Soldering VS Disconnects

[eds1275]

Which has the better electrical connection? For my buttons I will be using disconnects for maintenance. I'm currently looking at wiring 104 microphone jacks each with 3 wires [26 inputs, 26 outputs, and a snake to run from the wall to my equipment rack with 26 lines in it]. I'm not sure if it's a better electrical connection than disconnects though.

[92greenyj]

In a cabinet disconnects will probably suffice. Coming from the automotive world though I tend to solder and heat shrink most of my connections as a solder connection holds up far better in a dusty, moist environment.

Another thing to consider would be Cat5/6 cable. inside a cat5/6 cable is typically 6 to 8 individual wires. I used some Cat6 in my Jeep to hook up my switch panel to activate my relays for all my various accessories. worked out great. I only have 1 "wire" running from the back of my switch panel to my relay bank under the hood

[WhereEaglesDare]

If you find a Cat5 cable with only 6 wires in it get your money back.

[92greenyj]

hey I did that project months ago. couldn't remember off the top of my head how many wires were in it exactly. it is a great option though and one I am going to use for my CP

[Ond]

In a cabinet disconnects will probably suffice. Coming from the automotive world though I tend to solder and heat shrink most of my connections as a solder connection holds up far better in a dusty, moist environment.

+1 Crimp, solder and heat shrink = peace of mind.

[ahofle]

I went the solder route and haven't had any problems.  Two friends of mine went the crimp route and have had a good number of intermittent connection problems.  However, I believe that is because they didn't use a crimp specifically designed for the connectors used.  From what I've read here, crimps work great if you use the right tool.

[92greenyj]

In a cabinet disconnects will probably suffice. Coming from the automotive world though I tend to solder and heat shrink most of my connections as a solder connection holds up far better in a dusty, moist environment.

+1 Crimp, solder and heat shrink = peace of mind.

yeah thats definitely the best route and the one i usually take in situations where I need to use a spade connector or the like (i.e. switches and relays) It takes a little longer for sure, but i gaurantee you those connections will never give you a problem.

[zafdor]

From what I've read here, crimps work great if you use the right tool.

Agreed.  If you use the right faston (barrel size) and tool, the crimp will be as good as a solder joint.  The fine wiring use to attach to most KB controllers need a faston with a very small barrel (hard to find).

[mwong168]

+1 Crimp, solder and heat shrink = peace of mind.

I've been pretty lucky in all my wiring projects and everything works first time around.  For the buttons and joystick you will definately want to use quick disconnect in the right size for the gauge of wire you are using.  You strip enough wire so when you put it in the quick disconnect you have some extra coming out the other end you could put a dab of solder on it but I think it's overkill.  Here is some wiring I did last night on my Dynamo HS2 SFIICE cab which I MAME'd





I only crimped the quick disconnects but on the side where i crimped the pins for the 12 pin molex connector I did solder only cause this part of the harness would get stressed the most cause I am in the process of getting other control panels I can swap out otherwise I would have wired the buttons and joystick directly to my IPAC.

[Paul Olson]

I crimp molex connectors, because I have the right tools and all of the sizes of connectors that I need. I have always had problems crimping the spade connectors. Intermittent problems that are hard to trace, so now I always solder those. It is just peace of mind knowing that the problem is somewhere else.