Correct Cable Terminating

Incorrect terminating of cables is one of the leading cause of electrical malfunction and break down. There are lots of reasons for poor terminating, however a leading problem is incorrect tooling for the terminal or no tooling at all, using pliers or a vice!

Good tooling is expensive but it will last literally a lifetime. It will produce high quality work time after time. The reliability if the work will improve out of sight and the components you are using will perform to the specification the have been engineered to perform.

Selecting Tools

First look at the components you will be using. The Delphi Weather Pack, Metri Pack, Deutsch DT Series or the AMP Super Seal would all be good choices. They are all environmentally sealed when assembled correctly and will offer years of untroubled performance for you customer. Over all value for money and best tool for price to cover the most of general auto cable sizes would be the Delphi Weather Pack System.

 

Tooling Types

The best result will always be achieved by using specific tooling that is design exclusively for a particular terminal range. This can be expensive, however results will be unsurpassed and the application of terminals will be very quick, and rework will be a minimum. Ratchet release tools are far superior to non ratchet release, this ensures that the correct amount of pressure has been applied to the conductor crimp attaching the terminal to the wire securely. High quality tools like these shown here will do a nearly perfect job every time.

There are somewhat cheaper alternatives, quite frankly they are often adequate, but this is conditional. It is conditional upon the skill and the knowledge of the person using the tool. Cheaper tools have no ratchet release—This means that the person using the tool must judge by feel and by sight if the terminal has been correctly applied to the wire. These tools are also less likely to be made of the higher quality tool steels that the more expensive tools are made out of. They have not even ¼ the life of the higher prices tools. If you use these types of connectors and terminals often, forget the cheap hand tools and invest the money in correct gear, you’ll be rewarded with high quality work and happy customers.

 

How Should it Look

When the terminal is on the wire it should basically look like these examples. There should be no flayed wires, or any part of the terminal looking malformed from being jammed. Seals and the seal crime should be in place and 1-1.5mm of wire should be protruding from the top of the terminal conductor crimp. The termination should be neat and the insulation crimp should also be correctly positioned on the insulation. These are close ups of how it all should come together. These products will perform to their maximum ratings when applied to the cable like this. Once in their respective housings they will perform with out fault for years. They will carry there specified amperage and will stand high temperatures and vibration.