Spindle troubleshooting

[Aiph5u (Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))]

Hey Dean,

@Dustoff00

Before I tear anything down if this is simply and loose solder connection in the aircraft controller, or maybe my spindle just died all of a sudden.

If it makes a noise but doesn’t turn, one of the three phases may have no contact or be shorted. You can however easily damage the spindle if only two phases are connected. I strongly recommend not to use these “aircraft connectors” and specifically not to solder spindle connectors. Spindle connectors are usually crimped. I always recommend to buy the spindle cable from the spindle manufacturer. All reputable spindle manufacturers offer this. If you have a cheap, no-name spindle with such an aircraft connector for DIY assembly, I recommend to buy a ready-to-use spindle cable from PwnCNC instead. You have support then.

@Aiph5u

Generally a crimped connection is superior to a soldered connection, not only because solder has a much lower melting temperature than the wire material which is not ideal in cases of shorts, but primarily because when solder is applied with heat, it tends to creep in varying and unpredictable amounts along the individual strands of the wire and the area of the individual strand affected by the solder loses its flexibility. When such cables are subjected to movement, individual strands break. A crimped connection ensures that the compressed part of the wire begins and ends at a defined point and does not differ between the individual strands.

Effective crimp connections deform the metal of the connector past its yield point so that the compressed wire causes tension in the surrounding connector, and these forces counter each other to create a high degree of static friction which holds the cable in place. Due to the elastic nature of the metal in crimped connections, they are highly resistant to vibration and thermal shock.

A well-engineered and well-executed crimp is designed to be gas-tight, which prevents oxygen and moisture from reaching the metals (which are often different metals) and causing corrosion.

Because no alloy is used (as in solder) the joint is mechanically stronger.

– Source: Crimp (electrical)

The possible solution to replace the socket on the spindle is surely doable but you may think of whether the effort (and the costs) is the way you go.

Also when correctly crimped you get a cold-welded connection, which is stronger than any soldered connection and protects the copper strands by eliminating any air between them, so good against corrosion.