++++++++++++++++++ See also Anderson PowerPole Power Connectors ++++++++++++++++++ I moved this entry with the WestMountainRadio "How To" URL to the front... DWN ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Elecraft" Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:23:36 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] Re: Oh where, oh where, has my little tone gone?- PowerPoles Hi The tool misshapes the contact so it will not go into the housing. If you= use the round die at the bottom of the tool to reform the contact after = the crimp, the contact will go in properly. Here is a page explaining how= to do this: http://www.westmountainradio.com/supportrr.htm I use a small screwdriver to push the contact in from the back. When you = solder or crimp the contact install it so you don't have to twist the wir= e to go into the housing. This will make it easier to install the contact= . Slide the housings together first before you insert the contact. =20 Don Brown KD5NDB ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Tavan Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 11:44 AM To: ft at elecraft.com Subject: Re: Oh where, oh where, has my little tone gone? I had trouble when using the crimping tool supplied by West Mountain Radi= o. Was never able to get a crimped lug into the connector body. But solde= red logs fit in pretty well. Seems to depend on the angle at which the wi= re exits the lug. If it is straight and true and the wire is reasonable s= tiff, the lug clicks right in. Angled and/or floppy wire and you will nee= d to push the lug from behind with a small screwdriver. It really does/mu= st click in. Now that I've figured out how to assemble them, these APP co= nnectors are a joy to use. I am converting my shacks completely to APPs a= nd rig-runner distribution boxes. =20 73, =20 /Rick N6XI =20 Mychael Morohovich / AA3WF wrote: =20 I am also wondering if anyone else is experiencing troubles with the DC c= onnectors? Despite making a very concerted effort to get those pieces of = "C" shaped flat stock tight against the bodies of the female portions of = the connector, the connector still exhibits some vertical flex. When flex= ed to the extreme it is enough to cause the K2 to lose power. The contac= ts are well seated- during assembly I felt and heard a very distinct snap= as they popped into place. Also, the paired connectors have been working= themselves loose with the K2 sitting on my bench. I have been hearing so= much positive press about these connectors that I am surprised by my exp= erience with them. Again, am I overlooking something? ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Rod Cerkoney" To: "John McClain" , "K2" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole connectors Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 12:52:54 -0600 I have has this problem a few times. I results from not having the metal insert crimped correctly. If the insert is too elongated it does not seat properly. When this happens I use the circular "die" of the crimping tool reform the insert into a more circular shape. That usally clears up the problem. GL 73, Rod N0RC ----- Original Message ----- From: "John McClain" To: "K2" Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 12:29 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole connectors > Since everyone seemed so happy with the APP connectors, I ordered 30 > sets plus some #12 red/black zip type cable. I agree that they are > great connectors but about 25% of the connectors that I assemble don't > click when I insert the contact into the housing. To make sure that I > am inserting them correct and not upside/down, I went to either the > Anderson or Powerwerx web page where they have a cut away view of an > assembled connector so I am certain that I am doing it correctly but > some of them just won't click which means that the wire and contact > are not being securely held by the housing. When this happens, I can > pull the wire and contact out with little effort. I have looked at > the contact and the inside of the housing and there doesn't appear to > be any obvious mechanical latch. The only thing that I see inside is > a channel that the contact slides into but, without the $12.00 > insertion tool, it is difficult to be certain that the contact is in > the channel. Since I haven't seen any other comments on this, can I > assume that I am the only one having this problem? > > John ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 15:26:17 -0400 To: "John McClain" , "K2" From: Ron Herman Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole connectors You are probably not pushing hard enough... I found it necessary to use a small screwdriver and push on the back of the contact while resting the front end of the housing on a firm surface... They do click but sometimes it takes a little more effort with the heavier wire. Make sure the contacts are not twisted and go through the little holes inside the housing. Also make sure the contacts/wires are straight and go into the housing straight. Ron At 11:29 AM 5/11/2002 -0700, John McClain wrote: >Since everyone seemed so happy with the APP connectors, I ordered 30 >sets plus some #12 red/black zip type cable. I agree that they are -------------------------- Ron Herman from NoWeare NH. K1PDY rherman at gsinet.net ++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 13:32:10 -0700 From: Wayne Burdick Organization: Elecraft To: Rod Cerkoney Cc: John McClain , K2 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole connectors Rod Cerkoney wrote: > > I have has this problem a few times. I results from not having the > metal insert crimped correctly. If the insert is too elongated it > does not seat properly. When this happens I use the circular "die" > of the crimping tool reform the insert into a more circular shape. > That usally clears up the problem. Crimping can deform the terminals, as you have seen. We strongly recommend soldering the connectors only, *not* crimping them. This is also acceptible to Anderson, according to their own assembly instructions. 73, Wayne ++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 18:41:43 -0400 (EDT) From: kc4kgu at ENTERZONE.NET To: John McClain Cc: K2 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole connectors On Sat, 11 May 2002, John McClain wrote: > Since everyone seemed so happy with the APP connectors, I ordered 30 > sets plus some #12 red/black zip type cable. I agree that they are > great connectors but about 25% of the connectors that I assemble don't > click when I insert the contact into the housing. To make sure that I > am inserting them correct and not upside/down, I went to either the > Anderson or Powerwerx web page where they have a cut away view of an > assembled connector so I am certain that I am doing it correctly but > some of them just won't click which means that the wire and contact > are not being securely held by the housing. When this happens, I can > pull the wire and contact out with little effort. I have looked at > the contact and the inside of the housing and there doesn't appear to > be any obvious mechanical latch. The only thing that I see inside is > a channel that the contact slides into but, without the $12.00 > insertion tool, it is difficult to be certain that the contact is in > the channel. Since I haven't seen any other comments on this, can I > assume that I am the only one having this problem? > > John Use a jewlers screwdriver or some similar small tool to push the pin in until it clicks. I ran into this on a few and that worked like a charm. 73 de John - KC4KGU K2 #2490 ++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 10:45:09 -0700 From: Vic Rosenthal Organization: Transparent Software To: Elecraft Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: Oh where, oh where, has my little tone gone?- PowerPoles Don Brown wrote: > > The tool misshapes the contact so it will not go into the housing. If you use the round die at the bottom of the tool to reform the contact after the crimp, the contact will go in properly. I have to admit that I am not a crimp man. I feel that crimping weakens the conductors, especially small ones. I used to work as a tractor mechanic, and I always soldered the battery cable ends (using a BIG iron and bar solder) and found it more reliable than crimping. The only exception that I made is the no. 4 wires which connect my lightning ground system together, because lightning currents have been known to vaporize solder. These connections are bolted rather than soldered. I soldered my APP connectors with silver-bearing solder and I'm confident I have as good or better connection than crimping; and there were no assembly problems. Vic K2VCO +++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Don Wilhelm" From: "Don Wilhelm" To: , "Steve Lawrence" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: Oh where, oh where, has my little tone gone?- PowerPoles Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 22:26:40 -0400 Folks, I have had no problems crimping the APP connectors when using #12 wire, but have had NOTHING BUT trouble doing the same with #16 wire. I do use the Gardner Bender crimp tool, and find that the crimping process doew distort the 'roundness of the connector. after doing the initial crimp, I rotate the connector pin by 90 degrees and squeeze it a bit in the rounded part of the crimper tool - after that I have no problem inserting the pin into the connector body. 73, Don W3FPR +++++++++++++++++ From: "Paul Cavnar" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: Oh where, oh where, has my little tone gone?- PowerPoles Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 22:00:50 -0700 Don - > Folks, > I have had no problems crimping the APP connectors when using #12 wire, > but have had NOTHING BUT trouble doing the same with #16 wire. >From one who has crimped thousands of lugs and terminals, including the APP's, there are several crimpers on the market that will do a good job and just as many that are very marginal and a few "bad" ones. The 30A APP contacts are rated for a #10 gauge wire. If you crimp the terminal with #10 or #12 wire, it will form nicely in the crimper groove and should have very little or no distortion. Using smaller wire will deform the crimp tube in such a way as to make it more of a "crescent" shape rather than an indented half-circle. Lowes and Home Depot sell the Gardner Bender tool. Thomas and Betts sells another one that costs more but, not as much as the APP tool that is specifically designed for their connectors. The T&B number is WT-111. If you use #16 wire in the 30A rated contacts, Don's solution below is precisely the best one and it will allow the contacts to be properly seated into the connector.... > I do use the Gardner Bender crimp tool, and find that the crimping process > doew distort the 'roundness of the connector. after doing the initial > crimp, I rotate the connector pin by 90 degrees and squeeze it a bit in the > rounded part of the crimper tool - after that I have no problem inserting > the pin into the connector body. Personally, I would prefer to solder my connections because there is NO distortion of the crimp tube and I feel it is the most reliable connection you can make. I've done it both ways and when crimped properly, that works. When using the #16 gauge wire, you can also strip the insulation back twice the length needed and fold the wire over onto itself before inserting into the crimp tube. It may be a tight fit but, you should get a crimp that is much less distorted than the single conductor would result in. Lastly, avoid the El-Cheapo crimpers in the $.99 "special" bin at the hardware stores. No two of them crimp the same and 90% of them will do more harm than good. I have a Burndy ratcheting crimper that makes "mil-spec" crimps on a range of terminals that I used when building control panels for years. It crimps the APP contacts nicely but, still can distort them slightly so, I have been soldering mine for the last year or so.... Just my two cents... 73, Paul Cavnar - NN7B K1 - (#coming) +++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Elecraft" Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 07:44:26 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] Power Poles solder or crimp Hi The reason crimp lugs are used is because if the right tool and proper si= ze wire is used the crimp is more reliable than a soldered connection. Th= e reason for this is soldering requires a certain amount of skill and jud= gment to do properly. A crimp lug can be installed by a machine requiring= no skill. Very few of us have the proper tool to do a crimp right so we = must use a cheep tool not designed for the terminal or solder the termina= l. =20 When soldering the terminal you must use a very small amount of solder or= the pin will not insert into the housing. The solder must not get on the= contact area of the terminal and it is best if the solder does not wick = up under the insulation. =20 I like to use the GB tool to make the crimp and then heat the terminal an= d apply a very small amount of solder so it just wicks up under the termi= nal. This is only about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of .031 solder applied to the ter= minal. Don Brown KD5NDB +++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Don Wilhelm" From: "Don Wilhelm" To: "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Power Poles solder or crimp Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 20:55:11 -0400 Folks, There is only one negative aspect of soldering terminals that I am aware of - and that is the fact that stranded wire has a tendency to break right where the solder stops. This is due to the additional flexing that occurs at that point - the solder wicks up the wire a bit and makes it stiff, so any movement of the wire or connector will cause the wire to flex at that point. This doesn't happen with unsoldered stranded wire because the flex is absorbed over a longer length of wire, but when the flexing motion meets with a stiff part, it can't move any further along the wire and so the wire bends more sharply at this juncture. Soooo - if you solder the connectors, take Don Brown's sage advice and use as little solder as possible. 73, Don Wilhelm - Wake Forest, NC W3FPR home page: http://www.qsl.net/w3fpr/ QRP-L # 485 K2 SN 0020 mailto: w3fpr at arrl.net *** Life is what happens when you're making other plans -- Mike Cross *** ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Dan Allen" To: "Don Wilhelm" , "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Power Poles solder or crimp Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 22:23:23 -0400 This is why the FAA does not allow connectors to be soldered onto wire. They can only be crimped. The vibration of the aircraft will make the stranded wire break exactly where the solder stops. ++++++++++++++++++++ From: Tim ORourke To: "'elecraft at mailman.qth.net'" Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 08:12:15 -0400 Subject: [Elecraft] Anderson Power Pole Connectors I have used these for years on electric sail planes, cars all of my radios. I always solder the connections crimping distorts the contact too much. Be aware that Anderson makes a small contact for smaller wire. The 16-20 wire size contact is #1332 rated for 15 amps the larger size is #1332 rated for 30 amps. All fit the same housing size. In a pinch I have made small brass shrinking sleeves that fit the larger contact and reduce the opening down. You can find the tubing at hobby shops, brand is K&S. In general the general purpose crimp tools are a conpromise. The OEM tools made for specific application are much better but also very expensive. I have a 30 year collection of crimp tools and still never seem to have the correct one when I need it. 73 Tim KG4CHX BTW after years of testing and abusing all types of connectors the APP is the only one that maintains low resistance and consistant performance. ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Wilhelm" To: "Max Moon" , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Anderson PowerPoles Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 00:27:45 -0500 I don't know about the others, but my method is to make a short jumper that goes from whatever type of connector the gear now uses to an APP connector. That adapter/jumper stays with the equipment it is made for - Presto, all APP connections. (I don't have it complete yet, but progress is happening) 73, Don W3FPR ----- Original Message ----- > Gang-- > I'm going to put APPs all over the shack & was wondering about one thing. > I've checked the archives & can't find that it's been addressed. Did you go > to the extreme of removing say, the 5.5/2.1mm power jack & running a line > from inside the rig, through the hole where the jack used to be, out to a > pair of APPs? Or did you leave the jacks & make a plug-to-APP > adapter/converter for every jack? > > +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Max Moon" To: Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 00:16:58 -0600 Subject: [Elecraft] Re: Anderson PowerPoles Hello-- Thanks to the folks who've replied to my question. All said the same thing, in effect: just make pig-tails a.k.a. jumpers a.k.a. adapter-thingey & don't modify the rig. As one fellow pointed out, it can hurt the resale value. Now, I can understand THAT! Thanks again & hope to work you all during EQP. 72, Max, k0max +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 19:45:01 -0600 From: Tom Russo To: Jack Brindle Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Power Pole Query Reply-To: russo at swcp.com On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 06:20:35PM -0700, a Mr. Richard Feyler of Fort Lee, New Jersey wrote, Dear Rosanne Rosannadanna: [...] > My question is how people handle connecting > the things to smaller size wire such as is commonly used with > barrel-style connectors. That wire is too small to nicely crimp/solder > into the Power Pole, even if doubling it. Should I just go ahead and do > that, or is an adapter needed, or just what should I do? Well, when I started using the APPs for low-current cabling I just went ahead and soldered in the wires. Crimping makes for a lower-strain connection, but as you note, the smaller wire just doesn't hold. You might want to put some strain relief there to protect the point where the flexible wire meets the inflexible solder, but you'll get a good connection as long as the wire doesn't break. After a while I just broke down and started using overkill-sized wire and crimping it per recommendations. But my soldered powerpoles are still in use. -- Tom Russo KM5VY QRPL #1592 K2#398 http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM DM64ux SOC #236 AHTB#1 http://www.qsl.net/~km5vy/ "All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." -- Sean O'Casey ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Charles" To: "Jack Brindle" Cc: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Power Pole Query Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 21:49:42 -0500 Jack, try this link. they have 15 amp power poles. http://www.powerwerx.com/category.asp?CtgID=1018 Charles, KC9DAO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Brindle" To: Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 8:20 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Power Pole Query The connectors are supposed to be used with fairly large > wire, from 12 to 16 AWG. My question is how people handle connecting > the things to smaller size wire such as is commonly used with > barrel-style connectors. > > -Jack Brindle, WA4FIB ++++++++++++++++++