🛠 Crimping vs Soldering - Which Is Best? | TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

[@haltech]

Does soldering really anneal the wire and weaken it? Can a crimp join really be as strong as a chemical bond? Today we dig into the fundamentals of both methods and find out once and for all which is best. --------------- Products used in this video: Dual Crimper Kit: www.haltech.com/product/ht-070300-dual-crimper-set/ Harness Sleeve Pack: www.haltech.com/product/ht-039300-harness-sleeve-pack/ --------------- Liked this video? Here are more like it: Dave's Wiring Vlog: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6Gxl4WXgsSDZpY How to Ground Your ECU: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6amenZnfc97jKM How to De-Pin every connector: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKXCo3R_gLWfjaM

[@pinsandscrews6459]

It does not "Anneal" the wire that I have been told, but it does create a Stress Point, where the sharp edge of the hard Solder creates a stress fracture at the point it ends and the bare wire begins.

[@scod3908]

It's more the fact that solder wicks up and stiffens a stranded wire creating a defined flex point where failure occurs. Quality insulated crimps/crimpers and/or heat shrink etc means you don't get this with a crimped join, so they can be used in looms where movement will occur (like in engine bay etc).

[@mdnovaman]

@@pinsandscrews6459 the crimp edge/pinch point creates a stress fracture point too, something very rarely mentioned but more commonly causing an issue than the solder sharp edge stress point, given that solder is softer than the wire it is used on. and the steel crimp is harder. its almost a daily occurence to find a broken wire out of a crimp where the crimp has effectively cut the soft copper over time and you end up with a blunt end of wire and the copper still in the crimp.

[@globalcommerce7654]

I've got a video on my channel on this exact issue, let me know what you think

[@eric4946]

Not about anealing it’s about solder flowing in between the wire strands. This creates stress concentrations. Crimps are “better” all around aside from cost of tooling and maybe you can make an argument for universality/reusability. Soldering belongs on boards mounted components and nothing else if youre going the extra mile.

[@birdman0607]

I have been rolling joints for the past 20yrs and I never had a problem

[@justinyates1154]

In my experience the problems start to show up in the next twenty, arthritis and whatnot lol!

[@Iowa599]

Crimping is for amateurs, and (definitely!) do not solder joints!

[@heronimousbrapson863]

😂😂😂😂

[@aussiegruber86]

@@Iowa599 most mines have banned solder joints, to many issues

[@mattcrain6893]

Sounds like a problem! 🤣

[@them0leisback]

I noticed the problems many people encounter with soldering are mostly based on lack of training. Soldering, much like welding, needs a lot of experience. Steady hands, how much heat to put in the joint, what solder to use, how to interlace the wires, pre-solder cleaning, examining the flow of solder and so on. A crimp is far easier to learn. If the size of wire, the connector and the tool is right, you just need to strip the insulation, place all together and press the pliers. You can instantly see the result. At last if there is water involved, obviously a connection is going to fail someday, and in automotive fields there is plenty of it. So even a bad crimp or solder joint can hold just fine at first, but submerge it in water, give it some time, and you will see all kinds of errors on your dash. So without protection against humidity and vibration, there is no need to rank the 2 methods.

[@kjacobs1693]

Crimping is the preferred method in the marine industry for a reason. This is what I was taught too. circuit boards get soldered, but joints, splices and most connector pins are crimped. Horses for course's

[@krnt13]

Interesting, I'm a marine electronics tech and have always found that crimping fails to corrosion, but I guess in those cases there has been a bad insulation to begin with, but what is most impressive of all is the bad quality finish of most of the technicians in the industry.

[@kjacobs1693]

@@krnt13From ABYC "Solder shall not be the sole means of mechanical connection in any circuit.”11.16.3.7. I started off my career as an outboard tech. Went to MMI and later factory certified by BRP. I currently am working as a Marine Electronics Technician as well. Proper weather proofing is obviously as important if not the most important part of the process. Not all connectors are created equally. In general I use the butt, ring, spade, etc connectors that have the heat shrink incorporated into the insulation Ancor makes the ones I've used most often. It's faster than having to install heat shrink separately and when used correctly Is extremely corrosion and weather proof.

[@aussiegruber86]

I am in the mining industry and soldered joints are avoided at all costs

[@kensmith5694]

@@krnt13 Yes, crevice corrosion will kill a joint in a marine environment. This is the reason to flow solder onto the joint after you crimp.

[@them0leisback]

Fun fact: Wires already come annealed from factory. In production the copper strands are drawn through multiple dies, which lessens the diameter, but increases the hardness due to work hardening. If not annealed after each stage, the drawn copper strands would be really brittle, not something you want in a wire.

[@francisrampen9099]

Unless you are british

[@stinkycheese804]

yeah it's funny how he got that backwards

[@geoffgeoff143]

You are partly correct. There are many levels of anneling. Your new cable isn't fully annealed as that would be too soft. Also fully annealed copper wire has higher resiatance. That's why in many LV cables, the copper is semi hard. Higher current carrying capacity and lower voltage drop.

[@watcherwatchmen7785]

Yep. My welding cables are bundles of individual wires about the size of a human hair apiece and they've all been annealed to keep it more flexible. The thinness of the wire also helps keep it flexible. There are HUGE amounts of amperage and current running through them.

[@adamrichardson2227]

I usually solder because it works on pretty much any wire gauge. I find that crimps are a pain trying to find the right size for the different gauges of wires I may encounter. But in my experience, poor crimps have caused way more issues. Like wires damaged from crimping too hard or using the wrong size crimp and the wires are cut or the crimp is too big and the wire pulls out. I haven't had issues with corrosion when sealed with the glue lined heat shrink. I have been soldering since I was a kid, so maybe I am a special case, but I find soldering way easier and crimping half the time takes more than one go when the wires and crimps are really small.

[@LifeInJambles]

The video's pretty specifically about which is preferable when both are done right, though, not which is more likely to be done right. Crimping may require tools specific to the gauge and that can be a bit of a pain but given the right tool and technique, it's a better joint. Either can be good given the right conditions, but soldering inherently causes stresses because copper is flexible and the solder is stiff, and not only is it stiff, the copper you'd solder is stranded. The solder joint takes the flexibility of the wire and turns it into a composite material far thicker and stiffer than the parent material. Where the relatively soft copper meets this joint, it's forced to bend right there at that point, every time the joint is put under stress. This causes metal fatigue, and is a huge reason for why solder joints often fail. That's basically why the advice is to stay away from soldering in harnesses, because they see a lot of movement, and why PCBs get solder, and also why he recommended the mechanical backfilling on the soldered connectors. Because soldered joints just don't like movement, but PCBs and the inside of connectors that have been mechanically locked in like solder just fine.

[@LifeInJambles]

Crimped connectors generally use the insulation already on the wire as strain relief, which only makes them even better, and given you're using the right tooling, you can also measure the height of the resulting crimp to verify the mechanical validity of the connection. The deformation the conductors undergo in the process breaks up the oxides on the surface, and a good crimp is airtight, preventing corrosion inside the crimp to some extent. Basically, there are a bunch of reasons crimping is better than most people think.

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Cold solder joints are a massive culprit

[@guysteel]

@@LifeInJambles nice explanation

[@jrobpat0154]

A ratcheting type crimping tool is best rather than the crush pliers type, a strong joint that looks 'factory'

[@kensmith5694]

I spent a bunch of time in a very rural area repairing joints that were done with the ratchet type of crimpers. People think that the magic machine does the joint correctly and don't check them. Also in the case I am talking about they didn't follow up with solder to seal the joint.

[@Rhaspun]

Yes. NASA has a pdf available that show the many things to look at when crimping wires together. NASA likes crimping for wire connections.

[@MartinObviously]

I solder all my wires with a blow torch on full pelt eh, once the insulation is crispy I know it's cooked correctly. The heat shrinks do a great job of holding the wires in place. It's been 5 days and my joint is still fine.

[@milspec1]

A lot of good advice in the comments... Aviation uses crimps. The rigidity of solder makes wire susceptible to fatigue and break under repeat bending or vibe. Heavy automotive stuff I like to use both. e.g. crimp on ring terminal on a wire follow it up with a dab of solder where the wire sticks through on the ring side. You don't want solder wicking up into the wire on the other side of the terminal or you'll create a rigid point where it can break. Wire stripping is also super important. Any knicks on any of the strands and you should start over. One small knick creates a weak point for the entire connection to break. The best crimpers are the ratcheting kind with different jaws you swap in. Paladin, Greenlee, Daniels Mfg to name a few brands common in industry.

[@g-mech1244]

When I worked for Hyundai a few years back, we had a recall that required us to unwrap a harness and solder over a crimp that was a known fail point.

[@scod3908]

Soldering over a crimp in place was likely the simplest/fastest/cheapest way to do a repair. Doesn't mean it was the "best" way to do that repair.

[@tilmykillme]

@@scod3908 Exactly! I doubt the same recall would have been handled similarly, for example, by Ferrari.

[@Low760]

@@tilmykillme Ferrari wouldn't do a recall. They would charge the customer for a new loom.

[@mohanperformance.enginerd.1308]

One thing many forget. Is not all solder is created equel. Acid core sucks when soldering wire connections as the acid eats it up over a small amount of time. Rosin core solder or rosin flux paste is far better IMO. I am pro solder. I am old school and I have had some solder joints fail. We learn over time. The technique I use today is far more stable than a crimp IMO. But you must start with the correct supplies tools and have a hand for it. Using to much heat and allowing the solder to run up the wire under the insulation away from the crimp pin or desired area. That is a fail and the wire will break. So like anything. Technique is king.

[@wobblysauce]

Just like people don’t know how to crimp, a ton more can’t solder to save themselves… heat the wire not the solder.

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

As "Pins and Screws" said, soldering creates a stress point in every strand, where the solder wire interface is located. As the joint moves strands work harden and break in the end, this put more stress on the remaining strands and they break faster. Crimping forms a cold weld between the crimp and the wire strands, this means that the each wire strand is cold welded to each other and the crimp shell. Also with a lot of crimps the wire insulation is taken in to the crimp shell this provides the strands with more protection from movement so reducing work hardening and thus breakage. In cable forms in aircraft looms you won’t see many wires soldered to connectors, they are crimped to pins and then inserted in to the connector. Fully protected from vibration etc.

[@kiho1995]

Twist and tape is for emergency repairs only. I've had to zip tie a couple of 2 gauge wires together so I could battery weld. Winch controller switch failed cut twist and tape the wires until I replaced the switch the next day. I mainly crimp my connections, but there are times where soldering is easier. Likea 50 amp Anderson plug and small sized wire, crimping would kind of work but could easily fail whereas solder filling the terminal and dunking the wire in is a better bet. Marine/glue filled heatshrink is the only way to go anywhere on a vehicle.

[@hannahranga]

You can get reducing bushings for Anderson plugs but soldering them is absolutely easier.

[@krnt13]

In my country where we have high humidity crimping has always failed due to corrosion, maybe because finding good crimping materials and heat shrinks is difficult, I have always had to do soldering to have a long term solution. I agree with everything on the video, but sometimes the best solution is the one that you can reliably do with the tools at hand.

[@geoffmooregm]

In a car crimp. In a pinch I have made a crimp with crappy pliers and then put a tiny dab of solder by feeding it in the opposite end that the wire enters just to ensure the crimp stays put. I make sure the solder does not make it out the back side where movement could break it. On large gauge wire I use the method I saw from Lincoln and Miller on welding wire. I use copper pipe and strip the cable as long as the terminal I am making. Feed the wire all the way through. Then press or hammer the pipe flat on an anvil. Shape the end with a grinder or belt sander and drill the terminal. Deadly strong and the best connection with the lowest heat. We would run these connections at 750A for hours upon hours when doing large diameter Sub Arc welds. My personal record was 14hours non stop. The connections crimped this way were cool to the touch!

[@watcherwatchmen7785]

I've soldered lugs on my 2 gauge welding cables, which have a large amount of current and amperage run thru them, and never had the joint fail. The crimped ones inevitably pull loose over time. In order to get a good joint, I'll hold them in a vise and fill the cup with acid core solder, while heating with a torch, then push the wires into it. I've also had to repair crimped automotive connections that have corroded over the years from being exposed to the elements. The ones on the coil pack of my 2005 Toyota Corolla were wrapped in an epoxy substance, but were corroded underneath it.

[@bvward]

Matt, slight tangent, but the wiring used in ships and planes (that I've worked with) has very fine strands as an offset to vibration. Some are silver plated as well. Prop shafts on ships have grounding assemblies with replaceable brushes to avoid static discharge. Worst I've ever seen in a car was a household "wire nut" used to splice a harness...

[@briantii]

Remember though too that OEMs are likely RoHS compliant using lead free solder. Typically most diy folks use leaded solder which I believe holds up better.

[@Azlehria]

I built a complete new harness for my dual-sport bike. All joints and connections are crimped, and I _didn't_ use sealed connector shells. Almost 10 years later, the wiring still works perfectly - although the _lights_ connected to said wiring have died many times over. Solid brass crimp connectors, TXL wire in many colors, and a ratcheting crimper; all told I spent about $50 and had a ton of leftover materials.

[@lindsaybyron5599]

Intersting after many years of rallying where joints are under a lot of stress we basically dont solder for some fo the reasons you mention sloder joints break where the solder endsm Our preffered conection is crimp based but with and effective crimp tool. The tool we used was none that used the plastic at the end of the connector to the end of the join process. This bit of plastic was then compressed by the tool to enhance the mechanical strength of the join process.

[@bugjuicer]

Just about as I'm about to do a bit of wiring on the truck; couldn't be better timed! Thanks!

[@dw2176]

I used to swear by solder only, now I prefer crimp. Probably because at that time all I owned was a soldering iron. Depending how flexible the copper strands are, thick strands usually end up meaning you need to twist longer wires together and after soldering you end up with sword that doesn't flex in your harness. If you can keep the twist joint short I don't mind so much using solder. Solder has its place but its not all the time

[@fixitfixit8759]

What the heck is happening in this world I was thinking about this subject this morning I didn’t say anything to everyone about it and then this video comes up 🤯👍🍻

[@haltech]

You're welcome:)

[@SlaterGator]

Right!! Had this convo with me Dad the other day lol.

[@haltech]

We know. Your Dad called us and told us to do this video!

[@macca1590]

Another advantage is the repeatably of good crimps (providing the correct tool and crip ect) can take out some of the human error that could occur with solder, however for the average Joe either would be fine for club or street cars.

[@dougycarter9399]

Thanks, enjoyed the video, About backfilling soldered joints to pins and placing them into a socket backfilling, 10/10... As for Chalice Blazeup's comment, He's been "rolling joints" for the past 20 years?? Are we rolling the same joints here??, "Never" had a problem, Chalice writes, "Old school is good," (I like old school) 'If it's working, don't fix it!!!" "If it's not broken, don't fix it,!!! Some of us out there, have "Had To" find better ways to connect two or more wires, Thank you, Haltech great update.

[@peterj5751]

What do you use for back potting the wires?

[@Enjoymentboy]

I've been enjoying this debate for decades now and I am 110% convinced there is no right answer. IMO it is a purely personal issue based mostly on the situation and there are more factors involved. I find a solder joint to be better resistant to corrosion but a crimp is WAY faster. In either one I have found that if the joint will break it will inevitably be right near where the insulation was stripped outside of the actual splice. This can be mitigated with a crimp that also takes in a bit of the insulation or a well wicking solder that will be pulled up into the strands under the insulation via capillary action. I find solder joints to be better resistant to moisture buildup from condensation but they can also not always be an easy joint to make due to physical location (ie under a dash). I've taken apart multiple crimps and found corrosion inside the connector (most often with butt connections). I've had situations where the crimp induces noise into a circuit and the ONLY way I was able to get rid of it was to solder the joint. A solder joint where the wires are just laid against each other with the solder used as a filler or glue is relying 100% on the solder as a structural material...which it is not. If I solder I twist the ends together first. Form a mechanical bond first. Sometimes I even combine the two options and I will use brass tubing and slide it over the bare ends as if it were heat shrink. I'll slide in a small piece of solder and then crimp the whole thing tight. A quick hit with the soldering iron or a small torch and the solder fills the joint. This way I get all the mechanical advantages of the crimp and the solid electrical connection of the solder. Really I think there is no "best" here. it depends on what you're working on, what you're looking for, how much time you have and how you were taught. Add in a little stubbornness and we have a situation with people camped out on both extremes with no one being right.

[@alfordz123]

I read that solder can cause resistance in wires?? like injector, map, maf, wideband wires... one would think a crimp would do that same thing? Whats your take on the cheaper butt splice connectors? I know they have their place..ex. trailer light wiring.. i would never use them in a engine harness.

[@ryanamberger]

I hated crimping and only soldered until I finally got a good quality crimping tool. I always had issues with the simple plier type crimpers. Bought some ratcheting with different heads and love them.

[@mikeymasi]

ballsy to tackle this one. definitely gets the experts on the interwebs fired up

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

I am a retired automotive engineer. Prior to my retirement in the early 2000s, most wire-to-wire connections were "twisted bare wire". 1-1/2 to 2 turns over the bared wire and adhesive backed cloth tape. A second layer of protection was applied. Either non-adhesive PVC tape or convolute tubing. This works well on stranded wires 18 AWG through about 12 AWG and has been used for over 50 years. Smaller wires are now common but I suspect they are crimped.

[@joeybuddy96]

5:00 Hang on, what is back-podding, what is the material used, and what are reliable brands for that? 6:03 What are some good quality glue-lined heat shrink brands?

[@Levibetz]

I'm big on soldering, but mostly because it is extremely rare that I see a well done crimp joint. Few people have open barrel crimpers, few people even have the correct tools to crimp a parts store style crimp. Most crimps in the automotive aftermarket are done by amateurs using the smash style crimpers on plastic insulated crimps that are cheap and nasty. I've had many of those pull free in my hand, rarely has a solder joint failed. But OTOH I can both crimp and solder well and the crimps are far more common.

[@Jase877]

Great video👍 Could we get a video on heat shrink and potting harnesses?

[@scod3908]

The real issue here is people base their opinion on anecdotal bias based on technique: Soldering requires far more skill to do correctly, most people over heat the join and wick too much solder up the wires. Crimping requires an expensive quality crimping tool with the correct dies, most people use cheap generic crimps and a cheap handyman style tool. The correct answer is you should be properly soldering AND crimping, just not at the same time!

[@e303gt]

I Use crimps at work everyday in industrial applications. That means lots of vibrations and heat cycling. We have an ongoing test right now. We wired 2 identical lines one with crimps and 1 with solder In the 6 years since we started this little test 2 motors have gone both of them have been on the crimp side maybe in a year or 2 all the soldered ones will fail at the same time and crimps will become king in my eyes but for now soldering is king in my mind. We use crimps because soldering takes way longer and down time is money. I see soooo many "professionals" over crimp wires which is easy to do and causes premature failure.

[@gedavids84]

Question, can you elaborate on "open barrel crimps"? I'd never heard of them before just now and what I called a crimp seems to exclusively be a closed type.

[@gedavids84]

@@ryanokeefe12 Thanks for the info. So I guess the crimps that I see in auto parts stores that have "insulation" around the crimp already are less than ideal. Also I know I could google this, but just having the 3 terms (open-barrel, split-barrel, and closed-barrel) will make my google search much more fruitful now. And it boosts engagement for Haltech. All hail the algorithm.

[@krugtech]

For extreme applications like a pro mod car I use crimp terminals and then put a dot of solder right on the end of the wire. it don't wick past the crimp.

[@horrovac]

The solder that wicks up the wire is the main problem here. It generates a very rigid interface between the clean wire and soldered part, which is almost certain to work harden, fatigue and break when exposed to vibrations. Crimps also have a quite rigid interface, but it is more gradual, and since it does not creep up the wire, it is closer to the joints so the two ends of the wire stabilise each other. Also, soldering flux - which also gets wicked up the wires ahead of the solder - can be corrosive, so cleaning it after soldering is recommended in electronics. I recommend using crimps whenever possible. In fact, I would PREFER twisting the wires together to soldering - but I'm not talking about your simple twist, I would use a lineman splice (a.k.a. Western Union splice) for this. Secured by some heat shrink (preferably glue-lined) it is mechanically quite strong, it is a very good electrical connection and is quite durable.

[@grahamerosewarne6656]

Thanks heaps for clearing up a common problem 💯👍

[@piratius]

What about corrosion resistance? Even with shrink tube, I see crimped connections with corrosion that sometimes goes up inside the insulation at least an inch. I've never seen corrosion on a properly soldered joint with shrink tube. I suspect that the little bit of solder that wicks up the wire helps protect it from oxidizing.

[@connecticutaggie]

Yes but also there is another factor- how often a hobbyist (occasional user) makes a bad solder joint compared to making a bad crimp. My experience is that (for occasional users) bad crimps are more common than bad solder joints. For occasional users, I think the lowest failure connector is an IDC connector (like a WAGO).

[@kensmith5694]

Based on what I have seen, "bad" crimps are also more common in mass production. It gets the wire connected much faster than crimping then soldering but very often crevice corrosion sets in after a while and loosens up the joint. Depending on the warranty period, you may be getting hit with the repair cost nearly a year after the gear was fielded.

[@stinkycheese804]

IDC is worse than either if all were done properly, because it cinches the wire, often cutting a few strands, and usually leaves it exposed so corrosion starts.

[@connecticutaggie]

@@stinkycheese804 It all depends on the type of IDC connector. IDB ribbon connectors have been around since the 50's and I have seen very little issues with them. They are even certified for military and aviation use and are commonly found in avionics system.

[@connecticutaggie]

@@kensmith5694 I agree. It seems like most times with I have do diagnose a custom harness issue it ends up being a crimp issue. On my new system designs I have moved away from custom harnesses to commercially available molded cables. Not as sexy but much more reliable.

[@kensmith5694]

@@connecticutaggie I have done designs using "flex to install" flexible PCBs. In some cases, that is the best way to connect a group of things together. You get even better speed than using crimps without the error and failure rate of crimped custom cables.

[@Spectt84]

I just learned this (probably why it was showing up in my recommended tab). After thinking about it. Anytime there is a massive gauge wire joint, maybe something like an industrial application or the power lines outside your home, I have never seen 2 large gauge wires soldered together, they are ALWAYS crimped mechanically. There must be a reason for that. My intuition always lead me to believe that a proper solder joint must have a lower resistance, I'm not sure, but that may not be true. I am assuming a properly crimped connection must be nearly identical.

[@ScottMcLearn]

@4:59 you show back filling a sensor plug what is it your using?

[@Stonerolog1st]

How about liquid tape and heat shrink? Is that combination detrimental?

[@niftykeentypedog]

60/40 solder joints are made long before the copper reaches annealing temperatures; the poor vibration resistance is due to solders brittleness. A properly crimped connection forms a cold weld, permanently bonding the surfaces together. Clean surfaces and correct tooling are required.

[@patrickpowers5995]

What about Wago connectors?

[@CL_Audio_Tuning]

#iquitsolderinghaveyou 😁 But seriously folks, in my inexperienced youth i was guilty of twisting and taping. After that i started soldering, and finally today as a professional i do only crimp when it comes to wire harness builds. But, as Matt states, there are situations where solder is needed. Thanks guys!

[@charlieward7606]

what about water proof solder crimps, the ones you just heat and it solders and shrink wraps in one?

[@nlo114]

I've been using both in certified radio, telecoms and aerospace work for the last 50+ years. It's a case of horses for courses: The design engineer makes the decision, you work to the specification. If you do use crimps, buy the correct tools, rather than cheap stuff; if you solder, make sure to clean the joint before heat-shrinking it. In my line of work there are no lap-joints.

[@katywalker8322]

Twist and tape has its place - as a get you home fix at the side of the road. It is not quite as bad as the friend who turned up on a small motorcycle with a battery wire attached using sticky tape (not even electrical tape) Crimping probably gets a bad reputation from people using the red or blue pre insulated crimps with a cheap set of crimping pliers. One concern with open barrel crimps with a large number of wires is that the outer wires potentially have quite a large stress point where the insulation endsand the wires has to do a fairly sharp S bend.

[@jmi967]

Soldering two wires side by side is asking for the mentioned failures. Wires should always be mechanically attached first (twisting, wesern union joint, etc) then soldered. Properly crimped joints shouldn’t allow solder to wick as proper crimping tools and technique deforms the wire to fit the crimp barrel and to fit other wires with multistrand wires. Tempering hardens metal (making it more brittle), annealing softens it. Copper doesn't temper so that’s not an issue. Work hardening is mechanical deformation (crushing, bending, stretching) causing the equivalent of tempering. All good methods harden. And like anything else metal, it’s a balance of strength vs flexibility. In the end, most failures are from vibration and heat cycling. Both methods will do great if done properly. Too bad most people are crap at making good joints. Tooling helps a lot in the case of crimping. [edit: and for reference, copper starts annealing around 700°F and most irons range from 370 to 840]

[@271production]

I both solder and crimp, but I only solder under certain circumstances. 1: the joint is in a straight part, not in a bend. 2: I can actually fit glued shrinksleeve around it (no tape) 3: its not moving once installed. As long as those requirements are met, solder is fine for me. Anything else, I do indeed crimp. But still have the shrink sleeve as a requirement.

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

But what about soddering? They invented sodder in the land of liquid Gas. All jokes aside, a good synopsis. I've done a lot of soldering and crimping in my time, heck I've even spot welded electrical wires together. (Cause I could) The fact remains, solder (tin and lead) is not the best conductor of musical orchestras, and electricity too for that matter. Copper to copper with a brass crimp will always yield a lower electrical resistance.

[@dougaltolan3017]

If you are going to heatshrink sleeve a connection, you might as well use a solder filled heatshrink. They keep air out and support the solder joint so flexing and resultant cracking isn't an issue.

[@stinkycheese804]

Not necessarily. When you solder first, you can ensure the joint is good before putting/shrinking the heatshrink over it. Often this means little more than add some more flux and reheat. With solder filled heatshrink, you're stuck with whatever happened.

[@gavinoliver8074]

Thank goodness you know it has an L in soldering and soddering like the yanks. Was going to be a hard watch otherwise 😆 Thank you for the well presented video.

[@bvward]

At first I heard "Soldier", then realized that I was a Yank.

[@aus5050]

Use to work with a retired airforce electrical engineer fitting out yachts, he always crimped

[@Perplexer1]

What is this liquid in the syringe called?

[@davenorman8251]

If you are experiencing corrosion at a solder join then it has been done wrong..use lead free resin solder only and seal after...but modern crimps are far better than they used to be, back in the day there was only utilux available and they were not great.

[@mattrogers1902]

I’ve been super gluing my connections for 20 years, never had a problem 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@JOHN1987360]

every pro-electrician making harnesses from scratch, has his personal opinion on that subject.I think that there are many things to consider before saying thats better than this, because it depends.Factory crimping is usually very well made with the right crimps and tools.If there is a problem on a factory crimp its usually caused from bad insulation over the crimp(on old harnessses).At the other side, you dont always have the right tool to preciselly crimp an uncommon connector, so in that case I apply solder, just at the top of connection, making suse its not entered inside the cable over the crimp(it will definatelly fail,seen many times).You wont have any problems if you know what youre doing.As far as joining cables from ,lets say, 1,5/2,5mm to 4, or 6 0,50/0,75mm, if you do a nice soldering job and then insulate them with a duall wall heatshrink with glue, letting 1+cm more than the joint from both sides, ensuring its not in a highly vibrating spot over the harness, you wont have a broblem too. some (french) factories also apply some amount of solder at the end of big25/30mm) connectors, even though they have them exellent crimped, to avoid corrosion.

[@pinsandscrews6459]

It's Simple, if the particular Joint would not meet FAA regulations, then I follow those. Since being able to keep an Aircraft in the air, is more stressful than anything I could do in the car I might be able to drive.

[@54mgtf22]

Agree 100% Love your work 👍

[@maidsandmuses]

Making a good quality crimp is more difficult than making a good quality solder joint, which should give pause for thought since most engineers seem to find making crimps easier than soldering 🙄. There is a big difference between the quality of crimps made in the field, vs. those made by robots using calibrated crimps machinery, crimps and wire of known dimensional consistency. In the field, for some types of crimp an ever so slightly undersize conductor needs to be inserted into a thin tubular crimp sleeve before being inserted into the crimp connector in order to ensure sufficient void elimination in the crimping process, but that is rarely done. The good old advise of tugging at a crimp to see if it is solid will only tell if it is mechanically secure; it won't tell you if the electrical contact is prone to failure and how much void elimination between the individual wire strands has been achieved. For a crimp to give a good reliable electrical connection, the copper strands need to be significantly deformed to, in effect, secure a cold fusion between the crimp material and copper conductor material. Poorly made crimp connections leave significant voids in between the individual round conductor stands, which is not enough deformation. Virtually all round copper strands inside the conductor need to be deformed from round into a virtually void-free hexagonal/honeycomb pattern structure. In essence, if you were to make a cross-sectional cut through the crimped section, it should not be possible to still identify the structure of individual conductor strands in the cross-section. Instead of giving the crimp a good tug, a better inspection of a crimp is under a magnifier; if the cable is manipulated and there is any indication of any individual copper strands moving ever so slightly, it is *not* a good crimp. Well-executed soldered connections are both mechanically and electrically more secure than crimps, but in vehicles they do *absolutely* need the cable to be securely supported along some stretch directly adjacent to the soldered connector in order to avoid any conductor movement due to vibration. If conductor movement due to vibration is unavoidable, a perfect or even good crimp is a better alternative, relying on the vibration to abrade any oxide film forming between the conductors inside the crimped section (this oxide film *will* form inside all but the most perfect of crimps).

[@tomsherwood4650]

Crimping is SOP in aerospace wiring. That works perfect if the right tools are used. More sophisticated than your average auto connectors and universal crush crimper. But I have used all kinds. The thing is, every time you crimp, pull the wire to make sure it is tight. Every time. Also bad crimps have resistance, which means heat in high current applications. This is an issue in house wiring. Fire hazard.

[@lunchboxjoeb]

i didnt even think of those open barrel crimps... I think of those cheap plastic things with a metal tube in the middle where you crimp each wire in side of it

[@johnmurraycompton569]

Great vid!

[@sailorj2009]

This is kinda off topic but I believe for a novice or backyard sparky, a dodgy or not perfect crimp is always safer than a not perfect solder. Soldering is great but is a learned skill that improves over time. Crimping can also be done incorrectly but if you can give the wires a tug after and nothing moves then 9/10 that join will be fine.

[@mr220v]

I pick bad crimps out of oem harnesses all the time. They are very far from bullet proof. I've also had them turn up with this weird tarnish that caused them to lose continuity. Don't know what it was. Some oil adhesive goo maybe? Trash like this can compromise a crimp more easily than a solder joint. I had one last week that was a junction for sensor ground. Continuity out to the coolant temp sensor, but not the tps and afm. Clipped the joint out of the harness, and it didn't even look bad, but it sure did fail.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

Crimping is always better. Like was mentioned, the solder will wick up the wire and cause a brittle point. This may crack when subjected to a high vibration or motion area of a wire harness. This risk can be reduced or almost eliminated by using rigid or semi-rigid adhesive lined shrink tubing which acts like a splint and protects the solder area against vibration or bending motion. And also potting soldered connections in connectors and sensors.🎃

[@stinkycheese804]

Then you aren't completing the job. No wire ending at a connector, or PCB, or crimp, OR solder joint, should be allowed to flex in that area. Even without any of these things, just a piece of wire itself flexing too much will fail. Plus, crimping is also introducing a rigid area that cause the wire just adjacent to it, to flex more. Get rid of the flex as you should, and it doesn't factor into the equation.

[@davenonameforrester]

Has Matt turned into the T1000?

[@haltech]

Well, he IS back...

[@donr62]

You won’t find soldered joints in aircraft wiring harnesses. There’s a clue.

[@Evo_Warp]

Solder splices are used in a lot of aircraft for shielded wire ground jumpers 🤙

[@donr62]

@@Evo_Warp RPT aircraft?

[@Evo_Warp]

I've seen it in military and private aircraft

[@donr62]

@@Evo_Warp I’ve no experience in military or GA but have never seen it in large RPT.

[@rossmarzano]

My car has never been airborne. The environment is a little different up in the sky

[@MortifiedU]

Lol solder and crimped my transmission loom at 6am this morning. Just regular 6 month service in a Land Rover discovery 🤣🤣

[@jeffhigh2]

I'd never solder two wire together like you show just putting them alongside and using solder to glue them together. Always twist together first before soldering IMHO

[@garytruss5253]

You left out the reason why a soldered joint goes weak or cracks. That being when a solder joint is made on multi strand wire it becomes a single core and concentrates vibation work hardening at the interfaces.

[@Guardian_Arias]

Even the biggest beginner can do a passable job when crimping a wire and have a good connection, therefore most people should stick to crimping even some solder bros. The solder joint shown here is not acceptable even as a temporary measure to see if the circuit works, that being said a solder joint is far superior in all cases but there is a reason why Bombardier, Boeing, NASA and more send people thru a class that has a 50% drop out rate to achieve a certification to pay these individuals 100k a year salary.

[@stephengorczyca9855]

Twist & tap 4 life

[@killaken2000]

I'd imagine many people have problems with crimps failing because they're using poor quality crimping tools. I'm not saying it's absolutely necessary but the manufacturer's suggested crimping tool can cost between $300 and $1000 and are designed to produce the optimal crimp. There are some videos from manufacturers of crimp terminals on KZbin and you'll find that a proper crimp is more than just mashing a terminal onto a wire.

[@frankkwaijtaal5650]

Twist and solder.

[@deanvarian9275]

Solders add resistance to the wire/line and may affect readings of your sensors.

[@brys555]

No. The resistance is insignificant, like millions times lower than that of the wire.

[@deanvarian9275]

@@brys555 it depends on how much solder you put on it...

[@brys555]

@@deanvarian9275 Not really. Regardless if there is only small drop of solder or wires are dipped in it, the resistance will remain very low. The resistivity of solder is indeed tens of times higher than that of copper but the thickness of its layer in the joint is a fraction of a millimetre. So we are talking about adding an equivalent of 1/8 inch of copper wire to the harness that is few feet long. Besides that, copper cores should be tightly twisted together before soldering which reduces resistance even further. Otherwise there is a risk of solder breaking causing joint to fail.

[@pinkzombie]

Aviation's standard requires crimping, but NASA's standard requires Lineman's splice (twist and solder). I guess if both are done the right way, they are pretty much the same.

[@michaelthomas7898]

Sorry, think I missed the part where solder was bad. They are both different and nothing more, soldering is better for corrosion as there is no gaps in the connection for moisture, crimping is faster and easier in tough to get at locations. The whole annealing bit is just silly, you have to tool harden copper, heating it only makes it softer.

[@jabjab12]

Ultra sonic welding is the best of both worlds

[@ronjones4069]

One thing you should emphasize more, crimps are better, hands down, ONLY if the right crimp, right wire size and right quality tool is used. Otherwise, don't bother. Use only the right tools, if not available, use solder. Solder is better than a crimp done with the wrong crimp, wire size and poor quality tool or used improperly.

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

A good solder joint of wire starts with a good mechanical joint of the wires and not twisting them together neither. A good mechanical joint such as the lineman's splice provides an excellent mechanical joint, then solder it. The solder joint in the video will fail eventually because it relies on the solder for mechanical strength. Soldering has its place as does crimping. The aircraft industry, civil and military, use crimps where ever possible, your motor vehicle seldom if ever goes through the extreme temperature changes the wire joints in an aircraft go through in the span of several minutes while changing altitudes. The debate will rage on like which came first, the chicken or the egg.

[@testpilot6456]

Either system works fine ,although like anything it needs to be done right. This where I see the problem of either system. I've seen some frightening auto electrical work by "experts" .

[@jasonputtock4428]

so have i especially from chinese builders. that is really shocking indeed.

[@craigsimpson2135]

Just do both 😜

[@2Barts1]

Weeeelllll Most connector pins are crimped and work well soooo

[@Rudy97]

Anything oitside the cabin must be soldered. No other way. Crimped connections will fail with moisture.

[@rogerbratt6248]

Why not do Both ?

[@davidjw14]

For what its worth the following is the NASA Workmanship standard for interconnecting cables harnesses and wiring - standards.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/standards/NASA/A/4/nasa-std-87394a_w_change_4_0.pdf. Pretty much the definitive guide for wiring in difficult environments

[@mcspikesky]

The 'twist and tape' can be done in a way its better than both crimp and solder. Heat shrink optional

[@grumpy2.0]

Just to be annoying, I've been known to crimp then flood with solder. I've been known to then pot the crimp backs in high moisture environments. Interesting to know I've been doing it wrong

[@TheBjk101]

Where the hell these people getting the crimp barrels from in the video???

[@michaelnoyes4817]

Sometimes it can come down to cost and waiting time

[@JxH]

This is about "joining two wires" ? What about the other 98% of the harness that has terminals at the end of each wire? Some (I think I should write "Most") terminals are clearly Crimp Only (which is fine), but common Ring Terminals can be either crimp-on or solder on. Note that the crimp-on versions will have all the cut strands of wire peeking out, even with HS tubing added. Cannot be waterproof. My Mercedes has soldered ring terminals at the ground studs, likely for this reason. Now if they'd just stop using biodegradable insulation... 🙂

[@haltech]

We have already done a separate video on crimping and de-pinning harness connectors.

[@JxH]

@@haltech *Ring Terminals*, as used at Ground Studs. Are there actually waterproof Crimp-On ring terminals? Every Ring Terminal I've seen has all the little copper wire peeking out, so water would wick up into the crimp. I'd solder Ring Terminals, and then cover with HS tubing, thus the little wires are sealed in.

[@eric4946]

Ring terminals ? I don’t think I see much ground to frame single wire anymore but all you would do is just heat shrink tubing with sealant over the crimp.

[@JxH]

@@eric4946 Plenty of brown colour Ground wires with ring terminals on ground studs. I've not bought a car in the last ten minutes, so perhaps my info is a few years old. Those that treat crimping as a religion will have more failing grounds after a few years in a wet climate. Solder is a better sealant than sealant. Those worried about soldering could just seal the end with solder.

[@eric4946]

@@JxH with cars going away from steel frames and plastics and composites it’s not common. But still, solder is only going to seal the wire to wire gap which if properly crimped shouldn’t exist becuase the copper is compressed as would the insulation using proper connectors. Are there “proper” ring terminals … different story. Since it’s uncommon no one bothers I imagine to make anything more complicated. My view however is that metal/conductor isn’t use to seal wiring. Once you have water on a contact it’s over anyways pretty soon. Yeah for a clamped joint this isn’t true but any sort of pin/socket it doesn’t help. You need to insulate the joint itself.

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

The only time you should be twist-and-taping is if you're hoping to get more work in six months fixing those connections!

[@1puchu]

Whish there was more to the twist and tape method, rather than just denying without giving any reason....

[@Thankz4sharing]

They are likely to loosen after an unpredictable time due to normal vehicle vibration.

[@captbeardy]

Not the scientific examination I was expecting from the title and intro, just another opinion. If I was using solder to join two wires I would not rely on the solder for the mechanical connection and would twist the wires in one way or another before soldering. Crimping is used because it is faster and more consistent in untrained hands, thus making it cheaper in a manufacturing situation. This doesn’t make it better or worse, but explains why you see it so often. I’d really like to see a proper scientific evaluation of the two methods though.

[@eric4946]

Crimping is the better way. Soldering is for when the former isn’t an option. The issues with solder causing local heating, stiffness of the wire or corrosion has caused many an issue. In aerospace it’s non existent and unthinkable as a wire to wire connection. Doesn’t mean soldering will fail. Just that it has more failure modes. Any connection where there could be flex solder should be specifically avoided or the flex physically mitigated by potting.

[@scod3908]

Aerospace also has a lot of procedural influence; a crimp is a much more repeatable connection method. Failure mode is also a consideration; crimps usually corrode and develop high resistance which can be diagnosed in service, whereas solder joins often fail mechanically potentially resulting in a sudden failure and/or loose wire etc.

[@epoxy1710]

If you get stiffness you are using bad wires of low quality

[@eric4946]

@@epoxy1710 wire stiffness is a function of the material and stranding count and the braiding if you get fancy. However the fact that when you solder. Solder flows between the strands stiffening the wire has nothing to do with the “quality” of the wire. It’s just a part of the process. You can reduce it by working faster but it’s very difficult to avoid.

[@Torabaito]

What about poke and wrap?