Edit - Another great read -
http://hamslife.blogspot.com/2007/08...olderless.html
http://www.ezonemag.com/pages/faq/a108.shtml
Quote:
Are soldered or crimped joints better?
Q. Are soldered or crimped joints better?
A. Steve Lewin
This always causes some debate. For many joints there is no choice but to solder e.g. the wires to a motor terminal. Solder makes a fine electrical joint provided it is done correctly i.e. heat the pieces up sufficiently, apply the solder to the items being joined not to the iron and do not allow the joint to move until it has cooled. Solder is intended to make electrical connections, not glue things together. Ideally solder joints should always be mechanically supported. Even a piece of heat shrink round the joint helps to take some strain off the solder joint itself.
For terminals designed to be crimped e.g. Sermos / Powerpoles, the general consensus is that crimped joints are better, but only if you have the correct crimping tool and know how to use it. You also need to use the correct size crimps for the wiring. Crimping a tiny wire into a connector intended for 14g will not work well. Even worse is cutting bits off the wire to get it into the crimp. However almost all electrical joints in modern aircraft and space vehicles are crimped and that's not because they can't afford the solder.
One of the main disadvantages of soldering is that the solder wicks into the wire and stiffens it. If the wire is then flexed it is likely to break just there. Crimping overcomes this but is it easy to make a poor joint both electrically and mechanically if you just attack the connector with an old pair of pliers. If you are not willing or able to use the correct tool, which can be expensive, it is probably better to solder the joint.
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