The day I stopped using D-sub pin extractors and started using a paperclip

I spent 3 years fighting with those $15 pin extractor tools on Cannon D-subs, breaking tips and scratching housings. Last month I was bench testing a HUD control panel on a Gulfstream GIV and lost the extractor tip inside the connector shell. In frustration I grabbed a paperclip, bent a tiny hook on the end, and had that pin out in 10 seconds. The extractor tool is supposed to be better but the metal is too soft and the tips break at the worst times. A paperclip works every time if you take 2 minutes to shape it right. Now I keep a bag of jumbo paperclips in my toolbox for pin removal. Has anyone else found a non-standard tool that works better than the official one?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_roberts801mo ago

Would a tiny flathead screwdriver work for that too or is the paperclip hook really the magic trick?

anderson.spencer1mo ago

Wait, are you saying you haven't tried the paperclip trick yet? I used to be all about using a tiny flathead for everything, thought it was the only way to go. But then I tried bending a paperclip into a hook shape for a stubborn latch and it just worked better. The hook lets you get underneath things and pull instead of just prying, which is a game changer for some of those tight spots. I switched my mind after that one job where the flathead kept slipping and the paperclip grabbed it first try. It's not fancy or anything, but the hook really does something different.