You want replacements for the IDC type which are standard "strip and crimp" style. The IDC contact portion of the pins are not long lasting.

go to http://marcospecialties.com/ and type IDC in the search box and you'll have more than you will ever need.

Done with the proper tool and home use its going to unplugged maybe twice in the next 10 years. My 2c .. use whats meant to be there. It lasted this long already in commercial use. You wont be that hard on it.

Terry at pinballlife has them also.

Try Ed at GPE

https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/categories.asp?cat=35

As others have said, you don't want to use IDC. You want to replace them with the trifucon crimp pin inserts. They're more reliable and have a larger contact surface area.

The "larger contact surface area" is a pinball urban legend. The contact surfaces of the "wings" that grip the side of the header pin contribute very little to the electrical conductivity of that connection.

As for reliability, a properly-terminated AND properly rated insulation displacement technology connector can be just as reliable as a connector using crimped pins. The reason so many of those GI connectors burned is because the ambient temperature of the back box environment was not taken into account by the designers at Williams; they should have derated the connector based on ambient temperature which would have dropped the allowable current to about two-thirds of what the designers believed the connector could handle. After the switch to Panduit's "high temp" IDCs (the black body ones) it was much less common to find a burned GI connector.

The "Repair" guy could be doing the ordering.
IDC connections being as good as crimped connections, I don't buy it one bit. First of all the IDC slices through the insulation as well as some of the wire. So less contact with the wire and contact. The crimped connection and contact will be much more robust. I suggest to the OP to purchase some crimping tools, contacts, connectors and learn how to crimp and replace connectors. It's not that hard and really is a basic pinball repair skill that pays good dividends

And if you do use IDC, then there is also a proper tool used to insert the wire into the IDC slot. Many Folks judst use a small screwdriver to do this. This can damage the IDC connector easily.

I will always go crimp over IDC.

Although either might work, the Crimp are more reliable, more durable and more serviceable.

I strongly recommend you call your service guy and ask if he has the crimper so you can go Crimp (it's your money, spend it wisely).

Hell just buy the molex Connector and the crimper from ED at GPE and do the work yourself. A monkey could do this. check out this video. It will probably even cost you less then having the guy do it.

This. Both things.

Kudos to the boyz in Tinley Park, Illinois

I give all the pinball companies credit for keeping the money in Illinois trying to use Panduit over Molex when they could. Cable ties from Panduit as well.

Are IDC connectors universal or are there different sizes? I bought some from Terry at Pinball Life and they didn't match what my manual said I should have used. I personally would agree that for home use purposes it shouldn't really matter if you use IDC or not. If they lasted as long as they did on route without blowing, I don't see what the issue is with home use.

IDC connectors (and crimp terminals as well) should be matched to the gauge of wire you are using. I think Terry only carries 22 AWG ones at the moment.

From a manufactures standpoint, IDC's are king. I wouldn't replace a IDC with another one though. If the OP doesn't want to do the work, and that is what his tech is asking for, then I don't see a problem using them.

Some thoughts on IDC vs. Crimp from Pinbits:

http://www.iobium.com/wpc_idc_connectors.htm

Trust me, where reliability and performance are paramount, crimp beats IDC, hands down. I worked on testing and development of Ion Implanters for ~ 20 years. Every connector type, and we used many, many kinds, were always crimped. Last thing you need is a pissed off Customer in China , Korea or the Far East, because of a connector. Especially when they're paying 3 to 10 million.
Now of course this comparison may seem silly, but the Folks that insist IDC's are as good as Crimped connections are just plain wrong. IDC's are used simply as a time and labor saver, that's it, the only advantage.

pdman has got it right. IDC connectors are used to only save money during manufacturing - think cheap, not quality.

Trifurcon pins are perfect for applications that have vibration such as pinball machines. Current carrying capacity isn't greater per specs, but contact resistance may be less, which reduces heat.

Think about ribbon cables -- they all have IDC connectors. They are a common failure point in many places where used.

I've had the same experience with a couple decades in field communication and electronics manufacture. IDC's are fine at first. Their long term longevity is where the difference comes into play. The extra surface area of crimp pins and trifurcon's may not increase the amperage rating on new connectors, but it has a heck of an effect on maintaining the ability to handle power over the long term. Particularly when pushed so close to their rating limits like Williams enjoyed doing with their GI and power connectors over the years.

I don't even use trifurcon's anymore for GI lighting and power connectors, and I keep a few of the box-end 45570's on hand with the high amperage housings.

-Hans

This is more about the metal than the method. Brass trifurcons will be as bad - or worse - than the IDC connectors.

To do better, you MUST USE phosphor bronze trifurcon contacts. If you use brass contacts, your repair will not even be as good as the original IDC. Now, this is tricky because the only supplier who seems to know about this is Ed at GPE. You'll see that he calls out phosphor bronze, the part number, the wiring gauge that they are for, and the spec. If you have trifurcons and the metal seems soft and not very springy - you probably have brass.

Also - you need different parts for 22GA and 18GA wire. Again, Ed is your friend because he stocks both sizes.

Phosphor bronze retains its spring tension, under vibration and temperatures. The high power Panduit IDC connectors also use phosphor bronze. So the connections remain strong and sprung mechanically, and you get the extended life you expect.

Plus, the usual reminder to replace the headers as well. Putting any new connector on an old header is a recipe for future trouble.

Had to check this as I didn't even know you could buy trifurcon contacts in brass (not sure why anyone would want to but had to check). Turns out - you really can buy them in brass if you really, really wanted to. Part numbers 08-50-0189 and 08-50-0185 are the brass equivalents for 08-52-0113 and 08-52-0125. Turns out these are in much lower demand than the phosphor bronze versions so the brass ones actually cost *more* than the phosphor bronze ones....sounds counter intuitive. Same applies to 0.1" contacts 08-52-0123 (phosphor bronze) versus 08-50-0114 (brass).

For wiring to meet high current demand - cannot beat the box contacts as they make contact to all four sides of the pin and will maintain their 13A rating up to 105C. The high current MAS-Con's drop off before 105C (hard to find them on their new web site).

I prefer the crimp type contacts over IDC for one main reason. Come on, we've all done it so just admit it ... we've all said "aw, shit" and just tugged the wiring to pull the plug off. Come on now - show of hands... don't be bashful! IDC doesn't take kindly to this.

Ed