Spade lugs: screw, crimp or solder?

Echosphere

Just curious what favorite method is?

Face

Crimp, then solder for the best and most secure connection.

Echosphere

That's what I've done in the past... I found these copper spades with screws for 10 of them for $17, but really not excited about the screws. I would think they always come loose with twisting?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120503622757&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

ShinAce

Face wrote: »

Crimp, then solder for the best and most secure connection.

+9/10

For home audio, crimp and solder for both stranded and solid wire.

For car audio(read: vibration), proper crimp using stranded wire only.

Face

Echosphere wrote: »

That's what I've done in the past... I found these copper spades with screws for 10 of them for $17, but really not excited about the screws. I would think they always come loose with twisting?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120503622757&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Check these out: http://soniccraft.com/products/connections/spade/vampire.htm

Echosphere

ShinAce wrote: »

+9/10

For home audio, crimp and solder for both stranded and solid wire.

For car audio(read: vibration), proper crimp using stranded wire only.

Thanks you two!

Even with the good price, thanks to your confirmation, I'm going to pass on them.

Cheers!

PerfectCreature

I was told soldering makes the speakers sound worse...I don't remember who said it but it was someone on this forum...I know I read it somewhere...

Face

There are MANY solder joints between your source and speaker.

PerfectCreature

Then I wonder what they were talking about....
I really do not remember...could it just have been what you solder with? That effects the sound or...does it not matter.

Echosphere

Face is right.

But what I think that people were referring to above, and what I usually do, is that you crimp the cable onto the spade then apply some solder over it and and a bit around it. Helps to keep them in there tight, more contact area and seals the copper to stop oxidization. You still have good solid copper on spade contact.

PerfectCreature

Hmmm....I do wonder then what they were meaning.
Oh well, I know now.

TECHNOKID

perfectcreature wrote: »

i was told soldering makes the speakers sound worse...i don't remember who said it but it was someone on this forum...i know i read it somewhere...

what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can you repeat that

Seriously though, that would mena that all audio gear makes speakers sound worse, solder all over those darn things, right, :eek:;)

Echosphere

PerfectCreature wrote: »

Hmmm....I do wonder then what they were meaning.
Oh well, I know now.

Could they have been talking about bare wire connections?
Some folks "tin" their bare wire connections to help keep them fraying especially when plugging into those old push pin amp connections. Alot of folks say don't do that, as the solder connection is not as good as direct copper on stereo connector.

ben62670

I "tin" the leads with silver solder and use a screw and then solder. If it is a crimp connector I tin the leads, crimp and solder.

PerfectCreature

Echosphere wrote: »

Could they have been talking about bare wire connections?
Some folks "tin" their bare wire connections to help keep them fraying especially when plugging into those old push pin amp connections. Alot of folks say don't do that, as the solder connection is not as good as direct copper on stereo connector.

I think you just hit it dead on. That rings a bell.
Yeah...it was something along those lines yep.

TECHNOKID

Echosphere wrote: »

Could they have been talking about bare wire connections?
Some folks "tin" their bare wire connections to help keep them fraying especially when plugging into those old push pin amp connections. Alot of folks say don't do that, as the solder connection is not as good as direct copper on stereo connector.

Don"t forget the connector and copper actually makes contact but the solder makes a bond to make sure it provides maximum contact, the bonding will not allow for vibrations to create intermiitent problems (which can be hard to troubleshoot). Bonding the strands ensure that the conduction is maximised, not partial. The wire being tinned, chances of wire corosion is minimal. Yet lead solder is not as conductive as pure copper (minimal effect on that scale) therefore Ben's pointing out toward using silver solder will eliminate this problem since silver is a better conductor than copper (you are actualling plating the condudtor which is actually what manufacturers do at high price for their high end cables.

Cheers!
TK

Echosphere

TECHNOKID wrote: »

Don"t forget the connector and copper actually makes contact but the solder makes a bond to make sure it provides maximum contact, the bonding will not allow for vibrations to create intermiitent problems (which can be hard to troubleshoot). Bonding the strands ensure that the conduction is maximised, not partial. The wire being tinned, chances of wire corosion is minimal. Yet lead solder is not as conductive as pure copper (minimal effect on that scale) therefore Ben's pointing out toward using silver solder will eliminate this problem since silver is a better conductor than copper (you are actualling plating the condudtor which is actually what manufacturers do at high price for their high end cables.

Cheers!
TK

Thanks TK & Ben, Together that does make very good common sense.

Just to play devils advocate, also remember reading once, maybe it was Rita who does repair with Bob Carver, who said that crimping or clamping down, such as in those old push pin connecters, were designed for stranded bare copper as the point of contact from spreading out and solidly "squishing" in the copper to the connector is optimal. Probably makes sense too if you had silver strands. Don't yell at me about it, tend to agree with the two of you, but I just also thought that made sense also.