I mentioned this in a different thread but I think it needs it’s own for visibility.
My alligator clip failed, the wire just pulled right out, only held in by a small glob of solder and the heat shrink tubing.
It’s very difficult to heat an alligator clip to the point that solder will flow properly and make a solid connection. It’s very easy to apply heat to just the solder and have the wire attach to the clip. Problem here is that will make a very weak mechanical connection and it WILL fail.
Just as mine did. I wonder if this is the root cause for some of the intermittent issues I have seen in this forum.
I fixed mine by first crimping the clip to mechanically hold the wire in place, and also soldered it to provide a solid electrical connection. I am in the habit of checking for a red light each time I use the probe.
Good to mention this specific issue, too bad it’s hard to check without removing the heatshrink but a good thing to keep an eye on or to check if someone is having issues. It’s certainly the cheapest part of the setup to replace or DIY.
Did you happen to check the ring terminal end? I realize that’s likely to see less movement but curious if it’s an issue on both ends. Since you’ve seen the internals what do you think about people crimping through the shrink tubing without removing it? Any value there or would the only proper fix be to remove it, resolder and add new tubing?
To be honest I didn’t check the other end… I’ll do that later today.
In my humble opinion I would remove the heat shrink, mine actually slid right off and I reused it. It’s the only way to visually make sure the crimp was in the right location and solid. Peace of mind
