How i crimp those terminals?
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@mrehorstdmd, Wago are very popular in the Voron world and there are various 3D models for mounts for them.
On my printer I am using jumpered Dinkle Din rail posts with ferrules on the wire ends.
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@mrehorstdmd I discovered last week that there are wago for connecting wires:
221-2411 and adapters "inline splicing connector" and there is a new things repository for wago https://wago-creators.com/I will probably use them to extend stepper wiring instead of Microfit (I still don't like crimping....).
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@joergs5 That's a great link! I'll post my wire twister and maybe some of my printed mounts to it. Thanks!
Wago lever nuts are a great way to connect the wires to the bed heater and thermistor...
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@joergs5, Wago are very popular in the Voron world but I think they are typically used for power connections. E.g. (not my printer):
Microfit has the advantage that they are compact, easier to connect/disconnect and reduce the chance of reconnecting incorrectly.
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@zapta said in How i crimp those terminals?:
Microfit has the advantage that they are compact, easier to connect/disconnect and reduce the chance of reconnecting incorrectly.
those are valid arguments. I'll stay with wago however, because I still search connectors which can be assembled automated and Wago allow connecting without decision about the crimp system.
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I'm trying Microfit now, does someone know how to crimp them? I would like to use PA-09/20/21, is this a suitable tool and which widths do I need?
I often destroy the crimp when I press it together, it bends very much or the wires "escape". Does someone have a hint for me?
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@JoergS5, I highly recomand a good ratchet crimper. They give consistent results that don't depend how hard you press the crimper. I have very good experience with this one and use it for all my 3D crimp needs including microfit.
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@zapta thank you for the recommendation, I'll try it. I regret every crimp I destroy.
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@JoergS5 the big problem I find with Microfit is that it is very hard to remove crimp pins from shells without the official and very expensive removal tool. That's why we avoid them as far as possible. The only Duet3D product that uses them is the Smart Effector.
Duet WiFi hardware designer and firmware engineer
Please do not ask me for Duet support via PM or email, use the forum
http://www.escher3d.com, https://miscsolutions.wordpress.com -
@dc42 I know about the tool from discussion and I agree that it's high priced. It is nice how small the connectors are, supporting 8.5 A. I will use them for special cases.
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@dc42, which removal tool are you talking about? The thing that is just a pin? It destroys the crimp terminal in order to do it's job.
Besides the difficulty removing pins, I find the microfit system to be very taxing on my brain - the female shells have male crimp pins. Bulkhead installation happens with the male pins (my brain says that if I plug something in, the female terminal is stationary and the thing I am plugging in is male. I have to sit down and really think when I am setting up a new connector because everything is ass-backwards (maybe the designer was British .... and yes, I know you are based in Britain
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@jens55, it's a challenge, each crimp needs to be perfect, like each downshift with a manual gear car.
For removal you need this tool or equivalent. It works for both male and female. You insert it from the front on the right and on the left of the pin and on each side turn it a little, right left, maybe 15 deg (?). You will not feel any change but the pin will come out when you pull it from the back. Microfit are definitely not as intuitive as the Duet's molex type connectors.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0011030043/252489
And this picture shows the proper orientation of the pins, though you insert them from the back. It always confuses me.
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@zapta, thank you VERY much for posting that connector orientation image! I have spent considerable time trying to find something like it but never had success. I have printed it out and it's going into the drawer with the microfit connectors.
It boggles the mind that the Molex doesn't supply that picture with the connector specifications - it would have helped an awful lot. -
Ali has pin extractor that may work. They have different shape, pressing the tabs on both sides at the same time. No idea if they actually work and with both male and female pins.
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@zapta, I currently use an AliExpress pin that sort-of works and I use a stubby blunt (for glue application) needle for the alternate gender (I think it is 15 ga but don't recall for sure). The syringe needle leaves the terminal re-usable but the pin is pretty reliable at destroying the terminal retainer springs (and Molex explicitly says you can't re-use the terminals after extraction)
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Thank you all for this valuable information. I didn't know that I started a new adventure
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@jens55 said in How i crimp those terminals?:
Molex explicitly says you can't re-use the terminals after extraction
that's sad news, as the terminals are more expensive then the housing. But you can recycle the gold...
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Just in case anybody want to fabricate their own extraction tool, here is some information.
Below is a simplified drawing with dimensions of the Molex tool. It's made of steel (need to be strong, I presume aluminum is not strong enough) and thickness of 0.47mm. You insert the 5.78mm portion all the way in, on each side of the pin, from the front of the connector, and twist the tool right and left a few time, then pull the wire from the back.
I happened to have one of those cheap Aliexpress pin extractor kits so just took one of the right width, filed its thickness down from 0.58mm to 0.47mm, and was able to use it to extract both male and female pins. It doesn't have the 5.78mm step so I just inserted it as much as I could, which was about 5.8mm.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804960269817.html
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@zapta it's great that you publish the data of the tool. I've already bought one, but it may make a difference for other users who want to try Microfit. I hope, that removed terminals can be used again. Otherwise the tool doesn't make much sense for me. (if it destroys the crimps, just calculate how much connectors you can buy for the tool and cut off the wires....)
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I hope, that removed terminals can be used again
I use them again, but with the same crimp. I don't think they can be crimped twice. Sometimes I use the tool to expand the little tab out before reinsertion. Same for the Duet's connectors.
I also use the tool to insert the pins. Pushing them from the back.
