reasonable priced , real, crimping tools for molex / JST / Dupont ?

[nctnico]

Is it too late to move away from the 1mm pitch connectors? I'd opt for a dual row connector with a larger pitch if space is an issue. A larger pitch will also be friendlier to assemble and maintain.

[free_electron]

i am using VH, XH and PH connector because these are prevalent in the 3d printer world.  using a new standard is problematic for adoption.

i will use dirtycables to do a real run . for about 400$ i can get 100 sets of cables.

[mikeselectricstuff]

i am using VH, XH and PH connector because these are prevalent in the 3d printer world.  using a new standard is problematic for adoption.

i will use dirtycables to do a real run . for about 400$ i can get 100 sets of cables.

None of those are 1mm pitch..

Please let us know how dirtycables works out  - looks useful but I've yet to see any feedback on them.

[Technobabble_]

I've had limited success with the IWISS crimping tool, however it *does not* work well on the smallest (red) connectors - at least the one I've received.

[R005T3r]

My experience so far with crimpers is: if you get a deal, buy the original tool. If you are "just a hobbist" and don't care about the crimp quiality and want the thing crimped, I urge you to get the engegneer PA series, however there will be drawbacks, like you won't get a perfect crimp mechanically and so, it might be an issue later when the stuff is under stress conditions and it's a dobule crimp mechanism, moreover they can't hold the connector during the crimping operation.

If you are looking for crimping JSTs you might consider a  D-sub crimper. There are slight variations in desing between manufacturers however take something that "follow the design", and you will get a fair crimp. Pefection = $$$ (a lot!). Also search for a  crimper that will hold the connector while crimping...  For extremely fine stuff like 30 AWG or more, you require special equipment, otherwise it won't crimp at all or you will damage the contact inevitabley, but prices will be as high as the stars:
https://www.distrelec.it/it/pinza-crimpare-senza-inserto-daniels-dmc-m22520-01/p/18061814?queryFromSuggest=true 
This for example is used to crimp up to 32AWG and it also check the correct lenght in the crimp (for circular turned type contacts), and yep, it's 500 Eur before tax.

The real issue with crimpers is that you have to buy decent stuff straightfoward or you will be buying them forever and you will end up with wasting lot of money... Also, needless to say, but if you use a particular type of connecor a lot, you need the whole set, because something as simple as uninsulated faston sockets or sleeves in reality have a wide range of variations that can preclude you from peforming the crimp correctly. As for the 1mm jst or molex a D-sub capable crimping piler will do the job. Weidmuller sell those for 300 Eur, however you might be lucky to find them used on ebay.

Also, one other thing: for original Dupont connectors those are extremely rare connectors and it's unlikely you have those. The chances are that you have the cheap-chinese ones for breadboard stuff (probably off ebay), and D-sub works...

Crimping equipment, is something anyone involeved in elecronics should have, and it's often a very superficially-looked section!

[jneudorf]

It may be better in the US, but when ordering from amazon.ca, the prices have significant markup, and expedited shipping is insane.  This is a case where ordering from amazon.co.jp seems to make sense; they have relatively fast shipping (3-6 days), and are cheaper.

[jwr]

For JST-PH I suffered through terrible frustration until I bought the Engineer PA-09 (Japanese) crimp tool. It's the first one that actually worked, and I'd say it's the threshold: anything less expensive will be a piece of garbage.

The PA-09 will do the job if you don't need to crimp a lot and if you don't need good repeatability and reliability. In other words, it's fine for hobby use, but do not expect to run a production line with it.

--Jan (https://partsbox.io/)

[Prime]

They don't care about hobbyists, or anyone that's not prepared to pay a few hundred $ for a hand tool, or a grand for dies for an auto crimper.
They do care that their product is reliable, so cheaping out on the tool makes no sense, as it could harm the reputation of their connectors.

I find it rather hard to believe that proper crimping tools really do have to cost this much money. It seems a matter of milking it for what it's worth.

They probably don't, but manufacturers have minimal incentive to offer cheaper tools, and wouldn't want to take any risks. I wouldn't be surprised if some manufacturers sub out their crimpers  to a tool specialist.

Another angle is that of tolerance - there will be tolerance issues on both the contact and the tool, the combination of which must be controlled to ensure an in-spec crimp. It makes more sense to make the tool tolerance as tight as possible, to allow for a wider  tolerance, and hence lower cost, on the contact.

Oh, but they do. Both Molex and JST outsource to Klauke and PressMaster. I figured this out when I realised the handles were the same, but the dies were different.   

Incidentally, both offer some generic crimping tools, maybe it's worth having a look on their site?

I bought a cheap tool from the local Polulu agent, it works ok for Dupont style connectors but having used a genuine tool for the molex crimps, I can assure you, the pain and suffering trying to hand crimp and bodge crimp with lousy tools isn't worth it on a big project. You will end up tearing you hair out because bad or intermittent connections and as your parts are all moving, you are going to find cables breaking from solder on the wires and bad or no strain relief.

I'd really suggest going to see a cable manufacturer and asking them what it would cost to have some cables made to sample.