What connector do you use for main power line?

What type of connectors do you use for your main power line?

  • Anderson SB-50

    Votes: 10 10.2%
  • Anderson SB-175

    Votes: 3 3.1%
  • Anderson SB-350

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Dean's Ultra Connectors

    Votes: 9 9.2%
  • PowerPole 45A

    Votes: 48 49.0%
  • PowerPole 180A

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Controller proprietary

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • 120 VAC connector

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • DIN

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Hard soldered

    Votes: 3 3.1%
  • Som'n scrounged from the garbage bin

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Som'n scrounged from an auto parts store

    Votes: 4 4.1%
  • Twist-n-duct-tape

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • etc.

    Votes: 11 11.2%

  • Total voters
    98
Bullets in housings everywhere. 3.5mm for bulk charging, 4mm everywhere else. running a 45a system, so no problems whatsoever. going to be swtching to the 5.5mm ones due to the higher power handling and lower profile.
 
I ended up ordering "genuine" XT60's. Any tips on soldering the connections on these particular plugs?
 
I'll be putting a 30 amp (biggest available locally) fuse holder on my 20AH Ping pack's positive lead. By removing the fuse and just soldering the 'bike end' of the holder and wire to the XT60, I should avoid the usual risks involved in working with positive battery leads. So, for the other end of this lead-wire fuse holder: should I just crimp it to the battery wire, or crimp and then solder? the only crimping tool I have is the one on a wire stripper. I've done plenty of soldering, but only occasional, low-load crimping.
 
I'm sure not getting many tips here, but I can offer one: when you install a connector on your battery pack, first install a fuse holder (I used a 30 amp glass fuse holder) on the positive lead, before you even uncap the negative lead. Remove the fuse before doing so, and you get a nice, safe, "dead" wire to work with when attaching the connector to the positive lead. You also get battery short circuit protection that remains attached to the pack. I must say I'm not impressed with the XT60 because of its small size when working with 10 and 12 AWG wire, but I plugged both connectors together before soldering to dissipate heat and prevent warping, and it seems to have gone ok.
 
I really like the XT60/XT90's...I have a fat-tip 100W soldering iron. I agree on the mating of the male and female before soldering. Once I held an un-mated connector to the soldering iron too long, and the pin sagged (no longer aligned straight) when the plastic got too hot and soft. I also take needle-nose pliers and rotate the pins so the solder cups face the side when the conector is laying flat.

Slide a section of heat-shrink onto the wire, strip the end insulation to a length about 3 times the copper diameter. Twist the ends of the strands to smooth them out. Set the hot iron so that the tip is suspended, and hold the wire tip up to it while feeding solder into it with the other hand. "Tinning" the wire tip just takes two seconds. Don't apply a blob of solder, use only enough to turn the wires silver.

Next, take the two mated male/female connectors and drop a short cut-off piece of solder and set it in the cup. Hold that cup up to the iron tip until the solder chunk just melts, and at that moment, insert the tinned tip of the wire into the solder cup that's on the shank of the pin.

This can all happen pretty fast. Pull the assembled connector(s) and the now-soldered wire away from the iron, and blow on it to cool it. Slide the heat-shrink over the joint and heat it up to seal.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=49848
file.php
 
That's pretty much how I did it. I found that the #10 (I'm guessing - it's Chinese wire) stranded wire on the pack doesn't really slide into the cups, which are very shallow anyway. I did get it attached with what I hope are good joints, and the shrink tube for the negative (of course!) lead went right into the area around the cup. the positive lead's tube didn't quite go in, so I taped a second, split piece of tube one over it, with the split facing away from the other lead, using red electrical tape. Then I taped the wires together, farther up, for strength. Not elegant, but hopefully functional.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I'm sure not getting many tips here, but I can offer one: when you install a connector on your battery pack, first install a fuse holder (I used a 30 amp glass fuse holder) on the positive lead, before you even uncap the negative lead. Remove the fuse before doing so, and you get a nice, safe, "dead" wire to work with when attaching the connector to the positive lead. You also get battery short circuit protection that remains attached to the pack. I must say I'm not impressed with the XT60 because of its small size when working with 10 and 12 AWG wire, but I plugged both connectors together before soldering to dissipate heat and prevent warping, and it seems to have gone ok.

That's a good tip! Will definitely help prevent issues from getting out of hand or even coming up.


To add to the conversations, I used Andersons for their ease of use and mechanical strength when crimped. Another benefit I found recently is being able to reuse the housings. This is HUGE in the savings book if you have accidents or mistakes. In case of a screw-up, only the metal portion is wasted at most which is $0.10-$0.20 a piece.

I've been saving my Anderson "screw-ups" and cut-offs and now it's paying off.

I also just purchased some of the larger 75 A Power Poles for the battery mains
 
None. Like automobile.
 
They didn't exsist back when the pole was started, but I'm using HXTs as well now. You can solder the connectors out of the plastic housing, unlike the XT60-90s. That means I can pool in a healthy amount of silver solder for the best, lowest resistance conenction possable.
I used to use Deans, but I'm using 4mm and 6mm HXT now.

XT60-90 would be better if they could be easily disassembled for soldering thick gauge wires.
 
Icecube Has a good video on soldering the HXT bullets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vbZk5i5WtI

I drilled a couple holes in a block of wood & stick the ends of the Connector in side x side, then use my big soldering iron to heat them up. I can do a pair at one time this way. - And, like DS mentioned you can solder without the plastic housing in close proximity, so no melted plastic (the main problem I have with Deans Connectors.)
 
In my experience, the "old fashioned" bullets with multiple contact springs are great, since they dont loose their spring force: Both ends of the contact springs are connected.

Good old fashioned bullets:
good.jpg

Fail new style bullets:
fail.jpg

The "new style" connectors, have open tops and only four springs, they wear relatively fast. Of course one can bent the springs out again for better contact, but that is annoying and always fails if you dont need it.

Personally, I use old style 4mm bullets for motor phase and XT90S Antispark for battery for 48V and up to 60amps cont. XT90S sadly uses the fail style bullets :( but it has anti spark and antiklink to protect the cable leads at the soldering. So far this is the only feasible plug for every day use (i deplete 2 to 3 battery charges every day. The XT90S precharge resistors are only rated for 12V but in my experience they even work great at 48v, even with relatively large caps (=big suppressed spark) in the controller.

I would adore a XT90 with old style bullets!
track back url for xt90s: http://www.rctw.net/thread-319842-1-1.html
 

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I started out using XT60 connectors, and now heartily regret it. I usually work with 12-14 gauge wiring, and the XT60 is just too hard to get the wire ends into, especially with braided wire. I had about a 50% fail rate with those buggers. I am switching to XT90s, even though they are too large amperage-wise for my applications. At least they are easy to solder! Now of course I am making 60 to 90 adapters...
 
SB50's, normally, salvaged from powerchairs and server UPSs, to connect battery to bike wirng harness. Rest of harness soldered to controllers/etc. .
 
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