Wiring connectors

[Stew]

Hi all.

I'm looking for advice on wiring connectors and a crimping tool. I'd like to make up some proper connections instead of just solder and heat shrink.
What do you guys use for say connecting battery to receiver and receiver to ESC?

Stew.

[bluejets]

Both are usually already fitted.
3 pin connector.
Only attempt doing your own connection with a "good quality crimper" designed for the purpose (I have 2 different size crimpers to cover a large range of terminals)...elcheapo crimpers simply do not work.
Or.....a good eye, steady hands, a good pair of parallel closing pointy pliers.

Best if none of the above to simply buy the leads (servo leads) with plug/socket already attached and solder/heatshrink to your leads.

Crimper here..... https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/145240427714

[Stew]

Hi there.

I think I was a bit misleading in my original post. I put ESC and I meant escapement.
I've basically got old bits of gear that need connecting together nicely, and I'd like to do it right by making up proper connectors so they can be swapped between models without unsoldering/wire cutting.
Does anyone know what the servo connectors are called or what the sizes are? I think they're Dupont? 1mm?

[Tobe]

The modern connector are Dupont with a pitch of 2.54 mm.
I crimp all my connectors since the day they started to use the Dupont mainly because I like to be able choose the gauge of the wire and the color accordingly. I have the cheapest crimp tool you can imagine bought at RadioShack and still doing the job.
However you need to practice.....
You can buy the connector housing and pins in bulk just have to choose if going for the gold-plated or not, shop around.
The housing for the connectors comes in all kind of configurations.
Most hobbyshops carry the connector in small set but the price can be outrageous.
The quality of the wire is also a key aspect.

[Phil_G]

After many, many failures and three different crimping tools, I've concluded that I'm incapable of doing neat, reliable joints
I envy those who can but there comes a point where you're just forced to accept your limitations
Consequently I would rather graft on a standard servo cable, preferably replacing the whole lead or if thats not possible, extending
with a few inches of ready-made 'servo lead'. To this end I buy bundles of ready-made leads, these for example are female-female leads (in EE's terms, aeromodellers insist servo connectors are male) and snip them in half to make two 'adapters'. I usually go for twisted cable, though as PaulJ pointed out, you can split and twist the ribbon ones (I'd never thought of doing that!).

These are female-female!

m2m.jpg (44.64 KiB) Viewed 1170 times

[Wayne_H]

Like Tobe, I crimp my own.

My experience with wire gauges - too light a wire and/or too heavy handed & you risk damaging/breaking wire strands within the insulation and adversly affecting current carrying capacity and vibration resistance, while too "heavy" a gauge can deform the insulation such that the crimped end doesn't fit correctly in the connector housing. I typically use 24swg. Practice, practice

However I also have a stock of the leads Phil showed above. FYI, they are commonly used in quads and FPV applications between the Rx and flight controller.

[Stew]

Thanks all. That gives me something to go on. Trying to standardise the way I connect things as much as possible, as well as wire colours, but it's not easy.

Regards

Stew.