For the best connection I solder, do you? Why not?

[Rider]

I've been soldering for years and years, and have never had a failure. Not from vibration fatigue or oxidation. Generally regular solder for small wires, silver solder for large wires, and always covered with waterproof shrink tubing.

Any wire I've tinned and tightened in with a screw has eventually loosened and needed re-tightening after some time. I also suck at crimp joints, they never grab as well as I want.

 

[Pappion]

Solder can cut thru a stranded wire, via vibration or repetitive flexing. Use a good strain relief.

 

[NPhil]

I crimp everything. I just stuck at soldering ??

As I recall the history, crimping vs. soldering came along around the time of WWII and has two big advantages:

1. Even a GI who sucked at soldering could hook up field telephones more quickly than a German who did not.

2. A soldered connection to stranded wire doesn't handle flexing and vibration well, because the point were the solder which has wicked up the wire ends is effectively an abrupt transition between solid wire and stranded wire, and with repeated flexing, the strands tend to break, one by one, at that point.

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

I crimp & solder as there's no harm to the MC4 connectors and I feel more assured that the connection will be solid in 20years. PV arrays have been running flawlessly for 3 years so far...

 

[curiouscarbon]

Reading other people’s experiences is helpful, thanks everyone for making the trade offs more clear.

I crimped & soldered the MC4 connectors on my solid copper underground UF-W to get the solar power across yard. (is that the insulator code? lol forgot, there are so many insulator codes.)

After yanking the crimped connector off quite easily, I decided to crimp then solder in that case.





How’d I do?

 

[Supervstech]

I've never seen a factory soldered end on a battery in my life.

I have seen molded ends where a lead lug is cast onto the wire though.

Look at large trucks, and diesel vehicles… vast majority of them are crimped, then soldered… I can post pics if you like…

 

[Supervstech]

I've never seen a factory soldered end on a battery in my life.

I have seen molded ends where a lead lug is cast onto the wire though.

 

[curiouscarbon]

I can post pics if you like…

I like!

As bonus, each photograph may relieve you of the need to utter one thousand words ?

---

After doing an important crimp or joint or whatever, if I have had coffee and food, I remember to snap a quick photo of the work so that later it’s maybe easier to figure out what’s going on with my system failure.

 

[curiouscarbon]

"Red is the best color, is it? Is it

First step check star alignment. Is mercury in retrograde?

Besides, everyone knows the best color is blue.

Woah, okay. I like that color too. ??

 

[Substrate]

I do both but I play the "what if" safety game with large dc distribution lugs and ask:

"If my connector gets so hot that the solder in the lug melts, what will the molten solder fall onto?"

It plays a part in my cable positioning / mounting so that a secondary problem doesn't develop.

 

[Texas-Mark]

"If my connector gets so hot that the solder in the lug melts, what will the molten solder fall onto?"

Into the heat shrink that should be on it?

 

[anadiner]

It's like @Bob B said: it's these kinds of topics. It's like asking: "Red is the best color, is it? Is it not?" - you then get tons of people nitpicking in which situation red is indeed the best color, and others pointing out where red isn't the best color, people getting argumentative, etc. ad infinitum. Tends to get tiresome, and gets some people defensive.

Besides, everyone knows the best color is

Why does every such post turn into dick waving and passive aggressive posts over things that are simple and practical to answer?

This forum was a great source of info but now it becomes just another toxic environment that saps any and all desire to help others.

I've now gotten more people on this forum that I ignore then I don't as its really quite incredible.....

For real!

I crimp and solder cuz keep amps low with heavier gauge... goal is minimize resistance.

Could go on and on about e flow yada yada. BUT question was about soldering specifically so answered about soldering.

Right? Not here. LOL

Jwelter99, I never pay attn to name of poster. Guess I should and learn to ignore some.

Btw, blue and red are best color depending on circumstance. LOL

 

[Supervstech]

I, like Mr. Drummond prefer Fuchsia or… expensive purple…

 

[anadiner]

I, like Mr. Drummond prefer Fuchsia or… expensive purple…

Blue and red = purple but all experienced florist would disagree with expensive purple in ornaments.

And as u r obviously inexperienced with floral design, ur an idiot. Ok now Im lol for real.

 

[anadiner]

Blue and red = purple but all experienced florist would disagree with expensive purple in ornaments.

And as u r obviously inexperienced with floral design, ur an idiot. Ok now Im lol for real.

Omg just hit me: hope u know I'm making a pun.

 

[Supervstech]

Blue and red = purple but all experienced florist would disagree with expensive purple in ornaments.

And as u r obviously inexperienced with floral design, ur an idiot. Ok now Im lol for real.

Now wait just a minute… we aren’t discussing floral design here are we? A rich black orchid is of course the best flower…

 

[sunshine]

a badly soldered termination is usually better than a badly crimped one

I crimp & solder then pray one is good enough!

 

[anadiner]

Now wait just a minute… we aren’t discussing floral design here are we? A rich black orchid is of course the best flower…

Oh ur forum experienced = u didnt take the bait and type 20 paragraphs defending ur floral experience... u know defending that ur an idiot.

To keep on topic, a black orchid would most definitely by the eigenvalue squared in matrix B times SSPP to cell F of matrix C not beat soldering a blue/red daisy into an ornament.

 

[anadiner]

I crimp & solder then pray one is good enough!

Im becoming convinced a purple string is better than either.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

The rule is: an electrical connection has four critical elements; sufficient mechanical connection; excellent electrical conduction, and environmental protection. The fourth would be cross-arc insulation which #3 creates.

proper #1 should guarantee #2

If I solder like for a fuel injection wire, I only solder after crimping; solder is useful for buried or remote low current applications but solder only breaks the rule of mechanical connection- and you want the unexpected bad thing to survive long enough to blow the fuse, not wait until a fire starts and maybe blow the fuse.
I avoid soldering terminal connections where flexible things (wire) connect to immovable things (terminal block).