Shortening the ATX 24 pin cable question

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rudedog89

Limp Gawd
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Jun 7, 2004
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I will be shortening the 24 pin atx connector cable on my PSU due to itx case space constraints, causing cable management headaches. My question pertains to pins that have 2 wires combined into 1 pin. Should I twist the copper together, then crimp, or do not twist the wires together and crimp?
 
twist and crimp to make it easier but doesn't matter as long as the crimp is good.
 
rudedog89 said:
So, if I am going to crimp a 18 gauge wire with a 22 gauge wire in one pin, what pocket would I use on the crimper? Per the link mentioned, the crimper in the image has multiple pockets.

Thanks a millions, that is a good link to have. Bookmarked.
Click to expand...

I would probably try the C pocket -- it's fairly large, but still has the right shape to get a good crimp on a wire. I've done a couple of these for my pinball machine (because the factory connectors end up burnt), but it was the same gauge on both wires. If you have some spare wire and pins, it's worth trying a few times before doing it for real, although my failed crimps usually didn't ruin the wire, just the pin; always get more pinss than you think you need :D
 
Another question comes to mind, how much wire should I have exposed to crimp? Reading though that guide, I must be missing that point. Is there a guideline for exposed wire?
 
Probably around 1/4 of an inch or at least a little more than the part that crimps down on the exposed wire.
 
For a normal crimp, you want the wire exposed for the small crimping section nearest the pin, but insulation on the larger part at the end. For a double wire crimp, it's sometimes useful to expose farther so both sections are grabbing wire, because the connection isn't always the best at the smaller section.
 
Thanks for all the help!. This weekend I was able to shorten the wires, crimp new ends on the 24 pin and the 8 pin for the motherboard. Patience is definitely needed when doing crimping. At 47 yrs old also, my eyes aren't what they use to be.. LOL.. The only thing are the 2 wire pins were the biggest pains and my only worries. They look ok, so, just a little nervous getting this all plugged in and powered up. Here it goes. Thanks again.
 
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