Icom A210 wiring, Molex connector

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:56 pm

Yeah...I've used it sparingly, and only used Bob's pigtail method. In this case, being part of a harness that moves in unison, it should be okay, but I'm waiting for Stein's blessing still...

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:58 pm

I started to make a blanket statement on solder but I remembered that the antenna connection is soldered on so, yeah, you gots to use it sometimes.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:31 pm

Okay...the soldered power pin...I talked to Stein yesterday about this, and he told me that if it's a clean install, it would hold. However, how long it will hold is unknown. Could be 20 hours, could be 2,000 hours...the point was, if it's done the way it's supposed to be done (one wire per pin), it will last for as long as it's designed to last. I don't know how long that is, but it only took 15 minutes to fix this, and it's the proper way to do it.

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:18 pm

I am prohibited from using solder joints ANYWHERE except in enclosed units: like inside a terminal box or inside a connector (video and RF coax terminations). The key is the solder joint must not be able to move and work harder.

RVNewsletter · Post by **RVNewsletter** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:11 am

So if you can't use solder, what's the best way to connect two wires into one as the plans calls for in this case?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:16 am

Remember...Will works for Gulfstream, and is restricted to repair station rules. We have the same rules in our maintenance shop, and avionics shop.

My feeling on this, is that if it's in the Aero Electric Bob book, it's fine. The pigtail splice is fine between wires, but not on the connector pin.

RVNewsletter · Post by **RVNewsletter** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:00 am

I was leafing throgh PS Engineering's neat Powerpoint on making wiring harnesses and they bring up Raychem Solder Sleeves, which I'd never heard of before. Is anyone using these? Are they a better alternative to the methods in AeroElectric Connection. They sure look to be expensive.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:28 am

I think those are too cost prohibitive for most. An alternative to the solder sleeve is Dsub pins and sockets with heat shrink. I changed ALL of my solder splices to pins and sockets, except where I was splitting one wire to two. Still more expensive than pigtail solder splices, but not as much as the solder sleeves.

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:33 pm

Solder sleeves rock. But yes, they are expensive. They are only used to ground or tie together shield wires though - not single conductors.

If you have two wires to splice together, use a crimp splice. All terminations should be crimps. Crimp contacts or crimp splices.

I have docs/specs I can send on the enviromental and butt splics (crimp) if anyone is intereted. I use Raychem and they are......well, not free

Speed3Guy · Post by **Speed3Guy** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:14 pm

While your wiring--some things to consider.

I wired the ch-select pin, to one of my stick buttons hoping it did something cool. It does!!!!

A stick mounted ch select button brings up the last memory bank you used and then cycles through the frequencies in that bank. I've got all of the local frequencies programed into a memory bank on my radio. So around my home airport, ch select cycles through all of the frequencies in that memory bank on the standby side. A quick touch of the stick mounted flip-flop transfers it to active. Another press or two of ch select brings the next required frequency to standby. All without ever touching the radio.

For cross country, I hit RCL on the radio once and turn the outer dial to the GPS memory bank. For the rest of the trip, I can press the stick mounted CH select button to cycle through clearly labeled frequencies for the next airport on my gps flight plan.

Obviously you have to have serial data from the gps connected for the last set of features. My data is coming from a Garmin 496.

Post by **Spike** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:45 am

That is pretty slick!

RVNewsletter · Post by **RVNewsletter** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:18 am

Womack2005 wrote:Solder sleeves rock. But yes, they are expensive. They are only used to ground or tie together shield wires though - not single conductors.

I might've interpreted this wrong -- cross back and forth between here and the identical thread on VAF is a pita -- but didn't Stein recommend solder sleeves in his preferred configuration? So they shouldn't be used in this way?

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:11 pm

Sorry it took me so long to get back on this. Solder Sleeves are designed to terminate shields only. Not the main conductor.

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:37 pm

Is there any reason why you can't have all of the ground/power wires go into one end of a Butt-Splice connector, with a single wire going to the fuse block/ground block?

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:30 pm

That works. Except:

Make sure you use the correct SIZE splice. Remember, butt splices are sized by circular mils, NOT gauge.

Easy right?

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:59 pm

Womack2005 wrote: Make sure you use the correct SIZE splice. Remember, butt splices are sized by circular mils, NOT gauge.

Sounds like trial and error to me! That's my kind of engineering! Pull test is the ultimate test.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:34 pm

At our last EAA meeting we had a guy from United's maintenance shop come over a do a presentation on crimping. It was very informative. I've always been a fan of crimping and now I know why. But I wish I had seen that presentation first. There are all kinds of tricks you can do to get splices to work right. Like if you don't have a butt connector that fits both sides of the wire precisely, you can use an extra piece of wire looped right back around into the connector to take up space if the wire is too small. He said the same thing I think Will is saying. It's all about that circular mill.

I bet Will can dig up a snazzy chart to explain it. I've lost mine.

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:40 pm

Refer to section 33 (table 6-8)

http://www.crimptech.au.com/Solderless% ... plices.pdf

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:41 pm

that was supposed to be table 6 dash 8

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:01 pm

Haven't watched it yet but speaking of crimping...

http://www.eaa.org/video/homebuilders.h ... 4725747001

RivetBangers.com

Icom A210 wiring, Molex connector

Wire up GPS, flip flop, and CH select too!