24 Feb
2008
24 Feb
'08
11:11 a.m.
After buying a proper IDC crimper, I couldn't
figure out why I would
have ever tried to use something else to crimp the connectors,
especially considering how inexpensive it was, and how much easier it
was to crimp connectors without fouling them up.
I have a small smooth-jaw vice on my electronics workbench which I've
found very useful for holding cables when I'm soldering and crimping IDC
connectors. After a little practice, I've never mangled a connector when
crimping it. The 'practice' taught me how much force on the vice screw
handle is necessary to crimp the connector, if things don't seem to be
going smoothily, I don't just apply more force, I stop and find out
what's misaligned.
The only connectors I have problems with (obviously) are the 'transition'
type with the solder pins sticking out. For the 2-row ones, I put the
pins into one of those solderless plugblock breadboards (about the only
use for such things :-)) and stick that in the vice. I don't use the
4-row transition connectors, if I did, I'd probably drill a metal block
to thake the pins.
On thhe other hand, in a moment of weakness about 15 years ago I bought
the cheap IDC crimp pliers that Radio Shack sold. I never got on with
them. I ruined more connectores using those that I ever did with the vice.
-tony