Electrical Quick release after motor controller?

[tim-tim]

We use this crimper and have not had any issues.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Evan,
There is very little current in the PWM cables so it really doesn't matter how long they are. Putting the controllers near the motors to cut down on the number of connections helps reliability. Are you adding tape to hold the connectors together? Another method is to secure the wiring with cable ties close enough to the connector that they cannot be pulled apart. If you are coming to IRI, find me and we can talk.
The West Mountain Radio Crimper is the best I have seen so far but the others are a close second. Another good crimper that I bought for myself at home (I have dies for RF connectors for various cables, I asked for this as a Christmas present) is available from High Sierra Communications on this page...
http://www.hamcq.com/coax-connectors...ax-connectors/
I recently bought the Power Pole die set but have not used it as of yet. When you look at the page you will see several crimp tools but I think two of them are the same and the price difference is the dies that are included. The coax cutter at the top of the page works nice on #6 wire (stranded) too.

[otherguy]

Originally Posted by tim-tim

We use this crimper and have not had any issues.

Does this crimper have the bucket on the non-wire side which I see on an number of other crimpers out there? I'm assuming that piece is just to ensure proper alignment along the length of the contacts.

For those who have a powerpole crimper that they like, would you say this feature on a crimper is beneficial? Does it make crimping faster / easier?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

James,
If you are referring to the contact retention device as a "bucket" then the answer is yes. The contact retention will improve the time it takes to make a crimp. With the other, interchangeable die, crimpers, it is a little more trouble to get the contact into the tool with the wire. With both types of tools, a little practice will usually develop a simplified procedure to getting the contact crimped. With the West Mountain Radio tool (and the one you link), you put the contact in place then add the wire and then crimp. With the others, I add the wire to the contact and then using the wire as a handle, insert the contact into the tool and crimp.

[Jon Stratis]

The retention device is both good and bad. On the good side, it makes it very easy to get everything lined up and crimped quickly. On the bad side, if something goes wrong it can cause you to destroy a perfectly good contact. We've found that contacts will occasionally get "stuck" in the crimper (we have the one from West Mountain Radio). When this happens, they get pulled upwards when you open the crimper, which resulted in the contact getting manged by the retention device - we have a contact that can't be used with a perfectly good crimp on it! So, we removed the retention device. It's not as easy to get things crimped without it, but now we don't mangle the contacts if they get stuck while crimping and can easily pry them out with a small screwdriver (usually the WAGO tool).

[otherguy]

Thanks everyone for the info. It's certainly helped me make a more informed decision. If we decide to use poerpoles in coming seasons, it sounds like it makes sense to just get an entire crimp assembly w/ dies that has the 'retention device'.

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

We've found that contacts will occasionally get "stuck" in the crimper ...

Have you tried to lubricate the area of the crimping die which the contact is placed in? I've seen this recommended for header pin crimpers for PWM cables. When those get stuck in the die (the male ones at least) you often end up bending the contact enough to make it fun to insert into the jacket. Sounds like you've found a workaround, but it may be worth a shot to make thinks a little easier.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by otherguy

Thanks everyone for the info. It's certainly helped me make a more informed decision. If we decide to use poerpoles in coming seasons, it sounds like it makes sense to just get an entire crimp assembly w/ dies that has the 'retention device'.



Have you tried to lubricate the area of the crimping die which the contact is placed in? I've seen this recommended for header pin crimpers for PWM cables. When those get stuck in the die (the male ones at least) you often end up bending the contact enough to make it fun to insert into the jacket. Sounds like you've found a workaround, but it may be worth a shot to make thinks a little easier.

Yes, any time it gets stuck the tool gets a little TLC, and it probably helps (at least, it seems to resolve the issue for a while). Honestly, I've never taken the time to figure out exactly why they get stuck, or we'd probably try to fix it in a more permanent fashion.

[tim-tim]

Originally Posted by otherguy

Does this crimper have the bucket on the non-wire side which I see on an number of other crimpers out there? I'm assuming that piece is just to ensure proper alignment along the length of the contacts.

For those who have a powerpole crimper that they like, would you say this feature on a crimper is beneficial? Does it make crimping faster / easier?

To be honest, I don't know. It's at the school locked up for the summer. It's one of the few things we forgot to grab. I vaguely remember there being a retention bar or something similar to the picture you posted, but I'm not positive.

I can say that the students picked up on it very quickly. We have only lost a few contacts and that was mainly during training. We have grown accustomed to this tool and debating on ordering a second.