I am working on a project where we are using 28 – 30 AWG wire with the Molex picoblade and Molex picolock connectors. Does anybody have any recommendations for strain relief for wires and connectors that are very tiny? The wires themselves should not expect any strain, but the device itself will be moving, and I'm worried about possible reliability issues if the wires are flexed near the connector.
I've already popped out a bunch of wires just connecting and disconnecting the connectors. (During actual use, the connectors should never need to be disconnected).
Thanks.
Best Answer
Wires often break the way you show if they are not properly crimped. This can create a pinch point near the edge of the crimp and cause them to break easily. Are you using the correct Molex Picoblade crimper with the correct AWG pins and wire? Is your strip-length correct? Is the wire insulation diameter small enough to be captured by the crimp? (I am having this problem presently)
One thing I like to do is braid or twist the wires making more of a cable. This helps the strands act as a larger, stiffer piece of cable rather than a bunch of tiny wires.