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Date:         Sun, 31 Jan 1999 06:45:59 -0600
Reply-To:     Darrell Boehler <midwesty@MIDWEST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Darrell Boehler <midwesty@MIDWEST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Soldered Connections
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Volks, I feel solder is better. I also feel if one has no soldering experience that a crimp splice joint is probably better, but I don't like them or wire nuts either for that mater. I learned to solder as a radar technician in the usn. The best advice I can offer is what a cwo ( chief warrant officer) told me in 1960 and the basics have not changed much since then, the secret to a good electrical connection is to first have a good mechanical connection. I prefer shrink tubing, however there is some much improved electrical tape out there. I find the new 3m / scotch super 33 hard to beat for most things I need tape for. It is not cheap around $4 a roll but then some for $0.50 can be more expensive it it fails you. Darrell -----Original Message----- From: Otmar Ebenhoech <Otmar@EVCL.COM> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 2:19 AM Subject: Re: Soldered Connections

>At 11:38 PM -0800 1/30/99, David Marshall wrote: >>I think you are missing the point with soldering - or you have never seen >>it done correctly. Your examples of failing solders are not from a wire to >>wire connection but a wire to a component / circuit board connection. If >>you are soldering two wires together you must do what is called a "western >>union" connection first. This is where you strip the wires say 1.5 to >>2.0cm and put them parallel to each other so the cut end of one wire is >>next to the begining of the plastic covering of the other. Then twist the >>wires so they make a mechanical connection first. The wires should be able >>to hold together without solder. The next step is to do a propper >>soldering job where you heat the wire and not the solder thus advoiding a >>cold solder. Use decent solder that contains a very small amount of flux. >>I use the Radio Shack stuff. After you make this connection I will bet >>anyone one hundred bucks that it will NOT break. If you waterproof it with >>lithium greese and seal it with very snug heat shrink it is almost as good >>as an uncut wire - just a little stiffer where the connection is made. >> >>Crimps do have their place and work well when done with the right tools. >>They do tend to leave some part of the connection open to the atmosphere >>which makes it prone to rust and eventually failure. > >Maybe I was misdirected here, I was thinking of a crimp joint to something >like a 1/4" faston connector for going to the back of the light. You are >right that I was thinking of a wire to component connection. > >I would agree that in the case of wire to wire connections, using a western >union connection in a non flexing area it would be a very good connection. >This used to be done in the ECU harnesses of some cars (I think I remember >them in a '87 ford), but in my 97 jetta harness they were crimps. > >The lithium grease trick sounds good (if messy). There exists a type of >heatshrink that has a sealer inside it to seal connections from the >atmosphere. Usually it's called high voltage heatshrink and I've seen it in >three weights. Basically it's heatshrink with a hot glue like substance >inside it that oozes out when it is shrunk. This is fantastic stuff for >both crimped and soldered joints. Unfortunatly it's quite expensive. You >can make your own by laying down some hot glue on the joint and then using >ordinary shrink tubing over it. When the tubing gets hot enough it melts >the glue. Makes for a great sealed joint, but it will eventually crack and >compromise the seal if it's flexed enough. > > > > > -Otmar- >86 Syncro (front) 82 (rear) Stretch GTI Westfalia. "Power of two" >Several EVs (Electric Vehicles) >http://www.evcl.com/strvan/strvan.html >http://www.evcl.com/Picprev.html >Electric Vehicle Components Ltd. (650) 494-9255 >


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