I had to take apart my old Dirt Devil so as to remove
hair wrapped-around just about every moving part.

While doing that, one of the black power-wires (one of the
two black-wires that are on the "inside"-side of the switch)
pulled out of its wee hole down into the switch.

The wire-end that came out had been "tinned" (solder).

Peering as best I could, with aid of mini-maglight,
down into that hole, I saw only that the bottom of
the hole seemed to have two (wee) copper strips
along opposite sides, and could discern *no* solder
anywhere.

So, not knowing what else to do, I tried simply
shoving (inserting) the end down into that hole,
and, well, it seemed to hold.

(how well and for how long, I don't know)

Anyway, I then closed it up, with the black wire
being under no stress either now or in the future,
it seemed like...

And the machine works ok -- for now.

The switch is a little rectangular off-on slide-switch.

It had four wires put into it.

(I forget, and I'm not about to reopen it again
just to look at the switch, but I think
that two whites went into the two holes on one end
of it, and two blacks into the two holes on the
other side.

One black and white being from the power cord, and
the other pair going to the motor.

(Anyone recognize this setup -- and switch-type?)

Anyway, here's the question: was just shoving it in
the right thing to do?

Should I have got the wire hotter than hell (soldering gun)
and melted a bunch of solder onto it and THEN shoved
it into the hole?

(remember, no microscope or anything, but with naked
eye and flashlight I could detect no solder already
down in the hole.)


THANKS!

David

stranded wire can't be easily inserted into a backstab switch, so they
tinned it to make it stiff


"David Combs" wrote in message
...
I had to take apart my old Dirt Devil so as to remove
hair wrapped-around just about every moving part.

While doing that, one of the black power-wires (one of the
two black-wires that are on the "inside"-side of the switch)
pulled out of its wee hole down into the switch.

The wire-end that came out had been "tinned" (solder).

Peering as best I could, with aid of mini-maglight,
down into that hole, I saw only that the bottom of
the hole seemed to have two (wee) copper strips
along opposite sides, and could discern *no* solder
anywhere.

So, not knowing what else to do, I tried simply
shoving (inserting) the end down into that hole,
and, well, it seemed to hold.

(how well and for how long, I don't know)

Anyway, I then closed it up, with the black wire
being under no stress either now or in the future,
it seemed like...

And the machine works ok -- for now.

The switch is a little rectangular off-on slide-switch.

It had four wires put into it.

(I forget, and I'm not about to reopen it again
just to look at the switch, but I think
that two whites went into the two holes on one end
of it, and two blacks into the two holes on the
other side.

One black and white being from the power cord, and
the other pair going to the motor.

(Anyone recognize this setup -- and switch-type?)

Anyway, here's the question: was just shoving it in
the right thing to do?

Should I have got the wire hotter than hell (soldering gun)
and melted a bunch of solder onto it and THEN shoved
it into the hole?

(remember, no microscope or anything, but with naked
eye and flashlight I could detect no solder already
down in the hole.)


THANKS!

David

In article ,
RBM rbm2(remove wrote:
stranded wire can't be easily inserted into a backstab switch, so they
tinned it to make it stiff

Thank you!

I just learned a new term: backstab.

You said "backstab switch": is that what you meant,
or is it the *hole* that's "backstab" (has "backstabbers'
in the hole, I suppose)?

David

Inside are spring loaded clips that keep tension on the conductor, we call
them backstabbed
"David Combs" wrote in message
...
In article ,
RBM rbm2(remove wrote:
stranded wire can't be easily inserted into a backstab switch, so they
tinned it to make it stiff

Thank you!

I just learned a new term: backstab.

You said "backstab switch": is that what you meant,
or is it the *hole* that's "backstab" (has "backstabbers'
in the hole, I suppose)?

David