0.1" (2.54mm) Crimp Connector Housings - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2020, 10:26:02 pm
content: Hi all,I've been using a Multicomp crimp tool to make up cables between PCBs for various projects.https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/2226tg/crimp-terminal-24-28awg/dp/1593529https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/2226a-04/crimp-housing-1-row-4-way/dp/1593508?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acceI generally stuff the crimp in with a jewelers screwdriver pressing down on the top of the crimp, making the sides of the receptacles bulge a bit, and sometimes slicing a bit of insulation (no big deal since it's inside the connector). The flexible cable I use never seems to be strong enough to force the crimp into the receptacle (yes, it is the correct gauge).I just wondered if there is a tool that will do this, when I do it it feels like a bit of a botch.thanks!

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:21:09 am
content: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pin-Crimp-Plier-Tool-2-54mm-3-96mm-18-28AWG-Crimper-Molex-V-Dupont-Tool-JST-W3F9/233666206873??

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:24:48 am
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on October 19, 2020, 10:21:09 amThis tool is not suitable for DuPont since insulation in DuPont connector is crimped in different way. It's discussed in another threadhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/is-this-knipex-97-33-02-crimp-tool-the-best-out-there/msg3282170/#msg3282170

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:27:53 am
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 18, 2020, 10:26:02 pmEverything you crimped this way is disposable trash with extremely unreliable connection and no wire retention. It's basically impossible to make a normal crimp without dedicated tool. If you don't have a proper tool, at least solder it to make somewhat passable.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:04:47 am
content: Hi everyone,Thanks for the responses, but I guess I didn't make myself clear. I have at the moment this tool for the crimping:https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/ht-225d/crimp-tool-ratchet-30-18awg/dp/1624832?MERI want a tool forinsertinginto the receptacle, not doing the crimping!

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:09:22 am
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 11:04:47 amThere arehttps://uk.farnell.com/c/tools-production-supplies/tools-hand-workholding/insertion

author: DrG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 01:06:04 pm
content: ...and here is one for some Molexhttps://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/micro-fit-3-0-series/22521although not necessarily for the ones that you want.BTW: for a certain component, I thought I would just buy the interconnects and even the pre-crimped leads and muscle them in with a needle nose or tweezers since I had neither the proper crimp tool nor the insertion tool. I proved (to myself at least) that such was not going to happen. Given the price of the tools and that I had only a single use for it, I ended up buying a pre-made cable.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 01:08:41 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on October 19, 2020, 11:09:22 amHard to know what's suitable for 2226A-04 without actually trying them unfortunately.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 01:17:52 pm
content: Quote from: DrG on October 19, 2020, 01:06:04 pmAhh.. OK. That's just a flat piece of metal, maybe I can make that.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 02:22:15 pm
content: You shouldn't need any tool - they just click in when inserted by hand. if it doesn't go in easily, you've crimped it wrong.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 04:53:23 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on October 19, 2020, 02:22:15 pmI don't believe I've crimped it wrong, however I like to use flexible silicon wire cable. It is of the correct gauge as I specced it for this but it may not be as rigid as what you're using.

author: drvtech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 06:38:24 pm
content: In your first post you said "making the sides of the receptacles bulge a bit" so I'm afraid you ARE. crimping them wrongly. If they were crimped correctly they would indeed just slot in without the use of a tool.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 07:57:12 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 04:53:23 pmCould the silicon insulation being thicker than typical, and in particular, too thick for the insulation crimp? A contact has a another acceptable range for that.

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 07:57:50 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 04:53:23 pmThis is exactly the issue I have - flexible wire. It makes that last 2 mm a real pita. I'd pay for a decent tool. As it is now, I push the pin into the housing until there is some resistance and then use needle nose pliers to push on the end of the pin. Usually it snaps into place. But if the pin has gotten a little bent during crimping or the housing isn't perfect it some times won't snap in. That's when the tiny jeweler's flat head screw driver comes in handy. I have to be careful not to damage the wire. It would be great to have a tool that you load the crimped pin into and, in one movement, pushes it into the housing.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:20:48 pm
content: Speaking from experience and copious experimentation: the reason the contact makes the connector bulge is because of using the wrong tool. Take a look at my big thread on this very subject:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/affordable-crimp-tools-for-small-connectors-(dupont-etc-)/In particular, look at reply #14: I posted pictures of good and bad crimps. Your tool produces the wrong crimp, which is too wide and thus actually incompatible. (It also drives sharp points into the insulation, which isn’t supposed to happen, and is REALLY undesirable with silicone, which isn’t very mechanically robust.)The insulation thickness is irrelevant to the crimp tool, as it will happily smash the insulation to smithereens. It’s possible to have insulation so thick it can’t enter the housing (I’ve done it, with silicone test lead wire), but in my experience, it’s the incompatible crimp that blocks entry. A proper crimp will slide right in and click easily.DuPont contacts like that are really made for wire up to about 1.5mm insulation diameter. With silicone, I push it to 1.6mm but no more — any more and the insulation is so over squeezed that the silicone ruptures and leaves you with no strain relief at all.Bent contacts are due to misalignment (in a non-ideal tool). Inserting the connector too little or too far causes bending, as does rotational misalignment.Try a better tool. You’ll kick yourself for not having gotten it sooner.Insertion tools do exist, but they tend to be crazy expensive. But if you get the right crimper, you won’t need it any more, they’ll click in effortlessly. Otherwise, try a pair of tweezerswithout sharp points. I suggest the OOSA style for this. (Or my favorite, the OOdSA (serrated version of OOSA) from Erem — unlike all the other brands, Erem’s serrations aren’t coarse ridges, but a super fine cross hatching.) The ends of the points are just wide enough to work well for scooting in a reticent contact.You can also get whole sets of no-name pin extractors on AliExpress for just a few bucks. I’m sure one of them would also work for inserting.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:24:38 pm
content: Quote from: drvtech on October 19, 2020, 06:38:24 pmThere is not really any way you can crimp them incorrectly with the correct tool, unless you get really creative. The 'bulge' I was referring to was when inserting a jewelers screwdriver into the receptacle, beside said crimp, the receptacle not being large enough to easily accommodate both. The edge on the screwdriver was usually enough to catch the top edge of the crimp and push it all the way in until the retaining tab clips into place. This is how I've been inserting awkward ones. It has to be said once in a while one will go all the way in without this treatment but it's the exception.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:37:36 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on October 19, 2020, 10:20:48 pmTo reiterate, I am using Multicomp tool, Multicomp crimp and Multicomp receptacle. I gave all three links further up the thread, but here they are again for you:Tool:https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/ht-225d/crimp-tool-ratchet-30-18awg/dp/1624832Crimp:https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/2226tg/crimp-terminal-24-28awg/dp/1593529Receptacle:https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/2226a-04/crimp-housing-1-row-4-way/dp/1593508Now it could be that they link to each other under associated products erroneously, however I know for a fact they've been linked in that way on the Farnell site for at least 5 years, so it's a pretty long time to have such a mistake uncorrected.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:40:51 pm
content: There should be no insertion tool - a correctly crimped contact almost drops freely into the housing. That tool is not correct for those contacts, no matter how long Farnell have had it listed.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:45:12 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 10:37:36 pmIt’s still wrong. Their buyers just don’t care. (That’s why 99.9% of the “DuPont” crimpers on Ali, eBay, Amazon, etc are wrong: they don’t care, and for the uninitiated, it “looks fine” even though it’s actually not. But people don’t know so they don’t realize the problem is incompatible tooling.) On the page I linked, there are photos of why it’s wrong. It’s obvious once you see it compared to what it’s supposed to look like.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 10:56:49 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 10:24:38 pmThe fact that your crimp results are inconsistent to the point of making insertion difficult proves that it most certainlyiseasy to make incorrect crimps with it. In a tool like that, which has no locator, it’s up to you to position the contact in the right spot (and keep it there throughout the process!), yet even minor misalignments that may not be obvious to the naked eye can easily be enough to make a good or bad crimp.(Not that it’s the right tool, of course.)Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 10:24:38 pmIf the insulation is squeezing out such that you cannot gain access to the edge of the contact (allowing you to push on the contact from behind, without needing to insert alongside it, you’re using wire that is much too thick. Again, these are optimized for around 1.5mm diameter. (The datasheet for those contacts says 1.7mm maximum.)

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:13:21 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 10:37:36 pmP.S. Where do you see these products being associated? The contacts and housings clearly say “2226 series”, but the tool says “D-sub contacts”, which are not the same. (And alas, DuPont pins don’t count as generic “open barrel” contacts due to their offset insulation crimp wings, which must be wrapped around the insulation, not driven into it.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:19:31 pm
content: I don't think this is anything to do with the crimp/tool combination. OTOH, it's possible that the crimps and/or receptacles themselves are of low quality. I'm stuck with them unless I want to bin them, as they are much cheaper to buy in bulk and I have a lot. It is difficult to lift the tab and remove the crimp, almost feels on the verge of snapping when I do that, so I suspect the resistance is much more about the crimp connector end pushing up the tab than it is about how the crimp itself is formed and it snagging inside the receptacle.I will do some crimps, and break the tabs off a couple of receptacles, to check if I'm repeatedly creating crimps with no resistance inside the receptacle (I suspect I am). If that's the case, I'll also post some pictures of what the crimps look like to compare. The way I see it, however, is that even if the crimps I'm creating look like shit if there is no resistance beyond the 'spring' in the tab that snaps closed, then it's a simple matter of the stiffness of the cable being unable to compete with said spring that's my problem. In that case, I simply have to buy different cable, and not a new crimp tool (unless I buy new receptacles, crimps and tool together, according to the other thread).Thanks!

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:30:16 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on October 19, 2020, 11:13:21 pmFrom the crimp link, scroll to the bottom and it lists the tool there. It's still unclear to me what the correct tool for that crimp would be if it's not that one but I haven't read the other thread in its entirety yet. The data sheet for the crimp itself doesn't say.

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2020, 11:36:41 pm
content: I see someone has specifically asked on the Farnell site if the crimp and tool go together, and NewarkTechSupport says yes. Pretty shocking if that's not the case.There were some complaints in the reviews about there being nothing to hold the crimps in place, and I've had to get used to partially closing the ratchet just far enough to bite so I can hold the wire with the other hand. It's not brilliant but seemed to work.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:11:12 am
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 11:30:16 pmOh, I see it now on the iPad. On my phone, where I was looking before, their site completely hides the “associated products” section!Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 11:30:16 pmIf you read the thread I linked, you’d already have known what contact they’re clones of.This is the only tool they have right now that is officially for the (original) “DuPont” contacts, but it’s clearly not priced for hobbyists:https://uk.farnell.com/rennsteig/616-006-3-1/crimp-tool-26-22awg-socket-contact/dp/2802987In the same thread linked, you’ll see that a lot of the frustration is precisely because untilveryrecently, there didn’t exist any affordable crimp tools that evenattemptedto get it right!At least your D-sub crimper is somewhat less awful for DuPont contacts than the SN-28B crimpers (intended for vastly larger 2.8mm spade terminals!!) that eBay and Aliexpress vendors pretty much universally flog for DuPont. But I have tried the HT-225 at work on some DuPont pins as an experiment, and the result is really not great. DuPont pins happen to have the insulation crimp style that’s one of the rarest out there for hand tooling. :/Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 11:36:41 pmAnd yet it is. Given the tech support person merely reciting the wire gauge, I doubt they have any clue about crimping. Another of their customer service techs replied to someone asking if they had the male contacts with the part number for a 4.2mm pitch contact...Quote from: bifferos on October 19, 2020, 11:19:31 pmWhile I remain highly confident that it’s not the right tool, it’s still entirely possible that the contacts and housings are subtly incompatible with each other. That’s the downside of no-name parts like multicomp (farnell’s house brand): they may switch suppliers at any time, or use suppliers with poorer tolerances. So it could be they sourced one no-name brand of cloned contacts, and a different no-name brand of housings, which then happen to not like each other. With connectors this small, little mechanical differences can make a big difference in functionality.For what it’s worth, the other day I crimped 40 DuPont cables with silicone wire (24awg, 1.6mm insulation diameter) using my quality crimper, and every single one of the 80 crimped connections came out perfect, and will fit in housings easily. The crimped insulation crimp should never end up wider than the contact body itself. Nor should the wire be fatter than the contact itself.If you have the ability to take sharp close up photos of your contacts, housings, wire, and some crimped contacts, please do and post them here.(As an aside, I highly recommend calling the contacts “contacts” or “terminals” but not “crimps”, because we need the word “crimp” to refer to the actual crimping process, e.g. saying how the tool performs a conductor crimp and an insulation crimp on the contact when you squeeze the handle, or to describe theshapeof the crimp the tool applies to the insulation tabs of the contact. In general, it’s a good idea to stick to the industry terminology, lest people misunderstand what you mean. With crimp based connectors, “contacts” go into the “housing” after crimping them to the wire. The finished cable assembly then plugs into a “header” on the PCB. I would avoid “receptacle” for the housings, since that could be confused with the header on the PCB.)

author: bifferos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 09:50:27 am
content: Some experimentation today:I won't bother with the pictures because it's impossible to tell what is wrong from them with the exception of the insulation, the tolerances are so tight.The crimp tool leaves some insulation flaring out from below where it squeezes it. I initially thought this was the problem but cutting it off changed little.Cutting off the 'crimp' part of the crimp terminal, re-shaping with pliers and pushing it in without any wire connected is easy, so the resistance of the tab is not an issue as I'd suggested before.Crimping a terminal without any wire at all and pushing it in yields enough resistance to make me suspicious (should have tried that before), so the tool is forming it incorrectlyI guess I now have to decide whether to buy another tool, or just carry on as before with what I've got. I've certainly not had any reliability problems from connections made in this way, and I could try forming the terminal a little better, work out where exactly it's snagging and compress it with some pliers before insertion. That may be quicker than poking it in with something.Thanks for the repllies, interesting (if somewhat frustrating) subject.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 02:35:43 pm
content: Have you looked at the smaller IDC connectors such as TE MTA-100? They do have some disadvantages vs. "DuPont" style individual pin types (bulky for one), but they have some significant advantages also (snap together, no crimper required).

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 05:13:19 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on October 20, 2020, 02:35:43 pmCrimper which is more like wire pusher IS required if you don't want shitty insertion with maligned insulation and wires not holding well. Also MTA-100 is shit to begin with even when crimped properly. Original TE tool around $30.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 05:41:56 pm
content: Yeah, I guess technically it's not just snap together. The tool you show looks like it must be for individual wires. This type of connector really works best with ribbon cable. I've always used a small vise to squeeze them together. It's pretty obvious if you've done it wrong. I have had very few problems assembling them and no reliability issues. Much simpler and quicker than fiddling with individual terminals. Not a universal solution, just an alternative to be aware off.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 08:09:03 pm
content: ^It's not MTA-100 on your video. Short IDC can be pushed together by placing connector on a desk and pushing on top of it by some flat and hard item. For long connectors you can use vise.This is MTA-100:

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 08:22:00 pm
content: You're right. That was the first brand name that came to mind. I have some of those but I'm not sure I ever used any. What I actually meant to suggest was the dual row, ribbon cable type.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 11:33:21 pm
content: Quote from: bifferos on October 20, 2020, 09:50:27 amThere you go, at least now you’ve nailed down where the problem lies. If you plan on using DuPont connectors in the future, you may want to look at some of the promising tool candidates in the big thread, or put feelers out on eBay and local classifieds for a high quality tool. (That’s how I managed to get a $350 tool, new in box, for $60, which is my preferred crimper for both DuPont and KK254 connectors.)But you might also wanna take a look at the KK254 style connectors. The original is Molex KK 254 (i.e. 2.54mm aka 0.1” pitch, just like DuPont), but clones are plentiful and cheap. On eBay and AliExpress, they’re commonly called KF2510 connectors. These crimp perfectly in an HT-225 tool. (Indeed, these crimp well in a lot of different tools.) I also find they are more durable — they don’t loosen up the way cheap female DuPont contacts do after a few insertions. And they’re polarized, which would have prevented a couple of magic-smoke-releasing oopsies caused by me getting a DuPont connector the wrong way around. The downside is that they take a bit more board space. Nonetheless, I’m migrating over to these and JST XH* connectors. I will keep DuPont around for breadboarding, though, and for eBay modules and whatnot that already use DuPont headers.* JST is great — name brand connectors at barely more than eBay clone prices. The XH line is 2.5mm pitch, which will often fit in the footprint of a 2.54mm pitch connector, provided the holes aren’t tiny. In typical protoboard, even a 10-pin XH connector (i.e. one with a cumulative width 0.36mm too small) fits effortlessly. I’m not sure if the HT-225 will crimp these — the crimp “wings” on the terminals are very narrow, as the entire crimp area of these terminals is perhaps half that of a DuPont terminal. But I can check at work if need be.