Caught a guy in Tulsa using the wrong crimper on D-sub pins last week

I was helping out at a small avionics shop in Tulsa last week and this younger tech was fighting with a D-sub connector for like 20 minutes. Turns out he was using a standard ratcheting crimper on those military-style pins instead of the dedicated M22520 tool. I pointed it out and he looked at me like I was speaking a different language. He said his old trainer never showed him the difference, just used whatever was on the bench. I grabbed the right tool and the pin seated perfectly on the first try, no deformation at all. It's wild how many guys think a crimp is a crimp, but with avionics tolerances being what they are, a bad pin can cause intermittent faults that take days to chase. How did you all learn the right tool for specific pins, or did you just figure it out on the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.olivia10d ago

Lazy habits in one area often spread into others, and that's what gets people into trouble. A friend of mine runs a contracting crew and says the same thing happens with guys using the wrong drill bits because it's what's already in their hand. It seems like shortcuts in small technical details quietly build up until they cause big problems later on.

emmaking10d ago

Yeah a bad crimp turns a simple fix into a FIFTY dollar diagnostic fee real quick.

rodriguez.mia9d ago

My buddy at the auto shop charges $75 diagnostic now and I used to think it was a rip off until I saw him spend two hours tracing a short from one bad butt connector. @scott.olivia that drill bit comparison hits close to home because I was the same way with crimpers, just grabbing whatever was in the toolbox. I had a whole stereo system cut out on me once because I used the cheap plier style tool instead of a proper ratcheting one. Now I buy the good heat shrink connectors and double check every joint before I put it back together.