Top 6 Tools

The only one I would add to yours and Colporteur’s, all of which I use so concur, is a Multicomp Pro crimper.  I’m away on holiday at the moment so can’t take a picture.  The calliper I use is a non-digital one and I also own a micrometer but don’t use that regularly.

A good crimper makes it more likely that crimps will be used. My crimpers are not great, so I don't do much crimping.

I end up using this one on almost all projects, simply because I use a lot of 0.1" pin headers, so I guess this would make it into my top 6. It works with typical generic 0.1" sockets only (it's not a general-purpose tool for a range of crimps), but works really well.

I end up using this one on almost all projects, simply because I use a lot of 0.1" pin headers, so I guess this would make it into my top 6. It works with typical generic 0.1" sockets only (it's not a general-purpose tool for a range of crimps), but works really well.

Nice tool - if I had a ratcheting crimper, I would use more crimps.

I use the same darn tool for db-25 etc pins. And I hate the darn thing. They are a pain in tush to use one hand holds the pin, the other hand the wire, and you need another hand to crimp it.

That is a problem : ) My current method is to use side of body/chest or leg to push it. I wonder how it's really supposed to be used though.

I put heatshrink sleeve on the handles to make it slightly softer for this method : ) 

I use a finiky little insertion tool for DB25 (solder cup pins) or insulation displacement ribbon connectors.

I find myself in a position for wiring quite a few Sub-D connectors with solder cups.  How does this tool work Doug?

One side inserts pins from the back by encircling the wire and pushing the pin past the retention ring until they seat with their retention tabs sprung out.

The other side removes pins by inserting the tool from the front - it then squeezes the retention tabs so they can pass by the retainer ring as the pin is puled from the back.

Oh I see - so it’s a tool for actually inserting/extracting the pins into the Sub-D body rather than aiding with wiring up pre-formed ones.

correct

I thought ratcheting crimpers were designed to click down a position that holds the pin with no wire, then that frees up a hand to insert and hold the wire while the crimp is completed.

Hi Doug,

They do that (secure the pin so no hand needed for that), but sometimes it's not easy to grip the crimp tool with one hand for the squeezing motion. The above tool is better than many though, in that it has long lever arms so the force is quite light against any part of the body.