Haven’t tried this yet but seems reasonable and quite easy
Gary,
Would you mind commenting more about this for us non-Facebookers?
“Отличный способ пайки проводов” is apparently Russian for, “An excellent method for soldering wires,” but I always had the impression that soldering wasn’t recommended for boat wiring because it was considered too brittle to handle all the vibration.
(That’s based only on a half-forgotten article I think I read in Practical Sailor a few million years ago, though, not on any expertise on my part.)
Thanks,
-- Bob
Hiya Bob -
It’s been my understanding that end soldering or ‘tinning’ is a good idea as to eliminate areas for corrosion to form. That corrosion is often/usually the cause of a connection failure. We want to eliminate voids /air for a salt water environment to do its worst.
If you notice , often wires supplied with a new electronic device are tinned at the end. Same principle.
My standard method of finishing an end wire ( when possible) is to tin the end , crimp into an appropriate fitting and then use a (color coded) heat shrink wrap over that connection. I then secure the fitting with a torque wrench * usually to the battery . Then once the connection is made ( where possible) I use a 3M Scotchkote liquid to paint the lug/battery connection. I use this mostly on battery connections . So far so good. Maybe a lil overkill but it works.
Ps - reminder , never use a stainless steel washer when connecting a lug to a battery. The difference in impedance may cause heat and galvanic corrosion and will corrode the battery fitting itself. ( that green powder you might see on terminals sometimes) If you need a washer consider a copper washer as it conducts electricity better. Research all before proceeding .
- accepted torque settings for securing a battery lug to a 12 V battery typically ranges between 3.5 - 11 ft-lbs depending heavily on the terminal type , manufacturer and design. One should consult the batteries specification for the correct torque setting. Improperly properly torqued terminals can generate heat and can reduce charging capabilities.
ABYC generally forbids soldering stranded wires. If you think about it, the soldered section becomes rigid, while the stranded section is still flexible. The point of transition becomes a stress point. Copper is very soft, but it becomes rigid and brittle after a few bends. Stranded wire is designed to be flexible, but flexing becomes bending at points like that and bending results in breaking.
They specifically forbid soldering first and then crimping for an additional reason. Solder is soft. Even softer than copper. And it will creep under the constant pressure of the crimp. It may be firmly clamped when fresh, but motion and thermal cycling will cause that clamping pressure to be gradually relieved. Then you have a loose connection and a potential fire hazard.
They do make an allowance for all of this. You can crimp a connector onto stranded wire and then solder it after crimping. That is good for keeping salty air out of the connection, but it does create the stress point as I described earlier. So you must support it in such a way that it cannot flex at the crimp.
“Solder shall not be the sole means of mechanical connection in any circuit. If soldered, the connection shall be so located or supported as to minimize flexing of the conductor where the solder changes the flexible conductor into a solid conductor.” [1]
Personally, I think a crimp followed by a dab of dielectric grease and/or a very tight fitting bit of heat shrink is a safer bet.
Duly noted thank you.