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Little Gold Pin at Ends of Harness Broke Off

JerryG150

JerryG150

Well Known Member
One of those little gold pins at the end of my P30 harness broke off while trying to insert it into the 37 pin sub D connector. It broke off in my hand ... not in the connector. Did we get extra pins in the finishing kit? If so, anyone know the part # or what to use to crimp a new one on?

Merry Christmas everyone.
 
Hey Jerry

Stein has the male and remale ends, and the lower priced crimping tool works fine for a few of these. Van's does send some at some point I think, but not sure. You will need the tool anyway, so might as well get all the stuff you need. The ends don't cost that much.

John Bender
 
While you are at, be sure to order the tool for inserting and removing the pins in the connector.

SAT023.jpg
 
Mike S said:
While you are at, be sure to order the tool for inserting and removing the pins in the connector.

SAT023.jpg
Click to expand...

I think the kit comes with one.

It doesn't come with a D-sub pin crimper though. RV-12 builders (hopefully) aren't supposed to need one.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
I think the kit comes with one.

It doesn't come with a D-sub pin crimper though. RV-12 builders (hopefully) aren't supposed to need one.
Click to expand...

There are several wires where the pins are exposes until you fit them into the connectors. It's a good idea for builders to wrap them with tape as a strain releif. I had a couple fall off also.

JerryG, Stein sells an inexpensive crimper, but you can borrow mine if you need one.
 
DH-PIN/M-MCH DB MACHINED Male PINS 100PK $19.95
DHPIN/F-MCH DB MACHINED Female PINS 100PK $38.60
PHT-DS-MCH $39.00 Crimper

The above are from action electronics. They are not cheap! We found that they do the best job on those blankety-blank pins.

John Foy
 
Idea

Stein sold me 10 each of the male and female ends for pennies each, and I think his crimpler was $35 maybe.

John Bender
 
If you are an RV-12 builder who ends up needing a few pins we will sell them to you at a good price.

Also, be aware of the stuff from action electronics. The pins that John referred to are just barely one step above junk. They are NOT mil spec pins and are not acceptable replacements for mil spec pins. On top of that they cost more than the Mil Spec pins that we sell anyway. Just a relative hint for everyone, most everything at Action Electronics is the lowest end import stuff available. Not everything is complete garbage, but like I said it's not far above that. Don't spend more money buying inferior stuff. You have a $50K+ airplane, so to be blunt I'd say don't be pennywise & pound foolish. Whether it's electronics stuff, engine parts, etc.. if you're not entirely sure of the part you're buying stick with any of the multitude of trusted aviation suppliers and at least you know you'll be buying something that is acceptable.

We sell some import stuff as well, but it's tested and we're fairly selective about it. When it comes to raw materials like pins, wire, coax, etc.. we only stick with Mil-Spec quality components.

Like I said, if you need a few pins drop us a line or email and we'll get you taken care of.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Stein
 
Relax

John,

Don't worry. Action is kinda like buying from Harbor Freight. Stein is a competitor and does sell quality merchandise. I wouldn't buy pins from Action but I did buy a pin crimper that works great...all four crimps. I think Stein was just saying be careful as you should be with any aircraft product that you purchase...can you say Zodiac?
 
Which Crimping Tool?

I had the same problem, got some replacement pins from Van's. Stein, I looked on your website and couldn't tell, which one of your crimpers is the right one for this job? I think this pin is a 0.093? thanks, GDS
 
More pin problems

Believe it or not I was down to the very last pin that I had to insert in the 37 pin connector. Couldn't get the pin on the white wire from the trim servo to seat using the "just push it in" method. No click. Tried to use the tool that came from Van's and the *&%$# pin broke off. Stopped by my friendly FBO - yes he is still talking to me - and liberated a replacement pin - solder type. Very carefully soldered it on to the wire, that went pretty well. But - still can't get the pin to seat. Pin seems to go all the way in, but no click. Could I possibly have a bad connector? Or am I missing something? Any advice appreciated.
 
Stuff to order from Stein - This look right?

Thanks for the pointer to the crimper. Below is what I'm thinking of ordering from Stein, to fix my problem, and just to have some spares on hand. Stein, if you're watching, does this look right to you?



4 Way Indent Crimper, D-Sub
Item # SAT-004 $31.00
DB37 Female Connector, Each
Item # SA-1031 $1.50
Female DB Machined Sockets, Each
Item # SA-1017 $1.75
Male DB Machined Pins, Each
Item # SA-1018 $3.50
 
Just to let you know, those little 4-way indent d-sub crimpers are sold at Fry's Electronics...the same brand that many of the RV guys sell. Could be handy in a pinch. In fact they have a lots and lots of different crimpers...some are very cheap but others are quite nice. They sell OK bnc/tnc connectors and Molex-branded connectors, but their fast-on and ring terminals suck...they are not the nice amp brand. Also they do not have the nice mil-spec'd d-sub pins last time I checked.

I love that store...they have just about anything. I even found a bnc->tnc adapter for my GPS antenna there. And oh yeah...mil-spec'd tie wraps and all the heat shrink varieties you can imagine.

Let me just say that I am thoroughly impressed with the completeness of the RV-12 kit after reading the original question. At the same point in my build I had no fewer than 4 different crimpers for various connectors (fast-on/ring terminals, d-subs, molex and RJ-11/45 crimper [for my ELT remote wire]).
 
Hi John,

That should get you well along the way. However, give us a call or email instead of ordering online. As you're an RV-12 builder who is replacing/reworking components on the wiring of your RV12 we give you a bit better deal on the piece parts. It's possible that the "shoulder" inside the connector got mangled somehow, or it's possible that it was just defective from the mfgr. Either way we'll take care of you and get you some replacements.

Cheers,
Stein
 
An update

I swapped the pins into different holes and apparently it's the pin that is bad, not the socket. I'll call Stein's place tomorrow and order some pins and a crimper. Probably should have a crimper and some spare pins on hand anyway. Thanks for all the help!
 
not again ...

A few days ago I was able to borrow a crimper for the little gold pin ... I crimped a new pin on. Today I tried to finish the job and another pin came right off. "Neither a borrower or a lender be ..." This time I'll order a crimper and with shipping it'll cost $41.00 ... oh well :( :(
 
Jerry,

Guess what - you have discovered another one of Murphy's laws! I got my crimper and pins this week from Stein - it works great and I was done in less than a minute. A good tool to have on hand.

John
 
I got 5-6 replacement pins from Vans (don't recall if they charged me or not), ordered the SAT 004 crimper from Steinair and fixed my broken pin problem in seconds. One argument for buying from Steinair is that they made a modification to the crimper so that the pin goes in to exactly the right depth. Spending $40 bucks for a specialty tool is a bargain if it saves me from pulling out any of the precious few hairs on my head...
 
almost ...

Today, my D-Sub Contact Crimper arrived at my home from Stein Air. Unfortunately, they sent 12 female connectors and 12 more FEMALE connector pins instead of 12 male pins I ordered :(. Oh well ... so it'll take another week before I finish the wiring section. :(

As has been said time and time again, "the plane doesn't fly till all the parts fly", so I guess what's the rush.
 
Hi Gerry,

You're right...little flub up on our end. That was an order that I entered into the computer myself with you on the phone, and if you notice I managed to fat finger the part number and put down the same thing twice. Nobody elses fault but mine...anyway, even though this public post is the first time I heard about the error we're sending you some replacements right away. Even I screw up once and awhile - sorry about that! Keep the extra pins or give them to friends - the replacements are on the way.

Cheers,
Stein
 
thanks ...

Stein Air ...

No big deal at all ... thanks for sending the new pins. I only wish all my problems could be fixed as easily as this. Thanks again!

Jerry G
 
Me too

Yes, I too broke off a couple of the gold pins on the trim harness. Ordered crimpers and replacement pins from STEIN. Great Great customer service. I ordered the items yesterday and UPS says they will deliver today.

Updated the blog site too ...
 
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