XT style connectors better than Anderson's?

I'm going to change the connectors from my controller to the phase wires.
Which connector is the best to use at a given rating, between the XT type and Anderson?

XT: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=12887

Anderson: http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html

How many ampere are you going pull from battery?

I invested powerpole crimper $40 bucks and I ran occasion 100A thru the 45A anderson (at least 1 min continuous felt little hot warm) no problem. I also have XT connector capable run 100A, never melt the connectors, and if you don't mind do the soldering jobs.

It's up to you.

Anderson is most speedy get done and XT connectors takes your time if you have lot patience. :lol: :lol: :lol:

chroot said:

I ran occasion 100A thru the 45A anderson

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Have run 50-60A sustained through Anderson 30As without issue many, many times. Love them Andersons except you can't buy them locally where I live anywhere. Always have to order them from the interwebs through like powerwerx.com etc.

Thanks for both of your replies.
How come the XT's take so long to solder?

Both types have different virtues, and different ways to be fussy. Crimping andersons, once you have it down, is very quick and easy. But unless they are just right, they do have a bad habit of backing out of the housing, causing a partial connect, heating, and meltdown.

Big bullets take time to solder, and I hear that solder doesn't conduct as well as a good crimp. But big enough bullets should be able to conduct a lot.

Much depends on how many plugs you need to make, and what current you expect em to handle. For the typical 40 amp stuff, I've found andersons work fine. But as I got into RC lipo, it started making sense to use more of the same plug the packs come with rather than converting them all to andersons.

"Crimping andersons, once you have it down, is very quick and easy. But unless they are just right, they do have a bad habit of backing out of the housing, causing a partial connect, heating, and meltdown"

Thanks dogman, this is what must have happened to one of my phase wire connectors.
They are Anderson PowerPoles, and the housing started to melt. Only occured on the one though!!
The other two are fine.
Could someone have a look at the attached photo and tell me if it's the 30A or 45A insert. I guess they are not interchangeable?

those are the 45's..

both 30 and 45 pins use the same housings and you can clip a 30 and a 45 together if you wish.

I like the andersons, mainly because they are universal and uni-sex, i can swap various parts in my collection without getting into problems with polarity difference connectors..

75A Andersons are bullet proof. I solder with silver AND crimp them on 8ga silicon wires. They survived many crashes in the mountain.

alfantastic said:

I'm going to change the connectors from my controller to the phase wires.
Which connector is the best to use at a given rating, between the XT type and Anderson?

XT: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=12887

Anderson: http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html

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I'll be using XT's on my battpack very soon due to them being more universal with my charging gear etc.... and I like to solder
i'm only pulling 50A max

dogman said:

Both types have different virtues, and different ways to be fussy. Crimping andersons, once you have it down, is very quick and easy. But unless they are just right, they do have a bad habit of backing out of the housing, causing a partial connect, heating, and meltdown.

Big bullets take time to solder, and I hear that solder doesn't conduct as well as a good crimp. But big enough bullets should be able to conduct a lot.

Much depends on how many plugs you need to make, and what current you expect em to handle. For the typical 40 amp stuff, I've found andersons work fine. But as I got into RC lipo, it started making sense to use more of the same plug the packs come with rather than converting them all to andersons.

Click to expand...

But unless they are just right, they do have a bad habit of backing out of the housing, causing a partial connect, heating, and meltdown.

Click to expand...

Yeah, trying to get the inner blade up in there til it " clicks" can be a struggle. Especially with thick, "limp noddle" 12 Ga. silicone wire.
It may increase resistance, but I tin the last 1/3" of the stripped wire to give it some stiffness. Then I can really "push it in".
It's like Viagra for connectors and Mrs. Anderson is happy :lol:

The problem with Power Poles and 4 mm bullets is that they are long. for some reason, in my wiring jobs, they seem to end up where I want to make a turn.
XT's are short, but can be a bit of a Struggle to dis-connect.
Why can't they make the 4 mm bullets shorter like some of the other Ga.s? I guess there would be less contact area and that would reduce capacity. Still, two versions[ratings]would be nice.
I guess I need to try some other options to try and clean my rat's nests. Deans? T-plugs?
EP Buddy is loving me.

Think I will just replace the damaged Anderson with another.

I've got a job lot on the way, but will I need to crimp it with a special tool, or will a regular crimper work?

I use a regular crimper. Ypedal put a how to on you tube I think that taught me how, but that was long ago and links were lost in computers that died.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJTMKSuVI3U

[youtube]UJTMKSuVI3U[/youtube]

I use the HobbyKing 4mm HXT Bullet connectors. They are way cheaper to buy than Andersons, plus they come on many battery packs to begin with.

Once you get it down you can do a pair of bullets in under a minute. You just need a $25 soldering gun from Lowes. And that soldering gun will get the most use out of any soldering iron you own because it is awesome. I love it.

[youtube]B9yY9Kk4bEA[/youtube]

You can get bullets on ebay for like 10 cents a piece. Andersons are nicer for lower powered bikes...

auraslip said:

Andersons are nicer for lower powered bikes...

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Or rather, PP45 style Andersons....

There are better Andersons for the higher currents. Powerchairs (which can have very high startup currents, I've seen sometimes over 100A momentarily, and 40-75A sustained depending on conditions/load) often use SB50 and PP75 Andersons, with no problems. I prefer these larger ones, and if I had enough of them I'd use them for all power connections (but mine are all salvaged off other things, so my supply is very limited).

Honestly the biggest problem I see with reported problems on the PP45s is not the connector itself, but too-large a wire/insulation being used with it that prevents the contact from floating properly in it's housing, as well as the larger wire not bending very well, and overriding the spring force in the housing, causing non-flat mating.

Another issue is improper crimping that bends the contacts vs the crimped area, and causes the same problem--lack of proper floating in the housing. If it floats correctly, the spring in the housing will help it mate flat, and it won't have the problems it does when it doesn't seat flat against the mated contact surface.

Bullets don't have this type of problem, but if you mate/umate them a lot, they can become unstressed and no longer clip properly, depending on how they are made. I haven't used the type you are using there, so those may not have this issue, if they're made of the right metals and designed/made right. Bullets are probably easier for the first-time connector-installer to get right than PP45 Andersons, though.

I replaced the poorly connector with another Anderson PP45, and yes they are a little quirky to fit, but practice makes perfect

Just out of interest, do all original PowerPole connectors have an 'A' stamped into the end of the plastic housing?

i found the most common way that the andersons fail is when there is so much solder on the crimp that the crimp end will not bottom out in the plastic shield housing that end, so the hook on the end of the connector does not go all the way into the housing and over the end of the spring.

when you connect them then the loose unclipped connector slides back out of the housing and leaves no spring tension on the contact, which now wants to walk back out of the fitting.

if they come apart when you pull on them, then trim out some of the solder fat inside the plastic end housing the crimp.

also if they are not bottoming out and clicking when connected, use a fine tipped, small blade screwdriver or pick and push on the back end of the connector and push it all the way into the housing until it bottoms. pushing on the wire is useless, slip the screwdriver alongside the wire so it pushes on the end of the connector inside the housing.

you can hear it click when the connector slips over the end of the spring.

Build your bike to last, so show some confidence and forget connectors. Just hard wire the primary wires. Connectors are just failures waiting to happen.

John in CR said:

Build your bike to last, so show some confidence and forget connectors. Just hard wire the primary wires. Connectors are just failures waiting to happen.

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Excellent idea. How would you go about reliably hardwiring the cables, especially if the two wires are of slightly different gauge?

i agree with john, but now lyen is selling controllers that have a drain down resistor on the input capacitors so you cannot leave the controller connected anymore if you use the lyen controller. otherwise i agree, hard wired is the best option.

alfantastic said:

John in CR said:

Build your bike to last, so show some confidence and forget connectors. Just hard wire the primary wires. Connectors are just failures waiting to happen.

Click to expand...

Excellent idea. How would you go about reliably hardwiring the cables, especially if the two wires are of slightly different gauge?

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I don't know what the textbook method is, but I bare about 1/2" on both, splay the copper, push the ends together for good copper overlap, mash them narrower with fingers, tie and wrap the connection tightly with thin gauge copper, slap on some flux, and soak solder into the connection. The result can be a straight through wire look. If you're using shrink don't forget to slide it on first and away from the soon to be heated layer.

dnmun said:

i agree with john, but now lyen is selling controllers that have a drain down resistor on the input capacitors so you cannot leave the controller connected anymore if you use the lyen controller. otherwise i agree, hard wired is the best option.

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I wonder why he did that. Is he selling precharge resistor circuits now?

Arrrg! Another APPD (Anderson Power Pole Discussion). APP are fatally flawed connectors that like to go belly-up at the worst moments, however I have never had bullet connectors fail.

• Bullets are made of two pieces:
  • Soft plastic insulating housing with
  • a plated connector.
  • With exception to polarized pairs (battery-type), there is no method to parallel-join connections or retain them in place.
  • They are the least expensive option.
• APP are an assembly of:
  • Hard plastic housing which has
  • a spring clip to provide contact pressure,
  • a plated connector which requires
  • a special expensive crimping tool,
  • and needing an extraction tool that is used to repair or remove/replace connectors from the housing.
  • Requires a spring-steel pin to keep the parallel-joined connections from disconnecting, or a plastic retainer.
  • They are the most expensive option.

APP issues:

• Crimping is generally not a problem (though a challenge for left-handed people like me). I also like to place a drop of solder at the crimp point to ensure the wire does not pull out (it only takes one fail to create smart habits).
• Larger diameter wire, such as thickly insulated 12-gauge, 10-gauge, or 8-gauge can become problematic when trying to insert the connector into the housing.
• When the current is running high, the spring within the housing will heat up, fatigue, weaken, and loose pressure. When this occurs, the connection will begin to arc and char, exasperating the problem. Now we’re having to carry the extraction tool in the field to spot-repair, re-tension the spring, and scrap away the carbon: A vicious cycle that ultimately ends with complete replacement, and for me – with a bullet connector.

I’m sorry, but people need to understand that APP connectors are not the panacea to all applications. I have no problem soldering bullets.

Caveats:
APP connectors in areas that see dynamic movement are problematic; Bullets are better suited. For heavy-duty high-current connections (>75A) I like the option to secure the connectors in place - and APPs do seem well-suited for static fixturing.

The professed (or is that possessed?) APP scrooge, KF