Solderless Wrapped Connections: Part I - Structure and Tools

Methods of joining wires to apparatus terminals for the purpose of electrical conduction can be broadly divided into two groups: solder connections and pressure connections. There are others such as welded and brazed connections; however, they are relatively few in number. The annual production of solder connections in the Bell System is estimated to be one billion. In television and radio manufacture the number of connections made per year is in the order of ten billion. Because of the high cost of manual soldering, the pressure connection is of great importance to the communication industry. One form of pressure connection -- the solderless wrapped connection -- will be described in this article. In order to determine the technical and economic value of a new type of pressure connection it is necessary to compare it with those now accepted as good connections in the communication industry. A large portion of this article will, therefore, be devoted to the analysis of pressure connections some of which have been in use since the early development of the telephone. 525