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  • Author Author: Gough Lui
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Crimps Done Right

Gough Lui

Crimp connectors are relatively inexpensive, ubiquitous and convenient. But often times, hobbyists and beginners will buy a packet of tools which comes with a crimp tool that looks like this:

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After fighting with it, perhaps stepping on the handles to try and get any proper crimping action, they'll end up wasting a box of crimps with half of them slipping off the wire almost immediately, perhaps baring their knuckles in the process. Perhaps they will invent methods to gain more leverage, including stepping on the handles with their feet to use their body weight to do the work. But regardless of how much they try, they will then swear by soldering every wire because it's just more reliable. Trust me ... I know from first-(damaged)-hand experience.

But life doesn't have to be this way. The ratcheting crimp tool is the answer ... and it isn't even expensive nowadays, but it will save a lot of pain and suffering and save a lot of time.

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The Duratool D03009 (https://www.newark.com/duratool/d03009/hand-crimp-ratchet-22-2awg/dp/83X7321), a basic ratcheting crimper, listed at US$13.43 will do the job admirably. I would know, since I picked up one myself from an element14 Connect magazine sale and it's been my trusty companion ever since. I've probably done 300 or so crimps just for hobby project and I really can't fault it at all. I'm just surprised it's that inexpensive ... so much so that the awful basic crimping tool should really just be banned in favour of ratcheting crimping tools at the least. That way you're not going to accidentally burn something down with a weak crimp or waste half the box of connectors while ruining your hands.

If Santa feels especially generous, for another $21, you can add a modular jack crimping tool (https://www.newark.com/duratool/d00125/crimp-tool/dp/58M5373) and a coaxial crimping tool as well (https://www.newark.com/duratool/d03019/hand-crimp-ratchet-336c-rf-coax/dp/83X7330). Then you'll probably want one for JST/Dupont and ferrules too ... can never have too much of a good thing!

  • Always a great tool to have, I need to buy one of these soon, just broke mine which was mostly made out of plastic..

  • It's important to make sure the crimp die is made for the size of the crimp you're using. I have one I got on Ebay brand new for about $200 that came with 8 sets of dies that cover the vast majority of crimps. For the really big stuff (AWG 1/0, 2/0, etc), I use a hydraulic crimper, also from Ebay about $50 new and it also comes with several dies that cover a wide range of large crimp sizes.

  • in reply to phoenixcomm

    Indeed, there are so many different types of crimps and crimping tools - the good ones with interchangeable dies can get very expensive. But it's not as often for me that I need to crimp signal connections compared to power connections ... but I do think that once you get one proper crimp tool you start collecting them as your needs grow ;).

    - Gough

  • Gough. That crimper will do a fair job on most crimps. But if you mess will DB-25s etc, you need a much better tool I have an amp tool 90268-1 for less than 70 dollars on eBay or a DMC $$$

    ~~Cris

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  • in reply to neilk

    Sometimes it's not your fault at all - sometimes you will struggle purely because the crimp terminal doesn't actually match the crimp tool. I've had instances where certain cheap crimps just didn't have enough of the right metal to make a good tight crimp, while others were a bit thick meaning that the ratchet couldn't engage all of the way and release. This is still the exception rather than the rule for me.

    Overall, I've come to like crimping, especially when I end up with a RoadTest board modified to look like this:

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