Dupont crimp tool, high-quality multi-strand and stiff single-strand wire?

[David_]

Hello.

I have finally gotten around to ordering Dupont crimp connectors(and similar) but now I realized that I didn't order any crimp tool. But I know nothing about crimp tools.

I have snapped up the names PA-09 and PA-21 from somewhere, and I want to ask your opinion about whether or not it is worth the money buying something like those or would I be perfectly fine with a cheap China style crimp tool?

I also wonder what sort of isolation material I should look for when buying wires in order to get wires that are flexible and really comfortable to work with(high-quality)?

As far as gauge is concerned, I will use very much oversized wires even for microcontroller stuff because it is easier to work with but the quality and feel of the wires are most important but I have no clue about what to look for, though one requirement is that there must be a range of colours available.

Do you have any suggestion?
Or is it a case of simply buying "multi-strand copper wire" and discover how they are to work with?

Lastly I also wonder if there are any kind of non-isolated single-strand wire with the stiffness akin to the leads of cheap ebay through-hole 1N4148 diodes(or even the leads of 3mm/5mm LED's) that I can buy as a wire?

Regards

[katzohki]

I don't have a strong opinion on crimp tools, except that generally you get what you pay for.

If you want extra flexible wires (and a "premium" feel) you should look at silicone insulation and a higher strand count. 18 Gauge wire with 240 strand-count will be much more flexible than 16 strand-count (yes really just got some like this). Silicone will be more flexible compared to PTFE, PVC and etc. It's going to cost you more for these options though.

Non-insulated single-conductor wire = "bus wire" so just use that as a search term and you'll find tons.

[Simon]

connector tools are a nightmare. I remain dumbfounded by how many different but same looking open bootlace terminals there are that need highly special and expensive crimps. Don't use wire that is bigger than the pin is made to take, it won't crimp properly and won't fit into the housing either. Strangely despite the near identical appearance of many terminals they don't crimp without the manufacturers too unless you pick a right one by fluke.

Be aware that wire with PTFE (halogen) in it lets of poisonous smoke (trying to use wire like that anywhere near trains get very smokey reactions from project managers and compliance people as well).

[edavid]

I have snapped up the names PA-09 and PA-21 from somewhere, and I want to ask your opinion about whether or not it is worth the money buying something like those or would I be perfectly fine with a cheap China style crimp tool?

I have found a cheap SN-28B tool satisfactory, but I guess it depends on how much crimping you plan to do.

I also wonder what sort of isolation material I should look for when buying wires in order to get wires that are flexible and really comfortable to work with(high-quality)?

FYI, the English word is "insulation".

I think if the wire is too flexible (silicone), or too slippery (PTFE/teflon) you will find it harder to crimp.  I would go with standard PVC insulation.

As far as gauge is concerned, I will use very much oversized wires even for microcontroller stuff because it is easier to work with but the quality and feel of the wires are most important but I have no clue about what to look for, though one requirement is that there must be a range of colours available.

That won't work with Dupont connectors.  The wire diameter must be fairly small, or the crimped connector won't fit in the shell.  I'm not sure of the largest size that will work - 24AWG?  22AWG?   Do some experimenting before you buy a lot of wire.

[edavid]

Non-insulated single-conductor wire = "bus wire" so just use that as a search term and you'll find tons.

But copper bus wire is much softer than the diode leads OP was asking about...

[nanofrog]

The SN-28B will be the least expensive option I'm aware of. Please note however, the QC on these tends to be all over the place. It's so bad that you may not even be able to adjust it to specifications.

Generally speaking, I'd recommend ratcheting types over plier types any day due to consistent crimp pressure. The Engineer PA-09 & PA-21 are well made however, and will create excellent crimps. I say this, as I have a PA-09 due to the versatility, and it will handle Dupont connectors (not as convenient, as it requires 2 passes; one for the wire, and the second for the insulation portion). I'd also recommend considering a quality used pair in good shape; especially for a ratcheting type.

FWIW, search for crimper here on the forum a go (beneath user ID, not the version specific to any particular thread). Quite a bit of information on the topic, including models specific to Dupont connectors. 

[HwAoRrDk]

The SN-28B will be the least expensive option I'm aware of. Please note however, the QC on these tends to be all over the place. It's so bad that you may not even be able to adjust it to specifications.

The impression I got was that these are to be avoided because of the wretched quality of the crimping dies, but that otherwise the quality of the ratchet mechanism is reasonably good.

The Engineer PA-09 & PA-21 are well made however, and will create excellent crimps. I say this, as I have a PA-09 due to the versatility, and it will handle Dupont connectors (not as convenient, as it requires 2 passes; one for the wire, and the second for the insulation portion).

I got a PA-09 recently and am very pleased with the tool. I was hesitant to spend that amount of money on such a simple tool, but it was worth it. For crimping such small terminals, it being a non-ratcheting type is of no disadvantage, as moderate hand pressure is all you need.

Talking of wire specifications, I have found it annoying when trying to find 22 AWG wire, because of contradictions between stated AWG and mm2 specs. Quite often I see 22 AWG also showing as 0.5 mm2. Unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure 0.35 is equivalent to 22 AWG, whereas 0.5 is more like 20 AWG. You never know which value to believe when such conflicting specs are given. Especially crucial when you want to use the wire with small crimp terminals where 22 AWG is the upper limit of what size conductor it will take.

[nanofrog]

The impression I got was that these are to be avoided because of the wretched quality of the crimping dies, but that otherwise the quality of the ratchet mechanism is reasonably good.

Yes.

You can adjust the ratcheting mechanism to some extent, but the dies are what they are as a general rule. You could take a die grinder to them of course, but that only removes material. If there's already too much metal missing in the dies, they're nothing more than scrap metal.

I got a PA-09 recently and am very pleased with the tool. I was hesitant to spend that amount of money on such a simple tool, but it was worth it. For crimping such small terminals, it being a non-ratcheting type is of no disadvantage, as moderate hand pressure is all you need.

Exactly.  And the versatility they offer as well makes them well worth the money IMHO.

Talking of wire specifications, I have found it annoying when trying to find 22 AWG wire, because of contradictions between stated AWG and mm2 specs. Quite often I see 22 AWG also showing as 0.5 mm2. Unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure 0.35 is equivalent to 22 AWG, whereas 0.5 is more like 20 AWG. You never know which value to believe when such conflicting specs are given. Especially crucial when you want to use the wire with small crimp terminals where 22 AWG is the upper limit of what size conductor it will take.

Good point. As you get smaller in size (wire & terminals), the tolerances become more of an issue.

BTW, where are you buying your wire from, and/or what is the brand?

[HwAoRrDk]

BTW, where are you buying your wire from, and/or what is the brand?

The last lot of proper 22 AWG wire I bought was just from a random eBay seller. Seems to be decent quality stuff. The brand wasn't stated, but I think I tracked down who the manufacturer was (seller basically copy-pasted the specs from the datasheet) - a British company whose name I forget at the moment. I can find it again if you want.

[nanofrog]

BTW, where are you buying your wire from, and/or what is the brand?

The last lot of proper 22 AWG wire I bought was just from a random eBay seller. Seems to be decent quality stuff. The brand wasn't stated, but I think I tracked down who the manufacturer was (seller basically copy-pasted the specs from the datasheet) - a British company whose name I forget at the moment. I can find it again if you want.

Not necessary; I was just curious.

I used to get most of my stuff from a place called Skycraft Surplus as they get remnants from the aerospace industry and such and sell it at great prices.  They do sell online though, and when I make it back to Orlando, I stop buy and stock up on bargains (they don't offer everything they have online). 

I do tend to buy silicone wire, 30AWG wire wrapping wire, and copper sheet/foil from eBay though, but that's about it..

FWIW, Belden Wire & Cable offers hookup wire in 100ft spools (~$45 per 100ft. of 22AWG tin plated copper from Mouser for PVC; next size up is 1000ft @ ~$278). It's mil-spec rated, so I know it will fit a crimp connector. They also offer it in other insulations if you need it. Not sure on pricing in your case though, as I'm not sure how bad the shipping would be vs. what's available from UK or EU manufacturers.

Physical location can certainly muck things up.   

[David_]

Thank you for all your answers, I think I better just get on with it and get a PA-09.
I think I will be using it fairly often, even if I wouldn't I will for sure be using it for a long time into the future.

This thread has been really interesting to read.

Thanks

[Kjelt]

A lot has already been written on this subject on this forum, use a search for Dupont crimp