Easy Way to Remove Pin Connectors From Board
Tried both the official Molex tool from GPE and a jeweler's screwdriver and while I can do it, it seems way harder than it should be.
When I'm removing a pin from a connector in the head, the connector is usually attached to a wiring harness, so I need one hand to hold the connector firmly and another to press down on the locking tab with the tool, and another to pull out the pin. So three hands.
Do folks typically free the harness to the point that they can rest the connector flat on a firm surface to free one hand?
THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY
Let's see pictures of the connectors in question please.
Insert the removal tool, hold the end in the cup/palm of your hand, and hold the connector housing with your fingers. Tug on the wire with your other hand.
Or, hold the removal tool with 2 fingers and a thumb, and the connector housing with your remaining two fingers. Tug on the wire with your other hand.
If you plan on crimping a new connector to the wire, there is no need to be gentle with removing the old connector from the housing. I'm not suggesting a hammer, but all I use is a small screwdriver and press hard on the securing tab....hard enough to simply push it out of the way... then connector comes right out.
Quoted from Freeplay40:
If you plan on crimping a new connector to the wire, there is no need to be gentle with removing the old connector from the housing. I'm not suggesting a hammer, but all I use is a small screwdriver and press hard on the securing tab....hard enough to simply push it out of the way... then connector comes right out.
Exactly.
If you are replacing the contact, just press the locking tab in with an Awl and it slides out with no resistance at all.
Do this with the connector pulled off of the board/male pins.
Thanks guys - definitely not worried about the old connector pin, more about damaging the connector housing if I'm trying to press and slide with the same motion with the tool.
I only use the tool if I'm keeping the crimped connector end (like someone installed them in the incorrect order).
Scratch Awl is much faster.
Poke all the tabs down at once, and slide all the connectors smoothly out.
Take a pic before you begin just for a sanity check. You can chew up a lot of time having to go back to the schematics.
image_17946_(resized).jpg
I use a small flat head. I usually find a place in the head or cabinet nearby to set the connector on. Then with one hand push in the tab with a screwdriver and the other hand pulls the wire out. Takes a bit of practice and then you get good at it without mangling the housing.
If you are repinning the entire plug, the only connector housings worth reusing are the really long ones in a bally game that you can't find anymore. They are cheap enough i usually just use a new housing to save the step of pulling the contacts out of the original housing.
Quoted from barakandl:
If you are repinning the entire plug, the only connector housings worth reusing are the really long ones in a bally game that you can't find anymore.
Do you know specifically which molex connectors are unobtanium?
I can't find any larger than about 14 or 16 pins i think its. Bally used some 25's, 28s in .100" and up to 20 in 1.56".
Quoted from barakandl:
I can't find any larger than about 14 or 16 pins i think its. Bally used some 25's, 28s in .100" and up to 20 in 1.56".
Use 2. Cut one so that put together they have the right number of circuits. Lightly sand the uncut edge and the matching edge of the other connector. Mix a little epoxy and apply a thin coat on both the sanded faces. Stick them together and line them up straight. Let it cure overnight on some cardboard or something. Light pressure on either end is preferred. Wipe off any squeezed-out epoxy with a water damp paper towel. The next day trim off the excess with a box blade.
Order some keying pins.
Which brings up the question: what do you use for a keying pin if you don't have any in your pocket?
I've had good luck using an Xacto knife to push the little tab down and slide the connector out. The tip of the blade digs in just enough to get a good bite without doing any damage to the connector. Just be sure to wear safety glasses in case the tip were to break off. I worked with a guy who lost an eye when a piece of the razor blade he was using as a scraper broke off.
Quoted from cody_chunn:
Which brings up the question: what do you use for a keying pin if you don't have any in your pocket?
Order a bag of keys whenever you order the housings, because some brands don't fit other brands.
But if you are totally stuck on location, use your mini diags to cut the old housing down each side, and reuse the old key.
Quoted from cody_chunn:
Use 2. Cut one so that put together they have the right number of circuits. Lightly sand the uncut edge and the matching edge of the other connector. Mix a little epoxy and apply a thin coat on both the sanded faces. Stick them together and line them up straight. Let it cure overnight on some cardboard or something. Light pressure on either end is preferred. Wipe off any squeezed-out epoxy with a water damp paper towel. The next day trim off the excess with a box blade.
I've always had terrible luck getting epoxy to stick to Nylon anything.
If the old nylon housing is still dimensionally good (it can have a scorch mark, but not deformed), I'll reuse it and simply put the date of rebuilding on the face. Color is a better match than new bright white anyway.
The longer ones (like the 20s).
Sometimes a hoard of them will pop up, but it's iffy.
Reusing the old nylon housing is sometimes the only solution.
Remember to date it after you rebuild it, so the next owner does not assume it's 40 years old.....
A little off topic but I figure to throw it on here while we are talking pin removal.
So here it is. Those barrel pins which ed and others sell removal tool for also have one female pin. What is the trick there?
Just one of lingering questions I've had.
THANKS
Quoted from CNKay:
A little off topic but I figure to throw it on here while we are talking pin removal.
So here it is. Those barrel pins which ed and others sell removal tool for also have one female pin. What is the trick there?
Just one of lingering questions I've had.
THANKS
For .062 and .093 pins I've found those spring-loaded removal tools work equally well for male and female pins - are you saying the female pins are giving you trouble when you try to remove them using the tool?
Yeah the tool did not seem to work / fit at all. If i am remembering correctly?
Quoted from CNKay:
Yeah the tool did not seem to work / fit at all. If i am remembering correctly?
Sure you had the correct size?? Sometimes you have to push pretty hard on the round pin extractors to get it to slide overtop of the locking tab.
Quoted from CNKay:
Yeah the tool did not seem to work / fit at all. If i am remembering correctly?
You have to sometimes "do a little circle" with the tool to get it to release.
I've gotten pretty good at removing and replacing them. I do them one at at time and when I take one out, I repin it, and put it into the eh new connector right away so that it's easy to remember where they all go. Also, this is me every time after re-pinning a bunch of connectors:
image_(resized).png
Yes, roll the pin extractor in a circle around the base of the female pin to push in the tangs while lightly pushing in the plunger. Once you figure it out, they become easy.
Quoted from SealClubber:
Yes, roll the pin extractor in a circle around the base of the female pin to push in the tangs while lightly pushing in the plunger. Once you figure it out, they become easy.
Also, while doing this - push a bit on the wire -into- the connector from behind. This will slightly separate the contacts tangs from the plastic body by a hair and tends to make it easier to push the extraction tool over the tangs (less chance for them to bind up on the backside of the connector cavity).
Quoted from barakandl:
I can't find any larger than about 14 or 16 pins i think its. Bally used some 25's, 28s in .100" and up to 20 in 1.56".
I regularly stock up to 20 pin sizes for 0.156" and can get them up to 24 pins.
For 0.1" connectors, I have sizes up to 25 pins but have run out of 28s. Went through 15,000 of these (where the heck did they all go?!?!) and can't get this size anylonger. Even tried to get them custom made but no dice.
Wow, 15,000...where the heck did they all go? 
they made a lot of early bally ss games
i have been using 20 pin connectors from a couple head wiring harnesses i had spare.
No doubt, lol.
=
But remember, you can simply reuse the old housing.
No need to throw out a bunch of rare housings when only the contacts need replacing.....
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