Which D-Sub, Wire-to-wire/board, and terminals to standardize on with crimpers?

[magicsmoke]

I am trying to standardize on manufacturers and series of D-sub, wire-to-wire, wire-to-board, and ring and spade terminals for most projects in my research lab and get the associated crimpers and tools.  What particular brands and series do people recommend for

D-Sub,
Wire to wire
Wire to board
Ring and spade terminals (insulated, primarily for motor and power electronics connections to AWG 10)

For most of the projects so far we have been using MOLEX Micro-Fit 3.0 and MOLEX Mini-Fit Jr Connectors.  In past jobs I primarily used TE Connectivity MATE-N-LOK systems.

I would like to minimize the number of crimpers necessary as the good quality ones are quite expensive.


Do any of the die sets for the Pressmater MCT frame work well with the MOLEX Micro-Fit 3.0 and MOLEX Mini-Fit Jr Connectors?  I have been considering this crimper.  Is there an OEM for the MOLEX crimper for these series of products?

For insulated ring and spade terminals I have been considering the Knipex MultiCrimp 
97 33 02 though this may not go to small enough gauges for insulated terminals.  Any other recommendations?  Could the Pressmaster also be used for this?

[Balaur]

I would like to invite you to consider the  insulation-displacement contact (IDC) connectors made for flat ribbon cable.
There's no need to crimp individual pins. You just place the cable in the connector slot and press close the connector. Huge saving of time and effort.

At work, we have standardized on various sizes of flat ribbon crimp connectors such as D-sub and 2.54mm IDC connectors.

Typical configurations include:
- board to board connections through male connectors soldered on boards connected to a cable made of flat ribbon and 2.54mm females
- cables with extremities made of 2.5mm and D-sub for outside connections and so on

Of course, you'll may not use all the individual wires of the ribbon cable, but the assembly saves a lot of time.
You'll need a generously-sized flat cable (40 wires) from which you'll strip whatever you'll need.

[magicsmoke]

I would like to invite you to consider the  insulation-displacement contact (IDC) connectors made for flat ribbon cable.
There's no need to crimp individual pins. You just place the cable in the connector slot and press close the connector. Huge saving of time and effort.

We already use IDC style cabling but it can't handle the currents needed in many applications.

[richard.cs]

I have used a lot of these SIL IDC connectors for wire to board: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/idc-connectors/1899463/ and I really like them for being quick, simple and versatile.

They make them for a few conductor sizes and whilst you can use them with the 0.1" pitch ribbon I tend to use them a lot with 7/0.2 PVC singles, they will just about fit 16/0.2 PVC insulated if you need higher current. Most of my designs tend to use a mixture of these and IDC 0.05" ribbons, and I particularly like the IDC D-connectors over the solder buckets.* If you really want the full 5A/pin on a D-connector there are some where you crimp the pins to he wires and then insert them into the housing, a lot like the 38999 military connectors, I think Amphenol make them.


*But everyone always gets confused over the pin numbering. You crimp a 9 pin D connector on one end of a ribbon and a 2x5 0.1" on the other end and the pin mapping becomes something like: (D connector to header) 1-1, 2-3, 3-5, 4-7, 5-9, 6-2, 7-4, 8-6, 9-8. Takes a while to get used to and you need to be absolutely clear whether you mean the header or the D connector.

[Monkeh]

Also look into TE MTA-100 and MTA-156 series IDC connectors.