On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:29:24 +0100, Rob Morley wrote:

Solder only really provides an electrical connection - there should be
something else providing mechanical strength to the joint. Presumably
only the very end of the cable is exposed where it enters the plug, and
this isn't enough area to make a good join. Also presumably Dell uses a
proprietary connector so you can't just buy a new one and solder it on.
To avoid the problem in future you could try applying a few layers of
heatshrink tube to the plug/cable end so that stress is spread over a
length of cable rather than all where it enters the plug.

It is a small relief to know that I am not the only one who has bodged up
an electrical connector. As for heatshrink, there is a variety available
with hot-melt glue on the inside which is excellent for the job. Some
years ago I was involved with resistivity measurements of terrain to
locate stratum boundaries.This involved reels of wire which were about
500m long, which were attached to the base unit with "banana" plugs. The
wires were forever being tripped over by students and that heatshrink
meant that the wire did not rip out of the plug. Instead, I ended up
straightening out the plugs.

John Schmitt

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