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Which electrical tools do I need

JwWright57

Well Known Member
Hi all - I'm at the point where I need to crimp the molex pins for the stabilator servo so I need a tool. Besides for that are there other electrical tools I'm going to need?
 
Stein Avionics Master Kit

John,
I didn't build an RV-12, so this may be overkill. When I started the electrics on my 7A, I went ahead and bought Stein's Master Kit:
http://www.steinair.com/product/master-kit/

Yes, it's a chunk of coin, but I swear I used everything on the kit. The link takes you to the kit description, and includes an inventory sheet from which you can add or subtract.

Hope this helps.
 
I'm not familiar with Stein's kit, but likely a good one. However, directly to your question regarding molex pins at the pitch trim servo, these are inexpensive, yet very good quality and will do all of the molex style pins on the build:
http://a.co/48reY3A

I built my own harness, so many different tools are needed, however I was under the impression that the RV-12 harness from Van's was essentially ready to install.

Indispensable tools are: a very good stripper, a high quality multimeter, and a high quality terminal crimper.

TIP: for stripping 24-28 gauge wires, don't bother with a stripper - use a lighter and burn the insulation where you need it just slightly, then twist and pull the end and you'll have a nice clean strip. I highly recommend a plasma lighter (fun to play with and cheap from Amazon...).
 
The only thing you need to know about crimpers is this: you need every crimper ever designed by anyone, ever, and then there will still be times when you don't have the right crimper. The problem isn't the crimper, usually, unless you consider yourself the crimper, the problem is the incredibly poorly designed Molex connector. Think of it as the Adel clamp of electrical connectors. A chimpanzee could design a better connector in about 30 minutes......
 
If you are crimping the Molex Micro terminals, the only tool I found that consistently worked and made a quality crimp was the Molex branded crimper 64016-0201. It has a separate pin holder that then attaches to the crimper stage by use of a strong magnet.

Perhaps others are able to consistently crimp the micro pins with the cheaper crimpers, but they didn't work for me.
 
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