Crimping Reading Assignment

Read entire reading assignment (including diagrams) before starting crimping.

Crimping is often used within system assemblies to electrically connect chassis components to
circuitry on a PCB.
Refer to the Crimping Your Header Wires diagram.
It is important to remove (strip) the appropriate amount of wire insulation before crimping. As
shown in the diagram, only 1/8 of insulation is necessary to be removed. After insulation is
removed only bare metal should be between front small crimp and only insulation should be
between rear large crimp.
A special tool called a crimper is used to fold the front small crimp into the bare metal of wire to
make an electrical connection and to fold the rear large crimp into the insulation of wire to make a
mechanical connection. How to crimp with this tool will be demonstrated by a TA.
Once a wire is crimped, it is then inserted into the plastic connector body with the metal
locking tabs facing towards the connector body slots. The locking tabs will click into the
slots thereby securing the wire into the plastic connector body.
As shown in the diagram, there are two different size crimps. The larger crimp is for mainly 20
gauge wire and the smaller crimp is for 24 gauge wire. Wire is attached to a small crimp in the
same manner and with the same crimper as a wire is attached to a large crimp.
After a wire is crimped to a small crimp, it also locks into a plastic connector body as the large
crimps do. Notice the small crimps have a metal locking tab for holding the wire in place too.
To determine which wires get crimped and what size crimp to use refer to Header Wiring
Diagram #1 and Header Wiring Diagram #2.
At the bottom of Header Wiring Diagram #1 is a 6 pin white plastic connector body. Wires
inserted into this connector body get a large crimp. For example, one end of the 20 gauge 6
red wire gets a large crimp, the other end of this wire is soldered to right red terminal on the
chassis front panel. All connections to front panel components are soldered, not crimped.
Soldering wire to front panel components is part of front panel assembly and is done at a
later time.
Notice two wires, a 20 gauge 5 black wire and the 24 gauge black wire of the LED
connector, go to the same large crimp. Also note, the black and white wire of the LED
connector are to be cut to 7 in length before being crimped.
In addition, at the top of the diagram is an insert showing three wires of the transformer
gets large crimps. Depending on the transformer in your kit, a transformer will have a total of 5
or 7 wires.

Header Wiring Diagram #2 shows a 6 pin white plastic connector body and two 10 pin black
plastic connector bodies. The black connector bodies wires receive small crimps, the white
connector
body wires get large crimps as before. For example, two 24 gauge 6 gray wires get a large crimp
on one end and a small crimp on the other end. Also notice, two 24 3 brown wires get two small
crimps, one on each end. In addition, the orange and purple wires have two wires going to the same
large crimp.
After making all crimps, check for electrical continuity (i.e. good electrical connection) of all crimp
connections with a continuity checker. If you have never used a continuity tester, ask the instructor or
a TA for assistance.
Review Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Crimping is often used to:

Large crimps are mostly used with _____ gauge wire.
Small crimps are used with ______ gauge wire.
Only ____________ should be between small front crimp in order to make a good electrical
connection.
5. Only ____________ should be between large rear crimp in order to make a good mechanical
connection.
6. The purpose of the crimps metal locking tab is to:
7. True / False Large crimps have a box shape.
8. After a wire is crimped to a large crimp, it is inserted into a:
9. After a wire is crimped to a small crimp, it is inserted into a:
10. Both the black and white wire of the LED connector are cut to a length of _______ before
crimping.
11. All wires are _________ to front panel components.
12. True / False All transformer wires (5 or 7 wires) are crimped.
13. After crimping a wire, check for:
14. True / False Some crimps have two wires instead of one.
15. The tool used to crimp wires.

Crimping Your Header Wires

Large Crimps:
Gauge wire - 20AWG or larger (16 AWG is larger than 20 AWG)
Use for white header tops and header pins with 0.156 pitch and
24 gauge LED white wire.
Plastic
Casing

Metal Wire: Strip 1/8

1/8

Wire

Spring connector
For inside header
Rear Large crimp grabs onto wire casing.
Small front crimp grabs metal wire.
DO NOT SOLDER crimps.
Rear
Large
Crimp

Front
Small
Crimp

Metal Locking
Tab

Small Crimps are handled the same way as large crimps

except they require a smaller wire size and the connector end
is a box type spring rather than a round spring.

Small Crimps:
Gauge wire - 20AWG or smaller (24 AWG is smaller than 20 AWG)
Use for black meter header tops with 0.100 pitch pins.
Crimp
curled
over
Plastic
wire
casing

Metal
Wire

*Rear- Large crimp compresses on wire casing giving

mechanical strength.
*Front-Small crimp compresses on wire making electrical
contact.
*Tips of crimps are curled over to grab casing and wire,
not just folded flat against the casing or wire.

END VIEW OF CRIMP

Header Wiring Diagram #1

Left & Right from Inside Chassis View
Ver
W10
Left Red
Termina
l

LED
Holde
r
Part 1

NOTE: 3 Transformer Wires Crimped

Right
Red
Terminal

Middle
Black
Termina
l

Transformer Load
Side
Blue
Yellow or Black
Green
Termina
l

Flat
Sid
e
LED

Ground Lug / Screw /

Nut
20 ga.
6
Right Pot for
White Black
Red
Terminal

Left Pot for

Red
or
Terminal
20 ga.
4
Black
(Included
With
Power
Supply
Kit)

24 ga.
White

24
ga.
Black

Cut 2 LED
Wires to
7

1 2 3

8 Green - 16 Ga to Paint Free,

separate, Chassis Ground

LED
Holder
Part 2

LED
Connector
(WiresAttached)

Blue
White Header

20 ga.
4
White

20 ga.
6
Red

20 ga.
5
Black

Note:
Wires
Crimped
Together
For Pin 6

White
6
Pin
Header
Slots face down
UsesPinLarge
Crimps
1 of Header

6 Pin Male
Header
Soldered
To Board

Goes to Pin 1 on
Board
Circuit
Board

20 ga.
8
Brown

20 ga.
5
Orange

Header Wiring Diagram #2:

Left & Right from Inside Chassis View
Ver
W12

To Right Meter

Black 10 Pin Meter Headers

Slots face up
Use Small Crimps

To Left Meter

24 ga.
3Dark
Brown
24 ga.
6 Orange

24 ga.
6 Purple

24 ga.
3 Dark
Brown

9 10

24 ga.
6 Blue

9 10

24 ga.
6 Blue

24 ga.
6 Gray
24 ga.
6 Purple

24 ga.
6 Orange

24 ga.
6 Gray

White 6 Pin Header

Slots face down
Uses Large Crimps
Note: 2 Wires Crimped
Together For Pins 1 & 2