At 10:48 AM 12/20/2014, Josh Koffman wrote: >On Fri, Dec 19, 2014 at 12:41 PM, Robert Dvoracek=20 > wrote: > > He said at least four pins, so there are plenty of sturdy=20 > connectors in the PC world that fit the bill, such as the Molex,=20 > MiniFit Jr., and Amphenol. Also, there is probably nothing wrong=20 > with JST either. They can be plugged and unplugged hundreds of times. > >I like MiniFit Jr connectors, though I have found that sometimes, over >time, the little arm that latches bends slightly. When that happens >you have to sort of pry up the latch to get it to disengage. The nice >thing is that you can usually pop the contacts out and put them into a >new housing if needed. > >The JST connectors I've used have usually developed problems where the >wire meets the contact. I wonder if they were using wire that wasn't >of great quality though. I'm not sure who made them, they came on >products I purchased. We use both MiniFit Jr and the JST JWPF waterproof connectors. All=20 have been reliable in several years of operation. Mind you: we use=20 *lots* of different connectors. My favorite internal board connector=20 is still the Panduit Mascon CF100 series (IDC) but those are intended=20 for only occasional disconnection. We use the JWPF connectors inside professional football helmets where=20 the electronics packages and connectors get drenched with=20 sweat. They have been *very* reliable. The very rare failures are=20 when someone destroys the retention latch while trying to separate=20 the connectors. We simply eject the pins, examine them to make sure=20 that they are still pristine, then insert the pins into a new housing. These connectors are separated after every practice and every game=20 and when charging the power module. The JWPF connector pins are crimped (F-crimp) rather than=20 insulation-displacement. We have 3 different tooling options:=20 fully-manual ratchet-type hand crimper, a similar ratchet-type hand=20 crimper with integral strip feeder (*much* easier to use) and a fully=20 automatic strip-crimp machine. I routinely use all 3 crimpers but=20 the fully automatic machine is what gets used when we are in production. In general, I find that F-type crimped connections are more reliable=20 than insulation displacement. But they are a pain in the rear to do=20 if you don't have the appropriate tooling. dwayne --=20 Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax www.trinity-electronics.com Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .