Connectors for Joining Data/NMEA cables

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bedouin

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I am just upgrading the electronics and this will involve running transducer / network cables through various tight spaces. Doing this with ready terminated cables would be very difficult so I intend to cut the cables - run the cut ends to a central point and then rejoin them. I have used standard screw terminal strips in the past but I am not very happy using them with very thin data cables as I am not sure they make a reliable connection.

Anyone got any better ideas?
 
Solder and heatshrink. And get some resin cored lead/tin solder instead of that new fangled EU aluminium gay solder. I believe lead/tin is still available in smaller quantities; it's only been banned for mass production.
 
I use solder / heatshrink for things like depth transducer cables, particularly where they run through the bilges, but not sure about it when connecting thinner multicore cable as it would be bulky. I think perhaps a "barrier strip" might be best for the data parts like the blue sea ones.
 
As someone who has never been able to solder proficiently, I find the following works well:
First strip the insulation off the fine wires by wiping with a hot soldering iron. Then crimp on the appropriate size uninsulated tinned bootlace connector using a proper "bootlace crimping tool" [ https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/ferrule-crimping-tool]
Use Wago 221 series connectors [https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/wago-connectors] if you are likely to be connecting/disconnecting or use sleeved crimped connections for permanent installation. Cover joints with heatshrink if desired and use tinned wire where possible
 
yimkin said:
As someone who has never been able to solder proficiently, I find the following works well:
First strip the insulation off the fine wires by wiping with a hot soldering iron. Then crimp on the appropriate size uninsulated tinned bootlace connector using a proper "bootlace crimping tool" [ https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/ferrule-crimping-tool]
Use Wago 221 series connectors [https://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/wago-connectors] if you are likely to be connecting/disconnecting or use sleeved crimped connections for permanent installation. Cover joints with heatshrink if desired and use tinned wire where possible
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No wonder you can't solder if you think the way to remove insulation is by burning it off :rolleyes:
 
+1 for Wago (221 series are lovely and compact) connectors. eBay is your friend.

But you can’t beat the advice about soldering for long-term in a salty environment.
 
The solder/heat shrink proponents often leave out a critical bit of info. The joint must be firmly supported to eliminate flexing as the stranded cable is now solid at that point. But even using Wago type, the wires and connectors should be clamped down in a little junction box.
 
MikeCC said:
The solder/heat shrink proponents often leave out a critical bit of info. The joint must be firmly supported to eliminate flexing as the stranded cable is now solid at that point. But even using Wago type, the wires and connectors should be clamped down in a little junction box.
Click to expand...

+1

To the OP ;

If soldering, you must also be good at it, no good cooking the wiring and ending up with solder wicked up the wiring an inch in both directions. Each wire should be individually covered with heat shrink, then a piece that cover all of the strands (but not the insulation), finally a piece the cover the whole lot and about 10mm of insulation each way. The cable should then be suitably supported along its length, as should all cables.

Done correctly soldered joins are fine, done incorrectly they are an absolute nightmare. If your soldering skills are not good, go for the wago connectors. Stick them in a small enclosure with some rapid drying epoxy and just slip the wires in. In my opinion, there is no need to use bootlace ferrules with Wago connectors, that's part of the point of using Wagos in the first place.
 
I am using Wago 221 for a lot of the power connections on the boat as I replace those - and I have just discovered "gel filled" boxes to make those connections water proof.

However I am not sure about using them for joining multi-core data cables - the main cable from the chartplotter is 8 core and joining those with 8 211 type connectors would take a lot of space. I wish Wago made a terminal strip with the same connection method as the 211 - that would be much more useful
 
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PaulRainbow said:
+1

To the OP ;

If soldering, you must also be good at it, no good cooking the wiring and ending up with solder wicked up the wiring an inch in both directions. Each wire should be individually covered with heat shrink, then a piece that cover all of the strands (but not the insulation), finally a piece the cover the whole lot and about 10mm of insulation each way. The cable should then be suitably supported along its length, as should all cables.

Done correctly soldered joins are fine, done incorrectly they are an absolute nightmare. If your soldering skills are not good, go for the wago connectors. Stick them in a small enclosure with some rapid drying epoxy and just slip the wires in. In my opinion, there is no need to use bootlace ferrules with Wago connectors, that's part of the point of using Wagos in the first place.
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You make it sound like neurosurgery.

It isn't.

Anyone can do it competently if they have normal hands and eyes.

All it takes is a glimmer of common sense. I'm sick of reading about "wago connectors". Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut :rolleyes:
 
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elton said:
`

You make it sound like neurosurgery.

It isn't.

Anyone can do it competently if they have normal hands and eyes.

All it takes is a glimmer of common sense. I'm sick of reading about "wago connectors". Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I merely described how best to make a reliable solder connection in a multi core data cable.

Is there something wrong with my description ?

Wago connectors have their place, as do several other types of connection.

Perhaps your connections are the ones i keep getting called out to because they have failed or the boat has almost gone up in flames :confused:
 
PaulRainbow said:
I merely described how best to make a reliable solder connection in a multi core data cable.

Is there something wrong with my description ?

Wago connectors have their place, as do several other types of connection.

Perhaps your connections are the ones i keep getting called out to because they have failed or the boat has almost gone up in flames :confused:
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`

I built this when I was about ten years old. Soldering is not rocket science. It takes little experience or knowledge to become perfectly competent.

 
elton said:
`

I built this when I was about ten years old. Soldering is not rocket science. It takes little experience or knowledge to become perfectly competent.
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Well done. But it's clear that not everyone knows how to do a good job, if they did, half the threads on PBO would not exist. Almost every question that gets asked on here has an easy answer, if you know how to do it. The OP obviously does not know how to do it, he's using his soldering iron to melt the insulation, how well do you think his soldering will work after he's done that ?

So, anyway, back to my original question to you, is there something wrong with my description of how to join his multi core cable with soldered connections ? Noting, of course, that i didn't actually describe how to do the soldering. I simply described how to make the joint as safe and secure as possible.
 
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There are five industries which I've worked in and which really care about reliability. We might learn from them:

1. Automotive
2. Aviation
3. Spacecraft
4. Oil-well instrumentation
5. Telecommunications.

All of them crimp rather than solder when joining wires to each other or to a connector. The reliability is much higher, especially in the presence of vibration. So whether you know how to solder or not isn't that relevant. Crimp wires and if in a hostile environment then cover the joint with silicone gel inside a boot or heat-shrink is my preferred way.
 
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