What's the best pin connector for my wiring harness?
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:10 pm
I'm looking for a pin connector solution that will let me plug my hot end and effector toys into a cable harness without stupid problems cropping up days or weeks later. I've tried pin connectors from Amphenol / TE Connectivity (apparently the same company), but they both seem like they have problems where eventually the crimps will start working loose. Their pin connectors are advertised for a certain AWG range, but even if you stay inside that range it's still possible that a couple weeks down the road one of the pins or sockets will start getting flaky.
Frankly, I think wire crimps are less than ideal on anything that has to move around a lot. Solder joints with heat shrink seem more solid. But, there are times when I need to remove the print head so I don't want to do that. Is there some kind of connector that works with screws or clamps or something that isn't these stupid annoying pin crimps? Or maybe a vendor that does crimps "right?" This always happens two hours before a deadline and I have to waste at least 20 minutes redoing all the pins. I got some connectors from Monoprice that clamp the wire in place using screw threads and friction plates, but those are too big for this application.
My harness "system" requires six pins for the hot end and four pins for the platform (+5, +12, GND, Z probe.) The connectors have to be separate since the platform must be wired independently of the hot end. So the little two-pin connectors they use on RC cars are not going to work for me, and I can't just get a big 10-pin connector. The wiring is 16-gauge stranded speaker wire (heat) and 22-gauge solid wire (everything else) from Cat5 cable. I had thought to just use RJ45 connectors, but that would leave out the hot end heat.
Frankly, I think wire crimps are less than ideal on anything that has to move around a lot. Solder joints with heat shrink seem more solid. But, there are times when I need to remove the print head so I don't want to do that. Is there some kind of connector that works with screws or clamps or something that isn't these stupid annoying pin crimps? Or maybe a vendor that does crimps "right?" This always happens two hours before a deadline and I have to waste at least 20 minutes redoing all the pins. I got some connectors from Monoprice that clamp the wire in place using screw threads and friction plates, but those are too big for this application.
My harness "system" requires six pins for the hot end and four pins for the platform (+5, +12, GND, Z probe.) The connectors have to be separate since the platform must be wired independently of the hot end. So the little two-pin connectors they use on RC cars are not going to work for me, and I can't just get a big 10-pin connector. The wiring is 16-gauge stranded speaker wire (heat) and 22-gauge solid wire (everything else) from Cat5 cable. I had thought to just use RJ45 connectors, but that would leave out the hot end heat.
(link above) 