i have a 12v starter with aligator clips on it and am wondering what you guys do to plug it into a Power Panel. I do have a few banana plugs but they are so close i'm worried the clips will short out. is there anything out there that you guys use specifically?

thanks for the help...

As long as the banana plugs fit tightly into the outlet holes then you don't have to worry about it shorting out. Just use the banana plugs.

Ken

The contacts of a banana plug would be inside the panel, when in use, how could they short out? I think Radio Shack has double plugs which might work.

Yeah...BUT... when you clip it to the banana plug it doesn't stay on very well at ALL. Maybe i should put a lead of wire on the banana plugs and then clip to the end of the wire... but that just seems like it's not really using the power panel.

No, no... on the front of the panel. when the plugs on in they are so close to each other.... that when you clip the + and - with aligator clips they could touch very easily. sort of the reason why the put the + and - on either side of a car battery.... so that doesn't happen.

cut the gator clipes off, solder the banana clips on....have fun, start plane, repeat

Instead of Radio Shack plugs, get some heavy duty banana plugs made by Sullivan. See http://www.sullivanproducts.com/

go portable

The Radio Shack twin banana plugs are ideal IMHO for the power panels. The plugs are spaced properly so that they install without binding. I simply painted half of the plug black to indicate negative(not that I couldn't figure it out by starting my engine backwards). Best of all the plug tips cant come in contact with each other. My .02

Indeed and the best idea of all is to eliminate that safety hazard known as the power panel altogether. For the vast majority of glow flyers its a waste of time, money as well as having induced many wire/propellor strikes inducing injuries particularly when its also being used to provide glow heat. Fire hazard is legendary in the pits, home and auto where electrical faults in the panel/installation has started fires when fuel is carried in the flightbox.

John

Portable would be fine, if that was what Swixtt was asking about! However, it ain't and your telling him he's got to go out a dump another $100.00 on something he already has a fix for!

I didn't realize you were thinking the 'gator clips get clipped to the banana plugs! NO-NO, just cut them off and solder the banana plugs to the wires in their stead. Maintain polarity. If you can't solder find someone who can and you'll be good to go.

There are also banana plugs available that don't require solder. I don't know if Radio Shack has them though. A GOOD electronics store should have them though. Either way, get rid of the alligators.

well thanks for all the input and suggestions. i guess i just didn't want to 'chop off' the gator clips because i thought i might need them in case my power panel battery died. it's happened to me before and i just use older UPS batteries when that happens and they are too big to fit under my panel.
i think i will probably just cut them off or solder another piece of wire from the other side of the 'gator' clip arm and then use a old bike tube to insulate it when i'm using the banana plug. i'll have to see whether that will work.

thanks

[quote]ORIGINAL: Mode One

Portable would be fine, if that was what Swixtt was asking about! However, it ain't and your telling him he's got to go out a dump another $100.00 on something he already has a fix for!

Indeed I do respectfully disagree his question was completely answered many times earlier in the thread before I or the other gentleman posted. It is entirely appropriate to post other methods at that point and most important especially in the beginners forum to warn of the dangers of that product with a history of dangers on several levels.

I am not telling him "he's got to go out and dump another $100" What I am indeed saying is Pointing out the dangers of this device (important thing in a beginners context) and the fact that the power panel is an unessasary expendature in virtually every case for beginners. Even a simple starter with aligator clips directly attached to exposed Battery terminals is preferrable to a panel!

John

My charger came with banana plugs that go into the 110 v power supply. It also came with a pair of clips that slide onto the banana plugs. This lets me run the charger from either my power panel or with the clips directly to a 12 v battery.

Ahhh... very cool! that's exactly what i was thinking must be out there... makes good sense to me. i guess i was looking for something like that option that i could add onto my existing starter. do you have any pics.... or better yet a make/model? any idea where a guy could get a clip like that(that would slide onto a banana plug?)

great info,
thanks

i knew i could count on this forum and it's great people to offer suggestions. the internet in general is such a great resources tool, but it's the people behind it that make it so invaluable.

Chuck,
I thought we were talking about a starter, not a charger. Or were you just passing on extra info?

ummm yeah,.... i miss read that! A starter is what we are talking about. ahhhh back to square one.

I was telling him of the clips that came with my charger, but they could just as easily work with a starter. It's not back to square one, it's just a matter of finding them.

This is the combination type, also in this case on a charger and the banana jacks plug into a home power supply and the alligators are plugged in for use directly on the battery at the field. Sorry I don,t have any links as these are from the charger manufacturer, Perhaps some can provide a link to a supplier. Radio Shack is not a bad place to start.


John

phew... thanks for that. just have to find those now!! any idea?

those are great... that's what i would like!! the search is on....

Yup, John's picture is what I was describing, now where to find...

Still no luck finding these things. Another simple solution is to go to Radio Shack or just about any car parts store. Buy a couple heavy duty inline connectors. Cut off the gator clips, leaving about 10 inches of wire with the clips. Solder one end of the connector to the remaining starter wire and the other end to the wire that's attached to the gator clips. Then part of a second connector and some wire to make a second set of leads with banana plugs at the end. If you feel your starter wire isn't long enough, you can make the leads longer at the same time.

[quote]ORIGINAL: JohnBuckner

I guess I disagree about the danger! I've been using cords hooked to a power panel for both my starter and glow driver for a long time! Almost everyone of my flying buddies are doing the same thing and the amount of accidents I've seen where a cord got caught in a prop is nil. Not saying it can't happen, and I'm not saying your way isn't a good way! I am saying he already has a starter which needs a power cord to operate! Let's help him get past his problem without telling him to go out and buy another starter!