Crimping Insulated Terminals | 12 Volt Planet

[@125brat]

Just a couple of comments: The insulation should be stripped to a length so the ends of the wire strands just protrude past the end of the crimp ferrule by a mm or 2 and are just visible when the wire is pushed fully into the crimp. This ensures the maximum contact area between the wire conductor strands and the barrel and reduces the contact resistance and therefore heating in high-current joints. The terminal should be placed centrally in the jaws for crimping as there are usually 2 parts of the dies of slightly different sizes - 1 for the barrel where the conductor strands are crimped and the other for the insulation. If the crimp isn't positioned centrally, either the barrel wont be crimped fully along the length of conductor strands or the insulation won't be gripped properly.

[@matthewmorgan6133]

Also worth noting that some crimpers require the crimp to be inserted the correct way round as sometimes their is a difference in the crimping anvil, one half crimps one half onto the wire and the other half crimps onto the wire insulation. Get it the wrong way round and the crimp is not as firm enabling the wire to pull from the crimp.

[@12VoltPlanetTV]

Great tip Matthew, Yes you are correct. Luckily our tools can be used either way round but worth noting. :)

[@jimadams6159]

Helpful, thanks. Can you do a video on putting together a 12 volt solar system for of grid use. 👍

[@12VoltPlanetTV]

Thanks, We're always looking for new ideas so we will add this to our list of ideas for sure :)

[@douglasheld]

Is there a reference for these yellow/blue/red sizes? Because I find conflicting information online. Most written references I find refer to AWG and these don't match up cleanly with the mm^2 standard sizes.

[@jamesenderby5114]

Well, I didn't know that the colours were for the different size cable, I (wrongly) thought that was identifying positive and negative (but I guess that can be illustrated by the cable colour and labels? Also, how much insulation should be stripped off the wire for inserting into the crimp ? Excellent thank you

[@12VoltPlanetTV]

Hi, Yes the colours of the terminals are purely for cable size. Cable colour can be anything that helps you identify what the cable is for. We normally say around 0.5-1cm of insulation should be removed for termination.

[@Zeamus634]

Do you have to use your special crimper for heat shrink terminals or will my normal pre-insulated ratchet crimper work on them?

[@12VoltPlanetTV]

Hi, For heat shrink you will need to use a special tool as it will prevent the sleeving from being pierced and the adhesive leaking.

[@Ploggy.]

😃👍