Posted: 3/30/2014 8:11:44 AM EDT
| I have zero tools for electrical wiring, not even crimpers to put on the ends of my power supply wires. What all do I need to get, especially if I wanted to use Anderson Powerpoles? |
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This is all I use on Power Poles. I've never used anything else and wouldn't want to.
http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html This is what I use for crimping regular uninsulated connectors. http://www.amazon.com/Channellock-909-Crimping-Tool-Cutter/dp/B00004SBDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396197968&sr=8-1&keywords=channel+lock+909 |
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Quoted:
This is all I use on Power Poles. I've never used anything else and wouldn't want to. http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html This is what I use for crimping regular uninsulated connectors. http://www.amazon.com/Channellock-909-Crimping-Tool-Cutter/dp/B00004SBDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396197968&sr=8-1&keywords=channel+lock+909 +1... I use these exact tools for my crimping jobs. |
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I solder all Powerpoles. I never trusted crimps plus I am heavy handed on the crimp so they never fit properly.
Bill The klein stripper looks an awful lot like the Chinese knockoff from Harbor Freight. Bill |
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I have yet to purchase a soldering iron and am a bit hesitant to do so. That adds yet another level of hobby that I'm not ready for yet.  Why wait? If I can learn by burning my fingers, you can too. Find a local to give a quick lesson in soldering. I have recently even soldered with a micro torch. Bill |
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Quoted: This is all I use on Power Poles. I've never used anything else and wouldn't want to. http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html This is what I use for crimping regular uninsulated connectors. http://www.amazon.com/Channellock-909-Crimping-Tool-Cutter/dp/B00004SBDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396197968&sr=8-1&keywords=channel+lock+909 The TriCrimp is very nice for doing PowerPoles. Quick tip though, if you are tempted to buy the extra dies, or use it for anything else, while the ratcheting handle is very nice and all, don't bother. Just get another cheap handle for the dies you need to do other things. It's not worth the hassle of swapping them out. I did, however, figure out that another company's die WILL fit, although it required filing it down in a few spots... What can I say, I didn't feel like buying a handle at the time, and the Powerwerx guys don't have a hex die to fit coax connectors for LMR-400. |
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I use Klein crimping tool on powerpole connectors. Works like a champ.
LINK |
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I have yet to purchase a soldering iron and am a bit hesitant to do so. That adds yet another level of hobby that I'm not ready for yet. WRONG!!! Soldering is a skill easily picked up. Two important elements... the right size soldering iron for the job, and too small is as bad as too big... and the parts to be soldered must be clean. There are a number of Youtube videos teaching how to do electrical / electronics soldering. Look them up and follow them. The two irons you need are (1) a 30 - 40 watt pencil iron which will cover most all of your electronics needs, soldering on circuit boards, for example, and (2) a large 150 or 200 watt soldering gun. A soldering gun is just the tool for soldering PL-259s. You can NOT do this with a small pencil iron. You will also need good 60-40 ROSIN core solder, a little tub of rosin flux, and for desoldering I prefer Solder Wick (desoldering braid). I taught a 70 yr old lady to solder over the phone and by referring her to Youtube videos. If she can do this, you can do this. |
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This is all I use on Power Poles. I've never used anything else and wouldn't want to. http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html This is what I use for crimping regular uninsulated connectors. http://www.amazon.com/Channellock-909-Crimping-Tool-Cutter/dp/B00004SBDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396197968&sr=8-1&keywords=channel+lock+909 I use the Klein 1005 crimper, very similar to the Channellock 909 you link to, for Powerpoles, but intend to get a dedicated Powerpole crimper in the near future. |
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This one has been serving me well actually, quite the variety of functions
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Tools-84-199-Electrical-Pliers-Vinyl-Grips-Each/22580659 
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Quoted:
WRONG!!! Soldering is a skill easily picked up. Two important elements... the right size soldering iron for the job, and too small is as bad as too big... and the parts to be soldered must be clean. There are a number of Youtube videos teaching how to do electrical / electronics soldering. Look them up and follow them. The two irons you need are (1) a 30 - 40 watt pencil iron which will cover most all of your electronics needs, soldering on circuit boards, for example, and (2) a large 150 or 200 watt soldering gun. A soldering gun is just the tool for soldering PL-259s. You can NOT do this with a small pencil iron. You will also need good 60-40 ROSIN core solder, a little tub of rosin flux, and for desoldering I prefer Solder Wick (desoldering braid). I taught a 70 yr old lady to solder over the phone and by referring her to Youtube videos. If she can do this, you can do this. Quoted:
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I have yet to purchase a soldering iron and am a bit hesitant to do so. That adds yet another level of hobby that I'm not ready for yet. WRONG!!! Soldering is a skill easily picked up. Two important elements... the right size soldering iron for the job, and too small is as bad as too big... and the parts to be soldered must be clean. There are a number of Youtube videos teaching how to do electrical / electronics soldering. Look them up and follow them. The two irons you need are (1) a 30 - 40 watt pencil iron which will cover most all of your electronics needs, soldering on circuit boards, for example, and (2) a large 150 or 200 watt soldering gun. A soldering gun is just the tool for soldering PL-259s. You can NOT do this with a small pencil iron. You will also need good 60-40 ROSIN core solder, a little tub of rosin flux, and for desoldering I prefer Solder Wick (desoldering braid). I taught a 70 yr old lady to solder over the phone and by referring her to Youtube videos. If she can do this, you can do this. It's not a matter of capability. I'm one of those young, high-tech folk that like their new-fangled gadgetry. It's a matter of dollar bills and time. Too little of either... 
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I have a ton of regular electrician type tools for work, 110v, 230v, etc. I use a lot of that same stuff, only problem is occasionally, I need a smaller set of cutters or smaller needle nose or something.
I have a $20 set of coax crimpers, I forgot where I got them, but I also do CCTV install/maintenance at work and at church, so it was kind of worth the investment. Just check the sizes, because they are different. I have an adjustable temp soldering iron, but I bought a butane model at Home Depot last week and used it on my sota tuner, worked ok. Would be nice for repairs in the field. I also bought a cheap solder sucker, I never could do the wick. I'm not the greatest in the world with an iron. I've fixed some stuff at work, but its been 20 years since I had a formal class on that stuff. |
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For PowePoles buy the correct tool Do Not solder them a crimp done proper is Better than soldering I do not doubt your knowledge and experience, but I would think that no corrosion could get into a soldered connection, and it could get into a crimped connection. I also purchased some crimped connectors for HF radios and they pulled out with no effort. The guy replaced them, but me, I do not trust a crimp. Just my .02 worth. Bill |
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Just past the solder the copper will be brittle and tend to break with flexing of the wire. The smaller the wire, the more apt this to happen.
Crimped connections excel where there is vibration and wire movement. I've not had corrosion to be a problem, certainly not as much as with any kind of plug/socket contact in the same environment. |
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I understand the concern with crimping, but the key phrase is properly crimped. A poorly crimped connector is just as useless as a poorly soldered one.
There are a lot of crimping tools available, and I use the Andy-Crimp Pro for power poles and various other connectors. And now, I even use it for coax connectors. Pardon the crappy picture, but here is what a couple of test crimps look like. The reason the ring connector is chewed up, is because I wanted to see how well it would hold. So I clamped it in my bench vise, and gave a good yank on the wire. I damn near flipped the work bench over. It ain't coming loose. 
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I do not doubt your knowledge and experience, but I would think that no corrosion could get into a soldered connection, and it could get into a crimped connection. I also purchased some crimped connectors for HF radios and they pulled out with no effort. The guy replaced them, but me, I do not trust a crimp. Just my .02 worth. Bill Quoted:
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For PowePoles buy the correct tool Do Not solder them a crimp done proper is Better than soldering I do not doubt your knowledge and experience, but I would think that no corrosion could get into a soldered connection, and it could get into a crimped connection. I also purchased some crimped connectors for HF radios and they pulled out with no effort. The guy replaced them, but me, I do not trust a crimp. Just my .02 worth. Bill I also used to think otherwise (and it took a bit to convince me) I am talking a Proper Crimp using the correct tool. |
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I've been using this style Klein crimper for over 20 years. A must have in my book along with a good pair of strippers like posted above. The combo-crimper/stripper like danpass posted is OK, but are a PITA to use in tight quarters and have a tendancy to get tweeked out crimping 10ga wire connectors. If you are looking at a soldering station, Weller makes good stuff along with Tenma. The Tenma I have is well over 20 years old and still going. MCM electronics has them for a reasonable price. Tenma soldering station This is the exact one I have. |
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I'm in the middle of a Powerpole install project and remembered this thread. <a href="http://s228.photobucket.com/user/tangotag_bucket/media/7A125470-DAA6-4E45-B81F-1597314F62CA_zpsnzmmbbzi.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee73/tangotag_bucket/7A125470-DAA6-4E45-B81F-1597314F62CA_zpsnzmmbbzi.jpg</a> Nice setup |
While it doesn't crimp, and isn't specifically for PowerPole connectors, this type of wire stripper is very nice -
It automatically grips the wire while it's pulling the insulation off, so you don't need two hands to strip wires - very handy for use in tight quarters, or in applications where you don't have much wire to grasp. It's also super-fast - Only takes a couple of seconds to insert, strip, and remove a wire. |
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Quoted: I'm in the middle of a Powerpole install project and remembered this thread. Fixed mistakenly deleted pic http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee73/tangotag_bucket/7A125470-DAA6-4E45-B81F-1597314F62CA_zps79gqaiig.jpg I see I'm not the only one using old pill bottles to organize their PowerPole contacts  |
