Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff
Insulated crimp terminal diameter issue, KNIPEX / Molex / TE / AMP
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iroc86:
Thanks for those measurements, WattsThat.

Here's a quick update with some AMP/TE insulated terminals and a different crimping tool. These are Pre-Insulated Diamond Grip (PIDG) quick disconnects. They're a bit larger than the Molex Insulkrimp and have a copper lined insulation sleeve, similar to the Molex Avikrimp. I've used about two dozen of these so far--they seem to make an extremely secure crimp. As shown below, the tabs form a symmetric F-crimp and the metal insulation sleeve bulges out around the insulation, gripping the insulation better than the plastic alone.

The PIDG terminals are definitely a step up from the cheaper insulated terminals, but I think the quality shows. I wouldn't hesitate to use these in place of non-insulated terminals with heat shrink tubing. Of course, finding a crimp tool with the proper geometry is also the other half of the coin!





Benta:

--- Quote from: mikerj on February 19, 2020, 07:39:37 pm ---
--- Quote from: Benta on February 18, 2020, 08:10:43 pm ---I tried those connectors out 25 years ago. They were useless then and they're useless now, no matter which brand or crimp tool you use.
The idea/design is faulty from the start and no serious engineer would ever use them.

Functioning crimp connections use the "4-tab fold-in" design, like these:

Insulation is done with tailored sleeves or heat-shrink tubing.

--- End quote ---

There are millions of these terminations in track side railway signalling equipment all over the world.  I spent several years working for a company building these racks, and sectioned test crimps and wire pull tests were performed daily for each tool used.

--- End quote ---

I'm sure you're right. But that's a static installation with no mechanical stress.

SilverSolder:

--- Quote from: iroc86 on February 24, 2020, 03:51:29 am ---[...]  These are Pre-Insulated Diamond Grip (PIDG) quick disconnects. They're a bit larger than the Molex Insulkrimp and have a copper lined insulation sleeve, similar to the Molex Avikrimp.

[...]
 Of course, finding a crimp tool with the proper geometry is also the other half of the coin!


--- End quote ---

So, which crimping tool do you like for the PIDGs? 
iroc86:

--- Quote from: SilverSolder on February 24, 2020, 06:44:44 pm ---So, which crimping tool do you like for the PIDGs?

--- End quote ---

I'm using an older version of the TE 59824-1, which is one of the "approved" crimpers. The forming dies are shaped like a diamond and operate a little differently than the KNIPEX tool I posted earlier. I've included some stock photos below.

Last week, I reached out to KNIPEX to see if they have any input or recommended product lines for their crimping dies. They just wrote back today:

We do not have a Go/No-Go gauge for our crimping tools. We do not have a specific manufacturer of crimp terminals that work with our dies. What we can offer is that if the customer sends us the wire and terminals they are using, we can have our engineers in Germany test those to make sure the die provides the perfect crimp.

The direct testing service in Germany is pretty cool, and I suspect a lot of their industrial/production clients go that route. However, I'm disappointed that they can't provide some basic guidelines as to application--I mean, what criteria are they using to design the dies in the first place?

The KNIPEX crimp die for insulated terminals is not terribly expensive at about $100, but others can be quite a bit more costly. It's tough to rationalize that kind of investment when they don't provide gaging specifications to ensure crimp quality. That being said, I own a number of other dies for their Crimp System and have seen excellent performance with ferrules, butt splices, and those "4-tab" F-crimp terminals discussed earlier.



wizard69:

--- Quote from: mzzj on February 18, 2020, 08:42:51 pm ---
--- Quote from: Benta on February 18, 2020, 08:10:43 pm ---I tried those connectors out 25 years ago. They were useless then and they're useless now, no matter which brand or crimp tool you use.
The idea/design is faulty from the start and no serious engineer would ever use them.

Functioning crimp connections use the "4-tab fold-in" design, like these:

Insulation is done with tailored sleeves or heat-shrink tubing.

--- End quote ---
Bollocks. Proper combination has higher strenght than the cable itself.
Been there, measured on pull-out force tester..

--- End quote ---

I'm with Bent on this one, this based on a long career in industry.   The crimps that even brand new crimpers, for insulated terminals, produce are terrible.If yu have to use crimp terminals you are far better off with non insulated ones and a crimper designed for them.
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