Electronic – Best way to crimping the outer tabs of a Crimp Terminal Contact

If you do the mechanical part of your job right, then there's no way that anything can be flopping around inside your box, just inviting disaster.

Here are a couple of examples of equipment laid out properly:

Notice how everything is laid out neatly, as if it were planned, and harnessed and secured properly in order to completely eliminate the possibility of an inadvertent mis-connection/short in the box.

Also, in the topmost photo, notice the use of crimp terminals and a Jones-type barrier strip secured to the chassis in order to make connections to a cable leading to the outside world, and a terminal board used to secure - and provide connections to - the resistor array.

This method of construction can be used universally where wiring by hand is required, will yield very reliable equipment, and eliminates the need for hot glue. ;)

There aren't really any truly universal crimp tools but if I need to use a connector of some sort where the cost of a manufacturer crimp tool isn't justified I normally go about it this way:

• Make sure you select a wire gauge that properly matches the contacts.

• Strip the wire and lightly crimp the two center tabs by closing them up one side at a time using a pair of regular pliers, you won't get a good crimp with pliers it just has to be enough to hold the cable in place.

• Place a small Phillips head screwdriver (or steel rod) around the same diameter as the outer tabs designed to hold the insulated section of the cable down the length of the terminal.

• Place it into a vise and use the force against the screwdriver / rod to make the crimp. I use a good machine vise but any metal one large enough so you can get enough force should do the job, not a small one for holding PCBs etc.

• Then for the outer tab for the insulated section I just normally use regular pliers again for a start followed by a lighter touch towards the outside of the vise.

I've found that to work well but often also sometimes add a dash of solder as a bit of extra security as long as it doesn't interfere with the housing.