Re: Cutting PS wires anyone?

On Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:56:59 -0500, "SC Tom" <sc@xxxxxxx> wrote:


"Allen Drake" <ALDrake@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:re4oc7lgcogpa1m03vle48aitvutkjptju@xxxxxxxxxx
On Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:40:15 -0800 (PST), "larry moe 'n curly"
<larrymoencurly@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



Allen Drake wrote:
I do think I will be making my own cables to get
them exactly the right size. I've seen many go to lengths like cutting
holes in cases. I have a new case that has little room to hide any PSU
cables anywhere.

If you ever decide to simply cut off wires, watch out for strands
sticking out beyond the insulation that can cause shorts. You can
pull the insulation over the tip to encase the strands, but start
pulling about 3" from the end so the insulation will extend at least
1/2", and you want at least 1/2" because the insulation slides back.
Better yet, also cover each tip with about 2" of heatshrink.

I'm too cheap to buy connectors and pins, so I just cut the wires at
the circuit board. However some PSUs are built so 2-3 wires go into a
single hole that's too narrow for all the wires because the
manufacturer uses a crimp connector that holds them together, and it
has a pin at the end that goes into the solder hole. I don't know
where to buy those connectors, so I take a piece of 0.025" brass and
cut it into a "T" and clamp the horizontal part of the T around the
insulation.

A pin removal tool can be a big, big help, especially for the power
connectors going to the motherboard and video card, but the method
described here has worked OK for me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5_58o0WaTM

Jeweler's screwdrivers didn't work as well.

OTOH round Molex connector pins are easy to remove with a piece of
thinwall tubing (hobby shops and real hardware stores have them, in a
display from K&N Metals).

If you have trouble making good crimps and you have a no-name tool,
its dies may have been made inaccurately. OTOH the house brand
crimping tools from MCM and Radio Shack seem decent.


Thanks L,M & C. I will do it exactly as you describe with the wires I
cut. I enjoyed the clip but I don't think I will be trying to save any
connectors this time. Watching the use of those staples makes me
wonder about making a tool that would do the same job. I work in a
machine shop so I can do quite a bit with metal and tool making.

I think you have created a monster ;)

Al.

If you have two of the female Molex connectors (the metal inserts, not the whole assembly), you can use one of them to
remove the male pins by pushing it down over each one and then pulling the male out.
Using a small screwdriver, widen the other female out until it fits over the other female pin tightly. Then you can use
that one to remove the other female pins from within the assembly. Works better than the POS tool I have for that
purpose :-)

Excellent. Thanks again.



.

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