This subject is almost like discussing religion or
politics. But I’ll offer this. I’ve got lots of
soldered connections in my plane – any loop terminal carrying more than a
2-3 amps is soldered, every spade terminal carrying more than a few amps, and any
wire splice. The solder is there primarily to make good electrical
connection, not so much for the mechanical connection.
D-subs and hi-density d-subs are very small and are used
only for very low current loads. These pins were never intended to be
soldered. For about $45 you can get a good d-sub crimper that will make
repeatable, reliable connections in less than have the time of soldering.
After doing a hundred or so solder socket pins for the EC2 and EM2; and doing
about 200 crimp-on d-subs for the EFIS and avionics, and examining the results
a couple of years later; my opinion is crimping is clearly the way to go; aside
from the non-removable pin factor. Yes the good crimp pins are more
expensive than the solder socket, but compared to the price of your project and
the time you save; that’s not a factor.
But, hey; whatever blows your hair back.
Al
-----Original
Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Behalf
Of Todd Bartrim
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 7:55 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: solder vs. crimp;
I
second your view Charlie;
It
is my opinion (take that for what it cost you :-), that the
primary
reason that crimping is standard for the aircraft industry is just
that...
standards. Anybody trained to do the job properly on the factory
floor
will easily be able to make a standard quality crimped connection,
with
little distinquishable difference between the job done by any number of
employees.
It
is my opinion (again, as before..) that you could get an employee
capable
of making a superior soldered connection, unfortunately the guy on
the
next shift may only be skilled enough to make an adequate connection,
while
the next shift may be even better than the first guy.. on a good day..
or
not? This non-standard job would be totally unacceptable in an industry
that
relies on standards. Removing worker skill level from the equation
makes
for better quality control in a factory environment.
In
our application I think it is the responsibility of the builder
to
truthfully determine if he has the skill necessary to perform an
acceptable
(or better) soldering job, otherwise crimping is the better
choice.
S.
Todd Bartrim (probably inhaled too many
soldering fumes)
C-FSTB
Turbo13B
RV9
http://members.cox.net/rogersda/rotary/configs.htm#C-FSTB
http://www3.telus.net/haywire/RV-9/C-FSTB.htm
snipped
I
must respectfully offer a somewhat modified view.
In
general, crimped connectors are only reliable if done with very high
quality
crimpers, costing many 10's to hundreds of dollars. In a
production
environment, big bucks for a crimper means any klutz who can
squeeze
can be very productive.
Soldered
joints are prone to corrosion only if corrosive flux is used.
Improperly
crimped pins can have corrosion within the joint, just like a
riveted
or bolted structural joint. Crystallizing is a product of
improper
technique, not the soldering process itself. Breakage from
vibration
is an issue with either technique; the stress riser on a
crimped
joint is much sharper than a soldered joint. Proper support just
outside
the joint is the remedy, whichever process is chosen.
Milled
pins are certainly better than the rolled sheet metal pins, but
with
proper technique, they can be soldered with relatively inexpensive
equipment.
FWIW,
Charlie
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