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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => AC Power and Grounding => Topic started by: Mike Sokol on September 28, 2018, 07:30:35 AM

Title: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Mike Sokol on September 28, 2018, 07:30:35 AM
Just saw these on my facebook feed. It's a butt splice with a low-temp solder/flux slug, plus low-temp glue seals on the ends. So you just strip the wires, plug them into the splice, and melt the low-temp solder with a heat-gun or maybe a lighter. In theory this melts the solder to connect the wires, and also melts the glue to form a watertight seal. While I scoffed at this at first, it's actually an interesting idea for my RV readers who have no real soldering skills, and yet are installing new fans and other gadgets in their RVs. Perhaps is this even acceptable for 70-volt speaker splices in a ceiling rather then wire bugs. What do you all think?

https://sharperday.com/products/necs-waterproof-solder-wire-connectors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-gAAyw_m14
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: John Roberts {JR} on September 28, 2018, 09:14:48 AM
I like it, mostly, but solder should not be trusted alone... there should be a mechanical connection first, then solder to perfect it. That looks like it could easily pull apart if reheated.

Perhaps better than what they are doing now?

JR

[edit- perhaps a soft tin sleeve that can be crimped before the low temp solder is melted could provide some mechanical strength. My old mil spec soldering training is showing... 8)  [/edit]
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Rick Earl on September 28, 2018, 09:37:08 AM
These are water resistant IDC connectors.  No heat needed.
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Scotchlok-Electrical-IDC-314-BIN-Pigtail-Self-Stripping-Moisture-Resistant-and-Flame-Retardant-Blue-22-14-AWG-1000-per-case/?N=5002385+3294757455&preselect=8710679+8711734+8717909+8717930&rt=rud (https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Scotchlok-Electrical-IDC-314-BIN-Pigtail-Self-Stripping-Moisture-Resistant-and-Flame-Retardant-Blue-22-14-AWG-1000-per-case/?N=5002385+3294757455&preselect=8710679+8711734+8717909+8717930&rt=rud)
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Taylor Hall on September 28, 2018, 10:01:57 AM
These have actually been around a while, car audio guys like them for working in cramped areas. A guy did a side-by-side of using an iron vs using these, no real time saved between either joining method and both held solid. He noted that the solder in the shrink connectors actually did a good job of penetrating through all the wire strands when he snipped them with some dikes, so continuity shouldn't be an issue if used properly.

JR brings up a good point about reheating, but if your wiring is in a place where it gets hot enough to reactivate the heat shrink (200°+ F) then you may have bigger problems or need to address proper insulation.
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Lyle Williams on September 28, 2018, 03:58:06 PM
Crimp
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Stephen Kirby on October 23, 2018, 03:24:04 PM
Basically a revamp of the old RayChem solder sleeve that's been around since the '60s.  There was a "zap" gun that went along with it to reflow the solder but most folks used heat guns, sometimes with a nozzle that wrapped the airflow around the sleeve.

These used to be the Mil Spec required way to terminate shields on cables.  Instead of twisting up the braid, it was supposed to be cut short and a conventional wire pigtail attached to it with one of these.  Because they'd discolor from the heat guns many operators would break out the solder ring, hand solder the pigtail and then put the blue sleeve over and shrink it with less heat that would have been needed to reflow the solder.

I agree that even with a sealing adhesive, which is available in conventional shrink sleeving anyway, there isn't any real strength to the attachment to the wire insulation.  But a well done lap solder joint should have sufficient strength.  These days we do tons of shear strength tests on SMT joints.  A lot of the exterior connectors on consumer products are lap solder connections and these get pushed and yanked at constantly.  Although they will fatigue and break more easily than an orthogonal PTH termination.
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Frank Koenig on October 23, 2018, 04:37:39 PM
Basically a revamp of the old RayChem solder sleeve that's been around since the '60s.  There was a "zap" gun that went along with it to reflow the solder but most folks used heat guns, sometimes with a nozzle that wrapped the airflow around the sleeve.

These used to be the Mil Spec required way to terminate shields on cables.

I remember those. They were used in avionics work even on civil aircraft.

I like the crimp butt-splices with the built-in adhesive/sealant lined shrink tubing. The best of all worlds -- assuming correct wire sizes and crimp tool. I ordered a whole bunch in red, blue, and yellow 8) I'm a little skeptical if the low-temp solder splices will work reliably under field conditions with different wires sizes, platings, surface corrosion, etc. At least when I solder something with an iron I get to see the result.

On insulation displacing connectors (IDC): they can work pretty well in a controlled environment, such as manufacturing, where proven connectors are used with known compatible wire. (The world is full of ribbon headers that work pretty well, except in mixers  ::) ) Even when these conditions were met,  I remember one kind of IDC that would start to smoke if used near its rated current. We abandoned them for Faston-style lugs, as I recall. I wouldn't touch those Scotch Schlock things with a ten foot pole.

--Frank
Title: Re: Self soldering butt splice
Post by: Keith Finch on November 10, 2018, 03:11:26 PM
I found this on YouTube from a board member

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=213&v=Mkdj-GB6-Tk