8/25/23 - 1.1h
8/26/23 - 1.0h
This should have been a standard wiring step, but it was complicated by the incorrect installation of the micro-molex connector for the aileron trim system on the WH-00013 wire harness. The first problem I ran into was the micro-molex sockets were installed backwards into the 6-pin housing, which made it impossible to connect to the micro-molex pins and housing I attached to the trim servo. To make matters worse, I also installed my micro-molex connector backwards. Additionally, I learned after the fact that crimping micro-molex connectors is slightly different than crimping larger molex connectors. The difference is the aft and center set of wings are crimped together, and the forward set of wings does not get crimped at all.

Micro-Molex Crimping Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCU86Yxnnac

Standard and Mini-Molex Crimping Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4xdpWOKBr0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXg3koRHdTQ

After I came to the realization that the connectors were installed incorrectly, I used my micro-molex pin removal tool to pull the wires and pins out of the connectors. This was a difficult process since the pins were installed incorrectly. I wanted to see if there was a better way to pull out the pins, and I stumbled across the spec sheet for my pin removal tool. It had instructions for use as follows:

Molex Application Tooling Specification Sheet for HT60923A Extractor Tool
1. Insert the tip of the tool on either side of the terminal until it stops.
2. Rotate tool clockwise then counter-clockwise approximately 25 to 30 degrees in each direction, once or twice.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 on the opposite side of terminal.
4. Pull on the wire and remove the terminal from the housing.

The spec sheet also included the following note about micro-molex connectors:
NOTE: When a terminal is removed in this manner the locking tangs are damaged and the terminal is not reusable.

The result? I crimped the male pins incorrectly, I removed the pins from both the male and female connectors, I damaged the connectors in the process of removing the pins, and I damaged the pins in the crimping and removal process.

The solution? It was clearly time to start over with this connector, and install new hardware. I also decided to install new wires since the original wires on the harness don't have any excess to clip off old connectors and install new ones.
I decided to order new parts from SteinAir, since they were the builder of the original wire harness. I could not find any of the micro-molex hardware on the SteinAir website (they are on the Van's web store), so I called and was surprised when Stein answered the phone. After a brief intro, he knew exactly what I was working on and what the problems are. He recommended cutting the micro-molex connectors off of the harness, and replacing everything with d-Sub pins and sockets. He directed me to a you-tube video he made for exactly this type of application.
https://youtu.be/f8DCvBV2V4M

Taking the micro-molex connector out of the equation worked great for me, and I think the d-Sub approach will end up working better than the original. The d-Sub pins and sockets are much easier to work with than the micro-molex pins and sockets. The installation is clean, and should be easy to work with. When I connect the aileron trim servo to the springs and wires for the final time, I'll install heat-shrink tubes over each individual d=Sub connection to give them some extra pull strength and insulate the wires from each other. I will also put a second layer of heat-shrink over the entire d-Sub wire connection bundle to keep everything neat and together. I don't anticipate ever disconnecting the aileron trim servo wires, but it should be easy enough to cut off the heat-shrink and disconnect the d-Subs if I need to.

There are a couple of final checks to ensure the trim servo is operating correctly after the wings are attached to the fuselage, but for now I'm calling this section of the build complete.
[Wire Stripper, Flush Cutters, Open Barrel (Molex) Crimping Tool, High Density D-Sub Insertion Tool, D-Sub Crimping Tool, Heat Shrink, Heat Gun]