Two quick questions...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by mechanicalbrain

Funny how this is called two quick questions yet its anything but that. OK during the clash our power wires got pulled out from the power connectors (the big copper ones that have a screw to hold the wire). My team leader wants me to solder the cable into the connector but I'm 95% (rough estimate) sure that it would be illegal. Yes the screws were tight and yes we used shrink wrap but as i understand it the cable got yanked right out. Can i get some confirmations on the soldering thing and if anyone knows any rules in specific I would appreciate it. Also if i need to make some PWMs run a good distance (4ft) should i just connect one, with a S bend in the wire so the connector can't be pulled, on to the next? Thanks all.

Of course you can solder these connections. As a lead inspector, I strongly recommend soldering connections especially primary power. A large iron helps, but a trick many people do not use is "wet" the tip of the iron with a lot of solder before placing it against the connetor. Add more solder until you get a large surface area between the tip and the workpiece. This will insure max heat transfer. When you think the connector is hot enough, apply solder away from the tip (and the solder pool) and if it flows then continue soldering. Add solder to the end of the wire and the connector but don't add so much as to allow the solder to wick up into the wire under the insulation. This will cause a stiff spot in the wire that makes it bad for forming the cable when you need to. Allow the connection to cool before handling or trying to add heatshrink.