You don't want to solder a crimped connection to the stranded wire. It defeats their intended purpose of cold-welding the wires and crimp connector together and the solder wicks up into the wire making it "solid" and hence suceptible to mechanical fatigue breakage.
Molex Crimping Manual:
https://www.shearwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/qual_crimp.pdf
Molex Crimping Manual:
https://www.shearwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/qual_crimp.pdf
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Agreed.
Unless you are skilled enough (and there's not that much skill required) that you avoid wicking the solder into the crimp area. Basically, solder only the "free end" of the wire strands to the connector... but it's not worth doing if a good crimp has been achieved.
Many years ago I came across a paper from some German technical university that had done research about these simple connectors. They wanted to find out what service interval was requiert to keep them functional. They tested standard low cost, industrial quality Faston connectors. China sh*t was not around at that time or no problem, like today.To their surprise, instead of the supposed increase in contact resistance over time, it actually dropped, the longer the connector was in use. Time and vibration even improved the situation.
So any "cleaning service" worsened the resistance instead of improving anything.. They changed the whole perspective of their research after this initial result and measured a very high contact pressure they had not expected. It prevented corrosion under normal conditions, dug into the flat side contact and led to some kind of cold welding in a microscopical region.
Before I read this report, these simple Faston connectors always seemed cheap and low quality to me. Today I know they are very reliable, done right and used inside their limits.
If I do new audio installations, I use the simple, naked variety, crimp them, solder and put a hot shrink over them to prevent breaking at the brittle solder point. Actually I never had a problem reported, after countless installations. On the other hand, most electrical problems with aftermarket installations I had to repair, came from the crimped connections coming loose or falling apart. Seems like a lot of so-called "Pro's" don't know how to make a functional crimp. If I have to use crimps for repairs where soldering is not allowed, I use the ratchet type of crimper and a hand press with changeable inserts for the larger ones.
I noticed something strange, on very old cars (around 1960-1975) where Fastons where used. Factory contacts made from brass lose their spring pressure over time, as the material ages. This is without corrosion or high load / temperature. The brass looks perfectly fine, sometimes a little bit red, like copper. As long as you do not touch them they work, once pulled off you can not reconnect them, as the spring pressure is completely gone and can not be improved, some even break. You want to fix a simple, single fault and end up crimping new connectors to any wire in reach...Later cars have tin coated contacts that (until now) do not show such problems.Inside very old speaker cabinets from the same time period, I found the same type of problematic connectors. Time for a service inside your Altec, maybe...
The "gold or no gold question" is somehow useless. If the contact underneath is of good quality, gold will not make it worse imo. Many people like the look and expect the installation to be of higher quality. Marketing works. Without gold plating, a little electric grease will work just perfect for long time conservation under normal conditions.
So any "cleaning service" worsened the resistance instead of improving anything.. They changed the whole perspective of their research after this initial result and measured a very high contact pressure they had not expected. It prevented corrosion under normal conditions, dug into the flat side contact and led to some kind of cold welding in a microscopical region.
Before I read this report, these simple Faston connectors always seemed cheap and low quality to me. Today I know they are very reliable, done right and used inside their limits.
If I do new audio installations, I use the simple, naked variety, crimp them, solder and put a hot shrink over them to prevent breaking at the brittle solder point. Actually I never had a problem reported, after countless installations. On the other hand, most electrical problems with aftermarket installations I had to repair, came from the crimped connections coming loose or falling apart. Seems like a lot of so-called "Pro's" don't know how to make a functional crimp. If I have to use crimps for repairs where soldering is not allowed, I use the ratchet type of crimper and a hand press with changeable inserts for the larger ones.
I noticed something strange, on very old cars (around 1960-1975) where Fastons where used. Factory contacts made from brass lose their spring pressure over time, as the material ages. This is without corrosion or high load / temperature. The brass looks perfectly fine, sometimes a little bit red, like copper. As long as you do not touch them they work, once pulled off you can not reconnect them, as the spring pressure is completely gone and can not be improved, some even break. You want to fix a simple, single fault and end up crimping new connectors to any wire in reach...Later cars have tin coated contacts that (until now) do not show such problems.Inside very old speaker cabinets from the same time period, I found the same type of problematic connectors. Time for a service inside your Altec, maybe...
The "gold or no gold question" is somehow useless. If the contact underneath is of good quality, gold will not make it worse imo. Many people like the look and expect the installation to be of higher quality. Marketing works. Without gold plating, a little electric grease will work just perfect for long time conservation under normal conditions.