Water-resistant fast-release connectors

[drebikes]

Hi, I have a question about connectors. I'm on the last straight and now I should choose the connectors.

I have decided to pick an em3ev controller, and it has 3 options:
*gold bullet 4mm
*anderson 45pp
*bare phases

Since where I live it's likely to rain on average 3 days a week it is important for the bike to be waterproof. Do you know if the Anderson or gold bullet are waterproof? I think the Anderson aren't because I have a 400Amp one on my desk now, I don't know if the smaller ones follow the same design rules. Gold bullet-s look like Jack connectors, so unlikely to be waterproof.

What do you use to keep the water out? The two demands I have for connectors is to be waterproof and to be quick-ish release (so no molten plastic insulation unfortunately, as effective as it may be).

cheers

*EDIT correction : water resistant

 

[skeetab5780]

Waterproof and Weather-resistant are 2 totally different things. I wouldn't recommend submerging any single conductor DC wires that aren't in the proper listed conduits, regardless of connector type. But Andersons are definitely not Waterproof

 

[drebikes]

Waterproof and Weather-resistant are different things, agreed.

I would like the bike to be able to run in light rain and to withstand a few minutes of heavy rain. Also the motor/controller connectors should be quick-ish release in order to quickly decouple the expensive attention-grabbing parts. In the metropolitan area I would worry to leave the battery pack or the inverter even for 5 minutes.

*EDIT typo
*EDIT2: was upgraded to 1mW now I can power a proper logic gate in a CPU

 

[sn0wchyld]

Bullet connectors with the plastc covers as found on hobbyking. For phase wires, cut the covers in half so you can bundle the 3 phases together then hook them up and cover with an outer layer of shrink tube. Ive ridden through pedal deep creeks and driving rain without issue. Ill post a pic later so pm me if i forget.

Bulkets with the housings are pretty well weather resistant on their own so long as you seal them up on the ends the wires go in... Think about it... Thered need to be enough water to make a connection allong the inside of one housing, allong its length, across to the other, back to the top of that housing, and back again on the inside. 3 times the length of the housing, most of that being close fitting parts (the male/female bits that slide into each other). Lol... Just realised what i said there

 

[drebikes]

Ok, waiting for pics

Here's one of the connectors they propose standard on the inverter:
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=43&product_id=97

I'm looking for some shrink tube on ebay. Between the motor and the controller there are phase and hall wires, I just worry phase wires may short if they get soaked. It's nothing that can't be tested. The battery and controller can be packed in a portable water-resistant enclosure, so that connection is less critical.

 

[sn0wchyld]

Ok, waiting for pics

Here's one of the connectors they propose standard on the inverter:
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=43&product_id=97

I'm looking for some shrink tube on ebay. Between the motor and the controller there are phase and hall wires, I just worry phase wires may short if they get soaked. It's nothing that can't be tested. The battery and controller can be packed in a portable water-resistant enclosure, so that connection is less critical.

be carefull packing your controller away form airflow. they're not 100% efficient so they do generate some heat, quite a bit under specific conditions. and they're more sensitive to heat than your motor.

I'd strongly reccomend getting the housings for the bullets, you can get them from HK or from ebay (hk is cheaper) you'll see why once I get round to getting you some pics. probably tomorow some time.

 

[Trackman417]

To make any connector water resistant, I would add di-electric grease to all of your connectors.
I have rode on wet pavement many times, where the water drenches the connectors on my controller. But the grease keeps the water out, when applied generously .

 

[drebikes]

Cool Trackman, I'll look into it. For me I'll use this at prototype stage, but for madamme it won't work.

I'll look at the integration bit more carefully. My latest estimations go for 10W cruise losses in the inverter, similar for the battery. Peak dissipation is much higher so the controller needs to see airflow. Ideally the inverter would be mounted on the frame close to the motor to minimize phase wire length and if it's hidden well enough I might worry less about having it stolen; then only the battery would be detachable. Guess I'll have to see if I can spare the 45mm+margin needed for the controller between the frame and rear wheel.