bike light connectors?

[sortafast]

Been looking for awhile, and i cant really find a connector that i would want to use for my bike light project. My main concern is that it needs to be somewhat sealed, as I live in Oregon and ride my bike in some not so nice weather sometimes. was thinking about trying to get the ones like nite rider uses, but not sure what they are. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Dave

 

[DonShock]

Here are some Waterproof Lockable Connectors intended for just this purpose.

 

[CM]

Thanks for the link. I've also been looking for these for a long time.

 

[greenLED]

sortafast, no source on those connectors (although I'm interested in them, as well as waterproof switches), but check this out:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/146922

Hopefully we'll have another one in Spring and you can join us. Post there so we can keep you in the loop when the time comes.

 

[macforsale]

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[chris_m]

For high power applications, you don't actually need to worry about the connector being sealed. Totally unsealed connectors, like the ones used in RC cars will actually work just fine, provided that like those there is good separation between the two contacts. All you have to make sure is that any electronics at either end are properly sealed.

The reason for this is that water isn't that conductive, and given a decent separation between the conductors, there will only be a very high resistance short which will take very little current. If you are running 1A or so, then this is leakage current is negligible. Water is only really a problem with small gaps and low currents, as with typical electronics on a PCB.

 

[macforsale]

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[wasBlinded]

A good reason for sealed connectors is to minimize corrosion of the connectors.

The Batteryspace connectors are pretty robust and seem to seal well.

 

[wulfgang]

The R/C style connectors would work well. They are made to handle huge currents and are usually gold plated so they will not corrode as long as you use heat shrink tubing on the wired side. You can buy them at any r/c store. The good ones are called "Deans" connectors.

 

[macforsale]

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[sortafast]

cool thanks for the input. I am just trying to make it look as clean as possible, on top of the weather proofing. But i will probably just go with a non-sealed connector. As for the fluids thing, not gonna be a problem here. gonna be mostly for commuting (4 fairly flat miles), and for the occasional night time Downhill escapades in the woods. Cant wait to see how it works.

 

[Steve K]

The Deutsch connectors do work pretty well for a commercial connector. We use them for the equipment we design for earthmoving equipment. For bike use, they should be fine. They are a tad bulky, but they are reliable.

I'm not sure where you would go to buy them in small quantities.... other than the dealer for the earthmoving equipment, but that may be a bit costly.

Steve K.

 

[Sawtooth]

Here are some Waterproof Lockable Connectors intended for just this purpose.

These are the connectors I used in my TriLux Bike Light. They work very well. Although I have two minor complaints: (1) the cable is a bit too heavy gauge (I think they were initially intended for HIDs), (2) It is actually possible to plug the connectors in backwards if you force it (this is because even though there is a flat spot on one side, the housing is a heavy duty rubber-like material and can be flexed alot if forced.)

 

[Sawtooth]

Other cables I have been looking at are the Turck cable sets in the Allied Electronics catalog. Havent tried them and they seem pretty expensive, but they also seem to be very high quality...

 

[cy]

nice link..

Here are some Waterproof Lockable Connectors intended for just this purpose.