Plugs and socket confusion.

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

I have an ESC with a biggish white plug on the end with the Rx plug and switch, then I have a 7.2 flight pack of nimhs with a smaller version of the same kind of plug.

What are these plugs called and is it possible to get adaptor leads from one size to another?

I note a supplier speaks of 2mm, 3.5 mm and 5mm, but I'm not sure what those dimensions refer to.

The plugs have a kind of clip on one side, are both white (ish) and have the metal parts tucked up inside the shaped parts. On the small plug the "pins" are one square and one round. On the bigger one the "pins" are one square, one d-shaped.

Would it really be beyond the wit of man to standardise all these kinds of contacts? I don't want to be forever cutting and soldering on different plugs.

And are these as described male or female? Their shape is male, their contacts are…well…tucked away.

Cheers,

Martin

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Martin,

From your description, it sounds like so-called Tamiya connectors, which exist in different sizes and are quite common.

For an overview of common connectors, you could have a look at this page in the Component Shop web shop: **LINK**, which might help you positively identify what it is you have.

I'm sure it would be possible to find ready-made adaptor leads between various types of connectors, but it is not all that difficult to make them up oneself, either.

Personally, I prefer the Deans type of connectors, and have taken to replacing any non-Deans if they are already soldered on when I buy a piece of kit.

/Mattias

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

It would seem we have a Tamiya male on the ESC and a Mini-Tamiya male on the NiMh pack. So I guess I need to buy a large female to small female lead or simply the right plugs. But I need to be able to use the NiMhs next year in the model aircraft it came with, so the plug will have to stay.

I think my old chum may have suitable bits in his many boxes of bits. Looks like I'll have to solder up a new lead.

Thanks for the lead (ooh, pun not intended!)

 

Martin

 

(Edit) Ah and there's nothing on the motor leads and just a couple of gold bullets on the other end of the ESC.  What would you recommend for those?

Edited By Martin Field 1 on 11/10/2015 16:19:19

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Regarding the `gold bullet' connectors. The Mtronics ESC which are quite common have two leads (one yellow and one blue with female bullet connectors. These are the connections to the motor and I buy the corresponding male connectors from Maplin, but they should be available from other suppliers.

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks David,

we have a Maplins near us, so I'll try them. Isn't it a bit risky having uninsulated connectors next to each other or is the convention to put heat shrink on each. My ESC is a brushed Simprop 1808 acro.

Cheers,

Martin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Martin. Get some heat shrink while you are at Maplins, or get a pack of assorted heat shrink bits when you get your other connectors.

I have also been changing my battery connections to Deans. Much more reliable that the Tamiya ones, and, if required, handle much more current.

With the benefit of hindsight, the more commonality you have with connectors, the better.

Ashley

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

So I should go for Deans on the motor to ESC, even though I have to stick to Tamiya on the battery to ESC.

If you guys say Deans is better, I'll go for them. They certainly look more polarity fool proof.

Cheers,

Martin

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Martin,

I don't know about should when it comes to one connector or the other, but if, as it seems, you are planning to switch pieces of equipment between different models, yes: I think it would be a very good idea to go for one single type of connector across the board. It will mean some cutting and soldering as you go along, but in the long run I rather think it'll save both trouble and effort.

Which specific connector is to some extent a personal choice, but as Ashley says, the Tamiya's have a reputation for being not always as reliable as one could wish for, whereas the Deans give a very solid connection indeed. They are also, from what I've read, able to handle higher rates of current without breaking into a (plastic) sweat. And finally they are very easy both to solder and to unsolder, and do not require any assembly/dissambly beyond solder and heat shrink.

A word of caution, though: while you can get away with having a male Tamiya on the battery (given that the male parts are covered by the plastic housing), you can not do that with a Deans connector!!! The male bits of a Deans are always exposed (I say! How shocking!), so if you put one of them on the battery, sooner or later they will come to lie across something that will allow the current to pass, and the battery will be shorted, ruined and may cause worse things, like a fire, to happen. Only ever put a female Deans on the battery!

Ans yes: as Ashley says, get some heat shrink, too! As the soldering tabs on a Deans (male and female) also remain exposed, they need to be covered by heat shrink to protect against shorts.

Finally, I have found it useful when soldering Deans connectors to actually pair up a male and a female. That way, if the plastic softens slightly under the heat from the soldering iron (as I've sometimes known it to do), the connector tabs won't come out of alignment. Mind you, this is probaly mainly due to my poor soldering skills, but still …

/Mattias

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

OK, Deans it is, then. I must say they do look a bit tougher than the others and I like the idea of seeing the contacts. I find what I see in a Tamiya connector to be a bit fragile looking.

I am surprised that the NiMh pack, as bought, has a male Tamiya on the end of its wires, but that has to remain as I can't get to the wire in the aeroplane it also serves. But I shall put Deans plugs on the motor to ESC connection.

I once picked up one of those accursed in-line power extension leads when helping my Dad rewire a house and the idiot customer had put the male end on the live half. Two prongs went into my palm and threw me across the landing and almost down the stairs. Fortunately I caught hold of a balluster at the last minute. I was also young and fit, so largely unharmed.

Thanks again for the info and recommendations.

Cheers,

Martin

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

If it's of any worth as an endorsement, I've converted all of my battery, ESC and charger connections to the Deans type sold by Component Shop, and I'm not a fan of Tamiya connectors or conversion leads.

Dave M

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks Dave,

it looks like I'll be doing the same, I reckon.

Cheers,

Martin

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

One tip when soldering the cables to the connectors. These connectors can be distorted by excessive heat and it doesn't take long to melt the plastic  and ruin the alignment between the plug and socket contacts, so I always plug together the two halves of the connector while soldering. It's important not to accidentally short together the contacts, so solder the male plug onto the ESC first and then leave it plugged in while you solder the cables from the battery to the other connector. Don't forget to fit the heat-shrink sleeve.

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 12/10/2015 10:42:00

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 12/10/2015 11:06:37

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks, Dave,

is there a convention about which wire goes to which blade in the connector?

Martin

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Martin,

Unless I'm much mistaken the connectors are marked with a "+" and "-" sign respectively, next to the blades on the soldering side, and Dave's schema above (unsurprinsingly, as it is by Dave) correctly shows the red wires going to the blade marked "+" and the black wires to the "-" one.

/Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 12/10/2015 11:27:53

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Ah, that's OK, then.

Many thanks, Mattias. I've never actually seen a Deans connector. Are they from Deans Marine or something, originally?

Martin

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

You're welcome, Martin!

As far as I've been able to find out they have nothing to do with Dean's Marine, but come from a US company called W.S. Deans: **LINK**

/Mattias

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Ah, OK. I was just curious.

When the boat is further forward I'll get all the electrics changed over.

Cheers,

Martin

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Martin

You might find this article useful **LINK**

Just to confirm the polarity of the Deans-type connectors:

The Chinese manufacturers of the items sold by Component Shop were threatened by W S Deans for copying their connectors, so the crafty little gentlemen simply added some moulded ridges to the plastic which makes them easier to open and close. They are referred to as Deans-Type connectors to avoid legal action. Silly, isn't it?

Dave M

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 12/10/2015 12:42:16

[Malcolm FraryParticipant @malcolmfrary95515]

The bullet type connectors are basic car accessory shop items. If the motor is fitted with similar ones, they connect together using a metal sleeve with an insulated covering (in a plastic bag near the bullets in the shop display), so in use, all the electric bits are insulated. The bullets have advantages – they carry quite high currents, they are reliable, they cannot be confused with battery connectors, and, if the motor turns the wrong way, they are easy to reverse.

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks, gents. It turns out I have nothing on the ESC at all, Tamiya on the battery and nothing on the motor, so the World is my oyster.

I doubt if I'll fly the 'plane that the battery comes from before I use the boat so I'll swap the Mini Tamiya on that over too. Gotta finish the boat first!

Thanks for all your help, fellas.

Cheers,

Martin

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