Adam Savage's Quick Electronics Wiring Tips!

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Adam introduces two simple tools to help simplify your electronics wiring projects: solder seal connectors that eliminate the need for soldering wires together, and an essential wire labeler that can spare you headaches in troubleshooting down the line. Adam used both of these tools extensively in putting together his xEMU spacesuit electronics--simple and effective is sometimes the best way to go!

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[tested]

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[LiqdPT]

For doing heat shrink, putting a hook shaped reflector (for lack of better words) on the end of the heat gun works awesome. You put it around the wires and run on the heat gun and it heat from practically all directions. Very little movement is needed, and you're also not blowing past the wire.

[Hockeyguy]

I'm a commercial electrician and 3M also makes booklets of wire numbers. We use this when we're pulling in multiple circuits through a single pipe. We need to mark which neutral goes to which hot and if you have more than 3 circuits in there you'll have multiple black's red's blues' (or brown orange yellow's) and you need to keep track of it all. There are low number books (1-45) and high number books (i think it's 46-100 or something like that). They're cheaper than the tape dispenser and if you have a number like 35 you don't need a 3 and a 5 it's just one sticker. You can get them at home depot or lowe's in the electrical section.

[benny]

You can slide the sleeve completely over one wire, push the wires together so they mesh and squish them neat, then slide the sleeve back and then apply the heat. It gets a slightly better joint, rather than have the strands side by side.

[aanderson]

I work for an automotive OEM. We recently tested a bunch of those solder connections. Can say they hold up well in an automotive environment.

[envisionelectronics]

Using the curved heat reflector on the heat gun helps a lot

[johnmac]

' may all your electronics work first time ' ... now that is a maker blessing right there

[karlporath]

I have been using the low temp solder connectors on semi trailer light wiring. The colored rings are actually a Hot melt glue. In 5 years of extreme service I have yet to have a connection fail.

[lindeleasley]

I was exposed to the Solder Seal splices about 45 years ago, in the Air Force. We were quite impressed with them, and they can make quick work of a broken wire on a mission critical aircraft.

[Crstin]

I came across those self soldering joints when I was searching for vintage military self soldering sleeves. I finally was able to buy a few boxes of the military self soldering joints last year for my collection. They are a copper tube with solder inside, but the outside is covered in a pyrotechnic composition that you can strike like a match in the outside of the box they come in. The composition burns and melts the solder inside. Apparently they were used for spicing radio transmission lines and Morse code lines out in the field. I think they were used from the 1950s into the 1970s. The ones I have are dated 1967. Someone did a really good video on them where they actually tested some of the vintage ones.

[theflashjaxx]

3:1 adhesive lined heat shrink is a must have also, the adhesive lining helps release some of the stress on the solder joint itself

[Wythaneye]

Does anyone remember solder tape? Radio Shack used to sell it. They came in a pack of little strips that you could melt with a lighter. I used it on a lot of simple joints, and it worked surprisingly well. Seeing these solder connectors brings back memories.

[RobR]

When I was working at 3m that was one of the products I made. Seeing that brings back memories of stuffing all 10 number (or colors for the color rolls) into the dispenser then applying the product label and stacking it in the box with the 100s of others I had made that day...

[swissfreek]

There’s a version of that 3M dispenser that is different colors instead of numbers. So handy!

[Proximax]

I've used those heated little sock things for years now. highly recommend. you can also heat them up with a regular lighter, they can take the heat, so you dont need a hot air gun if you dont have one. They make a very strong bond, you can really pull on the wires and they wont come off. What I do differently from Adam tho, is that I rolls the copper wire around each other before putting on the sock and heating it up. That way I can be sure there is a connection and that it is very sturdy.

[nobody]

I use the solder connectors sometimes for my job, and lately have been looking into a labeling system for the wires. They now have cartridges of heat shrink tubing that goes into a label maker, you just print what you want on a piece of heat shrink, and then put it on a wire.

[necko]

I have 129 lights on my Great Dane trailer, recently (or maybe around this time last year) switched from pinch connectors to these and couldn't have been happier. So far, no wire rot at the connectors and it looks clean and neat.

[InvadersDie]

"I hope all your electronics work on the first try" That felt very generous! TY!

[daveco]

I'm terrible at soldering wires, especially when it's something I can't bring to a work bench to do properly, like wires on a vehicle. Those solder seal wire connectors work well. I've used them on my motorcycle.

[goosenotmaverick]

I can vouch for the wire labeling saving troubleshooting time. As an electrician, a small amount of time invested in labeling on the front side, can save a lot of time on troubleshooting during trim out if any problems arise from mistakes or damage by other trades. So many headaches saved