Crimping Wires

This can be a major cause of failure that can seem fine when a crimp is made but will cause hours of troubleshooting. So, we NEED TO CRIMP EVERY SINGLE WIRE PROPERLY. The crimp and wire are inexpensive, so let’s just DO IT RIGHT!

What do you mean when you say ‘crimp’?

Making a crimp is the process of attaching a wire to a terminal that will be inserted into a housing.

What is the purpose of a crimp?

To mechanically and electrically attach a wire to a terminal, as well as provide strain relief.

What does a good crimp look like?

Like the following articles. READ THE MOLEX, SPARKFUN, and BLOG posts first.

Sparkfun - Working with Wire

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/working-with-wire/all

Blog

Have a look through this article for pictures of good and bad crimp: http://tech.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/

I have also attached it as a PDF here in case the site ever disappears.

Molex

Molex also has an amazing guide I have put below in PDF form as well: https://web.archive.org/web/20170807144909/https://www.molex.com/tnotes/crimp.html

They have identified 13 common pitfalls of a crimp. PLEASE READ THEM AND KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM.

Crimp Height is Too Small
Crimp Height Too Large
Insulation Crimp Too Small
Insulation Crimp Too Large
Loose Wire Strands
Too Short Strip Length
Wire Inserted Too Far
"Banana" (Excessive Bending) Terminal
Crimp Too Far Forward
Undersized Bellmouth
Oversized Bellmouth
Carrier Cut-off Too Long
Bent Lock Tangs

Hackaday - Physics of Crimped Connections

https://hackaday.com/2017/02/09/good-in-a-pinch-the-physics-of-crimped-connections/

Electrical