I have been using the Anderson Power Poles and this thread is the first I have seen of the XT type connectors.
From looking at them on Youtube it looks to me that the wire end is just open and if you want that to be insulated you have to use heat srink tubing or some other method.
Is that correct ?
Anderson Power Poles are standard for ham radio applications. XT30/60/90/120 connectors are commonly used for RC (radio control) and anything powered by a LiIon battery bank.
90% correct. The usual method is to insulate the exposed cable to connector area with heat shrink tubing. However, you can buy XT60 connectors that have a plastic hood that will also work. I'm not thrilled with the idea of hiding a crappy soldering job under an opaque cover and prefer to use clear shrink tubing. If I forget to install the shrink tubing, a blob of RTV (silicone caulk), between the pins, and maybe some electrical tape will suffice if desperate.-- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Thanks. It looks like the XT may make a more secure connection, but I do not like not having a good looking cover over the exposed connections other than on the XT60 that you show. I know tape could be used, but looks crappy and even the heat shrink not too good looking. I think I would try a larges size of heat shrink and cover the plug and wires at the same time. Maybe the shrink will not shrink enough. Then the RTV has to be carefully selected as lots of it will eat up the wires and if it does not, still looks crappy.
As a ham I switched to the Power Poles a few years ago. I used to use some molex plugs for the mobile transceivers (VHF/UHF) however they have gone up in power and exceed the current for the ones I was using. Also needed to handle more current for the low band rigs in the shack so switched everything over to match.
I guess they do have 2 advantages for me, Crimp and one size good to 45 amps. Just need seperate contact inserts for the different current ranges, but all will fit. I know there are several other sizes of PPs that will not fit the smaller more common size.
I have a few pairs of not quite matched XT60 connectors on a drone that require considerable force to disconnect. Lube with Vaseline or some kind of grease seems to help.
Notice the groove (moat?) around each gold pin. You slide the shrink tube into the groove to avoid having any exposed conductors.
Shrink tube is good enough. However, if you want elegance, wrap a few layers of masking tape around the connector base to product a mold form. Fill the mold with whatever potting compound you prefer. I tried or seen tried RTV, silicone caulk, epoxy, Bondo, Liquid Vinyl, and Awesome Goo. They all worked. For the softer potting compounds, use a knife for cleanup. For the hard stuff, a file or sandpaper.
That will bend the wires and pins toward each other. Besides the potential danger of a short, it also makes mating connectors difficult to connect and disconnect. The amount of bending will vary with connector manufacturing tolerances. If you do a decent job of soldering, it might be ok to bend the wires together. However, if you slop solder all over the outside of the gold pins, you might have a problem.
2:1 is the width shrink ratio for commodity shrink tube. Much more entertaining is the change in length of shrink tube (typically about 10%).
Just look for "no acetic acid" or "neutral cure" products. They're common enough at the hardware store.
I've had a few problems with Power Pole connectors. They're good, but in my never humble opinion, there are better connectors. I need to run away right now but can elaborate if you want.
-- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
I have not used them , but I think there are some clips out now for the PPs to hold them together. I don't use them in any critical or high viberation situation, so they are good enough for me. I do not want to change now as I have a lot of equipment set up to use the PPs.
If I was worried about the PPs comming apart , I would tape or do something to secure the connections.
The PPs did not really impress me , but several ham friends use them and sometimes we swap or work on othes equipment, so trying to stay 'standard'.
Whoever started the PPs for hams must have had a family member in the company.
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