What battery connector do you use for your 6 cells

M

Matto822

Member
I have used dean's my whole life but I am coming to the conclusion they are not the best for big 6 cell battery. What would be the next best choice?
 



maxwelltub

maxwelltub

Member
Ya the EC5s are super easy to use. I would recommend a small hobby torch and you can get them soldered in no time.
 



Carapau

Carapau

Tek care, lambs ont road, MRF Moderator
I use Anderson Powerpoles on everything from my 450 Single rotors all the way up to my Skyjib and 12s 3d Rush 750. I double them up though on my Octo and 700 class SRH setups. I love these because there is no soldering and getting them apart is so easy whilst being rock solid in flight. With all that said, the EC5s I would also seriously recommend, especially as many batteries already come with them fitted.

For those interested in Anderson Powerpoles, although they say they are 45A versions, they have been tested to withstand up to 100A constant current- the 45A rating is more due to wire diameter than anything else, even though they will take up to 10AWG wire. My Octo draws approx 50A in the hover on each battery with a 5D slung and this jumps to about 70A if carrying a Red. So, rather than jump to the 70A powerpoles which are just flipping huge, I used two sets of 45A APPs on each of my battery connections. This still keeps things nice and compact, really easy to use and also provides a bit of redundancy within the connector itself. Flying a Red along with a massive lens on it the other day, in 20mph winds and having to fly at max speed, ie conditions that were well and truly testing my complete power train, everything came down cold, not even warm, and everything worked to perfection. My power distro board for info is the Power hungry board.
 
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M

Matto822

Member
cbuk said:
Same, I started with XT90's on 6S cells but hated the spark/pop when connecting and found that I was starting to get a block sooty deposit around the connectors even after only a few connections. For peace of mind, I started using the 5.5mm Jeti Anti-Spark and they work great.
Click to expand...

Do the ec5 connectors spark on 6 cell?
 

Carapau

Carapau

Tek care, lambs ont road, MRF Moderator
Absolutely. The only way to stop the spark is have a specific anti-spark device fitted. The Jeti is the only connector I have come across with this fitted. The other way to prevent sparks is fitting a device like the Emcotec safety switch
 


Bluerex

Bluerex

Member
And another +1 for Anderson Powerpoles.
The unavoidable spark and pitting is only on the front face of the connector, as you slide them together the current is carried by the flat section that is past the sparky front bit (clear enuff?) Having watched destruction tests of various connectors on Youtube, I am happy that my crimped Andersons are not going to melt apart when the going gets too hot :)

 

mangoats

mangoats

Member
All connectors are rate by amps, a deans connector is only rated for about 50 amps. Here is some really good information about this topic. http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-batteries.html Scroll down to the point they talk about "Main Power Plugs". A 6S battery really needs a EC5 or larger based upon continues draw from the over all system.
 
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Bluerex

Bluerex

Member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeTTw9i8WEc

The other tricky thing is that in some cases the current rating is for "switching" (hot-plugging) not constant power connection. So while the Andersons are rated at 45 amps, as the video above shows, they are good for a lot more when the connection has already been made (and then the load is applied)
 

J

jes1111

Active Member
Actually the "45A" for the Anderson Powerpoles refers only to the maximum wire size that will fit into the back end of the crimp and the plastic housing - standard 10AWG wire is rated (in regular applications) at 45A and that's the largest wire that fits so they called it the "45A". The contact part is actually identical for the 15A, 30A and 45A versions - only the size of the crimp "barrel" is different. Anderson also make what they call "Superflex" versions of the contacts which match the bulkier diameter of the high strand-count wire we use in the RC world. Theoretically the Superflex connectors need a slightly different jaw profile for the crimp tool - which is why many RC users report trouble with the crimp getting stuck in the jaws of the popular Mountain Radio and Powerwerx tools. And, of course, it's the "45A" label that puts off a lot of people from using them in RC applications. And, strangely, I hear many objections to spending $50-odd on a crimp tool - RCers are evidently penny-pinchers ;) - who knew?

The reality is that the Powerpoles are probably the best designed connectors out there for this job. Anderson themselves make zero effort to promote into this market since they are rather busy selling them for military and industrial applications and us RC-nuts are an insignificant market. Beyond the actual "rating" malarky, they have other tangible advantages: crimped rather than soldered (more reliable and lower resistance, whatever the "I'm the world's greatest solderer" brigade might think), positive engagement combined with easy separation, vibration resistance, locking options, arc tolerance, colour coding, keying options, etc.

Oh - and they're way cheaper than any of the RC-specific connectors ;)
 

Bartman

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
Matto822 said:
Do the ec5 connectors spark on 6 cell?
Click to expand...

the spark is caused by the rush of electrons surging in to fill up the capacitors....a way to minimize the spark is to lean the connectors together so that the positive poles touch first, finish by letting the spark occur at the negative poles and then push the connectors together. by doing this this way you're forcing the electrons to travel through the device before getting to the point where the contact is being made (electricity flows positive to negative) and this deadens the intensity of the spark by a lot.

fwiw, bigger batteries at higher voltages operate at lower amps in most cases so smaller connectors are perfectly adequate but it all depends on the specs of your system. i've been using XT-60's and deans before that on my 14 pound, 6S heli's.

in the anderson videos they actually show deans surviving to 300a with the silicone insulation failing as the connector lets go.
 

DucktileMedia

DucktileMedia

Drone Enthusiast
Hot damn Bart, I guess I wont type what you just wrote again. Took most the words right out of my hands. Though I have to say I have not had much luck on the leaning the + terminals to touch first. Although there are things you can do to potentially rid of the spark i think you should just get used to it as it doesnt really do much damage AFAIK. Then again maybe there will be some future study that shows that the instant surge of juice into the caps reduces the longevity of the ESC's. I've never had a problem from the spark though.

note: I use xt60's. BUT I have accidentally bought knock-offs before and the plastic they use IS different!!! You can instantly tell when you solder the terminals on them as the real XT60's will not melt when you have that hot tube of brass floating in there. the cheap knock-offs will melt very quickly so you need to either dip them in water or be very quick on the soldering.
 
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J

jes1111

Active Member
The capacitors on your ESCs should really be treated as a "moving part" and, like the motor bearings, be subject to regular inspection and planned replacement. Capacitors have a finite life (it's always quoted in the manufacturer's spec sheet), particularly so in this application where they have to work very hard absorbing the current spikes that are generated by the "chopping" action of the ESCs. In doing that work they convert the spikes into heat - and heat is the #1 enemy of electronics, as we all know. The little notched cross in the top of the capacitor is there to allow the contents to expand when overstressed - if you see that the top has "bulged" even a tiny bit then that capacitor is dying and should be replaced immediately.
 

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