Molex and AMP (now TYCO) are the two biggest connector manufacturers and both have what are referred to here as 'Molex' and 'AMP' connectors. If you count yourself in this group I would recommend avoiding IDC.īTW, all the connector manufacturers make all the different types. Many previous posts refer to the prsctice of crimping and soldering to achieve best electrical conductivity. IDC (Insulation Displacement Connectors) were developed to provide a QUICKER way to terminate than crimping. This is crucial on production lines with different operators, but not as critical in R&D where the designer can check the workmanship himself/herself. The expensive tools make this easier to achieve this reliably and with repeatability. 1' terminals, but check to be safe.Ī good crimp is a lot like a solder joint in that it must be done correctly or you will have problems like resistance and reduced carrying capacity. From memory (never a reliable source) it would do all of the. Just check with a Molex rep, or look in the catalogue to make sure that it will crimp the particular terminal you are using. It will not do really large or really small gauge wire crimps. I always recommended it for engineering design work as it could do so much, for such little cost. It is a plain design with jaws that will crimp various types of terminal. The universal tool is designed for prototyping/repair work. There are also holders available for the tools to assist operators. These are designed for low run jobs on production lines. Spare jaws were available as replacement parts, and the ratchet mechanism was heavy duty. They are (or were a few years ago anyway) great quality tools. The tools made for specific terminals are ratchet types, with jaws tooled for the specific terminal, usually available in a couple of variations to suit different gauge wire. I used to be a Molex rep down here in another life, so I know a little about this.

Super small tiny molex connectors