Anderson PowerPole question

[cal3thousand]

"Cold welds"? I think you mean "points of contact". I have never had any problem prying open and teasing apart the strands of anybody's crimped connection when I wanted to. Ain't nothing welded about it. It is somewhat compacted, but permeable, and therefore corrosive liquids can get in there and corrode it.


Chalo

No, I quite literally meant cold welds. It's physics. Apply enough pressure between 2 metals and fusion will occur. To what level depends on the materials and pressure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_welding

 

[Chalo]

"Cold welds"? I think you mean "points of contact". I have never had any problem prying open and teasing apart the strands of anybody's crimped connection when I wanted to. Ain't nothing welded about it. It is somewhat compacted, but permeable, and therefore corrosive liquids can get in there and corrode it.

No, I quite literally meant cold welds. It's physics. Apply enough pressure between 2 metals and fusion will occur. To what level depends on the materials and pressure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_welding

I know the phenomenon; I already told you I am a metalworker.

A small hand tool at ambient temperature is not what gets you there. Maybe with 26ga wire and polycrystalline diamond anvils.

Chalo

 

[atcspaul]

which anderson concector does a golden motor battery use? is it a 50 amp? thank you in advance
paul

 

[Racer_X]

It is probably either the 15, 30 or 45 amp Powerpoles Connectors which are interchangeable.
15 Amp Powerpole contact are for 16 and 18 gauge wire.
30 Amp Powerpole contacts are for 14 and 12 gauge wire.
45 Amp Powerpole contacts are for 10 gauge wire.
I use all of them depending on what wire gauge I am using. I also recommend the TRIcrimp Powerpole crimping tool for 15, 30 and 45 amp Powerpoles.
AND Anderson Powerpole Removal, Insertion/Extraction Tool. The tool is perfect for extracting inserted contacts from Powerpole housings. Works with Anderson 15, 30 and 45 Amp Powerpoles.

 

[atcspaul]

thank you racer. guess time to shop ebay and now know what i need. i live in the Caribbean which is awesome but pain in the arse to get some of the most common items.

 

[Racer_X]

No worries Paul, I am doing for you what so many here on this forum have done for me.
Try to see if Powererx ships to the Caribbean, These are the pieces you should get and they are authentic Anderson Powerpoles. There are alot of generic stuff on Ebay so you have to be careful.

Anderson Powerpole 15, 30 & 45 Amp components
http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/housings-contacts/

TRIcrimp, the ideal Powerpole Crimping Tool for 15, 30 and 45 amp contacts
http://www.powerwerx.com/crimping-tools/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html

Anderson Powerpole Removal, Insertion/Extraction Tool
http://www.powerwerx.com/crimping-tools/anderson-powerpole-insertion-removal-tool.html

You can wait until you get the battery and upload pictures of the contacts to this thread and I am sure me or someone else will help you.
Good luck

 

[cal3thousand]

Just placed my first order from PowerWerks for 40 anderson pairs and even more 45A terminals yesterday.

To my surprise, UPS guy delivered them already. Less than 24 hr. from order to door using UPS ground. I guess it's a benefit that they are 40-50 miles away. Still speaks volumes about their fulfillment abilities.

Somebody is making harnesses earlier than expected

 

[atcspaul]

i ordered mine on aug 25th and just got them today. the disadvantage of living way out in the caribbean lol

 

[cal3thousand]

I also wanted to express my satisfaction with the Harbor Freight hydraulic crimper. I've been using it for PP45 Terminals on 10 AWG silicone wire using the 7 AWG dies.

Strip and insert wire
pinch the flaps together with regular pliers to hold the wire and set up the flaps to close on crimp
crimp with hydraulic crimper
slide on heatshrink (if desired)
THEN, insert into Anderson shell.
THEN, shrink the wrap (as applicable)

It produces a nice and round shiny crimp that cannot be separated without tools:

 

[Racer_X]

Nice mini tutorial cal3thousand, Have to get one of those hydraulic crimper to add to my tool collection.

 

[boppinbob]

subscribed

 

[dogman dan]

You can learn to make great crimps with an even cheaper HF crimper. But it takes time, so a better tool is what you want to make a ton of plugs.

http://www.electricbike.com/crimp-anderson/

 

[ambroseliao]

Don't forget the Tri-crimp which is dead simple and very cost effective ($40). I've never messed up an APP with it. You insert the APP into the appropriate slot of the Tri-crimp which holds it in place, insert the wire and squeeze. Done.

http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/tricrimp-crimping-powerpole-contacts.html

Get the Radio Shack automatic wire stripper and you'll be making connections like a pro.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3932546

 

[Spacey]

I still use a blow torch and very fine easy run solder to seal up the crimp just in case.

 

[ambroseliao]

Before I got the Tri-Crimp, I soldered my connections and it was a PITA since inevitably, the solder would run. I would then need to take a file to remove the excess solder from the outside of the connector. Glad I don't need to do that again.

A big tip on using the Tri-Crimp. Be sure to NOT remove too much insulation from the wire you're about to use. If you do, the wire won't have enough strength to push into the Anderson housing. You will then need to use the Anderson insertion tool or a very small screwdriver in order to make the connector click into the housing!

 

[dogman dan]

Tricrimp for the win, if you are making lots of em. I have done hundreds of andersons, but rarely need more than about 4 at a given time. So I never got beyond the cheap, but still professional crimper.

Don't even try to get it done right with the crimp part of your wire strippers, or a pair of linemans pliers or needle noses.

Nothing wrong with soldering them really, no different than soldering your bullets for example. But crimps are way fast and easy compared to most peoples soldering setup. Look at that link for how I crimp Y connectors. Super fast, super easy, good solid contact.

Yeah, have the insulation run right to the edge of the contact. If you have to strip more to fit in the housing, you got too big wire for the 45 amp pp's.

 

[pwd]

I have a Magic Pie II and an older GM battery, it uses the anderson SB-50 connector.

 

[cal3thousand]

That Tri-Crimp is a nice tool. I have a similar tool, but for very small gauge connectors like the pins on the tiny hall connectors. It's not nicely articulated like this one though.

I opted for the hydraulic HF crimper since I can use it for automotive applications as well, due to the size. But if you are doing a ton of Andersons, get the Tri-Crimp and save yourself some time and possibly headache.

 

[icecube57]

Ive been tri crimpin pimpin 45A anderson up to 8G. I even got a trick to get the smallest wire to get a good crimp without pulling out. There is a lip on the front of the tri crimp that has a little edge that the size of the 15A anderson. Give it a good crimp in the 15A die and then place it on the front limp of the tri crimp and give it another go. That fudger isnt pulling out. I also make a habit of crimping in the correct die size and then going down a size. I guess my crimper is loose to where I can do that but new Tri Crimps may cause you contact to get stuck and it will bend it when you try to release it. These tips maybe good for some but not for all. Also if you take the end contact block off on the right side you will be suprized what nice things you can crimp. Wink.

 

[Racer_X]

Ive been tri crimpin pimpin 45A anderson up to 8G. I even got a trick to get the smallest wire to get a good crimp without pulling out. There is a lip on the front of the tri crimp that has a little edge that the size of the 15A anderson. Give it a good crimp in the 15A die and then place it on the front limp of the tri crimp and give it another go. That fudger isnt pulling out. I also make a habit of crimping in the correct die size and then going down a size. I guess my crimper is loose to where I can do that but new Tri Crimps may cause you contact to get stuck and it will bend it when you try to release it. These tips maybe good for some but not for all. Also if you take the end contact block off on the right side you will be suprized what nice things you can crimp. Wink.

Words of a master harness maker. For those who don't know icecube57.

 

[Arlo1]

I still use a blow torch and very fine easy run solder to seal up the crimp just in case.

The conection should be strong mechanicaly then I usaly just solder the anderson to make sure the resistance is a low as possible and you want to be carefull not to wick the solder up the wire because it will make the wire not flexable and more likely to snap.

 

[icecube57]

man i wish someone had a resistance meter to put things to rest on this solder or not to solder biz... i need to know for biz sakes cause ive switch to crimping... decisions decision.

 

[Arlo1]

man i wish someone had a resistance meter to put things to rest on this solder or not to solder biz... i need to know for biz sakes cause ive switch to crimping... decisions decision.

I still crimp the connectors first but i then solder them because although it might not make a differenc at first once you put hi amps on it it might and over time it will last longer and have less area to oxidize.

 

[spinningmagnets]

man I wish someone had a resistance meter to put things to rest on this solder or not to solder biz

Dry climates don't have much of a problem with corrosion building up inbetween the copper wire and the dry crimp, but if you live near the ocean with its salty air...

I'd tin the wire first (split into a V?), then crimp, then heat for a few seconds to re-flow the solder in order to make an air-free connection. Again, no worries if its dry where you live, but y'know...its cheap and easy either way.

 

[cal3thousand]

I still use a blow torch and very fine easy run solder to seal up the crimp just in case.

The conection should be strong mechanicaly then I usaly just solder the anderson to make sure the resistance is a low as possible and you want to be carefull not to wick the solder up the wire because it will make the wire not flexable and more likely to snap.

man i wish someone had a resistance meter to put things to rest on this solder or not to solder biz... i need to know for biz sakes cause ive switch to crimping... decisions decision.

Since solder has a higher resistance than copper, how does this work? I'm asking because I truly don't understand it.

Is it maybe because you are creating a "parallel" channel that only decreases overall resistance? That's the only way I could see this being true.