Had to choose between solder and wire crimps for a Yashica shutter rebuild

Got a Yashica Electro 35 GSN with a dead shutter on my bench last week. The original ribbon wires were toast. I always heard solder is more reliable, but crimping is faster. I went with soldered connections using 30 gauge wire wrap wire. Took me about 90 minutes but the shutter fires every time now. No cold joints so far. Anyone else have strong feelings about ribbon wire repairs on these old rangefinders?

3 comments

3 Comments

flores.mark8d ago

Tbh 90 minutes seems fast. Did you tin the pads first?

oliviabutler8d ago

I hear you on the "solder is more reliable" thing but it's actually not that simple... crimps handle vibration way better than solder does on thin ribbon wires. Solder wicks up the wire and makes it stiff, which can cause stress fractures right at the joint over time. If it fires every time now that's great, but I'd keep an eye on those connections after a few hundred actuations.

keith1648d ago

Toss that wire wrap stuff and get some proper silicone insulated 30awg with high strand count. The stiffness of solid core or wire wrap is what kills these ribbon repairs over time, not the solder itself.