External Connectors

[steveo_mcg]

For my last light set up i used Deans (cloned) connectors to connect between the bottle battery and lights on the bars. I've had nothing but bother with these, in some cases the wire and the connector would separate because the connection is too tight and i've pulled to hard in the wrong place or in some cases the vibration has caused the wire to come free from the back of the deans ie the part secured inside the bottle where even my hashy fingers can't affect it.

I used the deans becuase i had them for my RC gear which carries much more current and couldn't see anything better at the time but i need to rebuild my bottle battery any way so...

So what do folks round here use?

 

[Gado]

How many amps are you pulling through the wires? and what gauge?
I'm also into RC and use deans alot.
Have you tried deans micro?

 

[PCC]

On the few RC cars that I have used Deans connectors with I've cut a bit of the red plastic on one side of the connector where the two pieces meet. This allows me to wedge a fingernail in between the two to separate them because they're very tight and the connectors themselves are small and slippery. This works really well for me.

An alternative would be to use the newer Traxxas connector. None of the RC connectors are waterproof.

 

[steveo_mcg]

From my test i'd not be pulling more than an amp or so from the battery. I've not settled on wire yet but not terribly thick.

Not tried the micro deans they easier to split?

What about something not rc based?

 

[Gado]

From my test i'd not be pulling more than an amp or so from the battery. I've not settled on wire yet but not terribly thick.

Not tried the micro deans they easier to split?

What about something not rc based?

If you get the real ones they are real easy. I never tried the copy ones.

There are alot of connectors here http://www.jst-mfg.com/product/search_e.php?type=1&id=11&page=1

 

[PCC]

Not tried the micro deans they easier to split?

Yes, much easier. They moulded a ridge of plastic into the two sides and that helps tremendously with pulling them apart. It's much easier to do than the full-size Deans connectors but they're very secure when connected.

 

[Bobblehat]

I've been using standard RC Tamiya connectors on various incarnations of Halogen lights, lead acid and NiMH packs for over 6 years ... without any problem what so ever in our lovely UK weather.

They are polarized to avoid incorrect connection, latched to avoid accidental disconnection (can easily be disabled if required), easy to push together and easy to separate, even with gloves on. They hold the cables in the connectors perfectly well and have provided trouble free supply of up to around 2.2 amps from 6V to 7.2V and 12V without having ever to clean the contacts!

They are easy to solder and the construction is such that there is no risk of overheating any plastic parts while soldering (the soldering of the pins are done outside of the plastic parts).

Even though they look not very waterproof, I've had no problem in plenty of downpours. I did add a bit of heatshrink between the connectors and the cables .... as much for aesthetics as waterproofing and they've been pushed together and pulled apart many hundreds of times in those 6 years.

They are inexpensive and even though they are not particularly favoured by the RC groups any more (could it be because they need the big amps now?), I ain't gonna fix what ain't broke!

I'm not saying they are the best, but don't let anyone put you off using them for bike light power. :thumbsup:

 

[Bobblehat]

Further to previous post ... I use these .......

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=34109&C=AffilWin69627&T=41513_14454181

..... to connect the light head to the switch wiring loom that stays permanently on the bikes. I remove the light head (twin Halogen, independently switched) when leaving the bike locked up, so I need 4 pins (OK, could get away with 3 but would limit future possibilities), as well as removing the battery (2 pins as above).

The light head has a short pig-tail with one of the P4 type connectors on it (male), and the wiring loom has the P4 female on it in a suitable position to mate up when the light head is mounted.

The construction of this P4 is very similar to the 2 pin Tamiya connectors and all that I wrote about the Tamiya's applies to the P4 types too. Recommended for trouble free use.

 

[steveo_mcg]

Yep i'm pretty much sold on the Tamiya, I'll keep the P4 plugs in mind also.

Where do you get your wire from?

 

[[email protected]]

I used to use Tamiya connectors. They are cheap and easy to use, but I have had complaints from of few of my test subjects ... err I meant pilots. I've used them on my own bike for over 2 years and only had a few problems with them, nothing that a quick twist of the cables couldn't fix.

For medical reasons (pinched disc in neck, not biking related, suprisingly) I'm off the single track list till at least April. A local mtn biking club has been using my lights the last year, and they have complained a lot about the Tamiya. I recently had a "come to some other connector" moment while riding after 10pm flagging a local nature preserve for a bike race that was happening the next day. I use a custom driver that I designed that flashes various warning signals (loose connection, low battery, overtemp, etc.). I counted the flashes when I noticed them, then looked them up in my code when I got home. Most of the ones I observed were caused by loose connections. This more than anything else made me decide to switch.

I'm now experimenting with: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9762

and: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9572

The traxxas connectors come standard on a lot of the NiMh batteries I've been looking at.

The XT60 connectors are really easy to solder to and seem to work well in my limited nite riding testing. Once my testers have given me more feedback, I'll decide what to go with.

Oh, stay away from the 3.5 and 4 mm bullet connectors on the web site listed above, they work, but are a pain to solder to.

Mark

 

[Bobblehat]

Apart from the P4 that came pre-wired with a long enough length for the pig-tail on the light head set, I use either ......

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=80

or ...........

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=83

The 7.2V Sub-C NiMH racepack came pre-wired with a Tamiya connector from here ........

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/

Great batteries BTW ........... :twothumbs...............

I used either of the above cables to wire the switch loom with appropriate heat-shrink and to wire various configurations of 6V & 12V sealed lead-acid batts (looooong time ago!) or some NiHM AA packs to Tamiya/P4 connectors. The short lengths used means there is no appreciable volts lost across the cable length.

Don't try to heat-shrink the connectors all in one piece of shrink to the cable. Use a piece of shrink that just slides over the connector and use your fav heat source (10p/10c disposable ciggy lighter held not too close ). You will find that it is not yet quite a tight seal to the cable .... but good seal to the connector. Now use another smaller diameter piece of shrink that just slides over the previous piece of shrink around the cable and repeat the process. The second smaller piece pulls down on the larger shunk piece and seals the lot. With practice a very professional looking water tight seal will result.

Other suppliers are available :ironic: . I have no connection to either vendor other than being a satisfied customer. :thumbsup:

 

[Bobblehat]

I used to use Tamiya connectors. They were cheap and easy to use, but I have had complaints from of few of my test subjects ... err I meant pilots.

................. Most of the ones I observed were caused by loose connections. This more than anything else made me decide to switch.


Mark

As I said, I'm not claiming they are the best ...... and it might be that because I'm using them on halogen, I can't see any transient effects that might upset LED multi-mode set-ups, but I can honestly say I've never seen the slightest flicker from either the Tamiya or P4 connectors in several variations of my bike light set-ups over 6 years and I'm no fair-weather rider either ..... Ha! You'd hardly ever get out in the UK if you were!

I've wiggled and waggled them (Ooh! Err, Missus!) when connected to try to force a flicker ... but all looks good. I might have to admit that my solo experience is somewhat limited compared to your test subjects!