Urgent DIY electronics help needed!

[editor]

The dilemma: I need to hook up this connector by tomorrow night (it will power part of the Bono-o-meter at tomorrow's gig).

The cables have broken and it looks too fiddly to try and hardwire the cables to the controller - or at least it is for my cheapo soldering iron.

So has anyone got one of these connectors I can use - or the skills on hand to reconnect the cables? It doesn't matter if it's all almighty botch.

 

[gentlegreen]

What a pain it's a 6 pin and not a floppy drive PSU plug ...

 

[gentlegreen]

If it was the same pitch, you might be able to cut up a couple and then you'd have wire ends to tie together...

 

[RaverDrew]

I count 7 pins

 

[souljacker]

Don't those connectors snap open?

If not, try maplin for a new one?

 

[Crispy]

*builder's inhaled tooth whistle*

There's hundreds of types of those sorts of connectors, so you'd have trouble finding an exact match.
I'd probably have a go at slicing the plug along its long axis and sandwiching the (trimmed, re-stripped) wires back in

 

[snadge]

You could put the bare wire into the socket it is supposed to be, at the otherside, the opposite end to where the wires should be fixed to, and then force plug onto the terminals, if you can't get the plug in because of the plastic cover on the PCB stopping the wires going in, maybe cut away the plastic to allow it.

If there is too much wire to allow this to happen, thin the bare wire down by removing a few strands at a time, until it goes over the pins all the way, use some araldite or silicon to cover it all and tape wires so that they can't pull socket out


I have fixed similar plugs like this for a temporary repair.

 

[snadge]

Or you could remove the top of the socket, cut all wires to the plug and solder each one onto it's corresponding pin.

 

[gentlegreen]

I reckon a couple of PC power adaptor cables - they look similar pitch - take a scalpel to a couple of plugs. You don't want loose wire floating about. Recycled PC cables are always my first port of call.

 

[Crispy]

Nah, IDE cables are 2mm pitch. This is 1.5mm pitch, AFAICT from the photo

 

[gentlegreen]

Nah, IDE cables are 2mm pitch. This is 1.5mm pitch, AFAICT from the photo

Not IDE, drive power.

 

[gentlegreen]

just checked, floppy drive power plugs are more like 2mm ... or perhaps something imperial

 

[Crispy]

Not IDE, drive power.

for IDE, they're huge, for sata they're edge connectors not pins...

 

[gentlegreen]

There's a dinky size of power plug for IDE floppy drives - well, probably not IDE technically - do they make sata floppies ?

 

[editor]

I thought about stripping the socket of its plastic surround, and bending the pins up and down alternately and then trying to solder the wires on to that but it looks tricky.

 

[gentlegreen]

I thought about stripping the socket of its plastic surround, and bending the pins up and down alternately and then trying to solder the wires on to that but it looks tricky.

That's fairly do-able if you prepare the ends nicely and pre-tin ... preferably tape each one when you've done it. I've done that before now. I struggle now because of my eyesight.

 

[DownwardDog]

Nah, IDE cables are 2mm pitch. This is 1.5mm pitch, AFAICT from the photo

I think it's some manner of Molex connector (2510?) with a 1.25mm pitch.

It'll be on here somewhere...

http://www.molex.com/molex/products/group?key=power_connectors&channel=products

 

[spitfire]

I'd lose the connector completely and solder the wires onto the terminals direct, use something to shield each terminal as you work your way along and pre fit an insulator to each wire as you fit it that can be slid down to prevent shorting. Hellerman sleeves are the usual thing.

Cut the plastic surround off and that will make it easier.

It's very small though, it would be possible but it wouldn't be easy.....or foolproof.

I would give it a go for you but I cannot make it down to Brixton tomorrow sorry.

 

[editor]

I had to give up. My soldering iron is too big and the metal connectors weren't inclined to bend so it was impossible to solder the cables on

 

[gentlegreen]

So no suitable connectors lying about that you can cannibalise ?
I forget sometimes that not everyone has that sort of stuff lying around ...

 

[editor]

So no suitable connectors lying about that you can cannibalise ?
I forget sometimes that not everyone has that sort of stuff lying around ...

I looked on some old computer bits and motherboards but there was nothing matching the connector.

 

[spitfire]

I'll have a crack at it in the new year if you like.

 

[gentlegreen]

What might work is treasury tags - if you had metal ones ...