I recently bought some connectors from China that I got a great deal on (Cheaper than DigiKey by a few cents each and to my surprise they were sets of 50!!!).
Anyway, once I got them I tried to use them and my crimper to hopelessly smashes the crap out of them. I've tried 3 different crimpers but none of them get a nice crimp. Honestly, I've never used crimpers smaller than large mains lugs so I'm not even sure I'm doing it right. I have looked up videos on YouTube to no avail.
Can anyone suggest a good high quality crimper they have used on JST XH 2.54mm connectors before? I'd like to at least have the right tool to practice on. I don't want one of thost POS $1 deals, but the official JST crimper is like $400 which is a bit too steep as well
This range -
http://search.ebay.co.uk/261110204270 are what I use for small crimps. There are a few variants, pick the one with the most useful range of sizes.
They're nicely made, and just keep working. Obviously no ratchet, no compliance checks, no good for approvals, but they crimp very nicely.
The proper JST tool is expensive but it is REALLY nice!
I ordered a crimper from Ebay (
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261186661125); at least it says it is suitable for JST XH connectors. I also like the fact it crimps both the insulation and core in one go. The tools which you need to apply twice seem cumbersome to me.
However because I needed it sooner I ordered the original from JST as well from Farnell (next day delivery). It costs well over €300
I have not had a chance to use either so I can't comment on how these compare yet.
Have that Engineer PA-09. Cannot say that I'm impressed. Bought it for tiny molex picoblade (list as supported). The problem is - it produces too loose crimp for most connector types. Crimp looks good, but you can (often very) easily pull the wire out from the connector before crimping insulation. Needed to grind some metal on the end so it can close tighter. Now it produces good crimp for most connectors.
The problem with the pro crimping tools is that they can only crimp one specific connector and then they are very expensive.
The cheap allround crimping tools often lack quality and they give problems later on with the crimp.
If you really use this tool often and need a pro connection I would advise to buy the original tool or from a class A manufacturer like Phoenix Contact, Amp, Knipex and the sorts, instead of all the cheap ripoffs.
Have that Engineer PA-09. Cannot say that I'm impressed. Bought it for tiny molex picoblade (list as supported). The problem is - it produces too loose crimp for most connector types. Crimp looks good, but you can (often very) easily pull the wire out from the connector before crimping insulation. Needed to grind some metal on the end so it can close tighter. Now it produces good crimp for most connectors.
Keep in mind it is only designed to 28AWG wire and nothing else. That's the limitation of cheaper crimp tools I suppose.
FWIW I have a PA-09 and like it a lot. Cheap but well made and reliable. I use it with JST connectors (arcade boards) and some of the larger Molex connectors. I have not tried Picoblades. I get the impression it is mainly targeting JST connectors and just happens to work well for certain very specific parts from other manufacturers.
Especially with 28AWG, if i would use something that barely fits in the connector there would be no problems whatsoever. Problem was not only with picoblade but also with many others. Recommend you to try to pull out wire from your crimps before crimping insulation (at least 10). You might be shocked. With a connector type used in PC fans (can't remember exact name right now) I realized that after about 50 crimps when the device was almost assembled. Needed to redo all of them.
From Engineer website:
With 1 pair of PA-09, you can crimp AWG #32 to #20 wires in micro connectors or D-sub connectors of different makers !!
Of course I don't exclude possibility that I just got bad exemplar.