I'm building a simple Moteino-based remote control. I'm at the stage where I'm putting it into a project box, along with a battery. I want to put a button and an LED on the lid of the project box. Now, I could just solder the moteino wires to the battery wires, the button wires, and the LED wires, but that starts to hamstring me if I later want to remove the Moteino from the project box to solder on more things. What I'd RATHER do is use some small, simple connectors that I can snap together for a good connection: one for the battery, one for the button, and one for the LED. The question is: what kind are best for this purpose? JST connectors? Micro JST connectors? El wire connectors? Or what? I want them to be reasonably tiny, so as not to take up too much space in the project box. Presently I'm thinking of maybe this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5AHF0Z/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=APHB2NWNKDSBL
or possibly this:
http://a.co/d7zkpSP
What I know for sure is that regular dupont connections just don't cut the mustard. Dupont connections tend to be too loosey-goosey.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
I use JST connectors, either SH series for space saving, PH for higher currents without a locking mechanism (although they do stay in place quite well), or PA series for a locking version. Get a decent crimping tool (best one for hand crimping by far is PA-09. The cheap 'single action' ones are just rubbish, seriously don't waste your money on them) and you're away.
I'd also consider light pipes for the LEDs, for example I use VCC light pipes with the RTN150 grommet:
http://www.newark.com/pdfs/datasheets/Visual_Comm/LPC_Litepipe.pdf
Also If you can place your PCB about 5mm below the inside face of the box you can use the smallest light pipe, a surface mout 0805 dome type LED (to direct all light into into a narrow cone upwards that the light pipe captures), and a PCB mounted push button with an extended actuator to stick slightly proud of the box when assembled. Then all that's left is a JST PA connector on the side for the battery (they're of course polarized, and locking, and less than 5mm tall for the horizontal version).
PA-09 crimping tool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxMYjJ4Lwi0
Mark.
Is it better to crimp my own parts, as you seem to be suggesting, rather than buy the pre-crimped pigtails? I suppose one advantage to that would be that I could use my own wire, whereas some of the wire that comes from China as part of something is almost garbage. For instance, it looks like there tends to be a lot of iron contamination in quite a lot of chinese "copper" wire, leading to actual rust that can eventually destroy a connection.