What connectors and cables are used in e-bikes

Helly everyone,

as I am approaching the ordering stage for my first 2 builds, I am wondering about the different connectors and cables I should get to fiddle around with.

Are there any standard connectors used on the batteries, the controllers and the motors?
Do the connectors used by chinese manufacturers differ?

I had a connector on my chinese LED light, which was screw on that really bugged me because it was like 5 whole turns to actually tighten it. Instead, I got one from an RC-shop, which works fine.

I am also wondering about the battery connectors, the different e-bike producers like BioniX, Panasonic and Bosch use? Are they proprietary or do they adhere to some standards?

How about the wires between controller and motor? Any standards there.

My main concern is to have the motor and controller delivered and finding out that I should have orderd some additional cables and connectors to go along with it, in order to be able to get the lengths right and get a clean installation.

Thanks guys.

Shortly
Good electrical connector has 2 futures:
rubber seal and lock.
Delphi is an automotive grade connector used on high end ebikes like Tidal Force and Eplus both designed in USA in built in USA.
Every Delphi has a lock which snap on making accidental disconnect impossible and have rubber multi ribs rubber seal plus another seals on wire entry holes.
Owning Tidal Force an Eplus ebikes I never experienced so often mentioned on this forums "loose connector", I don't know what is it.
Delpi can cost 4-6 times more than cheap non-automotive style connector used universally on China-brand ebikes.

most controllers use jst-sm for hall wires and anderson power poles for battery

Use whatever you like as long as it's rated well for the job.

I use 4mm bullets for battery and phase connections. Everything else just gets kept stock. The local electronics store is your friend for buying replacement connectors for everything. There are really no standards.

Ypedal started a pretty good pictoral thread in the technical reference section with several popular choices. I added a few from threads around the archives. Deans in the raw form are difficult to solder wires onto the prongs, I'd recommend getting pre-wired "pigtails" if you want Deans.

I also like the XT-60's (the yellow ones pictured below). I rotate the pins so that the solder cups are facing the side of the plastic body, piece of cake to solder wires onto and then heat-shrink insulation. XT60 fits 12-Ga Turnigy wire perfectly, using 5mm_3/16-inch heat-shrink. The larger XT-90 fits 10-Ga and uses 6mm_1/4-inch heat-shrink
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2767

When soldering XT60/XT90 connectors, mate a male/female pair and that will hold the pins in perfect alignment, as once in a while a pin has sagged on me due to holding the soldering iron on a bit too long. (I use a fat-tip 100W iron)

Automotive "Weatherpacks", designed for boats, tractors, and cargo trucks:


Ebikes.ca uses 3-pin XLR connectors on their battery packs and charger.

Just try and keep everything consistent for all your builds. There are no standards, so it is up to you to keep to the ratings.

Oh, and having physically different bulletconnectors for your high power positive and negative wires will help preventing creating a short by human mistake. Especially when I am tired, I may make a mistake and try to plug in the main power (126V Lipo) the wrong way. The EC5 connectors have now several times prevented me from creating a plasma ball out of my lipos.

Keeping track of which wire goes where in which connector (aka document your work) helps tremendously when doing troubleshooting or simply replacing a connector. The CA has 6 wires. Which of them is connected to the negative of the shunt, which to the positive of the shunt, and which to the positive of the battery? Find out once, write it down, and don't change it ever again.

I use EC5 connectors: 5 mm bullets with plastic casing for the high power connections.


XT60 connectors for the individual lipos.


ebike.ca connector pack for the rest.

I use Anderson Style connectors rated for 75 amp

I actually have about 10 larger lipo bricks that all have andersons.
iv shorted lipo bullet connections by mistake but never the andersons

No standard for anything really. Even with one source, they may change connetors for a better one, or a cheaper one.

Quite a few of the lower cost ebike kits come with a blade connector I don't know the exact name of. 2 and 3 pin housings for most of it, and 5 pins in a six pin housing for halls.

Many many many of us immediately remove connectors and replace with our current favorite. 4 and 5 mm RC stlye bullets are favored for the higher power contacts, as well as anderson powerpoles. Each type has it's fans. Choices often depend on the amps the plug will be carrying. At 20 amps, nearly anything works good enough.

I also think it is very important to have connectors that will only connect one way, so you can' plug them in the wrong way.

The XT-60 looks nice, very handy, although it seems to me as though you could never make them really weatherproof, and you'd have to use shrink wrap to keep the water out.

Also the automotive ones with the rubber seals look very nice.

I'll have a look, where to source them and what they might cost.

I could also get used to some half-turn screw connectors (like the neolithic networks cables if anyone else old enough to remember is still alive)

What's the maximum amount of poles per connector you could actually have use for? Are there more than 3 that go to the motor?If the controller is mounted to the handlebar

I don't know, how many turns this takes to screw on, but I find it rather odd, that a battery would have a 4-pole connector


My bike's light had a very similar looking connector, with internally only 2 of them in use. I find it extremely annoying having to remove a connector and having to do more than 1 second's work.

Where do the cables leave the cycle analyst? on the back or on the side?
I'm thinking about attaching a little box to the back of the CA, which will hold the controller and have all the connector sockets built into the back (at least protected from rain). All the different attachments could get different shape connectors to make everything easily exchangable.

The other reason, I am asking is because my girlfriend asked me for a charger for her phone, so I'm thinking about making a little box with 2-pole connector on one side, a a fuse and a DC-DC converter down to 5V (rated 2-3A) and a water proof USB connector on the other side. I might make a few more of them and sell them to people who don't want to order the parts themselves or don't feel comfortable using a soldering iron. That's why I'm wondering about the battery connectors, BioniX uses.

Even bionx may have changed their connectors from time to time over the years. So the only sure way to know what is current is to have one in your greedy little hands.

Pretty much, there never has been any particular standard. That's why us modifyer types tend to cut original connectors off immediately on arrival, and convert to our personal standard. So the 6-7 ebikes in my garage can all plug in to the same batteries.

Personally, I'd do a cell phone charger with a left over lipo cell. I happen to have em around, so a single 5 ah lipo pouch would charge a phone for quite some time. But even if you had to buy a pack to get a 1s lipo pouch, it would be very cheap. The charger less cheap though.

ebike.ca connector pack for the rest.

Click to expand...

Where can I buy these other than ebikes.ca. I need something fast and cheap.. $11 for the bag is ok but killer $50 for shipping.
Andy

Cheap common connectors:
http://tncscooters.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=69&page=1

The crimpers come in very handy if you are planning to do a couple builds.
Mark.

Pepole pepole you need to put under your name where you live Helps. Buy a big bag of what you like from hobby king and you be the KING then. Plus JST's and shink wrap some hot glue with glue gun cheap so as you can pull it off. It's a starter kit. Plus H.K has some wire ect. One time shipping. 45.00ud. pack.

Melbourne, Aus, however Hong Kong Ebay suppliers will often do freebie delivery as will some other suppliers like deal extreme..

That makes me think I haven't checked deal extreme yet..

Andy

Carry on a new king.

Carry on a new king.

Click to expand...

So very helpful

they not in ebikes.ca store even now ... looking for those connectors to CA3 !

spinningmagnets said:

Ebikes.ca uses 3-pin XLR connectors on their battery packs and charger.

Click to expand...

Funny as that seems, The frog box I just got uses a phono cable lol.

Where can I buy these other than ebikes.ca. I need something fast and cheap.. $11 for the bag is ok but killer $50 for shipping.
Andy

Click to expand...

Look to local hobby shops that carry RC helicopters, cars, and planes. I do NOT recommend the raw pins. No matter how much confidence you have in your abilities, it is a huge waste of your time. Buy pre-wired pigtails (a connector with a few inches of wire already attached). You only have to make butt-connections with the mating wires, quick and easy.

I'd recommend getting pre-wired "pigtails" jst from allellectronics and solder them, they carry the typical
throttle connectors and the halls . for power and phase wire you will need heavy duty connectors, I like Anderson power poles.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-...3-CONDUCTOR-LOCKING-CONNECTORS-W/LEADS/1.html

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/CON-60/6-CONDUCTOR-CONNECTOR/1.html

I use Anderson PowerPoles for power and phase wires. I get them from PowerWerx.com in a 25 set bag for $30 for the Red/Black ones and I just buy loose colored Phase connectors. Crimp them with a cheapo hydraulic crimper from Harbor Freight with a 7ga die.

For all other connectors, I purchase a bag of the JST-SM connectors from Ebikes.ca whenever I order anything from them for about $10 IIRC. It takes a certain skill to put these on as the connectors are small and easy to screw up. I luckily have a old school crimper that handles them. I have also refined my method for putting them on and making sure they are solid. When you first start putting these on, you will probably screw a few up at first. Unless you have the right crimper, I would suggest going with the previous suggestions of using premade pigtails. (But then you would have to solder or use butt connectors which suck).

To finish them off, I wrap the back side with e-tape and then a couple layers of waterproof pressure tape

the "Amberwolf" method of butt-splicing two wires. Fast simple strong and slim. First, slide on a piece of heat-shrink. After working to two ends into each other, flatten the joint by wrapping it in a bare strand or two from a piece of junk wire. Then just solder and heat-shrink.