Using ratchet type crimpers with insulation die - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: albert001
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 04:04:54 am
content: I purchased an inexpensive ratchet crimper that comes with five dies to repair odds and ends, install aux. equipment in an automobile.More or less for simple things around the home that probably can be performed with a pair of plier type strippers with a few crimp sizes for insulated and non insulated wire.I thought perhaps the ratchet type crimpers with dies would do a better job.However after fixing a heater with 12 gauge AC supply wires I ran into a few problems.The made in China ratchet crimpers (w five dies) didn't come with any instructions, so I'm sorta experimenting with them as their needed.One of the dies is a common die with most ratchet die crimpers, colored coded for common wire sizes and for use with insulated connectors.I have some heat shrink type insulated connectors (which some more expensive ratchet crimpers have a special die for (heat shrink connectors).I'm not certain how to describe the die I'm currently using to crimp insulated (heat shrink) connectors so I'll provide a few pics of the die in normal position and switched around.I read somewhere that the stripped wire end of a wire goes into these color coded dies for insulated connectors facing toward the color codes on he die.However when I tried crimping a 12 awg butt connector this directiondidn't seem to work correctly so I reverse the wire to go in opposite of the color coded side of the die.From the pics you can see on side of the die opposite the colored side is much lower on both sides of the die and this seems to be what's actually performing most of the crimp on a butt connector.If the wire is placed into the die from the color coded side the die first crimps the connector towards the middle of the butt connector. However I prefer to start the crimp as close to the insulation as possible on the stripped wire and not near the end.Anyway I ended up crimping the butt connectors first near the wire insulation and tow more crimps one in the middle and the other near the end of the stripped wire.I'm just trying to figure out exactly how the ratchet crimper designer intended the die for insulated connectors to be used.The link below is how the insulated connector die is suppose to be installed with the wire inserted from the colored coded side of the die.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MTve5rk5seB1jmhuiPe6Hvy0b2u5LZ-c/view?usp=sharingLink to other insulation die photos >>https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZD0Wne4AnXMthhIEPMomO1kkgaXoCE1q?usp=sharing

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 04:30:44 am
content: The insulation crimp is the larger recess, the wire crimp is the smaller one. The wire is always inserted from the front, the labelled side.I couldn't view your pictures; if your butt splices really are the heat-activated kind, those arenotdesigned to be crimped. Those are mutually exclusive.

author: albert001
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 06:44:03 am
content: I don't know whats wrong. I'll try again to create an attachment after downsizing the jpg some more.Shows Restrictions: 25 per post, maximum total size 2000KB, maximum individual size 1000KBI've downsized the pic of the butt connector to 222kbAs you can see it doesn't really crimp the heat shrink insulation.If I stick the butt connector all the way through the crimper die so the majority hangs out freeely on the other side I'm able to crimp the part of the connector closest to the wire's insulation.Yes no crimping is really necessary for heat shrink insulation as once heated it reforms itself.Though I have some I don't use the hard plastic insulated connectors most of them crack and fall apart.Other than for heat shrink connectors I prefer to use non insulated connectors installing my own heart shrink tubing.The die I'm using is A30JI found out that the dies shown on Amazon's website where the crimpers were purchased is not die part number as what was received.What I received is in the last Pic. I give the WX-03B a try it's described as for insulated and non insulated cable.

author: albert001
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 05:08:34 pm
content: When I need to crimp some more of the heat shrink connectors, I'm going to try another die -WX-03B - 0.5-6m2 (16-10 Awg) insulated and non insulated cables

author: albert001
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 07:39:16 pm
content: From what I've read online a die for heat shrink terminals needs to be a single crimp die. For insulated connectors there are single and double crimp dies.So if no die specifically for heat shrink terms, best solution would be to crimp the metal best that you can with one of the dies, then apply heat to the terminal.Here's a Snap-On die for insulated terminals.And a Titan Tools 11955 Ratcheting Heat Shrink Terminal Crimper