Electrical basics

[Al Skierkiewicz]

James,
I don't want to mislead anyone. NASA does not allow soldered connections for the reasons that you have mentioned. The auto industry swears by them. In my heart I know you are right and I use crimped contacts everyday as often as I use soldered contacts. However, in our case, the team will not accept loosing another Championship to Beatty or any team because a of a failed crimp. It's a choice, and that is all it is. We take a lot of pride in our solder jobs and insure that a minimum of solder is used so as to not wick solder into the wire under the insulation. We also make an effort to correctly strain relieve all wiring and to tie it down so that it can't fall off or be pulled out. It is not always pretty but it always works.