It's easier to crimp, plus I don't have a soldering iron. Is it that big a deal? Or should I drop some bones on a soldering kit?

 

Get a soldering iron! You only need a cheap one nothing fancy - Target and walmarts sells them for like $10

Use Rosin Core Solder though - its for electronics

Remember heat the metal not the solder

 

Crimping can be done as long it is with a good quality insulated connector. The problem with crimping is that most people do it incorrectly which causes loose connections or ones that don

 

Crimp is fine. In fact, more bad connections come from bad solder jobs that bad crimp jobs. In a past work career I was a journeyman electrician and a good crimp connection is always to be preferred to a soldered one. Which isn't to say that crimp connections can't be bad -- they can. Nor that solder connections can't be good -- they are when done correctly. But it's very easy to create a "cold" solder joint if you don't know what you're doing, and a cold joint will fail. The only question is when. And one of the worst things for a cold joint is vibration. Hmmm. Think we have any?

 

Thanks guys. I ended up crimping the wires. Sorry, I was tired and lazy.

 

If your going to crimp use a CRIMP CAP. This way you twist the wires together making a tight connection then crimping on top of that. This way its almost idiot proof!

Soldering is fine. Thought I don't like to do it alone......If its 2 wires together I like that plastic cover over the top. If your tapping into a wire then solder is a must and separating and making a hole in the wire wrapping then soldering.

 

The lesson to pick out here might be about the tape. There is a huge variation in the quality of electrical tape. The thicker, more flexible 3M stuff is soooo much better and more durable.

 

Better even than tape -- heat shrinkable tubing. Even really good tape has a limited temperature range. It's either really good even when frozen, or really good even when hot. But not really both. The best general purpose is Scotch 33+. But in a hot interior, it might not do too well, over time.

 

I have a question for the crimp gurus among us. I know that a thick high % tin plating is preferred on the crimping connector for two reasons. You want a "gas-tight" crimp and tin oxides are conductive. However, it seems to me that also means you'd get more reliable crimps if you pre-tin the wire also. Bare copper oxidizes damn quick. Am I missing something?

 

I can second this one. I always buy "naked" crimp connectors and use a crimping tool made for non-insulated connectors. You can see the joint and get better results.
Then I just slide the heat-shrink over the joint and heat it up. Simple fast and makes for very good connections. Just remember to slide the heat-shrink on the wire first if you allready have a connection on the other end

Ole
White/Red;