The APP connectors offer support to prevent the wires flexing at the point of entry to the connector *if* the correct size wire is used so the insulation fits snugly.
If I felt compelled to use an undersize wire I'd add a sleeve where the insulation enters the connector - maybe some wraps of tape - to the wire is held securely forcing any bending to occur outside of the connector. It's my understanding (mostly from the avionics industry) that soldering certain connections is not allowed or at least not recommended not because the soldered connection might fail where a crimp wouldn't but wherever an over-current might melt the solder and let it flow into undesired places. In my experience in the electronics industry, we chose crimping over soldering because it was easier to train a new worker how to use a quality crimp tool than it was to solder. Time = money, especially in avionics where the turnover tends to be high. That's not to suggest that crimping is not every bit as good as soldering when done by someone with the proper training using a good-quality crimp too. And like poor soldering, poorly crimped connections can work just fine for years and years in many cases. Unless you are a manufacturer studying failures of a lot of joints over time you may never see the difference between an average soldered joint and a mediocre crimp join. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of EricJ Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 10:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: Crimping small wires I don't usually do that because the wire exiting the APP barrel is still just a small strand that flexes easily and can eventually break. It gives you a lot more surface area for crimping, but needs strain relief to be secure in the long run. What I do is strip the wire the same length as normal, then fold it back over the insulation. I insert the wire and insulation into the barrel with the wire down (away from the split in the barrel), then crimp normally. This makes a solid electrical connection with the stiffness of the wire insulation which also provides more than adequate strain relief. I've mentioned it here before and some are aghast, but I have maybe a dozen connections like that currently in my shack and not one of them has ever failed in the 10 years I've been doing it with APPs. But any connection where this is necessary is a low voltage, low current DC connection so what's it going to hurt? It isn't any worse electrically than using a small wire nut which is considered safe enough even for house wiring. Eric KE6US ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
