Lets begin with the obvious:So I have a large quantity of 12 gauge wire, but need to wire some things that are 16 gauge. I don't see much in the way of step down butt connectors, at least waterproof ones. Ancor makes some without heat shrink.
Is there a source for good quality heat shrink step down connectors? Or should I use the Ancor connectors and put heat shrink over them? Or just buy smaller wire?
The scare tactics in this post are without basis. The entire marine industry, as well as aerospace, US Military, automotive and heavy industry go the other way and use millions of crimps each month... Properly made crimps are 100% reliable, repeatable and last for many, many decades..Lets begin with the obvious:
Why would you ever want to use a crimp type butt connector?
Why would you drop wire size so dramatically?
If you are dead set on causing a fire hazard condition on your boat here is the least dangerous and only reliable way to make connections:
1) Cut away ALL crimp connectors.
2) Buy COPPER solder on fittings for proper fit and type of connection (eg: spade, loop, etc.)
3) Purchase an assortment of good quality shrink tubing (appropriate sizes and colors)
4) Strip and tin the wire ends.
5) Slip the shrink tube over the wire.
6) Slip the connector on and solder it on (no cold solder joints)
7) Optional, but worth it: Apply a light coating of Liquid Tape to solder joint.
8) Slide shrink tube over wire and apply heat.
9) Enjoy the fact that the joint won't short out EVER!
As I have said many times before "if you don't know how to solder, don't". I just got back from my local ham shop with about 30 PL-259's both solder and crimp/solder. Went through almost a dozen between last week and this week. Four were the crappy Shakespere Easy VHF connectors that had failed, and the rest were all bad solder jobs.... If you do know how to properly crimp, then solder, by all means have at it. Sadly for me about 95% of the solder jobs I see on boats have not been done properly...The key here which deserves to be highlighted is the term "proper".
Proper solder joints require secure mechanical connection. It's a two step process and because many people fail to first mechanically bond before soldering, or don't know how to properly solder, the lowest common denominator results -that being the recommendation to crimp.
I test my crimp tools twice per year. Only once have I needed to send one out for re-calibration. It had drifted by 6-7 pounds but was still exceeding Mil-Spec.. The results are repeatable to within 1-2 pounds consistently. All the tools I use exceed Mil-Spec standards for crimp terminations and most well exceed it. My tools are no different than what are used on the airplanes we fly in and in fact come from places like Boeing, Bombardier/Lear etc. as I buy them from their re-calibrators, at a huge savings.....Crimping is much easier to do properly, hence, the wide- held assumption it is preferable for the novice to simply buy a good crisper and have at it. However, the perception is often different from reality. As a practical matter, it is impossible to know definitively that the crimp is solid unless one does destructive testing.
A proper bonded and soldered joint, however, can be identified visually and therefore is preferred by many people I consider to be experienced.
???? I don't recall crimped connections ever being blamed or found to be the cause in that investigation...??Such connection offer twice the protection of a simple crimp. Just ask the widows of the three astronauts burned to death while sitting in the Apollo 1 capsule how good crimps can be...
I don't have any but have seen them repeatedly and among experienced professional antenna installers, the story is similar. It doesn't make sense that our opinions are so contrary so I assume the difference is not the equipment but rather either the connectors or the person operating the equipment.Don,
I've probally tested 4 or 5k Pl-259 crimp connectors over the years, I run one of the test labs for Amphenol, and have never seen one that had either damaged braid or dielectric when done with proper connectors and tooling.
The testing consisted of, insertion loss, return loss, intermod, impedance from 10 kHz to 3 gHz then were cross sectioned to evaluate the mechanical integrity.
Of returns from the field, the main faults were improper stripping, wrong tooling, bad tooling or crimping and wrong cable connector combination. One other one junk cable.
Send me some of those damaged connectors and I'll gladly test them and give you a formal report. PM me for contact info.
I was going to stay out of this, but just couldn't
Fred,I run one of the test labs for Amphenol
Just because I think this may be the first time I have ever caught you being incorrect on a technicality... :naughty:Using linemans splices/wire twisting on stranded wire is verboten not only by the ABYC/NMMA etc. but also by NASA, Mil-Spec etc....
Fred, I understand that, Re-read my post, I mentioned that it requires solid wire. I was just pointing out that the western union splice IS technically accepted by NASA when done properly and with limitations (non stranded wire), contrary to what MS indicated.Brian,
Look carefully at page 84 do you see any stranded wire in the western union splice?
Stranded wire is verbotton by nasa, mil spec, ipc, iec and a multitude of others.
Just because I think this may be the first time I have ever caught you being incorrect on a technicality... :naughty:
Page 83/84 of http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/doctree/87394.pdf states the proper NASA approved method of doing a Western Union/Lineman Splice, and the document was last revised in March of 2011, so it's not something horribly out of date.
Therefore in this one particular case, it IS NASA approved, and they require it to be soldered, though I know that means nothing for ABYC or if it's appropriate for our boats (especially since it does require solid core wire to work, NOT stranded).
Using linemans splices/wire twisting on stranded wire is verboten not only by the ABYC/NMMA etc. but also by NASA, Mil-Spec etc....