[ARC5] Alligator clip leads

[Paul Thekan]

I've always made up my own clip leads.
I have some from Radio Shack I bought 30+ years ago that are still good and
many of the test leads I made in HS are still doing fine after 50yrs...and
counting.
Paul
N6FEG

On Sat, Nov 27, 2021, 11:27 AM Mike Feher <n4fs at eozinc.com> wrote:

> 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
> http://www.wd8das.net/
>
> http://af4k-crystals.com
>
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