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Weatherproof Connector Options?

CarterKraft said:
The solid terminals are the only way imo.
That Jready crimper looks like a exact copy of the Deutsch tool.
Click to expand...

Today my friend needed some help, so I ended up doing a few of the WP terminals... Fussy... I think that is my best comparison to the DT/DTP stuff.

The end result is ok, but getting there is... fussy... Well, and the end result is bulky.

With the Deutsch, you put the pin in the crimper and adjust the stop to bring the pin up flush. There is a go/no-go tool to set the tension on the crimper (to the right of the crimper in the photo above). With the crimper set, strip your wire, stick it in the pin, and crimp. Push your pins into the connector, slide the locking wedge in place, and you're done.

He's got Astro's ratcheting crimper with multiple dies. Depending on your wire and how thick the insulation is, you use one of two different dies. You pretty much have to experiment to see which one. Strip your wire, feed the terminal seal onto it, put a terminal on the wire, and crimp the back ears onto the seal a bit with your fingers so that everything holds together long enough to get it into the crimper. The crimper die has a "step" in it because there are the ears that crimp around the bare wire and then the back ears that crimp around the seal and the wire insulation. Too far forward and the back ears of the bare wire legs don't get crimped. Too far back and the portion to crimp the bare wire ears cuts into the seal. If you get all that right, you probably also have to adjust the tension on the crimper to get it to fully crimp the ears. With the connectors on the wires, push them into the connector and then snap the "keeper" down to lock things together.

I couldn't get the crimper to cleanly crimp the ears, so had to crimp first with one size up to get things going in the right direction and then crimp again with the proper size. Otherwise it would twist the connector and deform it. Also, the connectors for different gauges are determined by how many bare wire ears and how long the ears are on each one. The 20-18 ga ones have three ears, the 16-14 ga ones have two short ears, and the 12 ga ones have two longer ears. The short and long ones you pretty much have to compare side by side to see which are which. Of course, a few had gotten mixed up...

You can use stamped Deutsch connectors as well, but the connectors are different sizes and are more visually different. Still, I'm glad I went with the solid terminals after this experience with the stamped ones.
 
Stamped are not that bad if you get some good tooling.
But good tooling costs the same for stamped or solid... sooooooo
 
I know that I am late to the party here but I did all Deutsch for stuff that was under the dash or out of view on my Carryall build, and anything that was outside view I used the OD surplus eBay abundant Amphenol "cannon plugs". Looked more Mil-Spec for the truck.

The Deutsch is the bees knees and glad to see you've got the good crimper.

For those that asked where to get the Deutsch connectors, I ordered a lot from this seller. I even had some custom kits put together and keep a tackle box tray of various pins and plugs, etc for the need to repair or field service stuff.

https://www.deutschconnectorstore.com/
 
AlxJ64 said:
I know that I am late to the party here but I did all Deutsch for stuff that was under the dash or out of view on my Carryall build, and anything that was outside view I used the OD surplus eBay abundant Amphenol "cannon plugs". Looked more Mil-Spec for the truck.

The Deutsch is the bees knees and glad to see you've got the good crimper.

For those that asked where to get the Deutsch connectors, I ordered a lot from this seller. I even had some custom kits put together and keep a tackle box tray of various pins and plugs, etc for the need to repair or field service stuff.

https://www.deutschconnectorstore.com/
Click to expand...
That's a Prowire store.
Joey is super legit and very helpful.
 
PAToyota said:
Today my friend needed some help, so I ended up doing a few of the WP terminals... Fussy... I think that is my best comparison to the DT/DTP stuff.

The end result is ok, but getting there is... fussy... Well, and the end result is bulky.

With the Deutsch, you put the pin in the crimper and adjust the stop to bring the pin up flush. There is a go/no-go tool to set the tension on the crimper (to the right of the crimper in the photo above). With the crimper set, strip your wire, stick it in the pin, and crimp. Push your pins into the connector, slide the locking wedge in place, and you're done.

He's got Astro's ratcheting crimper with multiple dies. Depending on your wire and how thick the insulation is, you use one of two different dies. You pretty much have to experiment to see which one. Strip your wire, feed the terminal seal onto it, put a terminal on the wire, and crimp the back ears onto the seal a bit with your fingers so that everything holds together long enough to get it into the crimper. The crimper die has a "step" in it because there are the ears that crimp around the bare wire and then the back ears that crimp around the seal and the wire insulation. Too far forward and the back ears of the bare wire legs don't get crimped. Too far back and the portion to crimp the bare wire ears cuts into the seal. If you get all that right, you probably also have to adjust the tension on the crimper to get it to fully crimp the ears. With the connectors on the wires, push them into the connector and then snap the "keeper" down to lock things together.

I couldn't get the crimper to cleanly crimp the ears, so had to crimp first with one size up to get things going in the right direction and then crimp again with the proper size. Otherwise it would twist the connector and deform it. Also, the connectors for different gauges are determined by how many bare wire ears and how long the ears are on each one. The 20-18 ga ones have three ears, the 16-14 ga ones have two short ears, and the 12 ga ones have two longer ears. The short and long ones you pretty much have to compare side by side to see which are which. Of course, a few had gotten mixed up...

You can use stamped Deutsch connectors as well, but the connectors are different sizes and are more visually different. Still, I'm glad I went with the solid terminals after this experience with the stamped ones.
Click to expand...
This sums up my feelings about WP vs Deutsch.

When you make a Deutsch termination it is solid, no questions.
Oh you fucked up and miss pinned it or need to remove the connector to run through a firewall? no big deal, no special tools needed and a few minutes later it's all fixed.
 
Can anyone recommend a crimper for Deutsch solid pins that’s cheaper than $150? I’ve got 32 terminals total, to do in a bulkhead
 
Seriously. I need quite a few connectors for my project and I don't want to go broke buying all the pieces and shipping 10 times. Which I know like everything will be more than 4-5 orders. I am hoping to run all the wires and then tape the ends together to figure out how many of each plug and pins that I need to do in the first large order
 
4Eyedturd said:
Can anyone recommend a crimper for Deutsch solid pins that’s cheaper than $150? I’ve got 32 terminals total, to do in a bulkhead
Click to expand...
Look at "radial crimper" they don't have gauge stops built in but I think you can get a good feel on it by hand.
 
TTMotorsports said:
Seriously. I need quite a few connectors for my project and I don't want to go broke buying all the pieces and shipping 10 times. Which I know like everything will be more than 4-5 orders. I am hoping to run all the wires and then tape the ends together to figure out how many of each plug and pins that I need to do in the first large order
Click to expand...
Pretty good idea.
 
Do you guys just spend the extra money on the Duetsch style connectors when using them for larger wire like 10 or 12 ga? or is there a better option for those ones. Thanks.
 
They are serviced in the HD line and the DTP line.

I get to cheat and get one side at least from work then I just look on eBay etc. for the other side.
 
CarterKraft said:
They are serviced in the HD line and the DTP line.

I get to cheat and get one side at least from work then I just look on eBay etc. for the other side.
Click to expand...
There is even larger pins/sockets in the HD series.
I used a round bulkhead connector on my dad's '66 that has one or two 6 ga and 3 10 ga plus several 14-18 ga terminals.
I was able to retrofit all the OEM firewall wires and a larger cab power wire in that one connection.
 
For those of you running the solid terminals, are you making strain relief loops behind the connector?
Screenshot_20220318-122922_Google.jpg
 
Im4yotas said:
For those of you running the solid terminals, are you making strain relief loops behind the connector?
Screenshot_20220318-122922_Google.jpg
Click to expand...
I never do but I don't build harnesses to that NASA spec. The only time I use service loops is if I have to make a repair in a existing harness to keep the splice from pulling too tight.

The OEM CAT harnesses are how I build them. I stop the loom 3+ inches back from the connector and use a P clip to solidly locate the harness so there is no strain on the wires at the connector.

I would love to go mil spec but it isn't in the cards for me.
 
Wirecare.com was suggested in another thread for woven split loom sourcing.
I found this kick ass Deutsch configurator tool. It lets you configure by series, pin count, amperage range, back cap style etc.
supplied applicable accessories mounts, boots etc.

Deutsch Assembler - WireCare.com

The Wirecare Deutsch Assembler is your place to find compatible connectors, pins, sockets, wedgelocks, and accessories to create the best electrical connection you can get!
www.wirecare.com www.wirecare.com
 
Had to go looking for that: Crimping Tool for size 12-26 Solid Contacts - Rental

Please Note: Your credit card will be charged the full cost of the tool immediately. You can keep the tool as long as you like and be charged the weekly rental fee. When you return the Tool, your credit card will be credited the difference.
Click to expand...

Might be worth it if you have everything in order to get it done in a week or two, but I'd likely get pulled away for something else and end up coming back to it a month later and find I already spent half the cost of the tool and wasn't done with the project...
 
The Deutsch and JReady crimpers look just like my DMC AF8 crimper. I have the turret and the depth setting attachments, but the crimp tool itself looks identical. Is there a difference, or are these all made in one factory with different brands marked on them?
 
Yeah I would think so. I found mine on ebay, $100-125 ish.

Although I believe there are some that have 8 indention teeth for the crimp, mine only has 4.
 
Are the douche connectors only for low amperage?
I keep seeing 14-18 gauge.

Many things I wire are 10 or 12 gauge. 14 gauge is only good for what, 5ish amps?

I used weathpack on a bunch of lights on equipment. Had no issues with 12 gauge wires.
 
Deutsch, not douche...

DTM, Size 20 contact, good from 22AWG to 18, 7.5amp max per contact
DT, Size 16 contact, good from 18AWG to 14 AWG, 13amp max per contact
DTP, Size 12 contact, good from 14AWG to 12AWG, 25amp max per contact

The fact that you think 14 AWG is only good for 5 amp makes me think you need to spend some time re-learning the basics.

Do your load calcs with 10 volts as a safety precaution. You don't want to over load your circuit if your batt gets low.

amp%2Bgauge.png
 
FWIW I used the Delphi Weatherpack connectors off Amazon on my skiff for everything. It’s 3 years old now, used in salt water, blasted with fresh water, and zero issues. Crimping tool was like $20, only issue is making sure you put the donuts on and have the plug facing the right way before crimping.

Most wiring on boats is a PITA to deal with, which is why stuff doesn’t get repaired and then catches on fire or sinks. I chose to be different. :flipoff2:
 
Any feedback on IWISS DT crimpers? I have a few of theirs for other terminal types and happy with them. A few bucks cheaper.
 
I tried them and had some issues.

DT and DTM crimpers worked fine, the DTP ones are junk.

The chinese terminals (Amazon specials) are absolute garbage, do not buy them.
 
Is there a physical size difference between DT and DTM housings? I poked around a few sites and did some searches but didn't stumble on that info.

Trying to figure out if I should just buy all DT for simplicity, or if there's enough of a difference to make sense to match them up based on what I plan to do.
 
Yes

DTP, DT and DTM are physically different and all take different contacts.

Depending on what you want to do, it's good to have multiple options. Some wire gage isn't available on DTMs and vice-versa on DTs.
 
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