Solderstick

[longbedder]

I put a lot into electrical connections. I typically use a hi-temp sleeve or terminal connector (bare metal), then crimp it, solder it, and cover with HD shrink wrap.

This solderstick thing caught my attention in a pop-up ad. Anyone have any experience with them?

solderstick.com

 

[centexk5]

Used them a lot. No complaints yet.

 

[JoshHefnerX]

My dad used something similar to that in the AF.

With that being said most of the big auto mfg use crimps when they can because solder can be brittle when subjected to movement/vibration.

 

[ryoken]

i solder when it's needed.. evil mallard eyes was an occasion like that... boat radars, etc...

but i would never solder a proper crimp connection... proper.... as alluded to, it's only adding more of a stress point, etc imo... but I also come from the boat biz, where it is HIGHLY frowned upon....

 

[Wes Harden]

I just solder the metra to pioneer harness for the new entertainment head going in 01 burb.
Solder and heat shrink, no crimp.

The solder stick linked above is that a ring of solder in the middle?

Am growing more fond of uninsulated crimp butt and terminal with heat shrink.

 

[centexk5]

Yes. It’s a ring of solder inside of a tube of heat shrink. Stick the wires in, turn on the heat gun, it melts the solder and heat shrinks it at the same time. And it’s not flexible afterwards. It forms a solid bond. I’ve yet to have a file on one and I’ve used them on trucks and rzr’s.

 

[Blue85]

I'm responsible for designing thousands of those into avionics test equipment. I can only recall one bad joint. Solderstick and Soldersleeve are brand names, but in general they're just called solder splice or splice. They really save time in assembly and avoid the risk of brittle wire by design. The key is to select the right one for the number and sizes of wires that will go in. There is not enough solder to wick very far, so the wires have strain relief from the shrink tube outside of the solder joint. A good technician knows to leave some slack in the wires around these things, so they can be cut out for service later (or for design changes from those crazy engineers). The good sleeves have a visible color change in the solder area to confirm that it has flowed.

The best way to use splices in your design is not to! But sometimes you are forced to route signals between connectors that share no compatible wire size and the correct solder sleeve makes that easy.

 

[wazzabie]

Is the middle section of the solderstick crimped?

 

[centexk5]

No. That’s the solder. Stick the wires in, hit it with a heat gun until the solder melts and the rest of the connector shrinks. That’s it.

 

[Blue85]

No. That’s the solder. Stick the wires in, hit it with a heat gun until the solder melts and the rest of the connector shrinks. That’s it.

Correct. The whole point is that all you do is strip wires, assemble as needed, and use the heat gun. The problems arise when you use the wrong sleeve for the wires at hand.

 

[Big Ray]

Cool. Just ordered some.

 

[wazzabie]

Never used solderstick. Why not just twist the copper wire stands and use some good lead solder? I put some dialectic grease on after it cools and then use a heat shrink tube.

 

[centexk5]

Cause it does all that at once.

 

[bigjbear]

We use these at work when terminating the shield of a shielded wire into a pigtail. If that doesn’t make sense I can find a photo. They are NEVER used to make a splice on an aircraft. Could you on your vehicle? Yes, absolutely. Would I in a non aviation application? I’ll just say I’ve been using them for 30+ years and haven’t yet.