[SpookyZalost]

Making Connectors/Plugs

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There are a lot of connector types out there but the basics remain the same and outside of some special examples (Registered jacks (RJ11, RJ45, etc), and Milspec being two key examples), most remain the same.  For this guide I'm going to cover two very common connector types that are very easy to make but this knowledge can be applied to many other kinds of connectors.

For our first connector you have what are known as terminal lugs or terminal connectors.  These are common in automotive and non specialized infrastructure however you may recognize the type as a variant is actually used to make the power cables you use every day.  These are very simple flat connectors but come in a variety ranging from flat terminal lugs to ring and crescent kinds which can be attached to screw terminals.

Before you make your connector though you need to figure out which terminals to use.  there are two kinds, male and female terminals.  Male typically have prongs and can carry an electrical charge, female are usually bent or flexed metal to allow for securely inserting male connectors into them and locking them in place.


Now before you go making your lugs or connectors you're going to need a wire crimper/splicer/cutter type tool.  In my case I'm using my leatherman multi-tool as it includes all 3 of these in the pliers part but a decent set of wire cutter/crimper/strippers can be had for around $10.  If you've money to spend I highly reccomend an auto-stripper.  this makes removing wire incredibly easy as it both strips and removes the sheath in one move and fits a variety of wires.


Next you're going to want to cut your wire to the length you want and strip the end you're putting your wire lug on.


Finally if you have stranded wire it helps to twist your exposed strands together as it'll make inserting this into the lug easier.


Now that you have everything you need insert your wire lug into the crimping part of your crimper/multi-tool, then insert the wire into that and squeeze.  It may take a couple attempts but you'll know once you've done this step.
 

And there you have it, a connector that can fit on any inline fuse or relay block you'd find just about anywhere.  in this case for connecting to a relay terminal.


There's other types of connectors too, such as ring terminal connectors which look like this.


And of course you can actually take that first connector and pair it with one of these to make a quick disconnect.


Now you need to understand the previous steps to grasp the basics but once you have it you can take it a step further and make multi-wire connectors as well as fuse boxes and relay panels such as this one here.


You've probably seen one in your car as the "fuse box or power distribution box"  but basically each one of those little holes the pins go into is a female connector like shown above crimped around a wire and likely with a heat shrink sheath to protect it.  Anyone can build one of these or replace a wire in one, the terminals have tabs that latch into place when inserted inside and can be easily pushed out with a pin or long needle nose pliers.

The same is true for a fairly common kind of connector, the MOLEX connector.


Each one of those pins inside is a crimped wire lug that looks like this when not crimped.


To make your own power connectors you crimp the lug onto the wire, and insert it into the plug housing, you'll hear a little click when it's in place and will find it secured fairly easily.  You can use this for PC power supply cables, Furnace cables, appliance cables, basically anything you want to make a cable for that isn't going to run several feet across a room and thus can use a smaller gauge.  Typically 14 to 20 gauge.  See the first section for information on gauges and why you'd want to use certain ones for your project.

Finally there's specialty plugs which deserve their own write-up.  See my network cable post for how to make a registered jack style connector (Telephone, Ethernet, etc.).  These typically need special crimping tools but the process is largely the same.  Strip the wire, insert it into the pin or plug connector and crimp it down.  In the case of RJ11 and RJ45 style plugs you crimp the wires directly to the connector all at once.


Same for milspec


These use circular adjustable pin crimping tools which crimp down on 4 sides at once instead of two like your typical molex connector and need a special tool for inserting the pins into the connector.


Hopefully this clarifies things a bit on making cables and connectors.  looking at a typical north American power plug I'm sure you recognize the flat connectors.  You can indeed make your own but fortunately and for safety reasons there are now screw terminal power connectors to be had at most home improvement stores.  so crimp on a crescent or ring style connector and hook up your wires that way.  it comes with the housing too which makes connecting/disconnecting them a breeze.  If they use the other style use the female flat terminal crimp connector.


The sky's the limit as long as you keep in mind the pin out of the power cable.  For a molex connector that'll depend on how you're wiring it up.  For outlets usually it's wired like so.


The wide pin is white or neutral, the skinny pin is black or hot, and the round or half circle pin is ground (usually green or copper.)  With this knowledge you can make your own power strips, power cables, fuse boxes, power toggle switches anything you want. as long as it can support the voltage and amperage you're planning to run through it.