Crimp terminals, aka lugs, have an prominent place in anyone's workbench. Fortunately, today there is a plentiful supply of potential crimp terminals and tools to use in any connection.
Terminals are artificial in a range of sizes to adapt dissimilar wire sizes (known as the barrel inner diameter) and stud sizes (the hole).
If the final relationship will be exposed to any vibration, then it is unwise to use a bare terminal. Retain the wire close to, but separate from, the wire grip on the conductors. Operate the flexing of the conducting strands at the point that they exit the rear of the final barrel.
The standard technique to add Retain is this: use a plastic sleeve on top of the final barrel - the length should be long enough to allow a second crimp which would help Retain the insulation.
While it is nice to have a high-end ratchet cope crimping tool, most population can not afford them for everyday crimping. The standard stamped, sheet metal, rivet jointed crimping tool that most everybody owns can be used to make a good relationship if you know how. The whole one rule: practice!
First, strip the outer insulation from the wire so that the ends of wire stranding should just extend out from the stud side of the crimp barrel when the ends are fully seated in the terminal. Next, town the die on the tool over the wire grip section, about 1/3 of way from the stud end to the entry end of sleeve.
Apply firm pressure on the grip, but it won't take a great attempt to achieve results. When you think you've got it right, tug on the wire to replicate 5-10 pounds of pressure for 22Awg wire and up to 20 pounds for 10-12Awg wire.
If you don't know what an 8 pound pull feels like, you can generate a pull test for final connection:
Drive a nail into the front of your workbench Hang the final lug on the nail Tie a plastic gallon jug of water onto a 22Awg wire (red terminals) Tie 2 gallons of water onto a 18Awg wire (blue terminals) Tie 3 gallons of water onto a 12Awg wire (yellow terminals)
The second crimp is about 2/3 of the way along the barrel accomplished just enough to grip the wire's insulation which is generally much less pressure than the whole needed to grip the wire. There are some myths out there that advise that both the wire grip and insulation grips should be put on 90 degrees displaced from each other. This is not necessarily helpful and the technique makes for a nasty looking terminal.
Another myth is that a blend of soldering in supplementary to crimping will generate the most trustworthy joints. If you are using a potential crimp final and testing your connection, then soldering should be totally unnecessary.
With some practice, you can certainly become an scholar at development good solderless crimp final connections.
