Sleeving & Crimping Thread

[aquelito]

Thanks a lot, that's great advice !

According to Molex 5556 terminal technical drawings, you have to strip between 3 and 4 mm of wire insulator.
Which means I'll have to cut 1 mm of wire afterwards. Or buy a new striper.

Back to supply, rs-online carries everything I'll need.
They have a lot of 18 AWG wire references.

Is this one OK ? Insulator is only 0,47 mm thick, while some other wires of the same brand have a 0,81 mm thick insulator:
http://fr.rs-online.com/web/p/products/0331749/

 

[Kmpkt]

I think what you'll need to think of with respect to insulation thickness is how pliable you want your wires to be. If you're going to have a particularly short 24 pin or something, go thinner IMO. If you have plenty of space and broad turns in your cable, the extra rigidity/structure of thicker insulation may be nice for routing and keeping cables together.

 

[Josh | NFC]

I think what you'll need to think of with respect to insulation thickness is how pliable you want your wires to be. If you're going to have a particularly short 24 pin or something, go thinner IMO. If you have plenty of space and broad turns in your cable, the extra rigidity/structure of thicker insulation may be nice for routing and keeping cables together.

I agree with this, but KEEP IN MIND, @aquelito, you will be very SAD if you change the thickness of your wire without changing the thickness of your Mini Fit Jr. Wing-Size!!!!

The connectors are more forgiving if you use a larger wire to wing ratio than smaller. If you use too small or get wings too big then they will crack and break off.

Finally, you mention your auto-strippers strip too much. That particular design might, I haven't used anything like that, but I have used lots of different auto strippers that you can just feed in manually even though the measurement tab would have you strip too much. If that makes sense (but I wrote it, so it probably doesn't).

Peace!

 

[EdZ]

Thanks. Seems there is not so much "one-stop" shops apart from moddiy.com but I'd rather avoid them...

I've got this Voltman automatic striper, which works pretty well for my electricity needs.
I have not used it yet to strip 18AWG wires. Wire stop minimum is 5 mm. Is it still too much ? I understood you need to strip 3 mm of wire insulation.

If the existing stop doesn't get close enough, the lazy fix would be to add a 2mm (5mm - 3mm) spacer to it to reduce the effective stop distance from the measure value.

 

[aquelito]

I agree with this, but KEEP IN MIND, @aquelito, you will be very SAD if you change the thickness of your wire without changing the thickness of your Mini Fit Jr. Wing-Size!!!!

Ok thanks.
According to Molex website, Mini Fit Jr. connectors for 18-24 AWG wires have all the same design, hence the same wing thickness ?

Can you please share both the references of wires and Mini Fit Jr. connectors you are using (and that you know work well together) ?

If the existing stop doesn't get close enough, the lazy fix would be to add a 2mm (5mm - 3mm) spacer to it to reduce the effective stop distance from the measure value.

Yep, that's clever ! I can fix a 1 mm plastic piece (+ adhesive thickness) onto the front part of the wire stop.

 

[MODZERO]

I buy all my modding supplies from E22 if you're in the UK it's by far the best place for it (IMO).

J.

 

[Sicaris]

So I'm starting to look at making custom cables and wanted to get some opinions on crimping tools. In addition to Molex pins I'll need to make some JST VHR connectors which use jst svh-21t-p1.1 pins. @Thehack has recommended the Engineer PA-20 or PA-21 crimpers in the Meanwell PSU thread and I think they will do Molex as well but it would be great to hear what other people recommend.

 

[Colinreay]

So I'm starting to look at making custom cables and wanted to get some opinions on crimping tools. In addition to Molex pins I'll need to make some JST VHR connectors which use jst svh-21t-p1.1 pins. @Thehack has recommended the Engineer PA-20 or PA-21 crimpers in the Meanwell PSU thread and I think they will do Molex as well but it would be great to hear what other people recommend.

This. This a million times over.

I've had Engineer crimpers - in fact, I've tried most of the crimpers I think the community uses. Nothing comes close to this though. The crimps it produces are flawless, and it can handle pretty much any wire. I crimped UL1015 16 AWG wire with an OD of 3mm. This crimper breezed through it (something I don't think many other crimpers could have done.)

If you can afford it, buy it, and you'll never look back.

 

[jeshikat]

The PA-20/21 require crimping the wiring and sleeving separately. Which is fine for the occasional JST connector but would be a pain in the neck wrist for a full sleeving job.

I'd also recommend the official Molex crimpers, but even something like the MDPC ones would be much easier to use than the Engineer ones.

 

[Thehack]

Molex are larger crimps so they require less precision. However since my build require smaller crimps as well I went for the engineer crimpers.

If you are doing just the mini fit skip the engineer crimpers, however don't go for a cheap crimper. If you want a more general tool for crimps then the engineer crimpers are what you want.

Those who are familiar with tools know that you pay for quality stuff. Anything less than $40 will give you crappy crimps. The official Molex Crimper is $300. So not recommended unless you do multiple projects a year.

Also, the Engineer PA-20 doesn't crimp the Mini-Fit without trimming the crimp flanges down a bit, but otherwise works great. I can crimp all the way down to 22 AWG. PA-21 is designed for Mini Fit and other JST crimps.

 

[Sicaris]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I have a much better idea of the benefits of each now. It looks like the PA-21 will be the jack of all trades I need (especially as I won't have any ATX connectors to do) and if my hand starts to fall off from all the modding I know what to upgrade to.

 

[aquelito]

I just purchased a PA-21 and will start working on a custom wire harness with quite a few dual-wire crimps.
What are your advices to get these crimps done the right way ?
I won't be sleeving.

 

[fminus]

Does the PSU tester test the actual wires as well?

 

[zovc]

Ok, I've read through this thread twice and tried to digest everything.

The long story short, I'm trying to use an Artesyn CPS250-M Series AC-DC power supply with a HDPLEX 300W DC-ATX board for my gaming rig. Some more details about the build can be found in this thread about the case and this thread about the modding process. There's a link to the AC-DC power supply's technical documentation and its data sheet on Artesyn's page I linked.

The power supply has arrived and--as is to be expected--it's not got anything wired to it. I want to connect its input (AC) to wall power and its output (24V DC) to the HDPLEX 300W.

I looked this stuff up using the datasheet:

• AC-in connector: 3-pin Molex "09-50-8031" connector, I found them here via Google. AWG 20-18.
• DC-out connector: 6-pin Molex "09-50-8061" connector, I found them here via Google. AWG 20-18.
• Fan header: "Cvilux CI0102S0000 housing," I can't find this anywhere. AWG 30-24.

Now, I'm like 99.9% sure those two Molex connectors are the ones I need. I don't know how I'm supposed to terminate/crimp wires into those, though. Do I need a special tool?

So, having gone through this thread and done the bit of homework I have, I've got a few questions:

• Do those look like the connectors I need for my AC-DC power supply?
• I noticed Molex has a few different kinds of connectors that look like they all follow the same rough layout of the 'ATX'(?) computer style I'm familiar with. What kind of connectors will interface with my HDPLEX 300W?
  • Nano-Fit has a pitch of 2.5mm, it seems to be the shortest. Would it work? Would I save an appreciable amount of space by using those connectors?
• Is there any reason to use a higher or lower gauge wire? (Within my parts' specifications.)
  • There are apparently wires that are more flexible or tangle-resistant or otherwise 'special'/'better'... are these worth a premium in this application? Does sleeving cables negate any benefits these 'types' of cables offer?

Also, I'm working on my shopping list/budget to get this part of the project underway. How does this look? Any specific recommendations?

• Power supply tester. This one was recommended by @Phuncz.
• Molex pin extractor. Should I get the Molex brand one?
• Heat gun. I have this one from amazon and so far it has helped me vinyl wrap my desk.
• Crimping tool. I saw a "MDPC" one receive some praise, but I've also seen that I should get a Molex one and never look back.
• (Automatic) wire stripper. I think this is the one @Josh | NFC recommends in the article he linked?
• Soldering iron. I have one that I can use at my workplace, but having one at home will be a lot more convenient.

Besides that stuff, I'll of course need wire and solder and heat shrink wrap and sleeves for my wires.

I have a set of helping hands but it doesn't have a magnifying glass. I'm pretty sure my eyes are good enough not to need one, but I'm not opposed to getting and using one if enough people recommend it for the sake of my neck/back/whatever else.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Ok, I've read through this thread twice and tried to digest everything.

The long story short, I'm trying to use an Artesyn CPS250-M Series AC-DC power supply with a HDPLEX 300W DC-ATX board for my gaming rig. Some more details about the build can be found in this thread about the case and this thread about the modding process. There's a link to the AC-DC power supply's technical documentation and its data sheet on Artesyn's page I linked.

The power supply has arrived and--as is to be expected--it's not got anything wired to it. I want to connect its input (AC) to wall power and its output (24V DC) to the HDPLEX 300W.



So, having gone through this thread and done the bit of homework I have, I've got a few questions:

• Do those look like the connectors I need for my AC-DC power supply?
• I noticed Molex has a few different kinds of connectors that look like they all follow the same rough layout of the 'ATX'(?) computer style I'm familiar with. What kind of connectors will interface with my HDPLEX 300W?
  • Nano-Fit has a pitch of 2.5mm, it seems to be the shortest. Would it work? Would I save an appreciable amount of space by using those connectors?
• Is there any reason to use a higher or lower gauge wire? (Within my parts' specifications.)
  • There are apparently wires that are more flexible or tangle-resistant or otherwise 'special'/'better'... are these worth a premium in this application? Does sleeving cables negate any benefits these 'types' of cables offer?

Also, I'm working on my shopping list/budget to get this part of the project underway. How does this look? Any specific recommendations?

• Power supply tester. This one was recommended by @Phuncz.
• Molex pin extractor. Should I get the Molex brand one?
• Heat gun. I have this one from amazon and so far it has helped me vinyl wrap my desk.
• Crimping tool. I saw a "MDPC" one receive some praise, but I've also seen that I should get a Molex one and never look back.
• (Automatic) wire stripper. I think this is the one @Josh | NFC recommends in the article he linked?
• Soldering iron. I have one that I can use at my workplace, but having one at home will be a lot more convenient.

Besides that stuff, I'll of course need wire and solder and heat shrink wrap and sleeves for my wires.

I have a set of helping hands but it doesn't have a magnifying glass. I'm pretty sure my eyes are good enough not to need one, but I'm not opposed to getting and using one if enough people recommend it for the sake of my neck/back/whatever else.

Magnifying lenses seem like a good idea but unless they are really necessary I find them to be more of a inconvenience than a help. I think they are helpful for micro soldering...but of course a microscope hooked to a 24" monitor is even better!

 

[zovc]

Regarding my questions--I still haven't found any more definite info.

I am about to take a chance on ModDIY's PCIe riser cable because it's essentially half the price of a 3M one. I see they have a Molex Crimping Tool. It's only $40 compared to the ~$200-$300+ Molex tools I'm seeing on ebay. I see this tool on ebay which I could swing, but it looks like it might be a different Molex tool? It's hard to tell by the picture.

 

[blubblob]

The one on ebay is a tool for a different connector, not MIniFit Jr.

The SN-28B is an acceptable MiniFit Jr. crimper. Not anywhere near the official Molex tool, but the crimps are usable most of the time. Just did a little project with ~120 crimps with one and only had to redo ~5 crimps that didn't work out as expected.
Not all SN-28Bs are equal though, there are a bit hit/miss when it comes to the quality of the die. Some are to soft and not cut/cast properly resulting in just horrible crimps.
For example if your dies look like this:

You can throw them away, you likely won't get a proper crimp out of those.

It's possible you pay the $25 premium to get "one of the good ones" from ModDIY, as SN-28B usually go for $15.

 

[zovc]

Maybe it's worth ordering a few from somewhere that sells them for $15 and keep the best-looking one returning the rest?

 

[zovc]

Okay, I am double-checking my power supply and trying to figure out what all I need to wire it and not blow up my HDPLEX, my computer, or my house.

My AC-in needs to be able to handle my computer drawing ~250W, which is the power supply's rated maximum. This starts tapering off at 50C which might prove to be a problem. I have a few ideas to address this but it's a problem I can fairly safely run into and work around after the fact. My system should just crash/shut off if it isn't getting enough power, right?

• Most AC-in connectors will have the two wires I need to connect to the power supply, should I do something/anything with a screw-down ground wire in the case if it has one?
• My PSU's AC-in connector lists "Molex 09-50-8031" and "Molex 45570-3000 (crimp)" will a standard Molex crimping tool (like the one I'm getting for my HDPLEX's cabling) work?

My PSU's DC-out seems to correspond to a HDPLEX's wiring, it's got 3 pins (1-3) of Main Output Return and 3 pins (4-6) of Main Output. The HDPLEX 300W has 3 pins of gnd and 3 pins of 19V (which actually accepts up to 24V), so I think we're good there.

• Should I be connecting Main Output or Main Output Return to the ground pins?
• My PSU's AC-in connector lists "Molex 09-50-8061" and the same "Molex 45570-3000 (crimp)". Again, not sure if the 'standard' Molex crimping tool will work for this.

Finally, I was doing some looking around at ModDIY's Molex connectors and noticed they seemed to have connectors that all mentioned specific brands of power supplies. The coloration was different between them but I was also wondering if the height or shape of the pins or whatever else changed between them.

• Are there shorter Molex connectors I can get for the HDPLEX 300W?
• Are there different configurations of, say, 6-pin connectors I need to get to make sure I'm not getting the wrong connectors?
• Is the HDPLEX 300W in stock anywhere?!

 

[iFreilicht]

Most AC-in connectors will have the two wires I need to connect to the power supply, should I do something/anything with a screw-down ground wire in the case if it has one?

If the connector has 3 prongs, the ground pin should be connected to a metal part of your case. If the PSU has a ground connection as well, connect it to that.

My PSU's AC-in connector lists "Molex 09-50-8031" and "Molex 45570-3000 (crimp)" will a standard Molex crimping tool (like the one I'm getting for my HDPLEX's cabling) work?

To find that out, you can just search for the model number on molex website. Your particular ones refer to the housing and the crimp terminal. From what it looks like, a normal crimping tool should work, but the terminals seems rather large.

Hope that helps a little.