itskeith

Hello,

I have been having a blast with my Easy Star, I am amazed how well this airplane has held up. Crash after crash and though it is not pretty, it still is flying. I am getting ready to buy another battery and I have noticed that there are several types of electrical connectors available. The ones that I am using now are shown on this page [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar.htm]Hobby Lobby[/link]. I am wondering about how durable on the long run these are going to be, already some of the plastic has mushed over and I had to do a bit of trimming. I would appreciate your suggestions or advice, I plan on pretty much sticking with the stock motor and batteries.

Thanks,

ItsKeith

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

There are two popular connector types:

1. Dean's Ultra
2. Sermos / Anderson Power Pole

Either or, doesn't really matter in the grand scheme. They're much better than those funky ones from HL. My preference is the Dean's because those were the first I used.

Just pick a standard for yourself and stick with it.

Barry2

I think the Dean's Ultra connector is almost universally regarded as the best connector to use. Low resistance, reliable connection, durable. They can be a little hard to unplug, so some people have come up with creative ways around that, such as cutting texture or adding something to grip.

If you go with a different connector, you will have to change the connector on your airplane and either change the connector on your charger or make an adapter, but I'm sure you figured that out already. Being handy with a soldering iron helps.

dfalcon

My Feedback: (76)

i like the powerpoles better. these are my reasons, not meant to offend any other posters:
1. you don't have to solder them, but it's best to have a crimper made specifically for them though. there's one at universal-radio(dot)com for only $10.49. the other crimpers you will find can run from $50 to $130 or more.
2. they are unisex, so you don't have to worry about how many male and female ends you need (now and later) for all your batteries, esc's, charger's, etc.
3. with the dovetail slots for attaching individual connectors to each other, you can orient them in different ways. this can help prevent accidentally hooking up lipo batteries to your NiCd/NiMH charger
4. require less force to plug/unplug, and 'click' when fully in place

all of these higher cost connectors have pretty high conductivity, so their resistance is a non-issue compared to other choices such as the gage of wire you'll use.

two downsides I can think of are:
1. they make kind of a bulky connection when you have to connect more than 2 sets of wires. i did try them for brushless motors/esc's, but it looked terrible and i conceded to gold bullet connectors for that application. it's only really an issue on smaller planes.
2. since they're crimped on, they are difficult at best to reuse. i've done it, but i don't think the silver terminals will take being crimped, pried open, and re-crimped more than once without breaking.

that's my $.02, but, despite all of this, it all comes down to personal preference, like someone might have mentioned before.

itskeith

Matt, Berry and Mr. Falcon,

Thanks so much for the information, it really helps me sort it all out. I am sure this link will continue to be a useful resource to others new to this hobby. As for me, I am going shopping!

Thanks again,

Itskeith

jooNorway

As Matt mentioned it is about what you get used to.

I have tried the most and use 3,5mm JST-connectors between motor-ESC, but the best ones are them from Kontronic.
I hate the Deans, tricky to solder and use.
I use 2mm and 4mm GoldConnectors on my batteries and the batteryside of my ESC`s. Not only are these connectors nice to plug/unplug but when I put batteries in serie I don`t have to use extra harnessing. Use 2mm for small setups, max 30 Amp, and 4mm on the larger setups.

itskeith

Hey Joo,

Thanks for the information, all the way from Norway! I have a friend who lives about 290 Km to the west of you in Aksdal, Norway. Someday I hope to do some touring in Norway. Thanks again,

ItsKeith

jooNorway

Take the tour itskeith, think you will like our country