Brian Lawson wrote:
On Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:31:29 -0500, Pete Keillor
wrote:

BIG SNIP


Or the story an instrument man told me: he was trying to troubleshoot
a large panel with loads of connections in spring terminals. Looking
at wire markers, everything looked in order. As soon as he removed a
wire, though, he found that none of them had been stripped.

I'd have made sure that guy was gone for good.

Pete Keillor


Hey Peter,

As I said.......

Jeeezzzzuuusss.!!!!!!!

We had a lot of units that used maybe 100 to 150 AC relays on the
panel and wires all with AMP manufactured solderless connectors
crimped on from the factory, mostly fork type. Most are sorta "pilot
duty" and don't carry much current. After 10 or 15 years, the wires
break JUUUUSSSSTTT inside the crimp end of the AMPs, but the stranded
wires have become brittle and stay right in place, so we get
intermittent faults. Bitch to find!!

Never had the same trouble with T&B connectors.

Brian.


Good crimping tools should be periodically calibrated with a go nogo
gauge. Long time ago I was working on a Convair 990 which had
intermittent pa system audio. Traced the problem to a splice box under
the galley. Every crimp was under crimped. I could pull out just about
every wire. The coffee leaking from the galley and getting into the
splice box didn't help either. Leaning back on the hydraulic tank that
was just filled where I was working was an adventure. Skydrol is not
the stuff to get on your skin. The guy that filled it sure was sloppy.
Lucky there was a hose nearby to wash down my back.


John