[GreenKeys] Molex Connectors and pins

[Keith Mc]

(Hi... A quick note, since I'm new here.  I'm in SE Michigan. I used to have a 
baudot TTY model 20. I now own an ASR-33 that failed to wake up again after 
a house move.  I someday wish to get it running, and was pointed to this list, 
to find other TTY fans.  But this is a whole 'nother thread... :-)

A quick piece of advice on ordering Molex, or other crimp terminal systems
that you don't "normally stock"" If you weren't planning on just buying a std
sized bag of pins for them, then ALWAYS get at least a FEW spare pins than 
you require!

My rule of thumb is to order at least TWO extra pins per housing ordered.
That should more than cover most possible errors, or needed rework.

This is because those cheap swaged pins have quite a number of failure modes:
1) A percentage of the pins in any batch WILL be bad (misformed/crushed/badtabs/etc)
2) Crimping failures - (in the tool wrong, weak crimp, excessive force breaks pin, etc.)
3) Failure of a crimped pin to properly lock into the housing (tabs break, etc.)
4) Wire pulled out, and you can't recrimp it.
5) The pin didn't survive when removed from the housing (ex: you stuck the pin 
in the wrong hole, and the fragile pin or its lock tabs didn't survive rebending... Grrr...)

Of course, once your "spare pin inventory" starts going up you can always 
fall back to just ordering what you need. But until that time (or if you're 
ordering a new kind of connector for the very first time) I'd always at 
least add a few extra pins to each order.  

I'm an "occasional crimper", that doesn't do it daily.  I find having at least 
a FEW spare pins to trash also gives me a chance to get a "feel" for 
crimping THIS batch or class of pins with some scrap wire, BEFORE starting
to crimp the real wires (but don't use up ALL of your spares during practice!).  
It may take a ruined pin or two to "get back into the rhythm" of it, but a 
few "practice pins" easily allows you to find the minimum and maximum 
hand force to apply, to insure good crimps.

This avoids my Worst Case Scenario: Finding out after all the crimping is done
that you are just ONE pin short, and you now must spend $10 or more for a 
min order (parts and shipping) just to get that one, lousy, few cent part... <AUGH!>

Good luck!
- Keith Mc.
"Experience is directly proportional to equipment ruined"...

DR HOUSE (Don) <k9tty at ...> wrote: 
> I do not have a lot of different types of Molex so some might need to  
> be ordered. We will see... at least the price is right.... postage only.

> Roy Morgan wrote:
> > Here is the molex info for the ST-6000.
> > The parts can be found on page 919 in Mouser's online catalog.
> > You will need: [...so much of each housing, and pin...]