3 Jan
2018
3 Jan
'18
4:33 p.m.
Chuck is right on about having the right tools. I use a Paladin (now
Greenlee) PA1645 for most of my wire housing crimp terminal needs. I've got
an older Weidmuller Mini Stripax wire stripper that works excellent, bought
it after having used one in a job in college.
I don't use the "official" tool for IDC connector crimping, though -- I use
a small arbor press. Picked it up at the MIT Flea for under $20.
Thanks,
Jonathan
On Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 7:11 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 01/03/2018 03:03 PM, systems_glitch via cctalk
wrote:
Most IDC connectors will fit just fine. I've
use old 40-pin IDE cables
before. Beware that the keying boss may be too short for the old blue
Berg
housings, allowing the cable to be inserted
upside-down (don't depend on
the keying boss!).
There are wire housing type connectors you can get, as well, which allow
individual pins to be crimped to wires and then inserted into the
housing.
Mouser's parametric search will yield many
options.
Also, be aware that twisted-pair ribbon cable may be specified on some
of this older stuff. Depending on the length of the run, "straight"
ribbon cable may work, but it's something to pay attention to if you're
in the 10-20 m lengths.
I use the crimp pins and housings all the time. Recently, I had a
dual-row 8 pin module to plug into another board. I used the female
Berg housing and pins crimped onto lengths of AWG 18 solid wire, which
in turn was soldered to the PCB. It saved me from having to order a
special female header.
If you do go the crimp-pin route, get yourself a good crimper made for
the job.--I use one made by/for Molex--it's a spring-loaded ratchet
affair that repeatedly crimps the pins very neatly.
The other thing is to get a good wire stripper that won't nick the
conductors. I use the "Micro Strip" tool that's often used for
stripping fiber jackets--I originally got mine for stripping wire-wrap
wire.
You can sometimes find these tools on the used market. New, they can be
quite dear.
--Chuck