electrical system redesign

[Planecrazy]

I have to admit, Martin, that when I think about soldered joints I assume (mistakenly, I'm sure) a reasonably good solder joint. I'm a perfectionist, so nothing short of an excellent joint will do. I also make it a point to insulate beyond the "wick" area that molten solder will travel beyond the main joint, so perhaps that is why I've rarely had a problem with breakage - that area always has extra stress support in my work. Needless to say, you can deduce that my crimp joints also must live up to my perfectionist nature, so the comparison between the two is a fair one where it comes to my personal use.

I'd be very interested to know what the reason is that you were told automakers don't solder, and where did this person's source of knowledge originate? One would think that the majority of connections under a dashboard don't generally get disturbed once the vehicle rolls off the line, so I can understand why a less reliable (in my opinion) unsoldered spade connection would be acceptable.

Anyway, I agree to disagree, but I will agree on the point that if one is NOT an expert solderer they may indeed get better results from crimping.

Regards,

[tkent02]

One thing about solder is that it melts when too much current flows through it. Makes an electrical fire much worse, shorts out other circuits, bad stuff. When I worked at Boeing as an aircraft electrician, everything was crimped for that reason. No solder anywhere.
And done properly, supported, protected from corrosion, good crimps last forever.

[Planecrazy]

One thing about solder is that it melts when too much current flows through it. Makes an electrical fire much worse, shorts out other circuits, bad stuff. When I worked at Boeing as an aircraft electrician, everything was crimped for that reason. No solder anywhere.
And done properly, supported, protected from corrosion, good crimps last forever.

Most interesting point! Perhaps that's why the auto companies do it as well...

Regards,

[gert du prez]

Help needed on 'crimp'

Hello,

My English skills are not so brilliant, so I might need an explanation in words what that 'crimp' actually means... I have tried to find the equivalent here where I live (Dutch speaking) but I cannot seem to find it.

Can someone please, in plain and simple explanation, tell me what it is all about ?

thanks,

gert

[fatpat]

This site has a better explanation than I could come up with... plus it has pictures!

http://www.kampenwagen.co.uk/Crimping.htm

[beergood]

This thread has definitely taken on an interesting second life, and I have been enjoying watching the debate.

My thoughts:

Both sides make good points about the pitfalls of crimping vs. soldering. It has been my experience that anything can fail. Although I don't think that the low/moderate cyclic stress that our harness undergo are going to lead to a lot of broken soldered connections. Then again, if you are like me you rarely ride through the hurricane like conditions that are going to completely destroy well made crimped connections. So I think if either methods are used properly they will probably last for quite a long while.

Side Note:

When I was 17/18 I worked for a local marine mechanic doing mostly grunt/gopher work. By the way, that job sucked. Boats are made for owners to enjoy on deck, and not for mechanics to be comfortable while overhauling an engine down below. Space is definitely maximized for leisure and not maintenance. I remember that most electrical connections that we made were crimped. They all seemed to work just fine. And when a boat owner finds a mechanic they trust they stick with them for years, so if there were problems with the electrical, we would have heard about it.

So then, why did I solder a lot of my connections? Because in my gut it just felt like the right thing to do. Also, I kind of like playing with the soldering iron.

[Planecrazy]

I did a lot of work on our family's motorboat growing up, and from brand new to "in need of help" (due to my father's neglect over time) there was a lot I learned. I did notice that most of the worst corrosion leading to electrical woes was caused by crimp connections that had degraded over time.

By contrast, the soldered joints I made early in the life of the boat (which we bought new) when adding accessories surface-corroded just like the crimped connections but never failed. Unlike the crimps, they didn't depend on a squished mechanical connection to conduct current - they were permanently fused (this assumes a good solder joint, of course), so corrosion was never able to compromise the circuits.

This is why my gut instinct is still to do a proper solder joint whenever possible.

Regards,

[smokienutz]

awesome thread. i am in the process of redoing my wiring atm. i saw that you used heavier guage wire. do you remeber what size guage you went with? and is it still holding up?

[posplayr]

This is a minimum 550 schmatic that uses most of the stock components.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=153727

[chef1366]

This is a minimum 550 schmatic that uses most of the stock components.


http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=153727

Give ya a twenty for it.

[posplayr]

Give ya a twenty for it.

Sure paypal to posplayr@payme.com

[smokienutz]

this simplified diagram will work for a 1100?

[posplayr]

this simplified diagram will work for a 1100?

In theory it would work for an 1100 but there is no provison for lights, gauges or turn signals. It was intended for bobber and bare bones electrical and those would have to be added as per your desires.

Personally in the same way I would not strip out all the light and indicators for a car, I would try and keep a GS1100 pretty close to stock so this stripped down version I can't really recommend.

I would also add a coil relay mod, if you were going to rewire everything as that gives the most reliable voltage to the coils.

[smokienutz]

In theory it would work for an 1100 but there is no provison for lights, gauges or turn signals. It was intended for bobber and bare bones electrical and those would have to be added as per your desires.

Personally in the same way I would not strip out all the light and indicators for a car, I would try and keep a GS1100 pretty close to stock so this stripped down version I can't really recommend.

I would also add a coil relay mod, if you were going to rewire everything as that gives the most reliable voltage to the coils.

ok cool. atm i am in the process of getting wires and sockets etc. making a new harness/wiring. what would the best wire for this? is there a better brand to look for? or can i just go w/ the typical automotive type wire? also i wanted to go w/ 12 gauge wire but the more i look at it, it seems i want have enough room in there lol. i was told 14 is ok. what do y'all think?

if i hijacked a thread i apoligize.

[posplayr]

ok cool. atm i am in the process of getting wires and sockets etc. making a new harness/wiring. what would the best wire for this? is there a better brand to look for? or can i just go w/ the typical automotive type wire? also i wanted to go w/ 12 gauge wire but the more i look at it, it seems i want have enough room in there lol. i was told 14 is ok. what do y'all think?

if i hijacked a thread i apoligize.

The best wire (whether you need it is a different matter) is teflon coated wire. It is harder to strip but is standard practice in miltary and avionics systems. I would only go 12G on the main power lines between R/R and ignition switch, fusebox, battery. Once the current is distributed you can switch back to 14 G.

http://www.bulkwire.com/wire-cable/ptfe-high-temperature-stranded-wire.html