Connector puller for JST XH connectors?

[Renate]

No, not a pin extractor.
I'm looking to see if there exists anything for unmating JST XH (2.5mm) connectors.
They are pretty tiny and when the layout is tight it's hard to get them out.
Pliers would grunge the connector.

I was thinking of this as a general example, an automotive fuse puller.
But now that I think of it, I'll have to pick one up and see if that would work.

[langwadt]

https://cega.jp/wp-content/uploads/jst-xh-clip-plier1-1024x508.jpg

I guess you could just take a cheap pair of needle nose pliers and file a slot on each jaw so the tip grabs under the lip

[mon2]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JST-TERMINAL-PIN-EXTRACTOR-REMOVER-2-50-3-96mm-PITCH-ANY-PINS-/183086617100

https://www.banggood.com/36Pcs-Terminal-Removal-Tool-Electrical-Wiring-Crimp-Connector-Pin-Extractor-Kit-Automobiles-Terminal-Repair-Hand-Tools-p-1530743.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=buy

[langwadt]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JST-TERMINAL-PIN-EXTRACTOR-REMOVER-2-50-3-96mm-PITCH-ANY-PINS-/183086617100

https://www.banggood.com/36Pcs-Terminal-Removal-Tool-Electrical-Wiring-Crimp-Connector-Pin-Extractor-Kit-Automobiles-Terminal-Repair-Hand-Tools-p-1530743.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=buy

>> No, not a pin extractor.

[dkonigs]

https://cega.jp/wp-content/uploads/jst-xh-clip-plier1-1024x508.jpg

I'd certainly be interested in something like this as well, provided its something that's actually manufactured and sold. I've used some JST SH connectors in one of my projects, and its almost impossible to actually unplug the cable assemblies from them. (And every time I try, I think I'm going to break/rip something in the process.)

[ajb]

I made a tool for this from a cheap pair of mini pliers. Harbor Freight or the equivalent importer of cheap tools in your location is great for this sort of thing: when you need something weird or custom you can hack something up and if it's single use or just doesn't work out right you haven't lost much. 

I basically just took an old pair of flat "duck bill" mini pliers and carved slots in the jaws to grip the lip on the outside of the plug housing. I'll try to get some pics when I'm back at the office tomorrow

[Renate]

https://cega.jp/wp-content/uploads/jst-xh-clip-plier1-1024x508.jpg

Hmm, not bad.
I think that I'd rather grab it across the thin dimension instead.
That might be more problematical with clearing wires but the angles would be the same on a 3 pin as an 8 pin.

Edit: Oops, there is really only one lip on that side.

[Cerebus]

The ideal thing would be some parallel pliers ground to the right shape, leaving a narrow ledge at the tip of the jaws. I've never seen anything ready-made like that, but one could easily grind a stock pair of parallel pliers to shape with a grinding wheel. Alternatively one could glue/braze a couple of strips of brass into the tips of the jaws,

Standard parallel pliers (if you don't own a pair, you need some.):



And this is what I'd suggest doing to them (both options):



However, there is a stock tool that would do the job, orthodontists bracket removing pliers. Like this:



Pic from ebay, so you know where to go looking for some

[langwadt]

https://cega.jp/wp-content/uploads/jst-xh-clip-plier1-1024x508.jpg

Hmm, not bad.
I think that I'd rather grab it across the thin dimension instead.
That might be more problematical with clearing wires but the angles would be the same on a 3 pin as an 8 pin.

Edit: Oops, there is really only one lip on that side.

there is really a lip on both sides, on one it is just only in between  the "locks" so it is very narrow with few pins

[beanflying]

I really am bored and housebound AGAIN 

Pulled down some JST's and realized there is an issue the gap between the vertical catch mechanism varies with pin count. So 3mm as shown will do from 3 pin on up but is to wide for 2 pins and if you go to 4mm wide then you lose 3 pin as an option. Plug shown was modelled from a four pin body.

STL is below in a ZIP file if anyone wants to spit one out on a 3D printer. Should work fine if you want to vary the width in your slicer and make a few different ones.

[ajb]

Here are the pliers I made.  They started out as a crappy pair of flat-jawed mini pliers like these: https://www.amazon.com/SE-LF08-Professional-Quality-Pliers/dp/B005FMZEEA

One side gets a simple transverse slot, the other gets the same transverse slot plus an additional longitudinal notch to provide clearance for the latch features on 2-position plug housings.  They'll grip any plug housing from 2 to 8 positions across the short dimension or across the long dimension.  Gripping the 3-position housings across the short dimension is a little tricky because the notch in the pliers won't span the latch ridges or fit between them, so you have to grip them off center. 

The notches were just made with a cutoff disk in a dremel tool, I used a worn disk so it was small enough to fit between the jaws more easily.  You can see that the shape of the slots is not particularly precise.  They work perfectly well as-is, but if you put a bit more care to keep a crisp edge on the tip-side of the slots they would grip better.  Maybe even a slight dovetail shape on that side would help with gripping larger pin counts longways, but that'd be a fair bit more fiddly for an uncertain improvement.  I ground an extra notch on the outside face of the jaw with the notch so you can tell which way round they are when working in a tight space.  Some paint marker bands and clear heatshrink on the handles for easy identification in the tool pile box are the final touches.

A very crude not-to-scale sketch of the notch dimensions is attached.  The overall width of the jaws is about 6.2mm.  These slot dimensions are probably not optimal, but they work given how crudely formed they are on this pair.  Maybe one day I'll make a new pair from a nicer pair of pliers.

[tv_walkman]

If it's any help now, those cheap IC pullers do the job perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-S-340-Insulated-Spring-Extractor/dp/B006C4BCAK/

[Cerebus]

If it's any help now, those cheap IC pullers do the job perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-S-340-Insulated-Spring-Extractor/dp/B006C4BCAK/

They would certainly work, but my experience from using them "back in the day" is that they were awkward, fiddly, and prone to slip for their intended purpose. As an ersatz plug puller (where you'd have to close them further than intended for pulling ICs) I fear that they might be too much of a liability.

[Teledog]

These medieval things may work, with mods
https://ca.shein.com/1pc-Metal-Ingrown-Toenail-Corrector-p-2690381-cat-2173.html?scici=Search~~EditSearch~~1~~toenail~~~~0