DIY compression terminals on the left as good as high quality crimped on the right??

[dorff]

which is better?

[organic farmer]

I used the 'crimp-on' style and I soldered them on.

[Mike90250]

Nothing beats a proper hydraulic crimp (15 ton) connection, it is gas tight and the strands and shell are cold welded all together. The "twist to compress" cannot get anywhere near that performance.

I always warn about soldering connectors that are supposed to be crimped:
1) solder wicks up the stranded cable to some point, and then stops there. That makes a rapid transition in the flexibility of the cable, and the cable will break internally at that point, over time and with very little flexing needed.
2) Solder has a higher resistance than copper wire, so under high current conditions, the solder will heat up. Enough current and enough time, the solder will melt and the cable can fall off, letting molten solder and hot cable rattle around

[Fireside]

I realise I'm digging up a post from last year here.. But I wanted to know about Crimping + soldering. I'm looking at crimp terminals that have a window in the end. And was planning to crimp the cable into the terminal properly, then backfill the very tip of the cable with solder through the window, with a view to eliminating any oxygen presence in the end of the terminal.
If done correctly the strands will be effectively cold welded into a solid with the terminal casing where crimped. So with that in mind, it's unlikely/impossible for solder to wick beyond the very tip of the cable where it is still strands.

Overkill? Introducing a failurepoint? What are your thoughts on end-solder after crimp.

[Ampster]

I agree with Mike. Hydraulic crimping is the best.

[Fireside]

I agree with Mike. Hydraulic crimping is the best.

I think we are all in agreement that properly crimped connections are a must. But from an ultimate corrosion prevention point of view, I'm still interested in backfilling the terminal casing from the lug end.

[Ampster]

I think we are all in agreement that properly crimped connections are a must. But from an ultimate corrosion prevention point of view, I'm still interested in backfilling the terminal casing from the lug end.

Yes, I have no disagreement with that since it is your time. I have done that in the past and capillary action wicked the solder further up the wire than I expected but maybe I was too liberal in feeding the solder to the joint. For simplicity. if corrosion is a concern I have used a conductive grease for corrrosion protection. Those cases were in a motive application for an EV and it was 4/0 welding cable that would have taken a torch to heat up. I also used shrink wrap with a glue inside to seal the fitting.

[Mike90250]

Like Ampster states, I've seen solder wick into places it should not have. Even aircraft wire harnesses are crimp only. They see daily thermal excursions and condensation and the 22ga wire does just fine - when properly crimped.

[emartin00]

I realise I'm digging up a post from last year here.. But I wanted to know about Crimping + soldering. I'm looking at crimp terminals that have a window in the end. And was planning to crimp the cable into the terminal properly, then backfill the very tip of the cable with solder through the window, with a view to eliminating any oxygen presence in the end of the terminal.
If done correctly the strands will be effectively cold welded into a solid with the terminal casing where crimped. So with that in mind, it's unlikely/impossible for solder to wick beyond the very tip of the cable where it is still strands.

Overkill? Introducing a failurepoint? What are your thoughts on end-solder after crimp.

I would suggest either getting lugs without the inspection window, or simply putting a drop of No-ox in the window and covering it with a bit of electrical tape.

[bcroe]

I have used liquid tape, often covering that with heat shrink which may bring
some of it out both ends. Bruce Roe