Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

73 de Ross, NS7F

"Ross, NS7F" wrote in message
...
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

73 de Ross, NS7F

I have only seen these done on a machine. There are probably jaws available
for crimpers but I would think it would be a total fumble since they are so
small.

If you only need a few, then get them out of junk gear. You can get eye
strain trying to chase stuff like that down on-line or in catalogs and have
to pad for the minimum order .

On Jan 7, 10:47*am, "Ross, NS7F" wrote:
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

73 de Ross, NS7F

"IDC" perhaps? "Insulation displacement connectors." The ones that
go on ribbon cable can usually be installed using a vice, or perhaps
even a pair of pliers for a small one. The ones I tend to use because
they are available to me have loose contacts that crimp one at a time
to wires that have been stripped, and then snap into bodies. I use
them exactly as you suggest, for running power supply connections to
little boards. Both DigiKey and Mouser catalogs have large connector
sections, and I'm sure you can find appropriate ones in there.

Cheers,
Tom

"K7ITM" wrote in message
...
On Jan 7, 10:47 am, "Ross, NS7F" wrote:
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

73 de Ross, NS7F

"IDC" perhaps? "Insulation displacement connectors." The ones that
go on ribbon cable can usually be installed using a vice, or perhaps
even a pair of pliers for a small one. The ones I tend to use because
they are available to me have loose contacts that crimp one at a time
to wires that have been stripped, and then snap into bodies. I use
them exactly as you suggest, for running power supply connections to
little boards. Both DigiKey and Mouser catalogs have large connector
sections, and I'm sure you can find appropriate ones in there.

Cheers,
Tom

And, after pinching the "tabs" on both the bared wire as well as the
insulation with a small pair of forceps for more years than I care to
remember, and being shocked at the $350 price tag for the tool for them in
Digi, I was directed to Jameco. They have

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...ctId=159266 &

(If that URL gets screwed up, it's their part number 159266. It crimps
nicely and curls the tabs around the conductor and pinches the ends into the
wire)
At $12.95, (Made you know where, but appears to be sturdy even after
considerable use), makes me want to cry that I hadn't found it earlier.

W4ZCB

On Jan 7, 1:47*pm, "Ross, NS7F" wrote:
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Ross -
There are 0.1" dual-row headers that use 0.05" spacing ribbon
cables, and the connectors crimp on. These are "IDC" or "Insulation
Displacement Connectors". You can assemble these with a little vise
quite reliably. You don't often see these below 10 conductors, and I
don't think this is what you are asking about because you want the
connectors for 2 or 3 or 4 wires. But you'd be surprised how quickly
you need an extra conductor here and there and pretty soon end up at
10. And they are so cheap and so reliably assembled that even though
you don't need 10 conductors, you might want to use them anyway. As
long as you line up the polarizing stripe on the cable with the
socket, these are very reliably and very quickly assembled using
nothing more than a vise.

There are also single-row headers as well as dual-row headers that
use housings and discrete wires. These are "rectangular" connectors,
and I think this is what you want. The board side is called a "header"
and the wire side has a "housing" which holds the contacts. The
contacts are crimped onto the wires and there are different contacts
for different size wires. There are some specialized versions of these
for terminating miniature coax. There are many manufacturers of
housings and pins/sockets and crimpers and usually it's best to make
sure that you are using all the matching stuff. Molex and AMP are the
names to see in the catalogs. A "production" crimper can set you back
many hundred dollars but a "prototype" crimper for $10-$20 is what you
want. If you use a crimper that does not match the contact, the first
time you tug on the wire the contact will stay in the housing and the
wire will slide right out of the contact. So make sure you order
matching crimper and housing and contacts.

It's real boring to terminate more than just onesy-twosy wires using
the handheld crimpers. That's why the "IDC" versions for ribbon cable
are so popular. Even though you're not asking for the IDC/ribbon cable
versions, if I were you I'd seriously consider using them even though
you don't think you need so many contacts.

There are also IDC versions of these single-row connectors for
discrete wire termination. They only work reliably for very narrow
wire ranges, and if you aren't working with exactly matching wires I'd
advise that you stay away from them.

Tim N3QE

In article 31l9l.460276$TT4.6927@attbi_s22,
"Harold E. Johnson" wrote:

And, after pinching the "tabs" on both the bared wire as well as the
insulation with a small pair of forceps for more years than I care to
remember, and being shocked at the $350 price tag for the tool for them in
Digi, I was directed to Jameco. They have

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...angId=-1&store
Id=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=159266&

Harold-

That tool looks a lot like the Radio Shack Catalog Number 64-410,
"Crimping Tool With Wire Cutter For Installing Solderless Terminals".
The Radio Shack tool has five crimp wells instead of two or three on the
Jameco Tool, and crimps 14 through 28 AWG terminals.

Fred
K4DII

In article ,
Ross, NS7F wrote:
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

Try Jameco. They have '.100" Non-Polarized Connector Housings and Crimp
Pins' (Page 62 in the November 2008) catalog. (Part No. 100766 for
the female terminal, to disambiguate things). This is the closest (or
the same stuff) that I've seen to that used for computer reset button
wiring and the like. The recommended crimper is cheap, too at $12.95.

Another possible is the Molex KK line, with .100" spacing.

And for premium stuff, Dupont Berg Mini-PV, but if you have
to ask, you can't afford it.

Also many outfits (Molex, Panduit) have single row .100" inch
IDC connectors that take individual wires. (Newark?)

Mark Zenier
Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

On 8 Jan, 18:56, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article 31l9l.460276$TT4.6927@attbi_s22,
*"Harold E. Johnson" wrote:

And, after pinching the "tabs" on both the bared wire as well as the
insulation with a small pair of forceps for more years than I care to
remember, and being shocked at the $350 price tag for the tool for them in
Digi, I was directed *to Jameco. They have

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...Display?langId...
Id=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=159266&

Harold-

That tool looks a lot like the Radio Shack Catalog Number 64-410,
"Crimping Tool With Wire Cutter For Installing Solderless Terminals". *
The Radio Shack tool has five crimp wells instead of two or three on the
Jameco Tool, and crimps 14 through 28 AWG terminals.

Fred
K4DII

I use the same low-cost tool that I use for crimping Molex KK
terminals. It's not the right tool, but it works OK if I'm careful.

Leon

Try Jameco. They have '.100" Non-Polarized Connector Housings and Crimp
Pins' (Page 62 in the November 2008) catalog. (Part No. 100766 for
the female terminal, to disambiguate things). This is the closest (or
the same stuff) that I've seen to that used for computer reset button
wiring and the like. The recommended crimper is cheap, too at $12.95.


Hey OM
From a shortened URL the sockets are here online: http://tinyurl.com/8sr7ll
On that page there's a link to page 64 that lists the shells.

73 OM

n8zu

On Jan 7, 1:47*pm, "Ross, NS7F" wrote:
Has anybody had any experience with those little cables used for
connections on computer motherboards, typically to front panel LEDs,
etc? The pins are 0.1" centered and would be extremely handy for
routing +12v around while breadboarding stuff. I think the official
name is IDT cables. However, whenever I search for them, I get the
crimpers for the massive 40 or 80-conductor cables for ATA ribbons! I
just want to make the little 2-3 conductor thingies...

Thanks for taking a look.

73 de Ross, NS7F

I use crimp on female RS 232 connectors
If you cant find a crimp tool they solder on very easily

Jimmie