onto the wire itself, rather than the shielding of the wire.[/b]

<!--QuoteBegin-Azrael
Just like when crimping, you need to screw it to the exposed wire. Metal to metal connection holds best.

I understand that the 2nd time you were referring to those screw-on ring connectors. But, "just like when crimping"... so am I crimping onto the shielding or not? Is it best to just tin the wires with solder and them crimp onto the solder+wire/metal?

Sorry, I'm an "active learner," so just reading about stuff takes me a while to really grasp it.

 

[lo bux racer]

Originally posted by Azrael@Aug 12 2005, 05:02 PM
We don't use ratcheting crimpers.  Maybe back in the day, but now the Air Force is too cheap for that kind of tool.

You don't have these anymore?

Or these for doing Cannon plugs:

Truly sad day. We weren't allowed to use non-ratcheting crimpers because they make unreliable crimps. You ought to check out T.O. 00-25-234. It's the MPTO for electronic systems maintenance. Your organization might be violating the basics. It's happened before...

BTW, the gold ones have interchangeable dies so you can do lots of different style connectors. They're just not for someone with a light wallet. The head alone without dies was $200 about 10 years ago.

Link to Daniels Manufacturing's site.

Page with NSNs so you can order stuff easiliy through the miltary supply system.

 

[Azrael]

We still have the second ones for the Cannon plugs. The first ones you posted I used in tech school, but we don't have them in our CTK. Apparently they are expensive and are easy to break.