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I've tried to settle on a standard configuration of Dean's 4 pin micro plug connectors for brushed motors and Traxxas iD connectors for battery/ESC/charger, but now am finding that with my small collection of brushless motors I have some 3.5mm bullet connectors in the mix. For the times when I need to test out newly acquired motors, ESCs, etc I have a collection of adapters that I use. They also get used for occasional use vehicles that I don't want to solder up a new set of connectors for.
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I'm thinking now about whether I should make a 3.5mm to Dean's 4 pin adapter so my brushless vehicles can occasionally run brushed power. Does anyone ever change ESC programming and go back and forth between brushless and brushed motors? Just curious.

I have Traxxas TRX connectors on my two Traxxas cars. My more heavily run (non Traxxas) cars have EC3 plugs. Everything else gets Tamiya/Molex plugs, as they look correct.

All my motors get bullet plugs or directly connected.

I actually have a bunch of Dean's style and Anderson (Litespeed) plugs but I use them for other stuff. I do have a couple batteries that came with Dean's plugs that I haven't gotten around to changing.

And I have adapters to interchange all the batteries and cars, if needed.

I'm starting to do the same, making adapters to go to/from Deans T plugs to whatever else I have since I haven't settled on One Connector to Rule Them All yet. And I need the soldering practice anyway.

Bottom Feeder wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:19 pm I'm starting to do the same, making adapters to go to/from Deans T plugs to whatever else I have since I haven't settled on One Connector to Rule Them All yet. And I need the soldering practice anyway.

If you don't have one get a jig. They make life so much easier.

I have this one. It is sold through several different brands.


https://www.amainhobbies.com/protek-rc-carbon-fiber-soldering-jig-ptk-5340/p-qeaeq2uqhzqxactz

I like that its small and light enough to use on the car if needed.



And using quality 60/40 solder made a huge difference in my work. I have Kester and a stash of old Radio Shack solder.

Sadly the days of Deans silver solder are long gone

I always liked the "sermos" connectors (the top one in your pic). I think they were also called "power poles"? As soon as I saw them rated as one of the lowest resistance plugs in an RCCA bitd, I had to have them. And then soldering up the charging adapters was fun. Getting soldering lessons from my old man is one of my best hobby memories. I consider it a life skill. I was never a direct motor/battery joint guy though. That was for the professionals.

TRX-1-3 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:37 pm I always liked the "sermos" connectors (the top one in your pic). I think they were also called "power poles"?

In the RC community, Servos and Litespeed were the common retailers.

Anderson Powerpole is the name of the original connector, created in the 60's. Anderson products are still produced and still considered as high quality products.

I just used some Power poles for a hard to access speaker wire install. Love em haha

Wow, 10 color options!

I’m a big fan of the helping hand

juicedcoupe wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:32 pm If you don't have one get a jig. They make life so much easier.

I have this one. It is sold through several different brands.


https://www.amainhobbies.com/protek-rc-carbon-fiber-soldering-jig-ptk-5340/p-qeaeq2uqhzqxactz

I like that its small and light enough to use on the car if needed.



And using quality 60/40 solder made a huge difference in my work. I have Kester and a stash of old Radio Shack solder.

Thanks for the link. I've been using a small vise I have on my workbench to help aid with soldering, but it's still a pain in the ass and not ideal. Definitely need to get a jig. That "The Jigs Up" jig looks sweet as snot but of course costly.

+100 on using high quality solder. I did a side-by-side comparo with the cheapo solder that came with my solder station and the Kester solder. Holy cats that cheapo solder is basically absolutely useless, and the Kester was easy as banana cream pie.

juicedcoupe wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 9:46 pm

TRX-1-3 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:37 pm I always liked the "sermos" connectors (the top one in your pic). I think they were also called "power poles"?

In the RC community, Servos and Litespeed were the common retailers.

Anderson Powerpole is the name of the original connector, created in the 60's. Anderson products are still produced and still considered as high quality products.

thanks for this - i've been trying to find the name of these connectors for some time to wire up some old electronics! Glad i held off replacing them!

MarkyDents wrote: ↑Sun Sep 12, 2021 11:56 am B5A876D2-814B-4619-9617-4E38D772E0D4.jpeg
I’m a big fan of the helping hand

this is what I use, but I need to add some tubing to the clips like in your picture. My clips "bite" too deeply into older wire unless i protect it somehow. I've been using scraps of paper, but the tubing is much better! kicking myself for not thinking of it before hehe