Best way to patch into ATX style connector

[TubsAlwaysWins]

Anyone have any tips for adding wires into connectors similar to ATX 24 pin? In my specific case I need to join 8 pin PCI harness to a 14 pin connector. This connector is smaller than a normal ATX connector. I've got all the pins I need popped out (3 12v and 5 ground), but am unsure of to join them. 

[Coolmaster]

Solder them together then wrap them in electrical tape.

[trag1c]

If this something you will be doing more often invest in the crimping tool for Molex Mini-fit Jr connectors so that you can just twist the wire ends together and crimp them into a single pin. If its a one off then just use a utility knife to strip away some of the insulation and do a t splice with some solder. Then either coat it in liquid electrical tape or wrap it in electrical tape. 

 

[artuc]

22 hours ago, trag1c said:

If its a one off then just use a utility knife to strip away some of the insulation and do a t splice with some solder. Then either coat it in liquid electrical tape or wrap it in electrical tape. 

 

If he's already popped them out of the connector you can get heatshrink on.

 

I find one of the neatest is to pop the pins out and do a splice just behind the connector and heatshrink it, rather than mid cable, unless you need it mid cable. Ends up looking more like factory PSU style that way.

 

Electrical tape is a bit average longterm.

[trag1c]

17 hours ago, artuc said:

 

If he's already popped them out of the connector you can get heatshrink on.

 

I find one of the neatest is to pop the pins out and do a splice just behind the connector and heatshrink it, rather than mid cable, unless you need it mid cable. Ends up looking more like factory PSU style that way.

 

Electrical tape is a bit average longterm.

Long lasting professional appearance and quality is not out of the realm of possibilities with electrical tape or liquid electrical tape and if you want two wires to come out of the connector you really should be crimping a new pin on the wires.

 

If you have to do a lot of work with wiring in environments where green death can be a problem you can't rely on heatshrink tubes to seal a splice that is not a butt connection. Although you can get T wire enclosures they're either way too expensive to be considered for many applications or you purchase the cheap ones that are complete garbage and you will have high resistance in a wire from corrosion. Thus your only option is to use electrical tape and you quickly figure out what works and what doesn't. It all comes down to skill of the installer.

 

Technically in any environment that has any humidity the possibility for oxidation and subsequent corrosion is a possibility. This is why flux is used in the soldering process or inert shielding gasses are used for welding. Oxidization is why bare PCB's are plated or coated with processes such as ENIG (electroless Nickle immersion gold), or HASL (Hot air solder leveling). At the end of the day heatshrink is a great tool but like any tool it has a specific purpose and using it for splicing a t or y into a wire is not a good use for it.

[artuc]

8 hours ago, trag1c said:

At the end of the day heatshrink is a great tool but like any tool it has a specific purpose and using it for splicing a t or y into a wire is not a good use for it.

Seems a bit contrary to have issues with heatshrink but recommend electrical tape which I have seen many, many failures of in the field long term where the adhesive turns to tacky slime and the tape slides right off.

 

Super great when no solder or crimp on the join the old "twist and tape" we call it.

 

Have also seen electrical tape exacerbate corrosion by allowing moisture to penetrate and then trapping it at the join.

 

For outdoor joins it would typically be with a self fusing butyl rubber wrap and protective wraps over it of electrical tape.

 

A Y join with cables kept parallel at the solder join covered in thick wall glue lined heatshrink has typically always provided much longer lasting protection for a join, some custom PSU, audio cables etc.  also use this method and personally have not experienced issues with it compared to tape.

 

 

[trag1c]

3 hours ago, artuc said:

Seems a bit contrary to have issues with heatshrink but recommend electrical tape which I have seen many, many failures of in the field long term where the adhesive turns to tacky slime and the tape slides right off.

 

Super great when no solder or crimp on the join the old "twist and tape" we call it.

 

Have also seen electrical tape exacerbate corrosion by allowing moisture to penetrate and then trapping it at the join.

 

For outdoor joins it would typically be with a self fusing butyl rubber wrap and protective wraps over it of electrical tape.

 

A Y join with cables kept parallel at the solder join covered in thick wall glue lined heatshrink has typically always provided much longer lasting protection for a join, some custom PSU, audio cables etc.  also use this method and personally have not experienced issues with it compared to tape.

 

 

Like anything it comes down to the skill and knowledge of who ever is doing, I opt for the liquid stuff as often as I can when heatshrink isn't viable. I haven't seen tape slime ever but I have seen it suffer the same effects as heatshrink where it eventually crumbles after being on something for 10-15 years. My problem with heatshrink for y/t splices is primarily the tiny gaps that exist between the two parallel wires when you push it to why as I have seen these fail time and time again when I have to go diagnose and solve a problem that somebody else did. At least with tape or the liquid stuff I know I can wrap it or coat it in such a way where it's a 100% sealed. I might be biased because I work on broken shit all day but from what i've seen it doesn't work.

[mariushm]

Ideally, you would open the power supply and solder the wires where the 12v wires are already soldered.

 

For example, you can buy a 2xmolex -> pci-e 8 pin adapter cable, or a 6pin <-> 8pin adapter cable and cut the connector you don't want and then solder the ends of the wires into the power supply circuit board. 

 

The 24 pin ATX connector only has 2  12v wires, so it's not ideal to connect a 8 pin pci-e connector there, as there would be too much current going through just those 2 12v wires.

 

If you absolutely have to, i would cut a bit of the insulation on the wires, then untwist both wires a bit and weave the copper strands of one wire through the other cable's wires and then wrap them a few times around the other wire, for a good connection. Then, use a bit of liquid flux and add solder, to solder the wires together.. Then either electrical tape, or heatshrink  - would be harder to insert the heatshrink without removing the wires from the connector, which is a bit difficult without a pin extractor (you can make your own with a bit of effort).