![]() This simultaneously melts the solder and shrinks the sleeve to insulate the join.Ĭrimping is both quick and easy, and makes a very reliable join, creating microscopic welds between the wire and the connector. Pass one wire in each end so that they cross over in the solder ring, then simply apply a heat gun. Make sure the stripped ends of the wires are clean so as to accept the solder. These contain a ring of low temperature solder in the centre of a heat shrink tube. Alternatively you may be able to burn off the enamel in a flame.Ī simple solution if you don't have a soldering iron handy is to use heat shrink solder sleeves. The enamel may be designed to melt in the solder but it often helps to start it off by gently scraping with a knife, trying not to break any of the strands as you do so. You will need to separate the strands of each colour. The three connections for stereo headphones or four for a stereo headset use different coloured enamel. ![]() Headphone leads use a special kind of ultra-flexible wire consisting of many individually enamelled strands of fine wire. In fact some wire enamels are "solder-through" and designed to melt with the solder, but an initial scrape to get it started usually helps. If a little remains it often won't matter and may melt with the solder. In the case of enamelled wire, the enamel needs to be scraped or burnt off. A little extra flux from a flux pen never does any harm and often makes it easier if the insulation has not been freshly removed. The wires need to be clean in order to make a good joint. This requires a greater length to be stripped of insulation and can be tricky if the wires differ in diameter, or if one is stranded and the other solid. If possible, you should twist the wires in-line before soldering as this makes a stronger (and neater) join than twisting the ends together. Twisting the wires together and soldering is often the best method, but there are two ways of doing this. However, you may have to remove the housing, often made of soft plastic which may melt before the thermal fuse trips.Ī solder join - wires twisted together (not so good). Provided space allows, these connectors can be useful when replacing a thermal fuse which might be blown by the heat of a soldering iron. You can always strip a little extra insulation and fold the wire double to give the screw more to grip. They contain a hole between each pair of connectors, which you can use to screw them down to a firm base.Ĭhoc block connectors come in various sizes such as 3A, 5A, 15A etc., but the only important thing is to ensure that they are big enough to take the wire, and more importantly, the wire is big enough to be gripped by the screw. They are useful for connecting low voltage wires but offer no form of cable clamp so should only be used for mains if you can ensure that the cables cannot be strained. These come in strips which can be easily cut according to the number of wires you need to connect. When using stranded wire, first twist the strands together (blue wire) then fold them over (red wire). Alternatively, apply solder to stranded wire.Ī choc block connector. ![]() Where the screw clamps the wire in a hole n a brass terminal, it's often helpful to strip sufficient insulation so that you can fold the bare end double, so giving the screw plenty to grip on. In the first case, make sure the bare end of the wire is at least long enough to make a half tun around the screw, and always wrap it round the screw in the same direction as you will be tightening it. In the case of stranded wire, always keep the individual strands together after stripping the insulation by firmly twisting them together, or better still, applying a little solder. The screw head may hold the wire directly or preferably under a washer, or the screw may clamp the wire in a hole in a brass terminal. Probably the oldest method of connecting a wire is with a screw terminal. Mould a little around the cable to protect the damaged section, moulding it onto the connector to prevent movement and thinning progressively away from the connector so avoiding any point at which he cable can be sharply bent. This comes in a mouldable putty-like form and sets within 24 hours to synthetic rubber. If the outer insulation is starting to crack, you're on borrowed time! A simple solution is to repair it with Sugru. Fix it before it breaks!Ī very common fault is a broken headphone lead at the point where it enters the jack connector. Be aware that a poorly made join may heat up and even cause a fire. Even if mains voltages are not involved then a short circuit resulting from an uninsulated join may cause damage to other components. Where the wires carry mains voltage it's essential that the join is properly insulated and the wires clamped to prevent the join being strained.
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