Hi looking at building a new system and want input form the group if to solder the Terminal connection or not ?
asked
to Solder or not to solder
Hi @Stavarda, as a general rule (particularly in DC wiring) definitely do not solder. There's a reason why, were you to look under the hood of your car, 98% of all connections are crimped rather than soldered.
In the case of heavy-gauge finely stranded DC cabling such as battery cables and the like, if you have a proper crimp to begin with, there is nowhere for the solder to flow; furthermore the heat of the soldering can adversely affect the tinning of the copper stranding (assuming you're using marine-grade tinned copper wire, ignore this if you're not); and finally, the heat of the soldering will make the fine stranding of DC wiring brittle, which can lead to premature failure at connection points.
Make sure your lugs are closed-end, your crimps are solid (for heavy-gauge applications like battery cables, you should be able to pull on the crimped connector with all your strength and see no movement) and then use good double-wall adhesive-lined shrink tube to seal the end, and you're golden.
Automotive argument is rather week.
1. speed - crimping is much faster than soldering.
2. Vibration - soldered joint is more susceptible to fault due to vibration.
As for soldering adversly affecting tinning on the wire. I wonder how those wires got tinned in the first place? I am sure that the heat was involved.
Is there any other, more scientific reason, for not using soldering?
What device you are talking about?
You should use electric wire ferrules instead of solder.
Agreed, should not use solder as the primary means of attaching cabling for anything not on a printed circuit board. A crimper (controlled cycle ratchet type), used properly, will consistently deliver good quality connection between the cable and the lug/ferrule.
