Cable Thickness
Getting the proper cable thickness is the key to a strong connection. The YC-8 connectors grip the cable when they are screwed down tightly.
You'll use heat shrink tubing to bulk up the woven fabric USB cable shown here and give it a better grip.
The connector housing's grip flanges can accommodate a cable thickness of 4.5mm to 5mm.
Note here how the inside diameter of the housing crimps from ~5mm down to 4.25mm when it is properly tightened.
We can see the cable's outside diameter is about 3.5mm.
One layer of the heat shrink tubing brings it to about 4.2mm.
Two layers gets us to a nearly idea 4.54mm!
Cut the Cable
First, cut your USB cable with some sharp diagonal cutters about 1/3rd of the way from the device end of the cable (the non USB A side).
Wrap some Kapton tape around the fabric to prevent it from bunching up when adding heat shrink later.
Strip away the outer sheath to expose the conductors.
Slide on the Connector
Disassemble one connector and slide the parts over the cable as shown.
Repeat for both sides.
Add Heat Shrink Tubing
Cut two lengths of 4.5/2.25 heat shrink tubing, about 40mm in length.
Slide one piece over the cable and heat it, then repeat with the second piece.
This will give us the diameter needed for the cable assembly to tighten down properly.
Solder the Wires
Follow the pin diagram from the Wiring page of this guide and carefully solder each conductor to the associated solder lug.
Be mindful of which connector corresponds to which housing, they are not identical.
Screw Together the Connector Housing
Holding the soldered connector in place so it does not twist and place strain on the soldered wiring, thread the housing on.
You may want to use small wrenches or pliers to get this on tight, which is what causes the connector to grip the heat shrink tubing and wire sheathing.
Repeat
Repeat the entire soldering process for the other cable half, and then insulate the wiring.
Holding the soldered connector in place so it does not twist and place strain on the soldered wiring, thread the housing on.
You may want to use small wrenches or pliers to get this on tight, which is what causes the connector to grip the heat shrink tubing and wire sheathing.
Connection!
You can now plug the cable halves together and use your USB cable. To separate the YC-8 connectors, retract the spring loaded collar and then pull the halves apart.
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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