alternative connectors- o/t molex, d-sub etc.

[andrew phillips]

I am not a happy camper! I have been trying to make connectors for the infinity grips (16 wires). I started with mil spec round connectors but had way too much diifficulty soldering the wires in such a tight formation. I looked at my d-subs but the 20 gauge wires looked too big to solder into those little cups or fit in the mini crimp pins so I went for some .062 molex connectors. After many hours of wiring up dual sticks w/ pilot/co-pilot isolation I find that the molex connectors dont go together well because there is always at least 1 pin that is not straight and prevents smooth coupling. I know I could go molex w/o the plastic body but that kond of defeats the easy disconnect idea. Are there any other connectors for multi-wire setups that are easy and fool proof?

[AltonD]

D-sub are good connectors, but. . . .
To do these right, you need a AFM8 crimper and a K13-1 positioner.
http://steinair.com/tools.htm
Don't get scared off by Stein's price. That is for new. I bought the crimper and 4 different positioners for ~$80 on ebay. Search AFM8 or
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...afm8&category0=

I am very happy to have bought this. I can makeup a 9-pin D-sub in less than 5 minutes.

[N184DA]

Originally Posted by andrew phillips

I am not a happy camper! I have been trying to make connectors for the infinity grips (16 wires). I started with mil spec round connectors but had way too much diifficulty soldering the wires in such a tight formation. I looked at my d-subs but the 20 gauge wires looked too big to solder into those little cups or fit in the mini crimp pins so I went for some .062 molex connectors. After many hours of wiring up dual sticks w/ pilot/co-pilot isolation I find that the molex connectors dont go together well because there is always at least 1 pin that is not straight and prevents smooth coupling. I know I could go molex w/o the plastic body but that kond of defeats the easy disconnect idea. Are there any other connectors for multi-wire setups that are easy and fool proof?

Or you can use the terminal-block method.
I used a terminal block for the pilots stick, munted beneath the seat pan, and a circular AMP connector for the co-pilot to allow for stick removal.

The terminal block was the way to go for me as I used this to connect not just the stick grip connections, but all of the trim related connections as well (relay decks, trim indicator lights, servo connections, etc)
I did not have to utilize this route for the co-pilot as all of those connections are basically paralleled (slaved) to the pilot's side.

[f1rocket]

20 AWG is too big for D-sub. I would use ring terminals and use a terminal block. Here's how I did it on my stick.

[N316RV]

20 ga is not too big for d-subs, but it is the max size that will work for standard d-subs (crimp or solder cup). There are also some od ball versions that will work with 18 ga wire. You can verify above info if you want to go to ITT Cannon or one of the other manufacturer's web page.
Alan Jackson
Boeing engineer
RV-9A - finish kit in work

[Mike S]

There is another crimper on the Stein site to look at---------SAT 004. I have had nothing but good results using this crimper.

I would also suggest you buy some of the pins (male and female) from Stein, much better quality than come with some D-sub connectors. Part # SA 1017, and SA 1018. Bags of 100 is a worthwhile purchase.

http://steinair.com/connectors.htm

Good luck.

[Jekyll]

I had good luck with AMP Series 2 CPC circular plastic connectors. Got them from www.mouser.com. Mouser part numbers 571-2061521 and 571-2058393. They take the same pins as do the D-Sub connectors. These connectors have a few more pins than necessary (28 total) but they work great. Self locking.

No pics available at the moment.

Jekyll

[andrew phillips]

I borrowed some barrel style pins and the crimper and made d-subs. Wow, that was easy!!! Now I just have to replace what I borrowed + giving back that crimper was really hard

[robertb328]

I intend to use the amp cpc connectors, and I purchased an afm8 crimper. Can someone help me out? I need help determining the positioner that is needed for these connectors. Also, where is this type of information found?