pete.young Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Decided to see if I could find out why my Crate Power Block is dead, and sure enough the 12-way ribbon cable from the pre-amp board to the main board is coming away at the pre-amp board end. I can clean up the holes on the pre-amp board, but how to strip back enough conductor on the ribbon cable to solder it back in place? There isn't very much slack in the cable, so I've got maybe one go at this before it becomes too short and will require replacing altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Is it the sorta stuff that will shrink back if its warmed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 You need a stripper like this for ribbon cable: You'll need to strip the ribbon back in 1/2" sections along its length but this sort of stripper is easily available and you don't have to pay £100+ for a proper single pass ribbon stripper. You might want to have a practice on an old PC ribbon cable just to make sure you've got the tension set right if you go for a manual version (the manual ones have a knurled tension screw on the back of the head - but then, don't we all... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks for the help, guys. Not sure whether it will shrink with a bit of heating. I will have a ratch about in the spares box to see if I can find anything similar and practice on it. Can't quite make out the detail on that stripper, though it's a nice red colour! I was thinking though that it might be sensible to separate the individual cables for half an inch or so, then strip each one individually, is that what you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Just a thought - perhaps it failed because it was too short and under stress. Consider replacing with a longer bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1336344190' post='1644387'] You need a stripper like this for ribbon cable: You'll need to strip the ribbon back in 1/2" sections along its length but this sort of stripper is easily available and you don't have to pay £100+ for a proper single pass ribbon stripper. You might want to have a practice on an old PC ribbon cable just to make sure you've got the tension set right if you go for a manual version (the manual ones have a knurled tension screw on the back of the head - but then, don't we all... ) [/quote] I've got four of those damned things sitting in draws and none of them have ever worked, no matter what I do with them. I've got some of these: which work well. Anything they can't do my teeth usually can. Also got a bunch of crimping tools that also claim to strip wire but never can. Edited May 7, 2012 by KingBollock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 A real man can strip *any* wire with a pair of decent side cutters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) I've used one of these red n black strippers for years and swear by them, not at them. Always done a great job for any pedal wiring. I split ribbon strips into 3-wide for wiring up pots, then strip 1/2cm off the ends while they are still joined as 3, then split them into individual strands at the ends with a craft knife once stripped at the ends. Edited May 7, 2012 by Al Heeley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1336406643' post='1645148'] Just a thought - perhaps it failed because it was too short and under stress. Consider replacing with a longer bit? [/quote] In an ideal world, I would. A contributory factor appears to be that the cable had a very sharp bend around the pre-amp PCB, so that it came in through the front of the board. Instead, I'm going to run the cable in from the back of the PCB so that it should be long enough and not be under tension. Replacing the ribbon would require me to take the amp completely to bits, remove a load of silicone sealant, break and remake a perfectly good joint at the main board end. I'd rather not do this unless I have no alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1336399815' post='1644989'] Thanks for the help, guys. Not sure whether it will shrink with a bit of heating. I will have a ratch about in the spares box to see if I can find anything similar and practice on it. Can't quite make out the detail on that stripper, though it's a nice red colour! I was thinking though that it might be sensible to separate the individual cables for half an inch or so, then strip each one individually, is that what you recommend? [/quote] It depends on the cable really. If it's solid stranded then I do it in one hit, if it's multiple stranded then they'll need dressing before soldering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202'] I've got four of those damned things sitting in draws and none of them have ever worked, no matter what I do with them. [/quote] Ah. You have to have the magic touch... The cheap and cheerful varieties don't work very well - mine came from RS and work every time. [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202'] I've got some of these: [/quote] I can't work out if you're a dentist or a proctologist... [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202'] Also got a bunch of crimping tools that also claim to strip wire but never can. [/quote] Crimp tools are definately rubbish at stripping cable, mind you, a lot of them are pretty rubbish as crimp tools as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1336417651' post='1645395'] A real man can strip *any* wire with a pair of decent side cutters [/quote] Yep. But it soon becomes a real ball ache if you have 50 or 60 pairs to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1336426593' post='1645563'] Replacing the ribbon would require me to take the amp completely to bits, remove a load of silicone sealant, break and remake a perfectly good joint at the main board end. I'd rather not do this unless I have no alternative. [/quote] Of course you could always adopt 'Plan B'. Just ignore the ribbon cable and solder another single cable in place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 An update - like KingBollock I couldn't get the stripping tool to work, so resorted to separating the strands for an inch of the cable and stripping them individually. All soldered back together, but I still have a mostly-dead amp on my hands. There is some output but very very faint, when gain and main volume are on full you can just about hear it. I think I've about timed-out on this, so if anyone here is interested in acquiring a dead Crate Power Block for the cost of postage please let me know. I'll stick it into the 'freebies' thread in a couple of days if no-one here wants it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1337426695' post='1659723'] The only crimpers worth using is the ratchet ones IMO. Those flat steel ones You can do a better job with a pair of pliers. [/quote] Yep. Pretty much the case IME. The only thing I find usefull about those flat plate ones is their ability to shorten bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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