Shall I Solder or Crimp?

[RNajarian]

No NOT battery cables.

Shall I solder or crimp the connections to my new solenoid resistor and diode?

The solder will hold up better over time, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages of doing it that way.

Thanks

[Tom47]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

No NOT battery cables.

Shall I solder or crimp the connections to my new solenoid resistor and diode?

The solder will hold up better over time, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages of doing it that way.

Thanks

Crimp connections on stranded wire is superior to soldered connections when done right with the proper crimp tool to fully compress the wire in the proper sized terminal. This will reduce moisture intrusion and oxidation from occurring.

If the crimp terminal is too large for the wire, there will be a lot of void and will cause oxidation and high resistance over time.

That said, crimp connections on solid wire such as the resistor and diode is not ideal unless the terminal is fully filled by the wire before crimping. Most suppliers of diodes and resistors with ring terminals already installed use crimp connectors. There is minimal current flow and/or heat generated in this type connection so it is satisfactory.

If you are concerned about resistance in the crimped fitting, use uninsulated ones and solder them after crimping. This is probably overkill, and I wouldn't bother with it.