I am going to a 911 dash and saw awhile back a members picture where they used multi pin connectors to simplify things and i really like the idea and want to implement it myself in my conversion and other spots like the turn signal buckets. I have looked on digi-key but quickly get lost in the lingo used in their catalog since i am not super familiar with the electrical side of things. Can someone please help me out with this one. will need the male and matching female connectors along with the proper type of male and female terminals used that are soldered to the wires.

thanks in advance!!!!

Those look like Molex brand. You would have to measure the pins but they look like .062 not the .093

http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family...wire_connectors

Check out McMaster ( http://www.mcmaster.com/#connector-plugs/=mv7k0d )

The "Compact Push-In" connectors are dirt cheap.

Mouser.com is an awesome site for connectors, they can be a little overwhelming, but if you want a 47 pin circular connector with gold connector and a cadmium finish, they will have it. You could honestly hook then entire dash to one connector if you want to.

Awesome! thank you gentlemen

I dont know why i didnt look on McMaster for these before!! they make it so simple by only giving me a few options.

Do you agree that the space saver 250V should work for my application?

I would get the 250V non space saver, the 0.093" pin will be much easier to work with and you should have excess amperage to stay on the safe side. The amount of space saved isn't much if you look at dimensions. Don't forget pins and sockets.

Just make sure you aren't going over the amp rating, but I can't think of anything in the gauge cluster that would draw that much...

I was just about to post a double reply saying i just saw the space saver ones are only rated for 5 amps! Thank you for pointing that out as well!
What AWG are the cluster wires typically, 30-24 or 24-18??

You mention "soldered". Soldering is NOT recommended for automotive applications, and should be done only by trained and experienced electrical experts. Really. The industry standard for connecting terminals to wires is crimping, which should be done using the proper tools and fixtures. Not that difficult, although the proper tools might set you back some pretty serious coin. Be sure to get the correct terminals based on the wire gauges you plan to use. BTW, European wires aren't sized using AWG nomenclature. They're metric.

Have fun! Looks like an interesting project, one worth doing.

The Cap'n

Thanks Cap'n, I was unaware that solder shouldn't be used... Was planning on crimping the wires to the terminals and then putting a dab of solder on there for good measure. I have a crimping tool that i will be borrowing from school so i am covered there. Also good point about the OEM metric sized wires, do you happen to know which of the two ranges in AWG the dash wires fall into??

Since this is a picture of my gauge cluster ...

PM McMark, he actually ordered these for me.
They were very easy to work with and have been holding up just fine.

Go with Deutsch connectors. The best prices I've seen are from www.wirecare.com. They will also rent the crimper so you can do everything right. These are the standard in motorsports applications.

Adding the connectors adds more potential locations for problems down the road. Each circuit with a new connector can corrode or break or go bad in some way...sure you want to risk that?

Crimping and soldering is a great way to go if you know how to solder correctly. If corrosion is a worry, use dielectric grease.

When soldering, there is a fine balance of heat and flow. Too much heat and the wire insulation melts. A high heat iron and short working time is recommended. Make sure you don't get too much solder on the connection or it may impact the locking tab on the connector.

I soldered every connection on my conversion. No problems and the crimp will never come loose.

BTW, I went to soldering school in the Marine Corps. 2 long weeks of soldering 8 hours per day. Fun...

Thanks for the input Mike, i will definitely take it with a large grain of salt, seeing that you were officially trained in the area! I had a lot of practice with my iron when i was "butt welding" two spliced wiring harnesses together earlier this year, so i feel pretty competent with my soldering skills for the job. Although corrosion isnt a huge worry, i do have plenty of dielectric grease laying around that will be used.

Jeff, although i do see your point, I feel that the positives of this addition out weigh the possible bad ones, since this will help in the organizing of the wires and also ensure that the right connections are made every time (assuming all the terminals are matched correctly when initially set up in the beginning) and without hassle of having to look at my diagram.

Matt, those connecters sure do look nice! and very sturdy, but at $40/10pack, they are way out of my budget for this project.

EDIT: forgot to respond to SirAndy!
Thank you very much for your picture and feedback on the solution

Don't forget to get the correct de-pinning tool for whatever connectors you get. The tool is usually quite cheap, and if you put one pin in the wrong spot you don't want to have to wait for the tool to come in the mail, or worse yet break the connector or cut the wires to get it apart...

--DD

Good point Dave. At $50 for the pair of insertion and extraction tools, figured i would ask if anyone has the one or both of the tools that i could barrow. I will be driving up and down CA this weekend too, so I may be able to personally pick up and mail back depending on your location...

Just a suggestion, because I like to be able to fix things with readily available resources.

Radio Shack sells a brand of these connectors.
So, when they break, or you change your mind...all the stuff you need is right down the street.

Also, they sell the plastic tools to remove the pins etc.

Rich

Thanks Rich, I will have to check out their selection to see if the higher price will be worth the "convenience fee."

Here's the PN for the ones pictured above. I've found more advanced connectors that I like better than these, but it takes me an hour or more to search out all the correct PNs for all the pieces. These will work though.

YIKES! When I mucked around with Molex stuff, the "insertion" tool was "push the thing into the plug body until it clicks". No tools needed. The extraction tool was something like $3; it's a cylinder that just fits over the pin to compress the barbs that hold it in, with a plunger to push the pin out once the barbs are compressed.

What kind of tools are you talking about??

--DD

Combat soldering!

Seriously, I took a series of electronic tech classes at College of San Mateo back in the 80s, and we did a few weeks just on soldering. The instructor had been through the NASA soldering school, and it was actually rather interesting. But not for 8 hrs a day!

I don't need an insertion tool for Molex. They pop right in. I do have extraction tools for getting them out. Any other method of removal is bad...

My Molex crimp tool cost me $150 15 years ago. Still works great. There are cheaper crimp tools but most do not ratchet like the official Molex tool. Extractors are cheap.

www.jameco.com sells molex stuff pretty cheap. www.mouser.com has them too.

Check for the cycle limits on the connectors you are going to get. Most of the Molex are only designed for <10 cycles. By the time you purchase the crimp tool, the cost of the connectors is nothing.

Capn,



Just curious why you say that.

I use the standard tin plated crimp fittings and I pull the plastic sleeve thing off.
Put heat shrink over the wire first.
I crimp the fitting on the end of the wire.
Then I use a pen propane torch to heat the terminal just enough that electronics solder will flow freely into the joint.
Then heat shrink with heat gum.

I did every connection in the car that way when I built the new harness.

Oh, and if you use the crappy wire crimpers that most of us have a few pair of, they suck.
We use the correct tool at work, and they are very pricey.
The die in the tool is specific to each type of crimp, and is shaped like a tiny "heart"

Stu

Probably because most of us can't solder for s**t.

--DD

Too much heat... Too much solder...