I didn't see it mentioned in the article, but please don't add solder to crimped connectors "to be extra secure" even though it's common advice in hobbyist circles. Unless you're using PTFE or similar insulation, you will make the crimp to the insulation weaker, defeating its strain relief purpose. Worse, right at the point where the solder wicks to, there will a huge stress concentration, and all it takes is a couple of bending cycles to break the first strand. After that point there is zero strength there.
I built some hobby projects using these connectors and I did not have a crimper so.. solder it is. Never had a problem but the connections were pretty solid in enclosures so no movement after assembling things.
I agree that "do it how it's supposed to be done" is a good advice in any situation though.
The internet hand wringing and pearl clutching about solder and fatigue is mostly baseless.
There are two situations where it will matter:
First is high dollar, highly engineered things. In these cases it's a non issue because you should be figuring out what will work and then doing it. That's kind of the point of expending the engineering effort.
Second is some ghetto "made with what I had" abomination where an Arduino is dangling by its wires from whatever vibrating machinery it is acting as a controller for because the nature of the situation made the wasted expense of even a single zip tie inappropriate. In those cases failure doesn't really matter. If it breaks you just fix it and move on.
The expansive middle ground where you care but don't care enough to waste a bunch of effort figuring out how to build it to within an inch of it's life the solution is going to be to secure the component and strain relieve the wiring near the joint well enough that it doesn't really matter how you connect things because the connection sees basically no force.
That said, crimping is the superior method of fastening in 99.9% of situations.
if you used to stumble across things like this on google, then google wasn't very good at being a targeted search engine.
stumbling across things you didn't know you wanted to know is for discovery sites, aggregators, etc., not search engines where you already have an idea of what you need.
Those are the bare minimum in my opinion, and ok for your toolbag. But the 2 Chinese models on the bottom of the page with proper dies (be sure to get the right dies for your connectors) are so much better. If you zoom in to the images, you'll see they have a little step in the die. They also ratchet and hold in position. You squeeze them a few clicks, then you are left with a perfect cavity that holds your connector in place, leaving you with a hand free to insert the wire. Then ratchet the rest of the way closed, and they automatically release. They are spring loaded in a way that they have consistent force, they can't be over-squeezed. For $10-20 each, they are a great middle ground between the most basic hand tools (which also cost a similar price) and the official tools.
The Molex 63811-1000 is better in my experience. Terminals tend to stick in the Engineer jaws, and they have too short a barrel for most Dupont and automotive-type terminals.
If you ARE working with short-barrel stuff like most JST types, the Iwiss 2820M is so much better than the Engineer it's not even funny. I hate to say it because they're the knockoff, but they've perfected it.
These two tools do 99% of my open-barrel crimping anymore.
> If you can afford to use these connectors, you’ll also be able to afford to buy the appropriate tools to crimp them, even if only second hand – they are well worth it.
I've had a chance to use some well-maintained, calibrated crimp tools and there's a satisfaction that I can't quite describe. They feel substantial in the hand, the operation/sound are smooth and calming, and the resulting crimp will never fail. In my student days I had to improvise with whatever pliers or grippers were available. It was excruciating and the end product was barely serviceable.
I feel the same way about Ideal-tek PCSA-4N through hole components PCB holder. Often, there are better tool(s) for a job. Lindstrom or Piergiacomi (Hakko or Piergiacomi branded) flush cutters.
Wait - are you saying the Ideal-Tek PCSA-4N is good, right? Now you've piqued my interest.
Is this suitable for a single person at home, to hold a PCB in place whilst you solder components to it? Worth getting it for home use?
You mentioned Lindstrom and Piergiacomi for flush cutters - I know Ideal-Tek makes flush cutters as well (in fact I think I have some somewhere...), and so does Knipex. But in your experience, are the Lindstrom and Piergiacomi vastly superior?
4N is hard to beat because it can hold dozens or hundreds of components in place for one-pass of through-hole soldering versus needing to flip the board each time and 3 "hands" to hold 1 or 2 components.
Lindstrom and Piergiacomi are much better cutters... when I can find them in my messy lab.
I have an Iwiss tool, and it sort of works for me. My problem is that it seems to require three hands to operate: one for the wire, one for the contact, one for the tool. I have tried holding the tool between my knees, I found ways to delicately hold the wire and contact in place with one hand, and close the crimper with the other, but it never feels ergonomic. I often just end up using pliers instead.
It seems to me that these tools should be designed as tabletop or bench-mounted devices, so you can push the wire+contact in from the front with both hands, crimp, then pull out.
I must be missing something, because all the tools are this form factor, and I don't see much discussion of the actual "how to crimp properly", i.e. the physical actions. What am I doing wrong?
I've been using the Engineer PA-21 and Hozan P-707 called out in the article for a few years, although I prefer the latter. Mostly crimping 4mm bullets and other common open barrel connectors (Sumitomo, etc.). Great tool at a pretty reasonable price.
One thing this article doesn't seem to mention is pin release tools, which are invaluable if you need to repin or repair a connector. Most open barrel terminals have a small metal tang that retains them in their connector housing. A jeweller's screwdriver can work in a pinch, but can mangle either the pin or the housing. I've been using Hero's FR-150 set, but there's no shortage of suitable options out there for whatever connectors you might be working with.
I read this (or similar) article when researching how to better crimp dupont connectors for mini arcade wiring.
I settled on the Hozan P-707 recommended in this article. A bit more expensive than other options, but it has worked really well for me. Every crimp is just right. Worth the extra money for me.
I have a cheap crimping tool bough on amazon.
I never manage to crimp the connector correctly.
The part is too small, doesn't hold by itself on the wire, etc...
I've got the Preciva crimper pictured, and I often get part-crimps where the wire flanges aren't crimped for their full length. It's quite an easy mistake to make, and it means the connector doesn't cleanly insert into the housing. Very annoying.
Yeah crimping tools can be quite expensive... There is a long running, and still active, thread on the eevblog forum about affordable ones (mostly from AliExpress) you might find interesting:
Yeah, that's what I got out of the page, too. There's a lot of information on that page, and someone looking for "how to crimp dupont" is going to bounce off that pretty fast.
I bought a few different ones, including some that seem more automated, but I ended up liking a simple Hozan P-707 ($44) in the end. I get better crimps from it than anything else I've bought. It takes a bit of practice to get good at it, but not too long.
