Battery plugs, etc.

Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
experience with these?

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 11:46:07 AM UTC-5, Don wrote:
Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2

pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after

passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and

they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other

clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex

connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any

experience with these?

Power poles are fine.

But the XT60 connectors becoming popular in electric RC models are even better imo. Compact, cheap, polarized, extremely rugged. That said, I still have Molex connectors in my glider (to do list...)

-Evan Ludeman / T8

XLR. They're the best!

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

Cheers,
Lars Peder, Denmark


"Don" wrote in message
...
Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they
are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or
commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors.
Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with
these?

I second the statement on the XLR!
I see them also used extensively in other fields (wind tunnels), and they perform well.

Roel

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 8:46:07 AM UTC-8, Don wrote:
Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2 pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with these?

Don,

I have used Jones Plugs and Sockets for almost 10 years. They are very robust and have served me well. I use them both in the glider and for the chargers.

See

http://www.craggyaero.com/electrical.htm

For battery setup recommendations.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 9:28:48 AM UTC-8, Richard wrote:
On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 8:46:07 AM UTC-8, Don wrote: Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2 pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with these? Don, I have used Jones Plugs and Sockets for almost 10 years. They are very robust and have served me well. I use them both in the glider and for the chargers. See http://www.craggyaero.com/electrical.htm For battery setup recommendations. Richard www.craggyaero.com

Ditto Craggy Aero; been using Jones plugs for the last 15 years, simple sturdy and never failed. Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

Ditto Craggy Aero; been using Jones plugs for the last 15 years, simple sturdy and never failed. Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

Agreed. I speak as someone familiar with industrial environments where reliability and simplicity is everything. I like what I see in Jones plugs. They are simple and reliable. Anyone heard of a failure? Probably not.

On Nov 28, 4:12*pm, 6PK wrote:

Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

This isn't a slight against Peter; but IMHO if your Anderson PowerPole
connectors are pulling apart, you're putting a fair amount of tension
on the wires. They're not meant to be weight-bearing or let you
"hang" equipment off of them (which, yes, I've seen in some
gliders).

The other possibility is that perhaps some folks are over-crimping the
connector. If you crimp the PowerPole connector properly, the spring-
loaded contactor and plastic housing make a solid connection that
takes a reasonable amount of force to pull apart. If you over-crimp
it I've seen this deform the metal contactor and thus it provides a
less-secure connection.

--Noel

In article "noel.wade" writes:
On Nov 28, 4:12=A0pm, 6PK wrote:

Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

This isn't a slight against Peter; but IMHO if your Anderson PowerPole
connectors are pulling apart, you're putting a fair amount of tension
on the wires. They're not meant to be weight-bearing or let you
"hang" equipment off of them (which, yes, I've seen in some
gliders).

The other possibility is that perhaps some folks are over-crimping the
connector. If you crimp the PowerPole connector properly, the spring-
loaded contactor and plastic housing make a solid connection that
takes a reasonable amount of force to pull apart. If you over-crimp
it I've seen this deform the metal contactor and thus it provides a
less-secure connection.


Also, bending the metal connector before it is snapped in, can make
it not snap firmly in, or not make good connections.

The powerpole specification sheet on the www.powerwerx.com site list
two versions of the metal connectors, low detent and high detent. The
disconnect force for the low detent is 3 pounds, so it would take a 6
pound pull to disconnect a pair (assuming they were properly assembled).

The high detent version claims 5 pounds so it would take 10 pounds pull,
but it appears that the high detent version may only be available on
rolls at some of the current levels.

My own experience was that the higher current versions held tighter,
so it might be worth using the 45 amp versions -- but having seen the
specs, now I have the urge to go measure the various types and see if
they differ. (Or were my 45 amp ones high detent???)


Another thing to be aware of is that soldering has some problems
compared to crimping. It makes a good electrical connection to the
wire, but the solder will wick back into the wire a bit, making it
stiffer and more likely to break instead of bend. Not good to have
the wire break inside the insulation while you were using it.

Another problem with soldering is it is very difficult to keep the
solder from running out on the connecting surface, covering the silver
plating. You probably wind up with a less smooth surface that makes
poorer contact.


Alan

The 15A PowerPoles are excellent for use in a glider. You'll find all the Williams Soaring fleet have them, so they can't be TOO bad.
Heavy connectors aren't necessary. I use XLRs at work, but they get thrown, stepped on, pulled hard, etc. Doubt you'll do that to your glider electrics. Over time and with turbulence in flight, heavy connectors will stress glider wiring.
Have a look at the RigRunner power distribution systems, which use Anderson PowerPoles. Very tidy.
Jim