How To Crimp DT Connectors

A few weeks back, I wrote a blog post about DT connectors and why they’re so well suited to harsh environments. M5 has now begun to stock them, so I’ll show you how to properly crimp them!

To start, you’ll want to get the correct crimping tool and connector pin. We carry two sizes, one fitting 16-20 AWG wires, and one fitting 12-16 AWG wires. Once you have the correct pin, you can get ready to crimp.

If your wire is too large, you’ll want to use a standard crimping tool on the connector as the wire won’t fit inside the pin. For a ~16-20 gauge wire, read the following:

Begin by stripping an 8mm section of wire and inserting it into the pin.

Note how the stripped section of wire is inserted into the pin.

Then, take the crimper and make sure it’s fully open, and squeeze it until it clicks once to ensure the pin doesn’t go too deep into the tool. Now, you’re ready to insert the pin into the crimper and squeeze until it releases. Your crimp is finished!

Now, you just need to take a standard crimping tool and use it to crimp the end of the pin onto the insulation to hold it securely in place.

Finished crimp

Once you’ve repeated this process for every connector, simply insert each one into the desired position in the connector housing (Importantly, pins and sockets will only go into their respective housings, so you can’t mix and match connector types). Then, insert the matching wedge lock into the open end of the connector, and you’re done!