# Manual Crimper



## Guest (Apr 20, 2008)

I have posted a photo album showing the results of a manual crimper vs an old style crimped cable. I do not know the type of crimper tool that was used with the old end but I do know that the old one was used on an electric car for many years and was a solid crimp. The new one is from one of the manual crimping tools you can buy today for a decent price. With proper use they make good crimps and ones I would trust. Have a gander and as always comments are welcome. 

Photo Album: http://www.inertext.homeunix.com/lug

Pete : )


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

I used that type of crimper many times when I was working for Knechts Auto Parts. It worked very well. I never had a single cable come apart. I guess you get a good crimp when a sledge hammer is involved.


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## elevatorguy (Jul 26, 2007)

I used the manual crimper on my cable ends and they have been holding up well. just position them right the first time 
It was a lot less expensive than the large handled crimpers I had looked at.
Jerry


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## Fatboy (Oct 30, 2007)

Wish that I had a nickle for every crimp that I did with a tool like that back in the '70's as a marine diesel mechanic. A lot of yachts had multiple battery systems.
We also soldered the joint as well.
The crimp for the mechanical joint and the solder for the electrical plus a sleeve of heat shrink.

Fatboy


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## Cornelius (Sep 15, 2007)

EV America rents the long handled crimper for $15 per week, with a deposit. It looks like a big bolt cutter with several adjustable jaws for different size crimps. It produced very nice quality crimps.

http://www.ev-america.com/


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

> It produced very nice quality crimps.


I'd like to see a nice close up view of a cutaway of one or two of these style crimpers? The manual one is a bit of work but to help save money it is a viable option. As long as you don't mind the hard work. No solder is needed but shrink wrap is mandatory. 

Pete : )


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## tazdotnet (Apr 9, 2008)

i advise you too not be cheap when it comes to tools... cheap tools are just that... CHEAP!!! some of the EV build videos are good proof of this... cheap tools tend to break easier and when it comes to the tough jobs you will spend more on cheap tools than you would if you got the expensive tool to start with... the cheaper option might not bite you in this case but i had give everyone somthing to think about... there is a reason mechanics buy the name brand tools and it is not sex apeal...


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

I don't disagree with you about cheap tools. I don't actually think that the manual crimper tool is cheap quality but just a cheap option. I could say that about professional tools too. Some are very cheap quality but not cheap in price and that is a real danger too. I had purchased a tool to remove spring clamps for radiator hoses and found that the tool lasted all but one/half of the removal of one clamp. The tool was cheap quality but quite expensive for what it was. It was recommended to me to purchase a tool like that. The better of the tools I found was actually cheaper in price and much better quality. Still works fine today. If I were going to start mass producing EV conversions I would invest in a tool that would make the job easier but still provide quality results. I would recommend that to anyone who will do multiple EV's. Who know, I may just start doing that but not until I have a few conversions under my belt. I work on TDI's on the side at home but when I went to purchase tools I purchased the best. Actually I did not have much choice and the list of tools to choose from were quite small. I got what I needed and saved a bundle on my first TDI fix job. The dealer wanted over $6000 for the job. I did the same for just over $2000 and that included me purchasing all the special tools and some extra that were really not needed. The vehicle (mine) has been trouble free for over two years after the work. Not one glitch. I am glad I got the tools. The crimper I found is a quality tool but since it is a simple tool the cost is low. It does not give cheap or poor results if used properly. No different than the results from an expensive quality tool. Even those must be used properly to get quality results. The results do look prettier than the manual crimper but the quality of the crimp is just as good. I am not out to have pretty. I am out to have functional. Later I will work on pretty if it's something I want to pursue. 

Pete : )


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## Wirecutter (Jul 26, 2007)

tazdotnet said:


> i advise you too not be cheap when it comes to tools... cheap tools are just that... CHEAP!!!
> 
> ... there is a reason mechanics buy the name brand tools and it is not sex apeal...


 Here's someone after my own heart. I like to say that "life's too short to use crummy tools." (Ok, I don't say "crummy", but you get the idea.)

Having said that, I have to chime in on the homemade tools that use a sledgehammer as a power source.

I'm working on the 3 phase AC motor controller mentioned elsewhere. The power bus going to the main switching elements will be big copper plates insulated with nomex film. So what happens when the upper plate needs to make contact with the big IGBT on the bottom? A big sqare hole is punched in the lower plate and the insulator film, and the top plate is embossed with the aforementioned tool to bring it down to the same plane as the surface of the IGBT terminals.

To achieve this, I machined a punch and die out of tool steel. The punch and die both have a hole drilled in the middle, as does the copper plate where the embossing is to take place. A pin is placed in the die, then the copper plate on top of that, followed by the punch. Then the whole thing is topped off with a few solid whacks with the hammer, and presto - homemade embossing punch.

What I really need to do is get a punch press, and make punches and dies to fit that, but what I have so far has proven out the concept, in any case. I haven't hardened the punch and die yet, so the hammering mars up the top surface of the punch. Once hardened, they will be more brittle, and I won't be able to modify them any more. I've also determined that the concrete basement floor probably isn't the best place to do this. Future operations of this type will be carried out in the street, and probably with a hardwood "pad" under the bottom die. I can post photos later if anyone's interested.

-Mark

PS - as for the crimp tool, I got lucky. I've got one of the "bolt cutter" type crimpers on long term loan from a good friend. I met the crimper while we were working on his boat - I did all the wiring. It's a great tool, and I used it for my karts.


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## ww321q (Mar 28, 2008)

photos please ! I like home made tools as I have made some my self . I have found a lot of times it's not the quality of the tool as much as who's hanging on to it .  J.W.


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2008)

> Having said that, I have to chime in on the homemade tools that use a sledgehammer as a power source.


The tool I show is not a homemade tool. It is a professional tool that is basic and manual. It uses a small hand held hammer and a good 4 pound sledge is going to work. No different than a manual wedge and a 10 pound sledge for splitting logs. The wedge is a professional tool but manual. So too is the crimp tool. DO NOT use the manual crimper on a chunk of wood as a backing. There is way to much give to allow you to feel when the crimp is done. 

I never disagreed with using the style crimper you mention. There are many good ones but I posted to allow others to actually see the real results of a manual crimper and that it is a very viable option if you so choose. It is a way to cut costs but not quality. Just because it is manual does not mean you get crappy crimps. As you can see the results speak for themselves. If you choose to spend $200 or $300 for a bolt cutter style hydraulic crimper then go for it. It is just one more cost that is actually not needed. If you can borrow one I'd say use it. If not then the manual one a good option. So far no one has given or posted the results of the higher cost crimper. If anyone has a cut away view that is high resolution and you have photos of the crimper used and they are all excellent photos then please send them to my email and I will include them into my photo album for the wiki. I posted before on the other site for folks to give me the samples of results for the expensive crimper and no one has taken the offer. Why? My guess is that the results are just about the same or better. Why promote a product when the manual one will do. Now if I were to open shop and build many I would then invest in a different style crimper but I would want to see the results and try one out to see how easy or hard it may actually be. The initial investment of the manual crimper was low enough so if I found that it would not provide good enough crimps I would not be out much. I proved that the quality is there and that the manual crimper is a good quality product for a good price. It also works with many different sizes without any special adapters for the tool. Not a one size fits all but it will do most of the large cable crimps I need to make. For smaller gauge wire I use a different manual crimper. 

Pete


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## Fatboy (Oct 30, 2007)

Here's a link to a hammer crimper:

http://www.powrparts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=57

and another:

http://www.installer.com/item/display_item.php?it=ibhdcrimp

Fatboy


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2008)

Yup, that is what I show. Did you look at the photo album? That is what I have. That second one is pretty high priced. I got mine for half that.


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## Fatboy (Oct 30, 2007)

gottdi said:


> Yup, that is what I show. Did you look at the photo album? That is what I have. That second one is pretty high priced. I got mine for half that.


I looked.
Used one more times than I want to remember.
The first one is what, $23 and the second is $52.
Even at the higher price there is no excuse to not own one.

Fatboy


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## Wirecutter (Jul 26, 2007)

Ok, then. Here is the punch and die sitting on the table next to one of the big IGBTs for the project. I like how tool steel takes on a nice finish:











I then wanted to test it out. This is a piece of .062" copper plate. The holes are drilled to 6mm, which is the size of the IGBT's terminal screw. Yeah, I drilled all 3 holes for 2 IGBT's, but I put the sets too close to each other, so it's actually too tight for side-by-side IGBTs. It doesn't really matter, since the point here was just to see if it works.











Here's the top plate, drilled, bent, and embossed for 2 terminals.










Now, here's a sample of bottom layer plate. The clearance holes are cut, and I hacked up a small bit of nomex film.










Finally, this is the whole point. When the "sandwich" is pressed and glued together (which it's not at this point), the terminal contact areas should be in the same plane.










I know the result is not quite perfect, but it shows that it can be done. The holes in the nomex are a bit ragged, and I punched one of them a bit crooked. Of course, the eventual bus plate will allow more spacing between IGBTs, and I'll be a lot more careful about the placements. I was also disappointed at how ragged the clearance holes in the lower plate were. I milled them out, rather than just cut them, but I'm still learning how to machine copper.

-Mark

edit: Yeah, maybe I'll have to read up a bit and make a square hole punch.


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## Wirecutter (Jul 26, 2007)

gottdi said:


> The tool I show is not a homemade tool. It is a professional tool that is basic and manual. It uses a small hand held hammer and a good 4 pound sledge is going to work. No different than a manual wedge and a 10 pound sledge for splitting logs. The wedge is a professional tool but manual. So too is the crimp tool. DO NOT use the manual crimper on a chunk of wood as a backing. There is way to much give to allow you to feel when the crimp is done.


 My bad, and sorry for the little thread hijack. Like I said - I got lucky with the monster crimper by having it loaned to me. I don't know if I could justify the expense of actually buying one. The hammer-powered version, perhaps, but I'd think real hard about buying the tool I'm using for $300.

I also know exactly what you mean about the "feel" when the tool bottoms and the crimp is done. My little punch has the same feel, but I can still feel it with a _hard_ piece of wood as a pad. Of course, I'll bet more thought went into the design and construction of your crimper than in my punch. I still had to gloat a little, though. 

-Mark


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## dataman19 (Oct 7, 2009)

Wirecutter,
Nice punch/die set?
..
You must be a tool die man fur shure...
..
Do you do custom tool/die fab work?
..
Let me know
..
I personally like the bench mounted crimper. I got mine at a battery shop liquidation auction.
..
Dataman19
[email protected]


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