Crimped a DB9 connector wrong 3 times before I learned the trick

I keep seeing folks at SATO (San Antonio) smashing pins on those old 9-pin serial connectors like they're trying to win a fight. The issue is they're not using the proper crimper or they're stripping too much jacket off, which causes shorts. I finally watched a 5-minute video from a retired Navy tech and it clicked - you gotta stagger your pins in the hood before crimping. Has anyone else found a better way to not wreck these things on the bench?

4 comments

4 Comments

shane_wilson7d ago

You ever notice how some things in tech just feel like they were designed to mess with you on purpose? I had a buddy who spent an entire afternoon trying to get one of those DB9 connectors right and ended up snapping the plastic hood in half out of frustration. He finally just taped the whole mess together with electrical tape and called it good enough. That bootleg fix probably still works to this day in some forgotten server room somewhere, haha.

river_thompson7d ago

Lmao yeah that staggered pin thing was a game changer for me too. I think I ruined like 4 connectors before someone finally showed me one of those tutorials from a retired military guy. Honestly felt like I was being hazed by the hardware.

evan_grant704d ago

Man, I used to think those serial connectors were just garbage and anyone who said otherwise was lying. I was WRONG. I wrecked a whole batch of them one Friday afternoon at our shop and was ready to throw the whole tool bag against the wall. Then a grizzled old radio guy came over, showed me that staggering trick, and suddenly it felt easy. I felt like a total idiot for blaming the connector when it was my technique all along. Now I can crimp those things in like 2 minutes flat without even thinking about it.

tessap977d ago

That "stagger your pins in the hood" trick is a lifesaver, I wish I had known it years ago. I've definitely been in your shoes, sitting there staring at a mangled connector wondering where I went wrong. It's one of those little things that makes all the difference once you finally see it done right.