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How do you install a BNC connector

Webb

Well Known Member
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I looked first, here and the web and still not sure how to install a BNC connector.

3 piece crimp male that fits RG58 and RG400. See http://www.steinair.com/connectors.htm for the exact connector (first one on the page).

Best I can tell, 1/8" to the center wire is trimmed. Next 1/4" of just outside insulation and fold the shield back over. Slide crimp on, slide connector on, crimp slide.

Is this right? Also, does the connector somehow slide up in the coax too?

Please help - pics appreciated too.
 
If you go to an electronics store, you can get a cheap little coax stripper that will quickly do the whole job. Just put the wire end into it, squeeze and twist and the blades cut the right depth and at the right spacing. Not so cheap is the crimper, but it is worth it. Especially for the center conductor crimp, which needs to be done without deforming the center pin so it will fit snugly into the connector. If you are unsure or can't afford the tools, you can cut the wires to length and take them to a Data Doctor (or similar computer service store) and get them to make the connectors; the same tools that work for RG400 also work for computer coax.
 
All as above, and a tip;

A good magnifier (anywhere from 5x to 10x) is your friend. After you strip, take a real good look. A single untrimmed wild strand on the braid can foul up an otherwise fine BNC install. Check for a nicked center conductor too. Your stripper may need some fine adjustment.
 
Another style...

...of BNC plug from Amphenol doesn't need any crimping, solder the center conductor and just tighten it with two open ended wrenches.

The Quicktrim style shown in this Amphenol BNC document.

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/assemblyInstructions/304.pdf

If you find one try them out...

31-4541-RFX.jpg


gil A

Useless trivia of the day... BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman.
 
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az_gila;231778 [I said:
Useless trivia of the day... BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman.[/I]

Not at all useless. It's a tribute to those two fellows, Neill and Concelman, that worked for or with Bell Labs in WWII who designed the BNC, C, and N connectors, which are still so much in use; and TNC is a threaded NC!
 
tempted to solder

...of BNC plug from Amphenol doesn't need any crimping, solder the center conductor and just tighten it with two open ended wrenches.

The Quicktrim style shown in this Amphenol BNC document.

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/assemblyInstructions/304.pdf

If you find one try them out...

31-4541-RFX.jpg


gil A

Useless trivia of the day... BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman.

I'm tempted to solder the center connector and crimp the sleeve. Any reason why not?
 
Not on this style...

I'm tempted to solder the center connector and crimp the sleeve. Any reason why not?

If you are talking about the BNC in the picture, it won't work.

The tapered inner goes inside the shield and as the rear part is screwed on (the two open ended wrenches bit) the shield is compressed against the tapered bit for a good contact.

Assembly pictures here.

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/assemblyInstructions/304.pdf

I prefer this because it doesn't use a crimper. Is your cheap crimper really rated/calibrated for RG-58 or RG-400 cable?

gil A
 
Not that one

If you are talking about the BNC in the picture, it won't work.

The tapered inner goes inside the shield and as the rear part is screwed on (the two open ended wrenches bit) the shield is compressed against the tapered bit for a good contact.

Assembly pictures here.

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/assemblyInstructions/304.pdf

I prefer this because it doesn't use a crimper. Is your cheap crimper really rated/calibrated for RG-58 or RG-400 cable?

gil A

Gil - I'm talking about the one on page 300 http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/A...ctions/bnc.pdf

It seems I could solder the center (carefully) since I don't have the EXACT crimp tool for the center. Then crimp the outside sleeve. The idea is to make solid electrical contact with the center conductor and the connector design (shaft and sleeve) would mechanically keep the wire stress point away from the solder joint.

Taking it to a data shop not an option since I have to fish it through grommets and the BNC won't make it. I've got to do a lucky 13 of these things.
 
I've done it with solder. But, my advice if you're going to be doing 13 of them is buy, beg or borrow a crimper. It's infinitely easier. If you're using RG-400 you don't need to worry about melting the center insulator of the coax, but if you use RG-58, that could be an issue. It is also possible to get solder on the outside of the pin (especially if it doesn't have a solder hole on the side) which could require some careful needle filing to get it into the connector shell. Don't forgot how much fun it is to do contortionist moves in a fuselage while holding a hot soldering iron, solder, coax, and a center pin.

YMMV,
Paige
 
I've done it with solder. But, my advice if you're going to be doing 13 of them is buy, beg or borrow a crimper. It's infinitely easier. If you're using RG-400 you don't need to worry about melting the center insulator of the coax, but if you use RG-58, that could be an issue. It is also possible to get solder on the outside of the pin (especially if it doesn't have a solder hole on the side) which could require some careful needle filing to get it into the connector shell. Don't forgot how much fun it is to do contortionist moves in a fuselage while holding a hot soldering iron, solder, coax, and a center pin.

YMMV,
Paige

I've got the big crimper but not the pin crimper. Doing all RG400 except for the one RG58 coming from the tail V-antenna that goes to a splitter.

One end would be easy because I can pull it through the antenna hole before screwing the antennas down. The other end can be done sitting in the cockpit (making vroom vroom noises of course).

I might give one connector a solder try as a test. However, based on your recommendation, I will check out a future wallet dent. (Came back to edit) I'm soldering ever so carefully. File if I must.

This one's a piece of cake compared to the other stuff I've had to do upside down under the sub-panel.
 
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Use this type....

Gil - I'm talking about the one on page 300 http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/A...ctions/bnc.pdf

It seems I could solder the center (carefully) since I don't have the EXACT crimp tool for the center. Then crimp the outside sleeve. The idea is to make solid electrical contact with the center conductor and the connector design (shaft and sleeve) would mechanically keep the wire stress point away from the solder joint.

Taking it to a data shop not an option since I have to fish it through grommets and the BNC won't make it. I've got to do a lucky 13 of these things.

If you are going to solder the pin anyway, then it would be easier to just use the "traditional" BNC plugs?

Of the type shown on Page 299 of the Ampenol document... Skip the crimping entirely.

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/AssemblyInstructions/bnc.pdf

I see no real advantage of a crimp on the shield if you can't crimp both the shield and the pin....:confused:
 
Shield Crimp

Gil, the shield crimp serves 2 purposes. Solid contact with the shield. It also secures the connector to the line so it won't pull out.

I read a technical bulletin on different styles and the "screw" type is prone to pulling out.

My biggest PITA is the center conductor. I don't want to spring for an expensive 4 point crimper. With proper soldering technique and not using excessive solder, I should get a mechanically sound connection and have it fit just fine.

Big crimp on the collar sleeve shouldn't be an issue.

So far - this is my plan. If it doesn't pan out, then I go to plan B (don't know that that is yet).

Put it this way - it's gonna happen this weekend. I will report back the results.

As someone once said, necessity is the mother of invention. That was before RV's came into the picture. It should say, wallet dents drive the need to improvise.
 
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SteinAir

Steinair has a very nice low cost BNC crimper for $42.
$30 for the frame (SAT-001) and $!2 for the BNC dies (SAT-031).
 
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Pin Crimper

Steinair has a very nice low cost BNC crimper for $42.
$30 for the frame (SAT-001) and $!2 for the BNC dies (SAT-031).

It looks like the SAT-004 is the one I need. I've got a sleeve crimper now. I may just order it. get my job done, and then do a for sale on both crimpers when done.

http://www.steinair.com/images/store/SAT004.jpg

Based on need, I don't think it would take long to say adios.

Somehow, I still like the ideal of a good solder joint.
 
Ordered from Steinair (SAT-004)

31 bucks, 8.50 shipping, ordered about 3pm and shipped out already. Man these people are good.

Paige - It's all you fault. I work in a 500 bed hospital. Went to BioMed, IS, and the TV shop in maintenance. Found 4 paires of hex crimpers. Not a single pin crimer.

I called my friend Paul Duff (building a 9A north of here) to try and borrow one from him and he already has dibbs on it when he needs it. Might have to trade him crimper for elbow grease. (lol)
 
Buy the tool...

As a broadcast engineer who's put on more BNC connectors than any of you have driven rivets, please allow me to put my 2-cents in.

You DON'T want to either solder the center pin or the screw on BNCs. I fix more of those than any crimped connection. The soldered center pin doesn't make a good mechanical connection. You can do a fantastic solder job but the reality is you haven't made a good mechanical connection. Eventually the connection will fail. And the screw on connectors never get a good grip on the jacket and eventually pull thru the end, leaving exposed shield. Then you'll wonder why your radios et al sound like ****.

Get a good crimper, follow the directions above re: strippers, nicked center conductors and stray shield wires and do it right. The manufacturer of your connector should have all the data you need on stripping and crimping.

What's a $50 (or even $100) crimper on a $40k-100K a/c? When you're done, put them on eBay.

-Jeff
 
bought the tools

As a broadcast engineer who's put on more BNC connectors than any of you have driven rivets, please allow me to put my 2-cents in.

You DON'T want to either solder the center pin or the screw on BNCs. I fix more of those than any crimped connection. The soldered center pin doesn't make a good mechanical connection. You can do a fantastic solder job but the reality is you haven't made a good mechanical connection. Eventually the connection will fail. And the screw on connectors never get a good grip on the jacket and eventually pull thru the end, leaving exposed shield. Then you'll wonder why your radios et al sound like ****.

Get a good crimper, follow the directions above re: strippers, nicked center conductors and stray shield wires and do it right. The manufacturer of your connector should have all the data you need on stripping and crimping.

What's a $50 (or even $100) crimper on a $40k-100K a/c? When you're done, put them on eBay.

-Jeff


I bought the proper pin crimper from Steinair, stripper and jacket crimper from the electronics house here.

Thanks for the input. No solder for this RV.

After all said and done, might have a FS here.

Again, thanks. Short, sweet and to the point. No solder, crimp baby crimp.
 
Not really so...

As a broadcast engineer who's put on more BNC connectors than any of you have driven rivets, please allow me to put my 2-cents in.

You DON'T want to either solder the center pin or the screw on BNCs. I fix more of those than any crimped connection. The soldered center pin doesn't make a good mechanical connection. You can do a fantastic solder job but the reality is you haven't made a good mechanical connection. Eventually the connection will fail. .....
-Jeff

Let me disagree....

Mil Spec connectors (the "old fashioned" type detailed in AC 43.13) have been in use for donkeys years in all sorts of flying equipment (even space stuff) with soldered joints to the center pin. The little sleeves/bushings provide the correct mechanical support.

The important thing is to buy the correct BNC connector for the RG type cable you are using... then all of the mechanical support will be correct.

gil A
 
central connector and central conductor

I bought crimping tool, connector and cable from Steinair.
Central conductor of my two kind RG400 military cables are not made with single conductor.
They don't' fit inside central connector.
How did you make good connection ?
Could I remove 2 or 3 wires of the central conductor to fit the conductor inside the central connector ?

20100506-174230-DSCN0979-1280x768-.jpg
 
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Not to be unkind, but that cable end looks horrible. Did you strip by hand? I, of course, don't know what's available in your country but you need a stripper. Here is a good page with photos showing the process. Note how clean the cuts are. The page shows a single conductor center but my cable had twisted and it fit the connector just fine; you don't need to twist it if it doesn't already have a twist.

I would like to add a couple of notes because the RG59 strippers can be used for RG400 cable but you have to make some adjustments. An RG59 stripper will leave too much center conductor exposed and not enough center insulation exposed. After stripping, slip a center connector over the conductor and see how much conductor remains exposed (don't push the connector down to the insulation; it should slip easily on and stop about 1/8 inch short). Remove the connector and trim the conductor by that much using flush cutters; you may have to carefully pinch the end of the conductor to get it to fit back into the connector. Once the connector sits easily on the insulation, crimp it.

Now slide on the body (I really hope you remember to put the sleeve on the cable before you strip; like the sleeve for fluid flare fittings, I always seem to forget) and see how short the center connector comes up (again, don't force it; just insert it until the base is stopped by shielding and outer insulation). It needs to be approximately flush with the body, so you will need to strip that additional amount from the outer shielding. You can do that with a razor blade or X-Acto knife if you're careful not to cut the shielding, but I just got a second stripper and removed all the blades except for the one for the outer conductor. You can find these strippers for under $10US online. When you've removed enough insulation, the center connector will 'click' into place in the body.

Now, push the shielding up along the body and you will see that it's too long. It's not critical as long as it's long enough to be trapped between the sleeve and body to make a good connection, so take your flush cutters and trim it down. When it's short enough for the sleeve to completely cover it, push the sleeve into place and crimp. You're done.

It sounds like a lot of work but I found that only the first one was difficult. After that, I had an idea how much to trim and could do it without all the steps of test fitting. A mulitmeter is useful to test your connectors; you should not have continuity between center connector and body but the connectors at both ends should have continuity body-to-body and center-to-center.
 
All as above, and a tip; A single untrimmed wild strand on the braid can foul up an otherwise fine BNC install.

And ALWAYS check the cable with an ohmmeter after terminating both ends. Check end to end on the center conductor, and check end to end on the shield. These should show less than an ohm, close to zero. And then check center conductor to shield. This should be open.
 
Have you got the ...

I bought crimping tool, connector and cable from Steinair.
Central conductor of my two kind RG400 military cables are not made with single conductor.
They don't' fit inside central connector.
How did you make good connection ?
Could I remove 2 or 3 wires of the central conductor to fit the conductor inside the central connector ?

...

...correct cable?

RG-400 is Tefzel covered - your picture seems to show a PVC type cover.

It is important that your cable and your connector are correctly matched.

Note that "custom" or "designer" RG-400 "type" probably have different dimensions that the true Mil-Spec RG-400 cable, and may need different connectors.
 
RG crimping

sorry, on the picture, it's not the good cable, just a piece for training before using the good stuff.
But the diameter central wire of the RG400 is the same. Too big to fit in the connector hole.
A friend of me cut 2 wires to fit inside the connector, and radios are working well (one is GNS430).
I own aeroelectric book and CD. I own a 3-blade Coax Stripper too.

thanks' for answers and helping the Frenchie !
 
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