Don't get me wrong. Crimped connections are universally accepted across
many industries as the cat's meow. But companies like Tektronics still
absolutely use soldered connections.
My first wife Mary had a friend who managed a company who hired
mentally challenged people, and trained them for self supporting jobs
within their capabilities. Some of the tasks involved simple sorting and
packaging hardware and printed instruction manuals to include in packaging
of products for sale.
One of their products involved some precision soldering of wire harnesses,
which proved too difficult for the skill sets of his employees. So, her
friend sub contracted the harness soldering to folks like Mary and I who
did have the skills to perform those tasks. I had a heated shop in the back
yard with great lighting and work stations that we worked in. We soldered
components to circuit boards under 10 power magnification lenses. Touchy
stuff that had to pass vigorous inspection and testing. Tek was a stickler
for quality control. That is where I refined my soldering skills.
So, yes, I have some experience with soldering. Cleanliness is next to
Godliness in this. Any corrosion or dirt will lead to a cold soldered
joint. Also, proper cleanup and insulating is a must. And it takes time
from skilled workers. That equals $$$$ every time.
So, crimping has it's place, as does soldering. Which method is
better? Heck, I don't know with certainly.
I guess it is a quest for another day.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon
On Fri, Mar 27, 2020, 8:30 AM Greg Crawford via Gmclist <
> I agree with Ken. Having restored a few boats, I always use tinned copper
> wire suitable for marine use even on vehicles.
>
> I have a good Ancor crimping tool, and I crimp, then solder, then apply
> adhesive filled shrink tubing. This makes a very sturdy, waterproof
> connection.
>
> This connection will outlast the wire. You will pay a little more up
> front, but you will never have a problem with those connections and wire if
> it is
> properly sized for the amp load.
>
> Don't buy the wire at West Marine, it will cost you double. There are
> several vendors on ebay that provide good wire for a good price.
>
> I used tinned marine wire on the battery cables as well. If you peel back
> the insulation on an old battery cable, you will see black corrosion for
> several inches beyond where the insulation was. This corrosion
>
> wicks in under the jacket. Since electricity travels on the outside of the
> strands of wire, this really increases the resistance of the wire, causing
> voltage drop and heat. An adhesive filled heat shrink over a
>
> crimped and soldered connection will prevent this.
> --
> Greg Crawford
> Knoxville, TN
>
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