In article ,
Sylvia Else wrote:
I've noticed what is probably a significant difference between the
failed lugs, and the other type that seem OK. It lies in the length of
the metal that gets crimped.

The tool I'm using is one of these:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.st...uct/View/T3535

It seems designed to crimp equally* two locations spaced apart.

But the metal on the failed lugs is too short, and one side of the tool
is just crimping plastic.

[*] I emphasis "equally". Lest anyone think I've misunderstood, this is
not a tool designed to crimp the conductor and insulator in one go.

My dislike of the pre-insulated types is the crimp consists of flattening
the part in contact with the cable.

A link was posted earlier by Trevor Wilson where the first pic shows the
type I prefer:-
http://www.ami.ac.uk/courses/topics/...rmp/index.html

You can't produce this sort of shape with a pre-insulated type as it would
pierce the insulation. But then the pre-insulated types are used (in the
UK) on mains wiring etc where the conductor is a single strand. And a
heart shaped crimp wouldn't work with those.

--
*Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.