What have y'all successfully used to connect MAC (sorry, Ray Allen) servo components?  I'm talking about connecting those little jewels with the 26 AWG wires sticking out of them to the 5-conductor wires that they also provide.  Them little wires are really tiny!

I have a flap position indicator, two trim systems, relays ... a total of at least seven of these thingies that each need to be connected to the 5-conductor wire.  And I'll be damned if I can connect those little beasties together.  I've tried Molex micro-fit connectors.  I can get a successful crimp on the pins but I can't get the pins into the sockets without snapping the wires.  I can successfully solder a 26 AWG wire to a 20 AWG machined crimp pin, but it's kinda swimming around in there.

In my professional life (rocket and aircraft engineer) we don't allow crimped connections smaller than 22 AWG since they are too fragile.  Now I have first-hand experience telling me the same thing.

I'd like to use a soldered termination to a connector.  Right now I'm trying Bob Nuckolls technique of cutting down the backshell from a standard Radio Shack DB-9 D-subminiature connector.  I suspect that will work, but I'm wondering what the rest of you have used.  And that's ignoring the issue of hacking up a "top quality Radio Shack part".  (Although in their defense, can the Shack's D-sub connectors be much different than anyone else's?)

And I definitely know Brent Regan's approach -- no connectors if at all possible.  While I don't disagree with him, I can't even solder two 26 AWG wires together successfully!  And I've got to do this at least 40 times!

How hard is this supposed to be, anyway?

- Rob Wolf