How do I remove the "sleeve" from this connector?

cjacek

cjacek

Analogue Enthusiast
I made a photo of some connectors. A red "sleeve" (sorry don't know the proper name for this) is present on each of those (4) connectors. One of those connectors has a very fragile wire and I'd like to fix it but I'm not sure how it looks like inside, nor can I gain access due to the red sleeve. It looks kind of squished or crimped. How do I get it off? Thanks.

DSCF7945 (connectors crop).jpg
 
Heat shrink tubing, the "red sleeve", can be removed by using an Exacto knife to slit open one vertical arc and once cut through, peel it off.

Hope that helped.

Cheers! :)
 
Actually....it's not heat-shrink tubing (which would be easy to remove)...it's some kind of hard plastic.
I've used these connecter many time for guitar cab speaker connections.

You need to get some wire cutters with a sharp tip, and just chew it off.
Bottom line....it's easier to just cut the wire, and put on a new connector, since those are crimped on, so after you remove the plastic, up have to fight with the crimped metal.
You can get new ones at any Radio Shack.
 
Hey cjacek, those are crimped spade connectors or terminals, pretty common in consumer electronics, automotive and industrial applications.

As miroslav said, it can be a bugger to remove by uncrimping the metal sleeve that goes around the wire beneath the plastic, but it's usually doable with some finesse. Easier to cut the wire, strip it back and attach a new connector, you can use pliers or some improvised tool to recrimp, but a crimping tool is probably preferable, they are dirt cheap especially those combi crimper/wire stripper tools that most places that sell the connectors should have too.

Without stating the obvious, if you do cut the wire, make sure you have enough slack that the connector will still reach the terminal, or you'll need to extend the wire somehow, but that's probably an easier job than trying to uncrimp the old one. Hope that helps too.
 
Agreed on cutting off the connector and putting on a new one. You can get a box of new spades for a couple bucks at any electronics parts supplier, home improvement store, maybe auto parts store too. Bring the old one with you so you can match the size.
 
Hey miro, haven't been back in the 636 in a while, busy with other projects. Hoping to get back into it later this month... [/excuse the hijack, op!]
 
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Here is what I would do. If you have enough service loop in the wire, do as has been suggested and just lop that thing off.
DO NOT get the automotive types that have that stupid hard plastic around the crimp. Get uninsulated versions. Crimp them onto the wire THEN solder them. Once they cool off slide a piece of heat-shrink tubing over the whole crimp connector. You want to start with a size of heat shrink that fits very closely to the crimp connector. Then shrink it in place. This gives a superior termination to what you now have, leaving all the metal of the connector covered in insulation and provides a measure of strain relief for the wire entering the termination.
 
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