Joining very thin N0183 cables

[Daydream believer]

If you really want to make sure they can never pull apart without soldering ... drop of CA into heat shrink tube ends immediately before shrinking.

That is odd, because if one wants to release a piece of steel that has been glued on to onto a plate with CA whist turned in a lathe, (a common procedure) one just has to warm it a bit. It then drops off dead easy.
So I would expect the act of heat shrinking a CA glued item to just kill the CA. That being said the "dead" residue probably helps hold the parts together

 

[Daydream believer]

Later when I had the gear for RC cables - I can use crimped servo plugs that have gold pins etc.

Small, neat & tidy. Easy to get apart/connect & one can put servo savers across the plugs to prevent accidental separation. This helps if one wants to draw through a duct, or back behind a bulkhead/panel.

However, one does need the right parts & the right crimping pliers, which the average yachtie would not have, for the relatively few connections he might want to make

 

[KompetentKrew]

I use similar. But whilst I have been told on this forum not to; I solder thin wires into the bootlace terminal. I feel that this tends to prevent over crushing the end & breaking the wire when it is crimped or placed into the terminal block. It is easy to over tighten a choc box at some time in the future when looking for a bad connection. Thus crushing the end so much that it could possibly cut the thin wire

Should be unnecessary with the correct sized ferrule - if you've chosen the right one then the wire should just barely fit inside it, and it will look like there's no air gap when crimped, pic below.

I guess the correctly-sized ferrule may be hard to obtain locally if you're using tiny wires , and it would be tempting to use the wrong one. I'd prefer to ascertain the right size and get them from Farnell next time I place an order with them.

 

[Daydream believer]

Should be unnecessary with the correct sized ferrule - if you've chosen the right one then the wire should just barely fit inside it, and it will look like there's no air gap when crimped, pic below.

I have dozens of lose ones, plus a box of assorted sizes. But like most people, if I find I need a couple, I am not going to waste time on the internet, ordering, paying postage for the want of 2 or 3, then delaying the job for a week, when I can easily get it done in 15 minutes. With a drop of solder I will get the wire in & there will be no air gap

 

[KompetentKrew]

I have dozens of lose ones, plus a box of assorted sizes. But like most people, if I find I need a couple, I am not going to waste time on the internet, ordering, paying postage for the want of 2 or 3, then delaying the job for a week, when I can easily get it done in 15 minutes. With a drop of solder I will get the wire in & there will be no air gap

That's exactly why I said I'd put it in my basket at Farnell, for ordering at a later date.

I'd screw down the bare wire temporarily and fix the bodge in a few weeks or months. I just find it incomprehensible that you prefer a bodge which you make permanent.

 

[StUrrock]

Try these. 10 Pack 2 Wire Telephone JELLY CRIMPS Telecom Connector BT Cable Repair Splicer 5055606404443 | eBay

We work in IT and use these type of joiners all the time for outside Cat/telephone cable repairs.
Only thing to remember is when squeezing with a pair of ordinary pliers it is possible to crush and damage the connector so be careful. We have a special pair of piers where the jaws don’t close fully that means we cannot damage things, even with my heavy handedness!

 

[StUrrock]

To reiterate and expand a little on what Paul Rainbow posted.



These IDC style connectors are manufactured to connect exact gauges of solid conductor wire. They are usually Colour Coded for the exact size of conductor they are dimensioned to be used on.

eg- use the wrong size:- too small in relation to the conductor, you risk cutting the conductor or partially cutting the conductor, reducing the cross sectional area and causing a high resistance joint. Conversely too larger connector in relation to the conductor, you will not get sufficient grip on the conductor. Once again a potential high resistance joint or a intermittent connection.

All the above is exacerbated by using a multi-strand conductor

The secondary issue is that this type of connector is designed to be crimped by a set of Parallel Jaw pliers so that the button is seated square with the body of the connector all the way thru the crimping motion. If the button is crimped skewed it may cut the connector, even if it is later corrected by re-crimping.



While they can be made to connect Multi strand conductors it was never their design purpose.



As some-one who in past, at times used these types of connectors at a rate of more a thousand a week over close to a decade. I do not use them on my boat or any boat I have ever owned.



Mike

apologies missed your excellent post before posting above.

 

[PaulRainbow]

We work in IT and use these type of joiners all the time for outside Cat/telephone cable repairs.
Only thing to remember is when squeezing with a pair of ordinary pliers it is possible to crush and damage the connector so be careful. We have a special pair of piers where the jaws don’t close fully that means we cannot damage things, even with my heavy handedness!

But telephone cables are not made from 0.5mm wire, with very fine strands.

 

[wully1]

+1 that's what I use for all thin wire applications on the boat. Easy to use and they waterproof the joint. I know you're not supposed to but I've used them on both single core (at home) and multistrand with good results. The only downside is that they are permanent and have to be cut off if you want to disconnect for any reason. Leave plenty of length on the tails for this purpose.

If they are the BT ones you can open them by squeezing them on the side with some pliers..the coloured cap will pop off and you will be left with silicone grease smeared partially bared wires.

 

[Daydream believer]

I'd screw down the bare wire temporarily and fix the bodge in a few weeks or months.

A really brilliant solution

 

[Refueler]

Small, neat & tidy. Easy to get apart/connect & one can put servo savers across the plugs to prevent accidental separation. This helps if one wants to draw through a duct, or back behind a bulkhead/panel.

However, one does need the right parts & the right crimping pliers, which the average yachtie would not have, for the relatively few connections he might want to make

Agreed - but if sorting out a full setup - the cost of the crimpers and parts is less than people expect. My Crimper was about 25 euros .... packs of the items to make 10 pairs about 10 euros. They are also 'Polarised' so only connect one way round.
I read posts on other threads for various and costs far higher than that ...

But Yes - I have a definite need for crimper / parts in my RC Modelling ..... so its there already.

 

[Refueler]

That is odd, because if one wants to release a piece of steel that has been glued on to onto a plate with CA whist turned in a lathe, (a common procedure) one just has to warm it a bit. It then drops off dead easy.
So I would expect the act of heat shrinking a CA glued item to just kill the CA. That being said the "dead" residue probably helps hold the parts together

Maybe .... but it works.

Its also a trick for binding the cut ends of ropes .....

 

[PCUK]

I recommend low temperature solder shrink connectors. Use the smallest size!

 

[Daydream believer]

I recommend low temperature solder shrink connectors. Use the smallest size!

Tried a box of those in mixed sizes, but without a single success.

 

[gregcope]

Another advantage of my wago/wiska box combo is that it is easy to disassemble.

You can use smaller wiska boxes than I suggested, like the 206. Depends on how many wagos you want to put in.

wago also do inline 221 that help with connecting two wires in a small space.