Mass Connector or other latch

[navy4534]

MY church has a system set up in the gym that is 10 years+ since the install. FOH had a mass connector and a fan out and stage side has a few edac installed in ceiling. Over the years the pins in mass connector have been breaking and the system is pretty useless and not trustworthy because of this so we are having to run other snakes down the side to do events in there without problem. Is it hard to replace pins on these mass connectors? Would it be possible to disassimible mass connector and solder to something else? Looking for any ideas- I'm out of ideas and running a snake every event is getting old.

[chausman]

Do you know the make/model? Some may be easier then others.


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[navy4534]

whirlwind but thats all i know.

[65535]

Mass Connectors - Catalog - Whirlwind

Replacing isn't fun but it's not too bad either. I'm surprised you're having issues with damage, when capped they are impervious to damage and they are very durable connectors. I would say just make sure training is done with everyone who handles the connectors. IMO those connectors are good for at least 30 years with proper handling. Thousands of cycles.

[derekleffew]

...Is it hard to replace pins on these mass connectors? Would it be possible to disassemble mass connector and solder to something else?

Depends on which type you have. See Wiring MASS Connectors FAQ - Support - Whirlwind , bottom of page.

I agree that it's a durable connector, but also not gorilla-proof. I've had road crews not allow any local hand, or anyone but themselves, to connect them. Some care and training is required.

[Footer]

I agree that it's a durable connector, but also not gorilla-proof. I've had road crews not allow any local hand, or anyone but themselves, to connect them. Some care and training is required.

Both of our venues are wired with MASS connectors, and even at that most road crews will connect up the snake heads instead of having our guys do it. Since the 10 years the system has been in place, exactly one pin has been broken. I just had that cable fixed after being the the NFG pile for 6 years at a cost of 50 bucks.

If you have the crimp style, you can buy a tool to do the replacement yourself. The tool alone will run you 500 bucks. If you have the solder type, your boned. Call your local whirlwind dealer and have them come out, odds are they can fix everything for a few hundred bucks. After that, they can train you on how to actually care for them. It really is not that hard to mate them correctly.

[bishopthomas]

The big guy (W4) is a SUPER pain in the butt to repair if you have the most common solder style. I have spent several nights building these things from scratch and I can tell you it's NO FUN! Because they've crammed so many channels into such a tiny package the pins are fairly thin and prone to bending. If you don't check them every single time you mate you run the risk of breaking them completely off. As others have mentioned, only allow trained people to mate these connectors.

As a production company, I like W4's for portable applications. They're small so can be pulled through tight conduit (we had an issue with our Ramlatch the first time we worked in a certain arena, had to drill out the hole for the next show), and most importantly they're the industry standard. You can easily find a replacement if you need an extension (also hermaphroditic design makes this really easy) or replacement. But for an install I really don't see the advantage, especially in a place where people of different experience and skill levels will be making the connections. Go with a fan out or some other type of multipin (Ramlatch would be my pick).

Of course, if we're talking about anything other than W4 I take everything back...

[Chris15]

I think it is key to note that the OP is operating in a school as a church user.
Hence he has no ability to control the competency or otherwise of the people mating and unmating connectors the other 6 days of the week...

[navy4534]

Its been broken for years and i haven't had control over who has been connecting it until recently. But its falling apart pretty bad. Ill take some pictures later today and post it.