Gary Lewis Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 You don't need to heat to 800 or 900 degrees. Wikipedia says "Alloys commonly used for electrical soldering are 60/40 Sn-Pb, which melts at 188 °C (370 °F)". My Weller soldering station has a dial calibrated in degrees F, and I usually keep it around 450-500 as that allows it to melt the solder quickly on smaller wires w/o melting the insulation. But on things like that ~#12 wire I cranked it up to 700 as that reduces the time to melt the solder, which reduces the heat transfer to the rest of the wire. As for the seal, so far I've not crimped the seal into the insulation crimp. Instead I've had it a few inches down the wire until after soldering and then slid it up against the insulation crimp. And in every case it has gone into the connector w/o sliding back. Nor was it harmed in the soldering process. But as said above, one illustration I found shows crimping the seal to the insulation, so that would have it subject to a bit of heat. However, since even the insulation doesn't melt I'm sure the seal won't either. Oh I know, but my soldering iron doesnt have an adjustable temp its a 900*F iron that is always 900*F when fully heated. Its why I get my solder ready and tin the iron first to improve heat transfer so I can quickly get the solder in before putting too much heat into the wire itself. If I can find a quality adjustable soldering iron I might pick one up for use at home as I also want to get an adjustable DC power center so I can bench test electrical circuits during assembly John - Thanks. The crimper does a great job of crimping both the wire as well as the insulation ears. I highly recommend it if you are going to use these connectors. Pete - I don't know that I did machine language coding on an 11, but I sure did on many 8's. In fact, I remember what a 7402 is. Rusty - I see. I love my Weller soldering station. It is so much better to use than my Weller or Craftsman guns. Just turn it on and w/in a couple of minutes it is hot and ready to go. And now an end-of-day report on the connectors. I do like them, but I did have a self-inflicted problem today. I apparently put one terminal in upside down, which seems to have tweaked the retainer pin. That meant I couldn't get the pin to latch, so in the end I broke the red safety plate out to allow me to remove the pins. Then I put them in another shell and was good to go. But I'd really like to figure out how to properly remove the red safety plate on the male shell. I can do so on the female shell, but not the male shell, so I can't easily get the pins out of the male shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 John - Thanks. The crimper does a great job of crimping both the wire as well as the insulation ears. I highly recommend it if you are going to use these connectors. Pete - I don't know that I did machine language coding on an 11, but I sure did on many 8's. In fact, I remember what a 7402 is. Rusty - I see. I love my Weller soldering station. It is so much better to use than my Weller or Craftsman guns. Just turn it on and w/in a couple of minutes it is hot and ready to go. And now an end-of-day report on the connectors. I do like them, but I did have a self-inflicted problem today. I apparently put one terminal in upside down, which seems to have tweaked the retainer pin. That meant I couldn't get the pin to latch, so in the end I broke the red safety plate out to allow me to remove the pins. Then I put them in another shell and was good to go. But I'd really like to figure out how to properly remove the red safety plate on the male shell. I can do so on the female shell, but not the male shell, so I can't easily get the pins out of the male shells. From what I've read and seen on YouTube, those Deutsch connectors go together and come apart with ease. Moreover, the consensus is that they are the best. I guess the question is, do they warrant the expense? Seems the patent is out on them and others are reproducing them though. I've not had a chance to look into that yet. If you're going to wire Dad's Truck though, this might be an area you should look into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 From what I've read and seen on YouTube, those Deutsch connectors go together and come apart with ease. Moreover, the consensus is that they are the best. I guess the question is, do they warrant the expense? Seems the patent is out on them and others are reproducing them though. I've not had a chance to look into that yet. If you're going to wire Dad's Truck though, this might be an area you should look into. Do those connectors require a specialty crimper? Some of the kits I see come with a crimper. And the kits are fairly expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Do those connectors require a specialty crimper? Some of the kits I see come with a crimper. And the kits are fairly expensive! I have a "fake" Deutsch kit, it looks just like them but was 1/10th the price. I can't really speak for the quality, I've only made one connection up with them. I personally didn't care for them but not because they're bad. It was just extra work dealing with the little red plastic bits and all. I'm sure I'm not the only one here far-sighted. With a Weather-pack I can just about see everything well enough to make up a connection without my "cheaters". I'm perpetually losing them, so it's an advantage for me if I don't always need them. Those Deutsch pins are just small enough I can't sort it all out without my glasses. That might not be the best selection criteria but it's the one I've got. One pro I'll mention, that red plastic spacer thingy does really help with pin alignment. If you've ever been frustrated having to wiggle a different style connector a bit to get the pins to line up, these are the cat's pajamas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 5, 2022 Author Share Posted March 5, 2022 I have a "fake" Deutsch kit, it looks just like them but was 1/10th the price. I can't really speak for the quality, I've only made one connection up with them. I personally didn't care for them but not because they're bad. It was just extra work dealing with the little red plastic bits and all. I'm sure I'm not the only one here far-sighted. With a Weather-pack I can just about see everything well enough to make up a connection without my "cheaters". I'm perpetually losing them, so it's an advantage for me if I don't always need them. Those Deutsch pins are just small enough I can't sort it all out without my glasses. That might not be the best selection criteria but it's the one I've got. One pro I'll mention, that red plastic spacer thingy does really help with pin alignment. If you've ever been frustrated having to wiggle a different style connector a bit to get the pins to line up, these are the cat's pajamas. Chad - Which kit did you get? Do you have a link? And do you have to use a different crimper? What's the current rating for the pins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Chad - Which kit did you get? Do you have a link? And do you have to use a different crimper? What's the current rating for the pins? Gary, you can glean a lot of information in the following links: I had questions about the connectors in the American Autowire wiring harness kit I purchased for my 69 Mustang along with the high dollar proprietary tools. A poster by the name of tp_smith in the following thread is very knowledgeable and based off his comments there, I will definitely be going with different connectors. He makes no mention of the Deutsch connectors, but I have to believe he is quite pleased with what he is using. https://www.camaros.net/threads/aaw-crimper-alternative.479387/page-2 Lots of good information from poster desertspeed33 in this thread along with content on other related things. Post is a bit old though: https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/amphenol-deutsch-vs-weatherpack-plugs-when-wiring-up-a-truck.1717850/ The YouTube video below is from a guy I have long been subscribed to. I love his execution of work and his videos are great. He's very informative and I'd sweep the floor in his shop to learn from him. I've actually spent a lot of time looking at his electrical series, as I am weak there. He speaks about the Deutsch connectors. As I've said before, I don't have to have the best of anything, just looking for the best value for my money. With my need for wiring the Mustang, I'd like to stay with a single system for both the truck and the car and perhaps any other future needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Gary, you can glean a lot of information in the following links: I had questions about the connectors in the American Autowire wiring harness kit I purchased for my 69 Mustang along with the high dollar proprietary tools. A poster by the name of tp_smith in the following thread is very knowledgeable and based off his comments there, I will definitely be going with different connectors. He makes no mention of the Deutsch connectors, but I have to believe he is quite pleased with what he is using. https://www.camaros.net/threads/aaw-crimper-alternative.479387/page-2 Lots of good information from poster desertspeed33 in this thread along with content on other related things. Post is a bit old though: https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/amphenol-deutsch-vs-weatherpack-plugs-when-wiring-up-a-truck.1717850/ The YouTube video below is from a guy I have long been subscribed to. I love his execution of work and his videos are great. He's very informative and I'd sweep the floor in his shop to learn from him. I've actually spent a lot of time looking at his electrical series, as I am weak there. He speaks about the Deutsch connectors. As I've said before, I don't have to have the best of anything, just looking for the best value for my money. With my need for wiring the Mustang, I'd like to stay with a single system for both the truck and the car and perhaps any other future needs. Another video on the Deutsch connectors. Note that there are two different types of pins in the Deutsch system which requires different tools. The more expensive pins require multiple tools due to the different size pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Gary, you can glean a lot of information in the following links: I had questions about the connectors in the American Autowire wiring harness kit I purchased for my 69 Mustang along with the high dollar proprietary tools. A poster by the name of tp_smith in the following thread is very knowledgeable and based off his comments there, I will definitely be going with different connectors. He makes no mention of the Deutsch connectors, but I have to believe he is quite pleased with what he is using. https://www.camaros.net/threads/aaw-crimper-alternative.479387/page-2 Lots of good information from poster desertspeed33 in this thread along with content on other related things. Post is a bit old though: https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/amphenol-deutsch-vs-weatherpack-plugs-when-wiring-up-a-truck.1717850/ The YouTube video below is from a guy I have long been subscribed to. I love his execution of work and his videos are great. He's very informative and I'd sweep the floor in his shop to learn from him. I've actually spent a lot of time looking at his electrical series, as I am weak there. He speaks about the Deutsch connectors. As I've said before, I don't have to have the best of anything, just looking for the best value for my money. With my need for wiring the Mustang, I'd like to stay with a single system for both the truck and the car and perhaps any other future needs. John - The thread in the first link didn't do much for me, but this post by desertspeed33 in the second thread is gold! One of the issues I've had is that there are soooooo many options. But that post cuts through things and helps me understand which brand and model to use for what. Having said that, with the ability to run the circuit through two pins to get to 24 amps on these Chinese connectors, I think I can get most things done with them. And I have the right crimper. But the Delphi Metripack 150 Series that goes to 30 amps sounds good. And my crimper should work on them. On the other hand, I'm confused about the Deutch connectors. That post doesn't get into the types of pins. But that video does, and the open-barrel pins look like they'd be fine in my crimper. But the closed-barrel pins take the mega-dollar crimper. So which terminals do you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Another video on the Deutsch connectors. Note that there are two different types of pins in the Deutsch system which requires different tools. The more expensive pins require multiple tools due to the different size pins. Ok, this guy explains a bit more, but... He highly recommends the closed-barrel pins. And he says that IWISS 14-18 crimper is all he every uses. BUT, it only does 14 - 18 gauge, or maybe to 20 gauge if you really use 20 gauge. However, it doesn't do 12 gauge, which takes a different crimper. Nor does it do 10 gauge, which takes a different crimper. And now you are into more like $100. And those are very special crimpers. They don't work for other types of terminals. So, why doesn't he recommend the open-barrel pins? If you went with them you could use a standard crimper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Ok, this guy explains a bit more, but... He highly recommends the closed-barrel pins. And he says that IWISS 14-18 crimper is all he every uses. BUT, it only does 14 - 18 gauge, or maybe to 20 gauge if you really use 20 gauge. However, it doesn't do 12 gauge, which takes a different crimper. Nor does it do 10 gauge, which takes a different crimper. And now you are into more like $100. And those are very special crimpers. They don't work for other types of terminals. So, why doesn't he recommend the open-barrel pins? If you went with them you could use a standard crimper. Since the Metri-pack line came up, I'll chime in with what I did on the 86. Just my 2 cents. Gary and I talked about this offline a couple weeks ago when he was looking at kits to go with and I've enjoyed reading everyone's experience in this thread. To me the Deutsch line is the top. That is only based on what I've seen/read online as I just couldn't justify the cost to get into it. If used often enough and for long enough, it would probably be a good investment. I settled on the Metri-pack 280 series and have been really happy with them. Used them a lot on any non-factory wiring on the 86 as well as the 80 and rewiring my equipment hauler. Small gauge, interior wiring I used molex connectors but that's not weatherproof so won't go into those The guy on Pirate 4x4 hits the nail on the head when he says (about the MP280 series): Cons- 3 or 5 pin connectors are bulky They are. I don't find the 3 terrible but above that it's ridiculous. That's why when I needed an 8 pin connector, I designed an over/under style and printed it on my 3d printer. I have the IWS-30J kit and really like the crimper. One of my kids got ahold of the stripper and used it on everything they could find except wire so it got tossed and I can't comment on it when used "correctly" . It's a simple thing but I use the screwdriver it came with almost daily. For doing the MP280's though I bought the IWS-1424B dedicated weatherpack crimper for 24-14awg with the seal crimper built-in. This has worked flawlessly and despite not being ratcheting I would buy it again and again. I tried it a couple times on 12awg and while it did work, you can tell it's not a clean fit. That's where the Sargent 3302 WPCT comes in. I use a lot of 12awg so this has seen a lot of use and like the IWS-1424B it's great. The way the rubber on the handles are made you feel like you are bending the tool which scared me the first couple times but that's only because the rubber has gaps in it. The only very minor complaint is that the finish doesn't fight off surface rust well. Bought all my stuff in bulk off waytek wire. Good prices though shipping is a bit rough. Another neat thing about the MP280's beside inline connections is that they can be used as fuse and relay holders. Here are a couple examples. I've used both of these and they've worked really well. > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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