Anderson connectors: Crimp vs solder?

[Martinjmpr]

How are most of you connecting your Anderson connectors? Crimp or solder?

I'm getting ready to make some cables with large (50A) anderson connectors.

Reason I ask is that I thought I was fairly decent at crimping but I've never been able to solder anything that didn't end up looking like a hot mess.

My previous attempt was OK for a couple of years but then it appears that the cable somehow worked its way out of the crimped connector and I lost the ability to charge my power box. So either my crimping failed or something else happened, not sure what.

Since I was on a camping trip I just ended up cutting the Anderson connector off, stripping the wire and wrapping it around the post on the battery. That was enough to get me home, and then once I got home I just put ring terminals on the cable and now I connect them directly to the battery posts with ring terminals. It's not as quick as an Anderson but it won't ever come off. either.

But I really do want to be able to make cables that won't fail on me. Is there some secret I'm missing?

 

[Dave in AZ]

How are most of you connecting your Anderson connectors? Crimp or solder?

I'm getting ready to make some cables with large (50A) anderson connectors.

Reason I ask is that I thought I was fairly decent at crimping but I've never been able to solder anything that didn't end up looking like a hot mess.

My previous attempt was OK for a couple of years but then it appears that the cable somehow worked its way out of the crimped connector and I lost the ability to charge my power box. So either my crimping failed or something else happened, not sure what.

Since I was on a camping trip I just ended up cutting the Anderson connector off, stripping the wire and wrapping it around the post on the battery. That was enough to get me home, and then once I got home I just put ring terminals on the cable and now I connect them directly to the battery posts with ring terminals. It's not as quick as an Anderson but it won't ever come off. either.

But I really do want to be able to make cables that won't fail on me. Is there some secret I'm missing?

1. In automotive and vibrating applications, you should be crimping, NOT soldering.
2. Use an actual crimper designed to crimp anderson connections.
3. Here, watch this:

 

[jonyjoe101]

All the cables that failed on me was due to me using the cheap copper clad aluminum (CCA) wire, back then I didnt know any better. Now I use the pure copper wire (OFC or oxygen free copper), which is excellent for soldering, havent had any fail on me. There is also some OFC wire that is pure copper but tin color, that doesn't solder too well, if I had to use that I would crimp it.
The CCA wire that failed was due to corrosion, even when it was used only indoors. Once it corrodes the wire will fail at the place it was solder or crimped, many times it will be intermentant where sometimes it works or doesnt work as the wire is moved around.

 

[tirod3]

Dave is quoting specifications for automotive and military standard. Crimp doesn't heat soak the copper filaments causing them to get brittle. Since automotive use is high vibration, a brittle cable connection is a failure point that will happen eventually, and often takes hours to diagnose.

Using the simple anvil type large diameter cable crimper sold online is done in a vice, to literally squeeze it together, NOT hammer it. When executed properly the fibers are almost forged, and the pullout specification is measured in hundreds of pounds - you should be able to swing from it.

Large gauge crimpers use high pressure, compound or hydraulic are the norm. The inexpensive anvil type require using a vice, regardless of what "Lincoln" recommends below. If you hand crimp small wires and the connector slips off, it's not a quality tool. Look into a ratcheting crimper that has a compound action, not the old squeeze and repeat cheapies sold off a peghook. Again, pullouts are measured in hundreds of pounds - it's the pro standard.

This message comes from 50 years of doing it wrong, because mechanics aren't electricians. Now I know.

https://www.northerntool.com/products/lincoln-electric-lug-cable-crimping-tool-model-kh538-99214

 

[Cabrito]

Maybe you just had one bad crimp. I've crimped many Anderson connectors and most of them have held up in my vehicles and on my motorcycle in high vibration environments for years, but occasionally one will fail and it's frustrating.

I always use the crimping tool I got at Powerwerx which is specifically for the Anderson's. Looking now at their site they don't even sell the cheap one I have anymore.

Is it a good or bad idea to do both - crimp and add a little solder?

 

[Ozarker]

Is it a good or bad idea to do both - crimp and add a little solder?

Yes it is.

Tinning the wire ends before inserting in a mechanical connector is best practice in electronic/electrical work. After crimping you can reheat the tinned wire end to spread the solder within the wire strands as well as to the connector. Use proper tools, as mentioned do not hammer crimps, do not put wire under tension to any connector.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Yes it is.

Tinning the wire ends before inserting in a mechanical connector is best practice in electronic/electrical work. After crimping you can reheat the tinned wire end to spread the solder within the wire strands as well as to the connector. Use proper tools, as mentioned do not hammer crimps, do not put wire under tension to any connector.

Tinning is not necessary. If it's stranded wire that the individual strands are tinned by the factory, that's OK and generally a benefit. Tinning in the field is not best practice.

The reason to tin a copper wire is to prevent oxidation, which is 100% legitimate. Melting solder into a stranded wire to make it homogeneous will negate any benefit of crimping in the first place. The strands are supposed to move around as you crimp as they compress into each other and into the terminal. If you choose to solder then you should not crimp, it's best as one or the other.



Downsides to soldering are exposing the insulation to heat, wicking solder and potentially flux up the jacket, which will degrade the insulation or itself cause corrosion. It's also more variable, one connection being different than the next. You also create a stress riser where the flexibility changes due to the wicked solder under the jacket. The design of a crimp terminal is intentional. If there's a need to strain relief then there's a second crimp on the insulation or a plastic hood.

Really, what it amounts to, is to match the terminal to style. If you want to solder use terminals designed to be soldered. If you have crimp terminals then crimp them on.

To Martin's question, crimping Anderson is the preferred method. You should use their crimp die profiles but any Molex style (like the fold in the photo above) should be fine. I use the Tri-crimp you find on most ham outlets personally and I've had Anderson big dollar tools professionally. The resulting crimp was the same to any practical extent I could tell, e.g. pull strength, compression ratio, etc.

Mainly the Tri-crimp could not hold calibration so the traceability chain breaks, which you sometimes need. Although PowerPoles are almost never seen in situations like that, e.g. you just aren't gonna power an aircraft flight data recorder with them. So the only real world benefit to spending 5x the money on Anderson tools is the dies last longer. But there is a cost-benefit curve to crimpers. Cheap ones are junk. You gotta hit the middle. A crimper doesn't need to cost $400 unless it's a factory but it also shouldn't be $10.

If you mean mechanical like under a clamping block. That's absolutely true, you should tin the ends into a solid or crimp on pin ferrules.

 

[Ozarker]

Tinning the wire has been good practice for more than 50 years. Copper wire hasn't changed.

When I was a Combat Controller (had my FAA ticket) in the Army, my Avionics course said tin the wire leads, not everything was a printed board. ("Avionics"= aviation electronics.) This was always in a field environment if I had to mess with anything, otherwise it goes back to depot.

And who said crimping or Anderson Connectors were the best? If you need secure connections, use blocks and screws and solder.

Considering that printed circuit boards are nothing more than soldered pathways on insulating materials, solder can be the best solution when done properly, a good soldered joint is like welding, it's an art and it takes a bit of practice. There is no issue making field repairs with solder, just have a decent iron and the right solder.

Asked Co-pilot if tinning was good practice.....
Absolutely! Tinning stranded wire for electrical connections ensures a more secure, reliable connection by preventing fraying and oxidation. It makes inserting the wire into connectors much easier and provides a solid connection point. Just make sure you’re using the right amount of solder and maintaining good soldering technique. Happy connecting!

But, I totally agree....

 

[plh]

Excellent photo of a good crimp Dave, I've used it many times when communicating with suppliers. (Engineer in automotive industry) IIRC it comes from the SAE / USCAR 21 spec.

 

[slomatt]

I've both soldered and crimped Anderson connectors and have had much better results crimping. Soldering is difficult on the smaller 15 and 30A connectors in particular because there is limited clearance in the housing for any kind of excess solder on the pin.

 

[dstefan]

I always use the crimping tool I got at Powerwerx which is specifically for the Anderson's. Looking now at their site they don't even sell the cheap one I have anymore.

This ⬆️

The Andersons are really hard to get right without their specific tool. You can do it, but the failure rate is high as you found out.

Somehow I ended up with an extra of the Powerwerx Anderson crimpers, literally NIB, which work perfectly. I’ve crimped a bunch of Anderson plugs with it and never had a failure in nearly 4 years now. You can have it for free if you pay for the shipping from Phoenix (they weren’t expensive when Powerwerx had them). DM me if you want it.

 

[Roger M.]

Anderson would like you to believe that their specific branded crimper is required for a quality crimp, but for those of us that have used both unbranded crimpers and the Anderson crimpers, we know that's 100% false. Which is not to say that the Anderson branded tool isn't a high quality tool, it most definitely is.
But an unbranded crimper works perfectly if you know what you're doing, and take care doing it.

Flood soldering also works fine, but it's not as robust as the 100% mechanical connection you get with a crimp. It also puts a ton of heat into the wire, and the connector, which is less than desirable. I'd never tin my wire ahead of a mechanical crimp, a huge part of the crimping process is the way in which the wires move inside the connector as the crimp is taking place. Tinning destroys this movement.

I've crimped many dozens (if not hundreds) of Anderson 50 amp connectors with off-brand crimpers, and never had a single failure.