[ARC5] Alligator clip leads

[Mike Feher]

I have struggled with the same problem Steve. Wound up soldering all those clips where the crimps often only crimped the insulation or were intermittent. 73 – Mike  

 

Mike B. Feher, N4FS

89 Arnold Blvd.

Howell NJ 07731

848-245-9115

 

From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Steve WD8DAS via ARC5
Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2021 1:55 PM
To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ARC5] Alligator clip leads

 

 

Over the years I've been frustrated by failures of alligator clip leads.  Nothing is worse than thinking the device under test has a problem when in fact it turns out a bad test lead that are the issue.  

 

This has only gotten worse in recent years, as most of the commercially-available clip leads have become complete junk:   A few strands of weird metal inside stiff plastic insulation, with cheaply-made alligator clips loosely clamped (not even crimped) on the ends.  

 

My old leads are wearing out so a couple weeks ago I bought some new clip leads from a reputable vendor.  They turned out to be the worst ever - half of the leads had no continuity right out of the package.  I tried soldering the wires to the clips but the few strands of wire did not seem to want to take solder - very odd stuff.  I trashed them and went on a search for good test leads.  I first sought good test-lead wire and clips to make my own - the minimum quantity of the wire was  too high.

 

I found some ready-made leads from Cal-Test Electronics.   I asked and confirmed they are made from real test lead wire, soldered to good quality clips:  


https://app.caltestelectronics.com/product-list/product-page/view/CT2394/

and bought them from DigiKey, but others sell them as well:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cal-test-electronics/CT2394/5028475

 

https://www.tequipment.net/Cal-Test/CT2394/Alligator-Test-Leads/

 

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cal-Test-Electronics/CT2394?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtJbfcMcIM8CEmjI6%2FR0hxQbyY9pD4jm%252Bw%3D

They are more expensive than the junk, but the two packs I received show the quality I was seeking.  

 

 

Steve WD8DAS

sbjohnston at aol.com <mailto:sbjohnston at aol.com> 
http://www.wd8das.net/

http://af4k-crystals.com

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