I just kind of like it. Connector inspections – something every geophysicist learns to be anal retentive about if they last long enough.

  • TroyOPM
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    34 days ago

    Have you had to do the soldering portion before, or has it always been technicians? If I was a junior technician doing a replacement on one of these, what advice would you give?

    • @ThePyroPython
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      24 days ago

      I didn’t do the soldering on it, though I would have liked to as an escape from my former boss (that’s another story), but I did watch the technicians doing it and from what I remember:

      • First, double check your wiring diagram at both ends. Had a right fun time explaining to my boss the reason for the days of delay was whomever did the connector on the motor/gen socket had wired it up backwards because they hadn’t flipped the wiring diagram. And disassembling that was a bitch.

      • Triple check the orientation you’re working from and it’s always better to borrow a second pair of eyes than redoing it.

      • Make a spreadsheet with the connections and print it out large on A3 paper (or US equivalent size).

      • Read the connector documentation a few times and have a go at disassembly then reassembly without the pins.

      • Cut your wires to the required length and bundle them together into a harness using kapton or electrical tape.

      • Make sure any glands that need to go over the end of the connector are slid over your wiring bundle

      • Work from the centre out, it makes pin insertion much easier.

      • Double check before inserting a pin until it clicks, they’re more difficult to remove than insert.

      • Check both ends using continuity on your multimeter after each insertion (if that’s possible) and mark off the connection on your A3 sheet using a highlighter.

      • Run a continuity check after you’ve inserted the last pin.

      • Finally, slide the gland fittings and thread into place.

      Please verify this advice yourself as it’s been more than 4 years since I’ve worked with these connectors and you should never blindly trust strangers on the internet, let alone those giving advice.

      Happy wiring 😊

      • TroyOPM
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        24 days ago

        Much wiring, great advice 👍