I still hand-solder pin connections instead of using modular connectors

I know everyone in this group loves those pre-made modular connectors for avionics harnesses. They're fast and clean looking, I get it. But I've been doing this since 2003 and I still prefer to solder and shrink-wrap each pin by hand on critical flight systems like the autopilot and compass. Last year I had a 2006 Cessna 172 come through my hangar in Bakersfield where a factory modular connector had a cold joint inside the plastic. The owner was chasing an intermittent altitude hold fault for six months. After I rebuilt that harness with my old school method, the problem vanished. Are there any other old timers here who still trust a good solder joint over a crimp? Just curious if I'm totally behind the times.

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_jackson1mo ago

Oh man, that modular connector story hits way too close to home. I had a VERY similar situation with a 1985 Mooney where the factory autopilot connector had a hairline crack right at the crimp point that would only show up in turbulence. Drove me NUTS for three months until I got out the iron and did it the way I learned. And yeah @sean_perry, I did cut that sucker open and it was the pin itself that was slightly deformed from the crimp tool. That's the stuff you can't see. I really think for anything that keeps the wings level or tells you where you're going, old school is the right call. You're not behind anything.

sean_perry1mo ago

Did you ever cut one open to see if it was the pin or the wire itself that failed?