Electrical Connectors DIY

[ajriding]

See pics, then crimp wire in and tape with rubber electrical tape or vinyl as needed.
Multiple sizes of copper pipe available.
You can buy, but expensive, so you buy what you need, then are out the next day. Scrap copper is unlimited in my metal pile and requires no trip to the store.

[agesilaus]

azrving wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
Now that I think of it, I've used this method to crimp wire aircraft cable into loops. At the end of a cable. The tubing must be big enough to take two passes of the cable. Bend the cable around at the end into a loop end.

It's a heck of a lot cheaper to use a few inches of copper tubing and not those expensive aluminum splices sold to do this.

Wait a minute...not aircraft cable that is going up in the air? Right ??

LOL not on anything I own, it's just called aircraft cable probably because it;s used as control cables in planes. But it has many other uses, in bicycle locks for example

[babock]

Seriously?

A pack of 10 4/0 heavy walled tinned 4/0 lugs are less than $2 each

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073FD7LPB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f6.vEbM9BWGZ0?fbclid=IwAR1g_tl6vOl1mIaGR6gkf0geboBMnX81wnVSb_P-Gobt2xhhpJ8HvgFp_j8&th=1&psc=1

[azrving]

agesilaus wrote:
Now that I think of it, I've used this method to crimp wire aircraft cable into loops. At the end of a cable. The tubing must be big enough to take two passes of the cable. Bend the cable around at the end into a loop end.

It's a heck of a lot cheaper to use a few inches of copper tubing and not those expensive aluminum splices sold to do this.

Wait a minute...not aircraft cable that is going up in the air? Right ??

[agesilaus]

Now that I think of it, I've used this method to crimp wire aircraft cable into loops. At the end of a cable. The tubing must be big enough to take two passes of the cable. Bend the cable around at the end into a loop end.

It's a heck of a lot cheaper to use a few inches of copper tubing and not those expensive aluminum splices sold to do this.

[time2roll]

How do you plate them with tin to reduce corrosion?
Do you have a size chart to know what is needed for various wire sizes?

[ajriding]

The crimp tool is wonderful. I have done hundreds of connections of all sizes, some too small for the tool, some too big for the tool and many just right. None have ever let go.
I found this one on the road somebody left for me in the gutter.
9 inch.



Noted on solder. I soldered the battery connections for maximal conductivity, but crimp everything else usually.
All the post is to do is show how to make the copper connectors, I make no claims for attaching the wire.
They are pricey at the store.
I have never had issues with the copper cracking or splitting under the hammer.
This is the flexible copper tubing if that matters.

I also can connect two wires together with just a short cut piece of tube, just crimp each wire into the same cut tube piece. My solar is done this way. I use the rubberized tape to weather seal.

Also, if attempting this, be sure to make it in the order pictured. The copper is hard to clamp for drilling, so drill it and cut it short AFTER otherwise you have nothing to hold onto as the drill bit torks on it.

[agesilaus]

In a pinch a pair of vice grips or a bench vice will compress the fitting onto the cable. May not be perfect but probably is 'good enough'.

And a bench vice will flatten the end too avoiding hammering.

[azrving]

Housted wrote:

azrving wrote:
One example

ajriding wrote:
There is a crimping tool that looks like pliers, but has a crimp. This is easy.
I have soldered wires if I needed the best.

The pliers that put a dimple are not the way to do it. You need the type that uses dies and compresses it evenly. Never use solder on that type of connection. Hydraulic models are available on ebay etc for $35 or so

I have one of those in the link.....it has worked really well for years.

I have crimped wire up to 1/0 with great results.:B

Housted

Yep, they aren’t perfect but you can work with it. If we want a perfect tool its more like a Greenlee We used a similar model when i was working. The only problem with them is they grew legs ALL the time. I have the ebay stuff lol

The greenlee hand pliers with a die type jaw are probably decent too but they are $300 or so.

[Housted]

azrving wrote:
One example

ajriding wrote:
There is a crimping tool that looks like pliers, but has a crimp. This is easy.
I have soldered wires if I needed the best.

The pliers that put a dimple are not the way to do it. You need the type that uses dies and compresses it evenly. Never use solder on that type of connection. Hydraulic models are available on ebay etc for $35 or so

I have one of those in the link.....it has worked really well for years.

I have crimped wire up to 1/0 with great results.:B

Housted

[azrving]

One example

ajriding wrote:
There is a crimping tool that looks like pliers, but has a crimp. This is easy.
I have soldered wires if I needed the best.

The pliers that put a dimple are not the way to do it. You need the type that uses dies and compresses it evenly. Never use solder on that type of connection. Hydraulic models are available on ebay etc for $35 or so

[jdc1]

And here I wasted all that money buying them....DANG

[Dutch_12078]

ajriding wrote:
There is a crimping tool that looks like pliers, but has a crimp. This is easy.
I have soldered wires if I needed the best.

For mobile work, soldering is not "the best". Properly crimped, a wire has more freedom to flex due to vibration than rigid soldered connections where metal fatigue can be an issue due to the solder bonding all the wire strands together. There's a reason why vehicle and boat manufacturers do not use soldered connections except in some very limited applications.

[gbopp]

Good tip, thanks. :C

[DrewE]

Neat idea.

It might not be a bad idea to anneal the end of the tubing before hammering it flat to try to avoid cracking it at the transition point. Avoiding a sharp edge on the backing block/anvil (and hammer face) would help with that too, I'd think.