Re: Need to cut through the BS on Alarm monitoring costs

[Robert Macy <robert.a.macy@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Feb 4, 10:05=A0pm, blueman <NOS...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
...snip...
> Well, the 'uneducated' installers at my alarm company are taught to
> twist and solder. Unfortunately, the ones that did my installation were
> lazy and "forgot" to even solder about half the connections -- they were
> just twisted. So by going back and soldering the joints, all I did was
> bring the installation up to the level that the installers are supposed
> to do according to their training.
>
> Unless you are in some type of hostile environment (outdoors, near the
> sea, chemical exposure), a good mechanical + solder connection should
> last pretty much indefinitely. How do you think components are connected
> inside the panel? I have made solder joints 40+ years ago that are still
> good. If your joints are twisted, soldered, and taped in a 'normal'
> environment and still failing I call either "bullshit" or that you are
> not as good at soldering as you think. Perhaps you have some cold solder
> joints? In 40 years of doing electronics, I have never seen a properly
> done solder joint fail by itself (of course enough mechanical twisting
> will break the joint but the wire itself would typical break even
> ealier). Also, in my experience, CRIMP connections are at least as
> likely to fail since a lot of people don't do a good job crimping -
> either too much or too little crimping force or they don't insert the
> wires properly. Also, a solder joint is both a mechanical and a
> chemical/welded connection, so it is theoretically electrically superior
> to a crimp connection.
>
...snip...

I was further told to NOT solder a crimped connection, because it
undoes the 'goodness' of the connection.  Seems the heat eases the
spring forces undoing the advantages of a spring loaded connection.
Telephone companies, do NOT solder ther land wires for same reason.
always spring forces and crimps.  I always thought that was done
because the lack of AC power in the field to make a good solder
connection forced them to rely on these crimp connection, a 'lesser'
quality connection [in my mind only].

Yes, I'm aware of solder inside electronic systems. I used to design
autopilots [somewhat of a major reliability requirement] and telecom
systems that MUST have 50,000 hours MTBF!  Armed with those
experiences *and* a university degree I didn't listen to EXPERIENCED
installers. I KNEW better. W R O N G !  Again, my PERFECT soldered
connections false alarmed in 1 year external and 10 years internal.
Going around re-soldering, they all held again for about the same
amount of time.

For a connection to fail in a security system it only needs to open
for microseconds, then reconnect for another month.  Most people
wouldn't even notice that happening inside their CD player, TV, etc.
And, THAT'S exactly what those solder connections did. False alarm,
hold several months, false alarm, hold month, false alarm, until got
down to every week, then re-solder to fix...and last for another 10
years.