Wire connectors

[N201MKTurbo]

2 hours ago, M20Doc said:

I’m not sure how much longer this thread will be aloud to run.  We’ve got hot glued butt splices, gender fluid couplings, and poor Rich is down to a 3” offset.

Hay now, I resemble that remark, but seriously, don’t we have to let terminals declare their own gender? Who’s to say a plug can’t be a socket?

[MikeOH]

6 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

Looks like someone's grandmother knitted that.

And, it seems her eyesight is failing

[Yetti]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:40 PM, 47U said:

To visualize, a terminal broke off one of my landing gear position lights.  It was an ugly installation.   

 

Wait so their are disconnects in front of cannon plugs.   Fix it right and break out the soldering iron and resolder the Canon plugs getting rid of the the knife connectors.   If you can find an old Weller solder gun those are better because they heat up the part quick.  You can touch it and be done.  and get some heat shrink to finish it nicely.   The old tubing gets hard and you have to cut it away.   Best for cutting the tubing is flush cut Snap on cutters.   

[Yetti]

13 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Hay now, I resemble that remark, but seriously, don’t we have to let terminals declare their own gender? Who’s to say a plug can’t be a socket?

Digikey says so.   I just spent $100 trying to get the correct plugs to go into a header for a Code 3 Siren box.   Got 2 out of 3 and the Chief found the last one in a box.

[N201MKTurbo]

30 minutes ago, Yetti said:

Digikey says so.   I just spent $100 trying to get the correct plugs to go into a header for a Code 3 Siren box.   Got 2 out of 3 and the Chief found the last one in a box.

You are so old fashioned...

[GeeBee]

On 6/14/2023 at 11:07 AM, A64Pilot said:

Perhaps someone could point me to an FAR that does, but I’m not aware of one that disallows good quality commercial wire connectors. I only use marine hot glue sealed butt splices for example

I agree. The Ancor Marine connectors, especially the hot melt sealing types are way better than any thing I have seen in aviation supply houses. The plating is thicker and the crimp area larger.

[A64Pilot]

24 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

I agree. The Ancor Marine connectors, especially the hot melt sealing types are way better than any thing I have seen in aviation supply houses. The plating is thicker and the crimp area larger.

Years ago I had them put on the drawings for the Thrush crop duster and of course that’s what we used in the factory, reason is because a crop duster flies through chemicals every day and a prudent owner washes the aircraft every day, often with a pressure washer, over time the non waterproof connectors allowed the wires themselves to corrode, and when I got to looking into it, it wasn’t just the connection area that was corroding, the water and soap was wicking up into the wire strands and if you stripped the wire back the corrosion was sometimes several inches.

As I was putting together a live aboard cruising sail boat I became aware of them that way, since then I’ll only use Ancor wire terminators and splices.

But Delco has for years made what I believe are called weather pac connectors and in my opinion they are better than anything I’ve seen on aircraft, for something like a landing light that is frequently disconnected they would be tough to beat, absolutely waterproof, easily disconnected and won’t come apart accidentally, but I’m sure not fireproof, but what wiring connector is? Sort of like putting tie wraps forward of the firewall, everybody does, God knows the Thrush had way too many, I lost that battle, but I’ve not seen one that doesn’t burn.

For those that haven’t seen the marine butt splices, Ancor especially has a larger and thicker barrel so a better crimp, but the plastic is hot glue lined heat shrink so when you hit it with a heat gun it shrinks down, then the hot glue melts sealing everything and the adhesive glues to the insulation making an even stronger connection.

Of course there are cheap poorly made knock offs so stick with Ancor

[Yetti]

55 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

You are so old fashioned...

hours spent trying to get the terminology correct so the search box works.

[N201MKTurbo]

25 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

Years ago I had them put on the drawings for the Thrush crop duster and of course that’s what we used in the factory, reason is because a crop duster flies through chemicals every day and a prudent owner washes the aircraft every day, often with a pressure washer, over time the non waterproof connectors allowed the wires themselves to corrode, and when I got to looking into it, it wasn’t just the connection area that was corroding, the water and soap was wicking up into the wire strands and if you stripped the wire back the corrosion was sometimes several inches.

As I was putting together a live aboard cruising sail boat I became aware of them that way, since then I’ll only use Ancor wire terminators and splices.

But Delco has for years made what I believe are called weather pac connectors and in my opinion they are better than anything I’ve seen on aircraft, for something like a landing light that is frequently disconnected they would be tough to beat, absolutely waterproof, easily disconnected and won’t come apart accidentally, but I’m sure not fireproof, but what wiring connector is? Sort of like putting tie wraps forward of the firewall, everybody does, God knows the Thrush had way too many, I lost that battle, but I’ve not seen one that doesn’t burn.

For those that haven’t seen the marine butt splices, Ancor especially has a larger and thicker barrel so a better crimp, but the plastic is hot glue lined heat shrink so when you hit it with a heat gun it shrinks down, then the hot glue melts sealing everything and the adhesive glues to the insulation making an even stronger connection.

Of course there are cheap poorly made knock offs so stick with Ancor

That's the same way the Tyco solder sleeves work. Makes a great splice.

[N201MKTurbo]

1 minute ago, M20Doc said:

Those are gear position lights not Cannon plugs. But it still makes you wonder choice of a knife disconnect within a few inches of the light socket.

I don't believe those lights can be taken out the back of the panel. You have to take them out the front, so the only way to remove the panel is to disconnect the wires somehow. The knife disconnects make sense. The newer planes have AMP (Tyco) CPC connectors on those types of connections.

[MikeOH]

9 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

You are so old fashioned...

I prefer traditional

[rotorman]

Let's see. I think I started this thread but it is now unrecognizable. Oh well. I found a site where you can get small quantities of knife connectors. One or as many as you want in any type of connector. https://www.digikey.com

[EricJ]

18 minutes ago, rotorman said:

Let's see. I think I started this thread but it is now unrecognizable. Oh well. I found a site where you can get small quantities of knife connectors. One or as many as you want in any type of connector. https://www.digikey.com

Yes, or mouser.com has them in any quantity as well.   Also for general connectors similar sites like jameco.com, newark.com, or samtec.com.   Between those most things like weatherpak, amphenol, or molex connectors can be obtained in single or reasonable quantities.

If you do use a knife connector be sure to insulate it with a piece of hose or something.