Splicing two PSU cables to replace broken pin?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

TobyRoberts

Honorable
Sep 10, 2014
10
0
10,510
I'm currently rebuilding an old pc, and thought I'd jazz it up a bit, so have been sleeving all the power supply cables. Unfortunately, whilst trying to remove one of the pins from the 24-pin connector, the pin broke and I had to cut it off as it wouldn't stay in the housing.
I'm under a bit of time pressure, and want to replace the pin quickly, and don't really want to invest in a crimping tool and buy a bunch of pins for one cable. So I was wondering, I have a 4 pin connector on the PSU (non-modular) that isn't needed, could I take a section of the cable from that (with pin on) and solder it to the end of the 24-pin cable, essentially replacing the bit I cut off? I'm okay at soldering, not fantastic, so if there's any risk of joining cables that it might blow something up then I'll just suck it up and replace the pin properly, but if I could, relatively cheaply and safely replace the pin this way, that would be great.

Any advice greatly appreciated.
Cheers!

(If it's relevant, the broken cable is a black cable on the last part of the 4-pin part of the 24 pin) connector)

Thanks for the answers so far guys, should add that I'm in the UK so parts are a little harder to come by for me than I think they are in the US
 
Solution
Eximo
That sounds fine. A lengthy stripping of the wire ends and a universal joint should be more than sufficient.

For those pins you don't really need a fancy crimping tool, a pair of pliers will do. I would say head over to Radio Shack (in the US), but they are pretty much disappearing, to get a small pack of say 10 pins. Hardware stores might carry them, not really sure.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Eximo

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
May 27, 2010
25,829
4,178
139,340
That sounds fine. A lengthy stripping of the wire ends and a universal joint should be more than sufficient.

For those pins you don't really need a fancy crimping tool, a pair of pliers will do. I would say head over to Radio Shack (in the US), but they are pretty much disappearing, to get a small pack of say 10 pins. Hardware stores might carry them, not really sure.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
mjslakeridge

mjslakeridge

Splendid
Mar 6, 2013
3,386
4
21,965
You may be able to get by without even connecting the broken pin, as the black wires on a 24 pin connection are all ground wires. I am not certain why they have multiple ground wires, so don't want to give you bad advice, but you could see if it boots up with the missing ground.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Eximo

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
May 27, 2010
25,829
4,178
139,340


You can think of it like a circle. Power in = power out. What that would effectively do is increase the current flow through the remaining wires. Causing excess heating, which leads to voltage drops as the resistance increases.

Typical analogy would be water pipes If I have 6 garden hoses supplying 12V+ to the system, and only 5 'ground' hoses, then the water (current) flowing through each 'ground' hose would be increased by 20%.

If the gauge is small and the output is high that could lead to an eventual fire hazard. Though, you are likely right that this would be okay most of the time. No need to chance it though when competent soldering skills are available.

 
Upvote 1 Downvote
T

TobyRoberts

Honorable
Sep 10, 2014
10
0
10,510


Cheers man, just had a go now and seems to have worked okay so far, just gotta test it!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom