Prep the DC Plug
Starting with the power cable, we'll use the right angled DC plug to route the connection outside the enclosure. We'll install a female DC jack to the enclosure and wire that to our right angled DC plug. The cables are longer than necessary so we can shorten it down to about 17cm in length. Using wire strippers (or carefully with a knife), remove about an inch (25mm) of installation to expose the positive and negative wires. Then, remove about 5mm of insulation from the tips of those wires.
Jumper Wires for DC Plug
In order to make our connections modular, we'll use extension jumper wires to make assembly easier. We'll need two male/female jumper wires, about 75mm in length – these are from this jumper wire pack. Use any two colors, matching with voltage/ground wires if possible. We'll use these two jumper wires for two different connections.
Removing Headers
Next we'll work on connecting the male jumper wires to the DC plug. I used an x-acto knife to lift the plastic tab from header and pulled out the housing. With the bare metal connector exposed we can use pliers to un-crimp them. The end of the male headers are wrapped around the PVA insulation. Wires can be pulled and removed from the headers.
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Extracted Headers
I was able to remove the headers without damaging the metal from the bare connectors. It'll become difficult to reinstall the plastic housing if the connectors are not re-crimped and square – It will need to still fit inside the housing. I used these flat precision pliers to reshape the tabs and flatten out the metal.
Attach Wires to Headers
We'll need to connect the voltage and ground wires from the DC plug to the male jumper wire connectors. To do this, I soldered the wires to the ends of the connectors. Using third helping hands, the wires were held in place while tinning the exposed wires – this prevents stranded wires from fraying. Then, I propped up the connectors and tinned the ends. Place the tinned wire on top and heat up the solder to fuse the connections together. You might be able to just re-crimp the wires with a proper crimping tool.
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Reinstall Headers
With the male jumper wire connectors now attached to the DC plug, it's time to reinstall the plastic housing. These provide the connectors with insulation so they won't short anything. If the wires are crimped and reshaped correctly, the headers ought to slip right over the connectors. If they don't quite fit, a bit of reshaping with pliers can tighten the crimping. Be sure to orient the plastic housing correctly.
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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