DIY D-sub: ordered the tool, now what?

So I’ve changed up my studio a bit and need to do some  extensive patching.  After months of scouring the auction sites for a decent prewired patchbay & returning one thats completely shot, Ive decided to bite the bullet & finally buy the expensive crimp tool (used). Ive had great luck w used tools so hopefully that works lol!

Anyway my question is: where does a crimping newb like me go to find the supplies I need to start crimping my own Dsub cables? I know Mouser likely has everything I need but I get lost & discouraged really easily there.

Would anyone of you awesome top dogs have any part numbers for the good steel housings, & gold plated male & female pins?

I know I’ll need practice too so maybe some cheapo pins too?

I’m willing to bet theres some table out there somewhere thatd gelp me out, I just dont even really know where to start looking. Sorry for the dumb-newbness, I’ve always hated part sourcing because I just never know where to start. I keep getting lost in adverts & clickbait, searching for wrong terminology, ughhh....

I bet at one or two of you technical gurus (respectfully)  knows where I can at least start my search. Sorry, I’m so lost!

Oh, & to contribute, of course I’ll post any part numbers I find HERE, so anyone else seeking the same can do so more easily

The only crimper I have I got on Ebay for $15 and it works fine. I don't have an indent crimper which is what you would use for d-sub but Ebay has cheap ones. I would just try that.

I do have the insertion / extraction tool which you will definitely need to get pins out of the housing to change things around or fix mistakes. It's a little thing red and white with two springy metal tubes on each end.

I own a few crimpers, none of them are for dsub. The reason being companies adopted a standard pinout for those and hardly do they ever differ. You would be better off buying the sub ends where you solder to the pins. It's easier.

pucho812 said:

I own a few crimpers, none of them are for dsub. The reason being companies adopted a standard pinout for those and hardly do they ever differ.

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Hmm. Most people use Tascam, but Euphonix, & Harrison have different ones.  I have come across 2 other pin outs on bantam patchbays one where the top row of Dsubs were wired differently to the bottom row.  Then you come to Dolby boxes......... & the worst one of all Yamaha (I think) where for an 8 channel signal on a Dsub25 they use something like 1 pin for all the Earths.    However as you say most are Tascam, particularly if your not dealing with film or Broadcast gear but I always check now because I've been caught out before.

pucho812 said:

I own a few crimpers, none of them are for dsub. The reason being companies adopted a standard pinout for those and hardly do they ever differ. You would be better off buying the sub ends where you solder to the pins. It's easier.

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I'm not getting the connection between not having a DSub crimper and the pinout being standard ?
But I'd go with saying solder pins might be a better option.

Ok sorry I was vague. I’m trying to do the 8ch db25 tascam pinout you see on so much recording gear now. 

I’m wondering if the crimp v solder thing is one of those long standing arguments in the industry.  Hope I’m not rattling any cages! An aircraft tech sold me on crimps for their speed & durability when done properly.  Anyway its too late for me now, I already spent a pretty penny  on the crimper & need to at least try it LOL!

Anyone know where I can find the good pins to feed the thing?

I did find this but I imagine mouser or digikey might be significantly cheaper w the right part number.

https://www.redco.com/DSUB-Connectors/

The crimper I bought for 2.5mm molex's is surprisingly high quality and is available on Amazon. It's a Japanese-made tool by a company called "Engineer." About $40 bucks. They make a bunch of different sized ones.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/7504441011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Engineer&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_7504441011

I've been down the D-sub road without the proper tool and it was not fun. Ended up soldering them which was also not fun. Made me a skeptic of crimping. But this tool made crimping a breeze and my crimps are super sturdy and pro. Made me a firm believer in the crimp.

Fubard said:

I did find this but I imagine mouser or digikey might be significantly cheaper w the right part number.

https://www.redco.com/DSUB-Connectors/

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I doubt it. Redco is a good place to get stuff like this. Their prices are quite reasonable. Redco has lots of good stuff actually. Get some snake cable while your at it. I've ordered from them multiple times.

Newmarket said:

I'm not getting the connection between not having a DSub crimper and the pinout being standard ?
But I'd go with saying solder pins might be a better option.

Click to expand...

well unlike edac where studios use different pinouts and unlike edac where the solder pins are longer then the crimp pins, dubs do not do that.  So I never got a dsub crimp tool. I just soldered away at those things.

I use a Dsub crimp tool made by AMP (see pic)    Very expensive new, I got mine from ebay for £40.  I found it wasn't possible to crimp them properly with out it.  Anythng else I tried to use was unreliable.

You also need to make sure you get the right gauge pins for the particular wire or cable you are using.  They come in different gauges & if you get ones that are too small for your cable the connections will not be at all reliable

I thought about making a db25 break out card, but unlike the ones available on the market, the pins would be grouped so we have a channel

Rob Flinn said:

I use a Dsub crimp tool made by AMP (see pic)    Very expensive new, I got mine from ebay for £40.  I found it wasn't possible to crimp them properly with out it.  Anythng else I tried to use was unreliable.

Click to expand...

I think this is part of the reason I don’t like Molex KK. I have a generic ratchet crimp tool. It’s not nearly as accurate or reliable as crimping an EDAC  pin with the right tool.

I don’t do enough D subs to invest in a proper crimp tool. I’m usually able substitute a Phoenix terminal block for a Molex KK.  When I have to use a Molex I am very careful.

I recently had to do over 24 cables with Yamaha pinout in one end and Tascam pinout in the other.
I started by soldering but very soon I bought a crimp tool and that was one of the better decisions I've ever made.

This is what I used (Farnell part numbers):

Tool:

https://fi.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/58448-2/crimp-tool-hdp20/dp/1345497?ost=1345497&ddkey=https%3Afi-FI%2FElement14_Finland%2Fsearch

Backshell:

https://fi.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/5748676-3/backshell-d-diecast-25way/dp/1098414?ost=1098414&ddkey=https%3Afi-FI%2FElement14_Finland%2Fsearch

Plug housing:

https://fi.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/207464-2/plug-housing-d-t-d-25way/dp/1345175?ost=1345175&ddkey=https%3Afi-FI%2FElement14_Finland%2Fsearch

Crimp pins:

https://fi.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/1-66507-0/crimp-pin-gold-28-24awg/dp/1776435?ost=1776435&ddkey=https%3Afi-FI%2FElement14_Finland%2Fsearch


I will never solder a d-sub cable connector again.


/Anders

Nice one Anders, that is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll use the brand names & terminology in my Mouser search.

For everyone else: thanks so much for all the great advice & shared experiences.

I already got a great deal on one of those rediculous aircraft  crimpers w the rotating head.  (Overkill, but at least I know it will work, despite my awkwardness) Now, I cant wait to order up a bunch of pins & housings!

Yes RedCo is awesome for bulk snake cable, I use them every time

As promised, I’ll post here, what I find on Mouser and/or Digikey. 

Thanks again!