Battery plugs, etc.

[Don[_4_]]

Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
experience with these?

[Evan Ludeman[_4_]]

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 11:46:07 AM UTC-5, Don wrote:
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
>
> pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
>
> passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
>
> they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
>
> clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
>
> connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
>
> experience with these?

Power poles are fine.

But the XT60 connectors becoming popular in electric RC models are even better imo. Compact, cheap, polarized, extremely rugged. That said, I still have Molex connectors in my glider (to do list...)

-Evan Ludeman / T8

[Lars Peder Hansen]

XLR. They're the best!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector

Cheers,
Lars Peder, Denmark


"Don" > wrote in message
...
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
> pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
> passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they
> are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or
> commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors.
> Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with
> these?
>

[Richard[_9_]]

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 8:46:07 AM UTC-8, Don wrote:
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2 pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with these?

Don,

I have used Jones Plugs and Sockets for almost 10 years. They are very robust and have served me well. I use them both in the glider and for the chargers.

See

http://www.craggyaero.com/electrical.htm

For battery setup recommendations.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

[Roel Baardman]

I second the statement on the XLR!
I see them also used extensively in other fields (wind tunnels), and they perform well.

Roel

[JS]

The 15A PowerPoles are excellent for use in a glider. You'll find all the Williams Soaring fleet have them, so they can't be TOO bad.
Heavy connectors aren't necessary. I use XLRs at work, but they get thrown, stepped on, pulled hard, etc. Doubt you'll do that to your glider electrics. Over time and with turbulence in flight, heavy connectors will stress glider wiring.
Have a look at the RigRunner power distribution systems, which use Anderson PowerPoles. Very tidy.
Jim

[Papa3[_2_]]

Our club and a lot of private owners have adopted Power Poles. They are very reliable, compact, and light. I like the way you can configure their orientation and the fact that they are usable in cold weather (they don't seem to crack like the "Schleicher Connectors" some of us used to use).


On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 11:46:07 AM UTC-5, Don wrote:
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
>
> pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
>
> passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
>
> they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
>
> clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
>
> connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
>
> experience with these?

[David Reitter]

I have switched my club and also my own glider to Anderson PowerPoles for power.

No issues with male/female connectors (unlike XLR). One criticism would be that they do not have strain relief on the cable insulation. But that's not been a practical issue. The other would be that they do not screw together to secure the connection (some aviation-grade connectors do), but that also makes is easier to connect/disconnect. So, practically, not a problem..

[JohnDeRosa]

I will second (3rd, 4th, etc) the suggestion on PowerPoles. Very
robust, light, versatile two part hermaphroditic system. I use 15A
contacts. Currently proprietary so there are no knock offs which
makes them somewhat expensive per connection.

> Safety - One reason that I like PowerPole connectors is not that they are simply polarized (nearly all connectors are) but you simply cannot make a disastrous reversed battery to battery connection as you can on some simplistic connector systems. Ask me how I know.
> Polarity - There is a "standard" positive/negative orientation for power/ground that should be followed for compatibility with other ships. See http://www.wb3w.net/powerpoleinst.htm.
> Crimping - This is one down side to PowerPoles as you should use a special ratcheting crimping tool that runs $30 or so. Watch for a used one on eBay. A regular crimping tool can deform the contact so it will not mate properly to the housing. But there is always soldering... ;-)
> Build you own - I have a PowerPole multi-contact block at the base of my instrument panel that has all the power, communications and control wires, each using a different color to aid trouble shooting. See http://www.chicagolandglidercouncil.com/newsletter_files/CLGCNewsletterNov11.pdf. When I take the panel home for the annual winter refurb, I can hook up a battery directly to it (same connectors at each end) because I followed the "standard" polarity for the power/ground connections. The individual colored housings have a dovetail system to solidly connect one to another. Cool.

Here are some reference materials;

> Crimping Instructions - http://www.wb3w.net/powerpoleinst.htm and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ODI8fAU_k&feature=related
> ChicagoLand Glider Council newsletter article - http://www.chicagolandglidercouncil.com/newsletter_files/CLGCNewsletterNov11.pdf
> Shown in use on batteries in a "Soaring" article - http://aviation.derosaweb.net/batterytest/BatteryTestingFeb2012.pdf
> Manufacturer Site - http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html
> Vendor - http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/

Good luck.

[[email protected][_1_]]

+(1+n) for Anderson PowerPoles and RigRunner power distribution system.

Concur about the lack of stress relief on the wires but has never been a problem operationally in many years of service in several different gliders.

[Simon Taylor[_2_]]

Using the IGC (backwards) RJ45 numbering scheme:

IGC standard RJ45:
1,2 +12V
3
4
5 RS232 TX
6 RS232 RX
7,8 GND

LXNAV v7 RJ45 PDA port:
1,2 GND
3 RS232 TX
4 RS232 RX
5 TTL TX
6 TTL RX
7,8 +5V

Hopefully I've messed up transcribing those. If not, it's certainly an
interesting
design choice.

[Darryl Ramm]

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 1:25:42 PM UTC-8, David Reitter wrote:
> I have switched my club and also my own glider to Anderson PowerPoles for power.
>
>
>
> No issues with male/female connectors (unlike XLR). One criticism would be that they do not have strain relief on the cable insulation. But that's not been a practical issue. The other would be that they do not screw together to secure the connection (some aviation-grade connectors do), but that also makes is easier to connect/disconnect. So, practically, not a problem.

Anderson make clips that go over the PowerPole connectors to secure them in place. Its usually more hassle than its worth, although I think I heard of one pilot disconnected the battery when reaching over their shoulder and pulling stuff off the shelf. Common sense I guess, you need to protect that connection in some way, have it where it can't get unplugged.

If you are using PowerPoles please get a proper ratcheting crimper for them.. Quite often I've seen bad crimp jobs on these, either the crimps are not properly made onto the wire or the improper crimper deforms the connector (either that or the user bending the deformed connector back so it fits into the socket) in a way that the mated pressure on the contact blades is less than it should be and the connection more likely to undo or be less reliable. Cheap non-ratcheting crimpers cannot supply sufficient force to swage the connector onto wiring--the wire strands and connector will effectively fuse together with the metals swaged under such high pressure. One comparison of good/bad crimps is here http://www.etco.com/crimp-photo-gallery. You should also hopefully be using a high quality Tefzel insulated aviation wire with silver plated strands to help prevent corrosion (properly crimping that type of silver plated stranded wire into a silver plated connector as in the case of the PowerPoles connectors works just great). Resist the temptation to solder and/or crimp then solder a crimp connector, just not a good idea.

The genuine Anderson PowerPole crimper is expensive but probably well worth if for a club, repair shop or group of owners. http://www.powerwerx.com/crimping-tools/anderson-crimping-tool-45-amp-powerpole.html

Some folks might be confused between XLR (aka Cannon) connectors and DIN connectors. Not sure, neither would be my preference. DIN can be fragile and XLR are just large and klunky. And cheap versions of both connectors can have corrosion problems.

Darryl

[Dave Nadler]

Ignore all those puny wimpy solutions and get one of these:
http://www.nadler.com/backups/DSCF1205.JPG

See ya, Dave "YO electric"

[Todd]

Add me to the PowerPole fans.

My solution to the strain relief was to double sided tape the battery side circuit (PP connector + FUSE) to the battery top so that the mating glider circuit is fully supported/protected by the battery top.

Additionally, since I have 2 batteries side by side, i used a pair of PP "blanks" to connect the two glider power feeds together so that I have a single harness to plug in. Send me an email if you want a picture.

I also cut the connectors off my chargers and put PP connectors on them too.

[Willy VINKEN]

On Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:46:05 -0500, Don > wrote:

>Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
>pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
>passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
>they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
>clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
>connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
>experience with these?


XLR connectors have never been designed for power supply. They are
professional audio connectors.
Anderson PowerPoles are perfect and versatile. Never had problems
with them, whether crimped or soldered.
Spring loaded silver plated contact conductance is excellent.
Much cheaper than good quality XLRs (Cannon, Neutrik, Amphenol…)
Much lighter. Less cumbersome.
I've seen battery short circuits caused by metal XLRs falling on them.
I've seen Libelle ailerons freezed by XLRs wedged up between the rods.
I know there is an (unofficial) standard way to do the pinning of XLRs
(at least in Europe), but there are 5 alternate possibilities to do it
wrong. I don't count the radios I've had to fix after faulty
polarizations (and lack of decent fuses).
Compared to the high grade quality of the mechanics, I don't
understand how they can sell 250K$ aircraft with non-professional
electronics.

Willy VINKEN D-KBAL - ON5WV

[aerodyne]

I second the vote for cinch - jones, available on line or wings and
wheels, 20+ years with no problems...superior for blind connections
under the panel, etc.

MM

[Don[_4_]]

Thanks for all the good input. Power Pole connectors look like the
clear winner and we will purchase/install for our club. We will get a
good crimper, too.

On 11/27/2012 11:46 AM, Don wrote:
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
> pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
> passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and
> they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other
> clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex
> connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any
> experience with these?
>

[Dan Marotta]

If your gliders are hangared or can be reached by wires, consider installing
bulkhead connectors inside and simply plug in the glider rather than
removing the batteries.

My glider came with Power Pole connectors for the main and tail batteries
but, adding a third battery, I was unable to find Power Poles locally. Now
I have a 4-pin bulkhead connector in the seat back bulkhead and, after
putting the ship to bed, I simply plug the chargers into the bulkhead via a
home made cable. Now everything is always charged when I go to fly.


"Don" > wrote in message
...
> Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2
> pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after
> passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they
> are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or
> commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors.
> Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with
> these?
>

[Evan Ludeman[_4_]]

On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 9:53:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
> I was unable to find Power Poles locally.

Two words: McMaster Carr.

[Darryl Ramm]

On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 7:48:08 AM UTC-8, Evan Ludeman wrote:
> On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 9:53:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
>
> > I was unable to find Power Poles locally.
>
>
>
> Two words: McMaster Carr.

And http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/

[Dan Marotta]

I got male and female bulkhead connectors at a local electronics shop.
Don't need to remove batteries as I did before installing the bulkhead
connector. With the power pole connectors, I'd have to address each battery
intependently.

The down side is that, to go on the road, as when we went to NV for the
ground launch weekend, I made an adaptor cable so I could remove my 14v
battery for charging in the hotel. Turns out that I have so much capacity,
that I didn't need to remove any batteries.

McMaster Carr is great, though pricey. I used them for miniature gas struts
for the front door of my LAK trailer. Saved about $250 over ordering from
Europe.


"Darryl Ramm" > wrote in message
...
> On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 7:48:08 AM UTC-8, Evan Ludeman wrote:
>> On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 9:53:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
>>
>> > I was unable to find Power Poles locally.
>>
>>
>>
>> Two words: McMaster Carr.
>
> And http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/

[6PK]

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 9:28:48 AM UTC-8, Richard wrote:
> On Tuesday, November 27, 2012 8:46:07 AM UTC-8, Don wrote: > Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2 pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or commercial ops using? I'm not a big fan of the nylon molex connectors. Someone recommended using PowerPole connectors. Any experience with these? Don, I have used Jones Plugs and Sockets for almost 10 years. They are very robust and have served me well. I use them both in the glider and for the chargers. See http://www.craggyaero.com/electrical.htm For battery setup recommendations. Richard www.craggyaero.com

Ditto Craggy Aero; been using Jones plugs for the last 15 years, simple sturdy and never failed. Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

[AGL]

>
> Ditto Craggy Aero; been using Jones plugs for the last 15 years, simple sturdy and never failed. Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

Agreed. I speak as someone familiar with industrial environments where reliability and simplicity is everything. I like what I see in Jones plugs. They are simple and reliable. Anyone heard of a failure? Probably not.

[noel.wade]

On Nov 28, 4:12*pm, 6PK > wrote:

> Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK

This isn't a slight against Peter; but IMHO if your Anderson PowerPole
connectors are pulling apart, you're putting a fair amount of tension
on the wires. They're not meant to be weight-bearing or let you
"hang" equipment off of them (which, yes, I've seen in some
gliders).

The other possibility is that perhaps some folks are over-crimping the
connector. If you crimp the PowerPole connector properly, the spring-
loaded contactor and plastic housing make a solid connection that
takes a reasonable amount of force to pull apart. If you over-crimp
it I've seen this deform the metal contactor and thus it provides a
less-secure connection.

--Noel

[bumper[_4_]]

For in-line power and/or battery connections, agree, Powerpole is the way to go.

For panel mount DC power jacks for charging on-board buatteries etc, Powerlet plugs and jacks (also referred to at BMW style). See: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=powerlet+socket&sprefix=powerlet%2Caps%2C296

The BMW plug is smaller than a cigarette plug, about 1/2" diameter, and unlike a cigarette plug (which really is hopelessely crappy), snaps securely in place.

See also: http://www.motorcyclelarry.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=44

bumper

[Alan[_6_]]

In article > "noel.wade" > writes:
>On Nov 28, 4:12=A0pm, 6PK > wrote:
>
>> Tryed Andersons- tend to pull apart. PeterK
>
>This isn't a slight against Peter; but IMHO if your Anderson PowerPole
>connectors are pulling apart, you're putting a fair amount of tension
>on the wires. They're not meant to be weight-bearing or let you
>"hang" equipment off of them (which, yes, I've seen in some
>gliders).
>
>The other possibility is that perhaps some folks are over-crimping the
>connector. If you crimp the PowerPole connector properly, the spring-
>loaded contactor and plastic housing make a solid connection that
>takes a reasonable amount of force to pull apart. If you over-crimp
>it I've seen this deform the metal contactor and thus it provides a
>less-secure connection.


Also, bending the metal connector before it is snapped in, can make
it not snap firmly in, or not make good connections.

The powerpole specification sheet on the www.powerwerx.com site list
two versions of the metal connectors, low detent and high detent. The
disconnect force for the low detent is 3 pounds, so it would take a 6
pound pull to disconnect a pair (assuming they were properly assembled).

The high detent version claims 5 pounds so it would take 10 pounds pull,
but it appears that the high detent version may only be available on
rolls at some of the current levels.

My own experience was that the higher current versions held tighter,
so it might be worth using the 45 amp versions -- but having seen the
specs, now I have the urge to go measure the various types and see if
they differ. (Or were my 45 amp ones high detent???)


Another thing to be aware of is that soldering has some problems
compared to crimping. It makes a good electrical connection to the
wire, but the solder will wick back into the wire a bit, making it
stiffer and more likely to break instead of bend. Not good to have
the wire break inside the insulation while you were using it.

Another problem with soldering is it is very difficult to keep the
solder from running out on the connecting surface, covering the silver
plating. You probably wind up with a less smooth surface that makes
poorer contact.


Alan

[[email protected]]

On my own glider I'm using DIN connectors because I'm using the Walter Dittel battery box. With the exception of our DG-505 (which came with a tail mounted battery and a built in DIN socket for charging it) all our club gliders and chargers use XLR connectors. The batteries all have plastic boxes mounted over the terminals (holes are drilled in the bottom of the box for the terminals) and the boxes have a female XLR socket to connect to the male XLR plugs in the glider wiring and a chassis mount type fuse or circuit breaker wired between the terminals and the XLR socket.

I like the fact that the box mounting for the connector and fuse makes it pretty much impossible to short out the terminals or the wiring that comes before the fuse. The Dittel box accomplishes the same sort of protection. I have to say that the DIN connectors that the Dittel uses are a little less substantial than I would like but they certainly have given me no trouble in five years of service. The XLR's are beefier and easier to work with when installing and have worked well even though they weren't designed primarily with supplying power in mind. Of course they were intended for delivering phantom power in addition to carrying audio signal...

[Darryl Ramm]

On Thursday, November 29, 2012 12:14:59 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> On my own glider I'm using DIN connectors because I'm using the Walter Dittel battery box. With the exception of our DG-505 (which came with a tail mounted battery and a built in DIN socket for charging it) all our club gliders and chargers use XLR connectors. The batteries all have plastic boxes mounted over the terminals (holes are drilled in the bottom of the box for the terminals) and the boxes have a female XLR socket to connect to the male XLR plugs in the glider wiring and a chassis mount type fuse or circuit breaker wired between the terminals and the XLR socket.
>
>
>
> I like the fact that the box mounting for the connector and fuse makes it pretty much impossible to short out the terminals or the wiring that comes before the fuse. The Dittel box accomplishes the same sort of protection. I have to say that the DIN connectors that the Dittel uses are a little less substantial than I would like but they certainly have given me no trouble in five years of service. The XLR's are beefier and easier to work with when installing and have worked well even though they weren't designed primarily with supplying power in mind. Of course they were intended for delivering phantom power in addition to carrying audio signal...

Per pin current handling capabilities of good quality standard 3 circuit/balanced XLR connectors is usually in the 10-15 amp range. But cheap no-brand plugs may vary widely. But this higher-than-you-might-think current carrying capacity has *nothing* to to with phantom microphone power. because phantom microphone power draws almost no current. That 48V nominal DC phantom power has draw is typically between 1mA and 10mA or so. The current carrying design point of these connectors was more set by using them originally being intended as speaker connectors, something that they were not really ideal for those current loads (and the unpleasant at times possibility of cross connecting speaker and line level circuits, and have universally been replaced by Speakon connectors, banana plugs and blade connectors.

Anyhow, even if XLR connectors have a suitable current carrying capacity I still think they are very cumbersome, large, heavy, conductive outer shell that is just asking to short some poorly protected battery terminals or wiring. And I've seen XLR connectors used in silly ways where the male pin connector is wired to the battery. Just asking for a short on the exposed pins on that connector (and yes the battery should have a breaker/fuse connected close it's power tags anyhow to protect against a cable or connector short).

I'll leave the XLR connectors on my microphone and other audio cables and put the PowerPoles in my glider, and my truck, ham radio, and every other 12VDC application I have.

Darryl

[aerodyne]

I can't wait for spring....

[[email protected]]

I'm well aware of the fact that phantom power doesn't involve much current. Next time I'll put a bunch of emoticons after I write something like that to make it more obvious I'm not being serious:) As for the possibility of poorly insulated terminals or wiring being shorted out goes that just emphasizes that it's a good idea to design the battery arrangement to eliminate that possibility. I know of someone who a few years back lost a glider and trailer due to something falling across the battery terminals when he had it stored in the trailer during transit. It wore through the insulation as he was driving and shorted the battery, setting the whole works on fire.

XLR's wouldn't be my FIRST choice but they were already standardized on when I joined the club and they haven't caused any problems. My first choice would be MIL spec connectors (since we're talking about installing things on aircraft it would make sense to me to use aircraft hardware) if I were to do things from scratch.

By the way, if you want to see a really interesting mismatch in the audio world facilitated by the use of identical connectors for very different applications you should see how well it works out when someone connects a 1/4" speaker out from a Hiwatt custom 100 to a 1/4" input on a P.A. mixer!

[Craig Funston[_2_]]

On Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:51:39 PM UTC-8, wrote:
> I'm well aware of the fact that phantom power doesn't involve much current. Next time I'll put a bunch of emoticons after I write something like that to make it more obvious I'm not being serious:) As for the possibility of poorly insulated terminals or wiring being shorted out goes that just emphasizes that it's a good idea to design the battery arrangement to eliminate that possibility. I know of someone who a few years back lost a glider and trailer due to something falling across the battery terminals when he had it stored in the trailer during transit. It wore through the insulation as he was driving and shorted the battery, setting the whole works on fire.
>
>
>
> XLR's wouldn't be my FIRST choice but they were already standardized on when I joined the club and they haven't caused any problems. My first choice would be MIL spec connectors (since we're talking about installing things on aircraft it would make sense to me to use aircraft hardware) if I were to do things from scratch.
>
>
>
> By the way, if you want to see a really interesting mismatch in the audio world facilitated by the use of identical connectors for very different applications you should see how well it works out when someone connects a 1/4" speaker out from a Hiwatt custom 100 to a 1/4" input on a P.A. mixer!

I keep the positive terminal of the battery isolated by applying a thick coat of hot-glue around the connected terminal and part of the wire. It avoids the possibility of shorting across the terminals and provides a bit of strain relief at the wire. It's easy to peel off when servicing is required.

I'm partial to the XT60 style RC connectors. Not as bulky as the powerpoles and great current capacity.

Craig

[Grider Pirate[_2_]]

On Nov 30, 8:10*am, Craig Funston >
wrote:
> On Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:51:39 PM UTC-8, wrote:
> > I'm well aware of the fact that phantom power doesn't involve much current. Next time I'll put a bunch of emoticons after I write something like that to make it more obvious I'm not being serious:) As for the possibility of poorly insulated terminals or wiring being shorted out goes that just emphasizes that it's a good idea to design the battery arrangement to eliminate that possibility. I know of someone who a few years back lost a glider and trailer due to something falling across the battery terminals when he had it stored in the trailer during transit. It wore through the insulation as he was driving and shorted the battery, setting the whole works on fire.
>
> > XLR's wouldn't be my FIRST choice but they were already standardized on when I joined the club and they haven't caused any problems. My first choice would be MIL spec connectors (since we're talking about installing things on aircraft it would make sense to me to use aircraft hardware) if I were to do things from scratch.
>
> > By the way, if you want to see a really interesting mismatch in the audio world facilitated by the use of identical connectors for very different applications *you should see how well it works out when someone connects a 1/4" speaker out from a Hiwatt custom 100 to a 1/4" input on a P.A. mixer!
>
> I keep the positive terminal of the battery isolated by applying a thick coat of hot-glue around the connected terminal and part of the wire. It avoids the possibility of shorting across the terminals and provides a bit of strain relief at the wire. *It's easy to peel off when servicing is required.
>
> I'm partial to the XT60 style RC connectors. *Not as bulky as the powerpoles and great current capacity.
>
> Craig

Another vote for Anderson Powerpoles. Cheap, lightweight, no exposed
conductive surfaces*, more current carrying capability than I'll ever
need, and readily available.

* on EITHER the battery or glider side.

[smadsen]

Hi folks, I'm only an occasional visitor to R.A.S., so sorry if this turns into a drive-by posting.

Outside of the glider (chargers and such), I've standardized on Power Pole, but in the glider I use Philmore L602C connectors:
http://www.onlinecomponents.com/philmore-mfg.-l602c.html?p=12175723

IMO, these are pretty much the ideal solution, as they're lighter than XLR connectors and they screw together for a tight connection.

They're not cheap, but then in the glider world what is?

[Darryl Ramm]

On Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:51:39 PM UTC-8, wrote:
/snip/
> By the way, if you want to see a really interesting mismatch in the audio world facilitated by the use of identical connectors for very different applications you should see how well it works out when someone connects a 1/4" speaker out from a Hiwatt custom 100 to a 1/4" input on a P.A. mixer!

There sadly is something correlated between most musicians and basic electrical knowledge. And yes I've seen guitar amps run into mixing boards, 4x12 guitar cabs trying be run through (low power) instrument cables and folks getting zapped by faulty guitar and mic amp circuits/grounding (and blaming the "phantom power" for that). The last fun was a vintage valve amp catching fire in a friends band...

Darryl