for all you butt splice/quick disconnect gurus

[UNC201]

It's been awhile since I've messed with quick disconnect connects for relays and such. I prefer and LOVE the butt splices that are made of heat shrink vs. nylon. I use the full Stakon system where you crimp and heat shrink. As you do, a dab of solder in the butt splice melts as well which kinda solidifies the joint.

I'm not so sure about these pesky disconnect though. Traditional nitrile ones have the full boot over them. The disconnects have like a plastic head with the heat shrink tube over the metal crimp portion. However when you crimp, the heatshrink tube tends to move a bit...

For those familiar with the onese I'm describing, love to hear your thoughts.

Seems to be a more cleaner setup with the nitrile disconnects and then just corresponding heatshrink where the wire meets the connector.

I tend to get real detailed and *meticulous* when it comes down to any wiring......this has carried over from anything in the home or at work --- fiber optic cables---you should see my home alarm panel ;-)

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: chefwong

I tend to get real detailed and *meticulous* when it comes down to any wiring......this has carried over from anything in the home or at work --- fiber optic cables---you should see my home alarm panel ;-)



Post a picture! I'm doing my structured wiring panel and am looking for ideas.

 

[onion]

Yes, I know the ones you're talking about. They're junk. You'll be better off with standard non-heat-shrink quick disconnects and some separate heat-shrink.

 

[UNC201]

I thought they were the cats paw.....3M made in usa goodies, Copper connecters - tinned for weatherness. I guess poop it is....but yes, butt splices - stakon - heatshrink versions are king.

 

[UNC201]

Jim -

I suck at pics. On your structures panel, are you using one of those *All in One * panels or doing a standing 19" wall mount.

If you want something in the middle, I'd recommend a 19" wall mount in any config that fits your equipment any day. And then a NICE sized backerboard for the odds and ends like the satellite headend splitters and such.

What will you be running to your *panel*.
Data, Voice, Video . What are you using for headend video....

 

[Jim 5]

I have a 19" wall mount and I'll be running
- about 15 RG6 cables
- about 20 Cat5E's for phone and LAN
- about 10 existing regular phone cables
- 2x 1 in 8 out Cable splitters
- at least 1 motorola 2 way cable amplifier
- 1 motorola cable modem for digital telephone
- Cat5E punch down boards
- at some point a wireless router

I'm not up on the lingo though, so you'll have to excuse my descriptions.

 

[SecondMonkey]

I make various electrical cable sets for a living, and go through hundreds of these type of connectors a week. I usually buy either bare connectors if I can find them, or I just cut off the plastic peice that you normally crimp. Then I crimp/solder the joint and cover it with a peice of heat shrink tubing. If I'm making a splice I individually heat shrink the connection on both sides, then, after I connect them, I add another peice of heat shrink over the connection.

 

[JT1]

Where could one purchase these?

 

[UNC201]

SecondMoney -

Actually the plastic on these QD AFAIK also serves as weather boots....if not insulation for the metal connector. The regular joe blow vinyl nylon ones are better than what I thought were the *cats paw* of quick disconnects It turns out the opposite. The disconnects were full copper, tinned -- made in the USA with 3M heat shrink The problem is that when you crimp...it shifts the heat shrink away from the top if the connector a little bit which defeats the purpose.

However for butt splices, crimp/ heat shrinks are nothing like this....granted depending on application, I still am using heatshrink, etc but the butt splices - Sta Kon series , crimp and heatshrink. The heat from heatshrink as well melts the small *dab* of solder in the connector and just makes a excellent connection.

 

[UNC201]

Jim -

I like these from Chatsworth for a home setup but it may be overkill

For starters, on your data, I would run them on a patch panel that fits on your 19" rack. Run a cable manager next. Google 1U cable Manager. From there, I recommend a rack mountable switch. Underneath this, I would do something like a 19" rackmount shelf in which your cable modem/wireless access point, firewall would sit.

I can't advise on phones as every setup is unique. However for phones, I like to have them on 66 blocks. This would be on you backboard. This way you can mix and match them as you please....Easier to do 66 blocks as well and bridge the clips together for Pair 1 or Pair 1/Pair 2 interlacing a really long wire bridging each clip.

For you video, I strongly advise doing 2 runs of RG6 Copper Core. Don't run the lesser expensive copper clad steel. Copper Core is the way to go at the end of the day. It will cost more intially but you are only doing this once....

I hope this helps you in the right direction....but regardless of wire management, it's important to run the correct wires in the beginning....when you are knee deep in either open walls or fishing wires.

And then these is the school of running conduits/smurf tube for areas where you think you may expand.

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: chefwong
Jim -

I like these from Chatsworth for a home setup but it may be overkill

For starters, on your data, I would run them on a patch panel that fits on your 19" rack. Run a cable manager next. Google 1U cable Manager. From there, I recommend a rack mountable switch. Underneath this, I would do something like a 19" rackmount shelf in which your cable modem/wireless access point, firewall would sit.

I can't advise on phones as every setup is unique. However for phones, I like to have them on 66 blocks. This would be on you backboard. This way you can mix and match them as you please....Easier to do 66 blocks as well and bridge the clips together for Pair 1 or Pair 1/Pair 2 interlacing a really long wire bridging each clip.

For you video, I strongly advise doing 2 runs of RG6 Copper Core. Don't run the lesser expensive copper clad steel. Copper Core is the way to go at the end of the day. It will cost more intially but you are only doing this once....

I hope this helps you in the right direction....but regardless of wire management, it's important to run the correct wires in the beginning....when you are knee deep in either open walls or fishing wires.

And then these is the school of running conduits/smurf tube for areas where you think you may expand.



A friend of mine does structured wiring for a living and supplied me with everything I needed as well as checked all of my work before the drywall went up. I did 2 runs of RG6 copper core and Cat5 everywhere except to the home theatre cabinet where there are 4 runs (of everything plus all the wiring from the 5.1 speakers). I also ran 4 runs into the panel from outside where a satellite dish could go. In this way the cabinet in the mechanical room can be used as a switchboard between rooms. A nice tip was a run of RG6 (as the low-level mono input) from the stereo cabinet to an outlet at the anticipated location of the sub-woofer, as well as a run of central vac pipe from the stereo cabinet to the location behind the Plasma TV. This way the HDMI cable and the remote control repeater for the equipment in the cabinet has a tidy route from the TV back.

 

[UNC201]

Looks like you're in good order. Just have a case or 2, some food on the grill and invite your friend over

I'm glad you did the copper core. Copper clad is the norm......for those that don't *know*

 

[tom slick]

Anyone use the butt splices with heatshrink and solder (no crimping) built into them?

 

[UNC201]

SecondMonkey may be best to address this is his daily....but IMO I still want a mechanical crimp. And then follow by solder if you are using straight metal compression . For me, I just do the mechanical crimp and then heatshrink the built in barrel...that has the tin in it.


There is a read on how tin, or properties of tin, etc will dissolve/break a joint or thin wire, etc. Don't recall the blurb on that but it went something along the lines of that...

 

[SecondMonkey]

Originally Posted By: chefwong
SecondMonkey may be best to address this is his daily....but IMO I still want a mechanical crimp. And then follow by solder if you are using straight metal compression . For me, I just do the mechanical crimp and then heatshrink the built in barrel...that has the tin in it.


This can be a really controversial issue...especially on boat forums for some reason. Some people swear by crimping, some swear by soldering, and have a reason why one or the other is worse. Personally I don't feel like the job is done right unless I crimp, solder, then heatshrink. I do it so often it just happens automatically on everything I do. Sometimes if the connection is going to be exposed to the elements I paint a layer of "liquid electrical tape" on first, and then put heat shrink over that. I've seen a lot of wires that were only crimped pull right out, and if it's only soldered, solder joints have a tendency to fatique and break rather easily if they're on something that vibrates like a car.

I will also say that I offer a lifetime replacement warranty on my products that use crimped, soldered, and heat-shrunk joints - I have yet to hear of a single failure.

Then again I'm probably a little biased since I always have a bunch of bare connectors, crimpers, torch, big roll of solder and a bigger roll of heat shrink on my workbench ready to go.