Tested D-sub pin crimpers side by side and one was way cleaner

I finally got tired of my cheap crimper leaving loose pins on cannon plugs so I borrowed a buddy's Daniels HX4 to compare. Did 50 pins on a DB25 connector for a nav radio swap last Wednesday. The Daniels tool gave a perfect 6 point crimp every time while my old one had 4 pins pull out during a continuity test. Cost difference is like $80 vs $400 but honestly I'm saving up for the good one now. Anyone else deal with bad crimps causing intermittent issues?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_stone25d ago

@miam11 nailed it with the vibration thing. That's the part that gets overlooked - a pin that passes a tug test in the shop can still work loose on a boat or a truck due to engine vibration. Had a customer bring in a depth sounder that would lose signal every time they hit a wake. Turned out to be a loose pin on the transducer plug from a cheap crimper. The Daniels tool sounds like overkill until you've chased one of those ghosts for three hours. Did you notice if the HX4 has a different jaw geometry or is it just the metal quality that makes the difference?

miam1125d ago

Oh man, "4 pins pull out during a continuity test" that's exactly the kind of nightmare that makes you question everything you thought you knew about crimping. I had a similar experience with a cheap crimper on a DB9 connector for a serial port and it drove me crazy trying to track down intermittent shorts for weeks. Turns out the pins weren't fully seated and the slightest vibration would break the connection. It's amazing how much time you waste when you think it's a wiring issue but it's really just bad crimps. Saving up for the Daniels tool sounds smart, honestly the peace of mind alone is worth the extra money from what I hear.