Affordable crimp tools?

[richms]

Ive just ordered a crapload of JST connectors, and now found that my crimper doesnt go small enough. Efforts to do it with plyers have just been fruitless since it is so small that it just bends it etc.

Is there a cheap crimper to do 24 AWG sized terminals? Nothing too flash with ratchets etc, but perhaps if someone makes a changable die one which does them I would consider.

Have found one on mouser for $600 or so, my target price tops out at about 10% of that.

[franklin97355]

This might work.

[pstemari]

I have one of those, or its twin brother, and I'm afraid the answer is "Not very well". The JST's have a funky double crimp area and it doesn't get along with that crimper, or any of the additional dies for the crimper I bought for Powerpole connectors.

JST's crimper, unfortunately, is about $400.

[richms]

Stink, I was going to order something that looks similar from futurelec along with some other stuff that I need.

I really wish there was a nice end user crimpable terminal to use for things like the JSTs on lipos are great for.

The red ones as RC heli's use seemed to go on a lot easier with doing it ghetto styles, and you can easily get lipos with those on already so was thinking of using those.

[flynnguy]

This one looks nice: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10219.

Should be in your price range as well.

[pstemari]

I bought a pair of those, but haven't tried them yet. Hansen Hobbies has a ratching crimper that does a fabulous job on the pins for the 0.1" grid connectors. It handles the separate conductor/jacket crimps in one go.

[lyndon]

$39 each for the Hansen one?????

That's insanely cheap! It looks almost exactly like my $200 Tyco ProCrimper
Well, at least I can buy I few spares to keep around!

[richms]

Ive just had a binge on ebay on crimptools as I need something decent to do the non insulated terminals that I am using in my arcade cabinet wire. Still on the slow way from china at the moment.

[sparr]

get out a file and extend the range of the crimpers you already have, just add another pair of notches.

[mwilson]

This might work.

I've found the simple plier type very fiddly to use. No matter how careful I am, a few of the connections pull loose. Pololu has http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1928 , which looks good. I'm using the next model down (fewer individual sizes) and find it works extremely well.

[lyndon]

I would not file or otherwise modify the dies of any crimping tool unless it's obviously defective. A good crimp has the wire cold-welded to the connector and proper die geometry is critical for that. The ProCrimper I mentioned above is expensive, but it makes very good crimps: pull on the wire and the insulation will start to peel off well before the wire separates from the pin/socket.