Issue Crimping Wire on Molex .093" Pins

Outerworld

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I am having a problem crimping the wire portion of some .093" Molex crimp terminals.

I'm using a GC/Waldom W-HT1919 which requires three crimps (2 for the insulation and 1 for the wire) or an unmarked crimp tool I bought years ago which crimps the insulation in one crimp, but is too wide to crimp the wire portion of the terminal. I am working with 02-09-2118 and 02-09-1119 pins.

Crimping the insulation goes ok with either tool with the pin held upright. When using the Waldom tool I am using section A for the insulation. After moving to section B to crimp to wire, the pin can't be held upright- it wants to spin left or right in the tool. On Bob Robert's site I watched a video where it kind of looks like the pin is crimped twice in this section, once on each side with the pin held at a plus or minus 45 degree angle from upright, folding each side into the wire.

Whatever I try doesn't seem to work - lighter pressure doesn't work well and stronger pressure also doesn't work and also "bananas" the pin so it won't fit in the connector. Either way, most of the time the pin ends up pushing all the way through the plastic housing when inserted. This only happens after attempting to crimp the wire portion- If I only crimp the insulation the pin inserts and stops in the connector correctly.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!
 

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You are doing it wrong. I'm not going to look to see if your tool is correct, but the way you are crimping it is wrong. 1 crimp for the insulation, 1 for the wire. You are using both crimp spots for the insulation.

Also, your first insulation crimp doesn't appear like a good crimp.
 
The Waldom isn't unusable, it just takes a little more practice to get a good crimp out of it. I eventually bought one of these below, which crimps both the conductor and insulator at the same time, and is much quicker. But I did plenty of crimps with the Waldom, once I got the hang of it, as it does have a bit of a learning curve, IMO.

https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Tools-16801C-Contact-Clamshell/dp/B000CSC4W2

One of your issues is what 2600 said. You have the wire pushed too far in, and you're bending the flared part of the connector, which is what stops it from pushing all the way through the housing.

The bare end of the wire should be where your right crimp is in the pic, and you use the smaller die for that. Then the insulation goes where your left crimp is, with the larger die.
 
The Molex HTR-2445A is the best made tool on this entire planet. No other tool will ever replace its sheer awesome-sauce-ness.

Agreed. Paired with the correct locator, this is the best crimper on the planet. Perfect crimps, every time, no effort.

Ed at Great Plains Electronics will guide you down the path to the best crimping experience. You don't necessarily have to buy the HTR-2445A from him, as you'll probably find a better deal somewhere else. But you will probably have to buy the locator setups from him.
 
You're shoving the stripped part of the wire in too far. It should only be in the second spot not all the way forward where you have it.

I own both the red and yellow handle Molex/Waldom hand crimpers. They work great for me. I've done thousands of crimps with them.
 
I got good results crimping thicker wires with my Chinese ratcheting crimpers but almost always waste 2-3 pins trying to crimp thinner wires. I bit the bullet and bought a used set of Molex crimpers and it's a night and day difference. The savings in aggregation alone was worth the cost of the correct tool.
 
Thanks for all the helpful responses!

Yes, it looks like the main problem was that I was pushing in the wire too far. I had actually bought the Platinum Tools 16801C for this task before buying the Waldom WHT-1919, but because of my incorrect idea on the wire placement thought I had bought the wrong tool for these pins.

I just tried the 16801C and with the proper wire alignment was successfully able to crimp a number of pins. There is still a bit of variation in the crimps, but overall they seem strong and fit properly in the plastic housing. See attached pic.

I'd be interested to know if the Molex HTR-2445A or the crimping tool from Arcade Parts and Repair have any advantages over the 16801C in terms of ease of use or quality and consistency of the crimps. I know some people like the WHT-1919, but after comparing it to the 16801C, I'm preferring the Platinum Tools model. It's quicker (one step rather than two), and for me the crimps look better and more consistent.

So, one other question: I now have a few connectors to redo and own the Waldom W-HT-2038 spring loaded pin extractor tool. It works fine for the male pins, but not for the female pins. Is there a way to extract the female pins with this tool, or is there some other tool needed for them?

Thanks again!
 

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There are lots of crimp tools to pick from -- some better than others. The Waldom W-HT1919 and 1921 fall into the 'not so great' category. They're cheap and work in a pinch but not too good if you do lots of crimping.

For 0.093" pins -- best crimper is an HTR1031E (Sargent 3132-CT).
GPE has the full set of the older Molex type crimpers available. But they are expensive so do what I did -- watch ebay. Wait until you find one listed at the $20 to $40 range. And make sure they're complete with locator!

0.1" contacts = HTR2262A (Sargent 3135-CT) -- this does not include locator!
0.062" contacts = HTR1719C (Sargent 3133-CT) -- with locator
0.093" contacts = HTR1031E (Sargent 3132-CT) -- with locator
0.156" contacts = HTR2445A (Sargent 3136-CT) -- with locator

Once you use a crimper with a locator - you'll never want to go back to a cheaper one. Push the button, drop the contact in the hole, release the button and you're good to go. Crimper holds contact at the right depth and orientation.

Ed (GPE)
 
Thanks for the info - I'll keep an eye out on eBay for the Molex HTR1031E or HTR-2445A at a good price. At a glance they both look similar, I'd be interested in knowing any differences between the two.

As for the female pin removal, I found my Waldom w-HT-2038 would remove them from the wire side of the connector (cutting the wire first). Some would pop right out, others would come out enough from the connector to be removed with some needle-nose pliers.
 
I would never use that type of crimper/wire stripper for that. It's fine if you're squishing some butt connectors and installing a car stereo. It won't properly crimp the little pins. Try crimping .100 pins with that..

Get the proper ratcheting crimper and start over. Good luck.
 
i think you guys are over complicating things. i use these cheap ~$20 crimpers and have done thousands of .100, .156, .062, .084, and .093 pins with zero issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JLN93S

I've only done a marginal amount of crimping but I was thinking the same thing. It's more work to use the cheap one Bob Roberts has on his site but it's always seemed to work for me. I've always assumed the real advantage to the Molex brand crimper is the ease of use and speed. It's just hard to justify the cost for me when I'm not doing a zillion crimps. Still, I defer to those who are much wiser and more experienced than I am.
 
I use these same ones... No issue here as well. Cheap and the build quality is pretty decent!

I also use these, had them for years & they work great. I have no idea why people prefer non-ratcheting crimpers, they drive me up the wall.
 
i'm sorry, just cuz you crimp using cheap ass tools for the last 20 years doesn't mean it's a good product.

once you go HTR, you never go back.

What's $100? I shit out $100 bills when I poop. Invest in your passion folks! Never settle!
 
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