Quote:
Originally Posted by nixiebunny
Why not solder? Because soldering is time-consuming and dangerous with these connectors. Dangerous because the metal gets very hot while soldering and it's easy to touch it and get burned.
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Okay... amongst all the reasons to NOT solder, "dangerous because it gets hot" has to be about the lamest one out there. I guess I shouldn't pre-suppose the experience on your team, but most of my students knew what "Hot!" meant.
The trick to getting a good solder joint on thick wire is to use a butane torch or other high-powered heater. Most soldering irons don't stand a chance because the copper wire can wick the heat away as quickly as they can put it in.
And while I agree with most of the arguments on why one should not crimp AND solder, I'll suggest that those considerations primarily come into play over an extended period of time. The primary risk to an FRC robot, from my point of view, was that an improperly crimped connection would come loose, not that a crimped and soldered connection would fatigue.
So in lieu of an excellent crimp, I suggest there is little wrong with adding some solder in an FRC application.
Jason