Powerpoles

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Powerpoles

Postby dlmarti » Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:43 pm

As an Amateur Radio operator and an Electrical Engineer, I deal with a lot of low voltage stuff. Which traditionally has been thousands of non-standard ways of joining circuits temporarily.

A few years ago a lot of the ARRL crowd semi-standardized on powerpoles, I personally have completely standardized on them. All of the Emergency communications crowd have (at least as far as I know).

I would NOT recommend them for permanent trailer connections, unless you don't know how to solder. But for non-permanent connections I certainly would.

Take a look at some of the stuff: linky
btw that is not the cheapest place to get the stuff from, just the easiest to peruse.

For example, these are much nicer and safer than cigarette lighter style panel mounts.

Basically when I purchase a 12v appliance I cut off the cigarette lighter plug, and crimp on a set of powerpoles. I even have various sizes of battery packs, all with powerpoles for portable operation.
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Postby wlooper89 » Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:16 pm

I like the Powerpole connectors and used a lot of them in my trailer. All are soldered rather than crimped. Also I used a few of the larger Anderson SB50 types from the same company for connections to and from the battery, power to the trailer and battery charging. It is very handy to be able to plug and unplug the connectors easily if one needs to move things around. There have been no problems at all with either of the two types to date. :thumbsup:

Bill

PS The SB50's cost a little more but can be reused indefinitely. A small flat blade screw driver will release the contact from the housing. Apply heat with the the soldering iron to remove the old wire and solder and they are good to go. The Powerpoles are another story. Almost impossible to get the contact out of the housing once it clicks into place, but they are relatively inexpensive to replace.
Last edited by wlooper89 on Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby looped » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:25 am

ahh something i know something about..........


in my hobby (r/c car racing) we use connectors such as these.

however when it comes to usability, resistance and grip of plug (ability to stay plugged in) deans 'ultra plugs' work alot better and they cannot be plugged in backwards and you dont need worry about the pos and neg portions seperating..

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link to product info http://www.wsdeans.com/products/plugs/ultra_plug.html


They can be bought at hobby shops that carry rc planes or cars.
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Postby dlmarti » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:00 am

looped wrote:ahh something i know something about..........


in my hobby (r/c car racing) we use connectors such as these.

however when it comes to usability, resistance and grip of plug (ability to stay plugged in) deans 'ultra plugs' work alot better and they cannot be plugged in backwards and you dont need worry about the pos and neg portions seperating..


The problem is, those aren't self cleaning.
The powerpoles are self-cleaning, stackable, and they can't be plugged in wrong.
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Postby Sam I am » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:10 pm

I've used the Power Poles for years on electric powered R/C model planes that draw 20 to 30 amps. Being able to separate the connectors is great for reversing a motor for pusher designs, or for connecting two battery packs in series (+of one pack goes to -of the other). They handle high current easily. The only problem I ever had with them was some corrosion, probably due to storing my planes in the basement which gets very damp at times. I check them often and discard any that appear a little green!
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Postby wlooper89 » Wed Sep 30, 2009 4:50 pm

Anderson connectors work well for connecting wires to other wires where a junction box is not needed. Another use I have found is inserting an inline fuse into a circuit. In this photo the larger Anderson SB50's are used where the wire in the circuit is #10. This one will go in the wire from my trailer battery to the tow vehicle battery. There was a 25A fuse at the tow vehicle battery but on the trailer battery end only my 50A master fuse. So now there will be a 25A inline fuse in the battery charge circuit near the trailer battery. Where the circuit needed a fuse in a #12 or smaller wire I used Anderson Powerpoles, also in the photo.

The different color connectors available make it easier to know where to plug things. I used so many of the connectors I resorted to different colors of tape to mark them. I also keep a list describing the connections in a spreadsheet. For example in the list there is a group I called "Switch Panel and Converter DC Wiring". Each wire leaving or entering either of these units has a connector so the units can be removed easily for wiring modifications. In the list there are columns for:

Connection Number
Connector Color
Tape Colors (beginning with color nearest the connector)
From
To
Voltage
Wire Size
Connector Rating (amps)
Wire Color
I guess I went a little overboard trying to organize the trailer electrical. Maybe because my memory is so bad. :lol:

Bill

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Postby S. Heisley » Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:49 am

Power poles were brought up in another thread (12 volt outlet question) and I thought it would be best to move any information that comes forth to this thread. It's been about a year since this thread was active and, when it was active, not many people could contribute information. Obviously, only a few of us know much about them. But, maybe there are more people to contribute now. Let's put this back out there for discussion and see what we find out.

( :lightbulb: As an aside, the nice thing about finding this particular thread when using the forum's search engine is how easy it is to find. All you have to do is select 'Electrical Secrets' in 'Forum' and then type 'poles' as the term you are looking for. At the time of this writing, only 24 threads came up. That's makes this one easy to find and is one of the reasons I decided to bring it back up to the active surface of the forum.)

:thinking: So, do we have more information, in 2010, about power poles?
-What makes them better and why?
-Are there more products than before?
-If a person adds a power pole outlet to their trailer, what can they plug directly into it?
-Do we still have to use an adapter or modify the ends of our cigarette lighter-style plugs?
-Are power poles just a flash in the pan or here to stay?
-Other thoughts and questions?

Special note:
It should be noted that Bill, Wlooper89, passed away this past winter. He is and will be sadly missed.
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Postby S. Heisley » Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:52 am

Okay, it appears I was a little late activating this one as some information has already been posted in the other. So, I'll add a reference here:

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 1&start=15
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Postby eamarquardt » Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:18 am

S. Heisley wrote:
-What makes them better and why?
-Are there more products than before?
-If a person adds a power pole outlet to their trailer, what can they plug directly into it?
-Do we still have to use an adapter or modify the ends of our cigarette lighter-style plugs?
-Are power poles just a flash in the pan or here to stay?
-Other thoughts and questions?



Better is a relative term as everything is a compromise. I've never used em (but will someday) but based upon what I see these are my thoughts:

Better: Larger surface area so more reliable contact, reasonably easy to work with (some might find installing cigarette lighter plugs a PITA).

More products than before? I don't believe they are compatible with any other brands but they've been around a while now and seem to be growing in popularity. They make a variety of sizes for different needs.

What will plug into them directly? Nothing that I know of. One would have to cut the current plug off "whatever" and replace with a power pole connector.

Adapters: You could make adapters (cigarette plug/power pole) so you have a "universal" system. If you're "gaget" has zip cord the wiring is pretty straight forward. Coax is a bit tougher but is doable. A major reason to use em is getting rid of the little contact point of the cigarette plug so I think you'd want to cut the cigarette plug off, install a power pole for the primary connector on your doo dad, and use an adapter (if reqired) to plug into a cigarette lighter.

Flash in the pan: No guaranties in life but (after all the bankruptcies lately) but I think one would be reasonably safe purchasing them. Life itself is, in some respects, a "flash in the pan"!

Other thoughts: Currently there is not a "universal standard". I suspect these connectors are patented but when the patent runs out I wouldn't be surprised to see "clones" appear that are compatible. Mabye I'll/We'll be around when that happens, maybe not! Powerpoles are cool and are a good alternative to cigarette lighter connectors.

Cheers,

Gus
Last edited by eamarquardt on Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby legojenn » Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:52 am

I bounced into this topic fom the 12 Volt Outlet Wire Question. Thanks for the idea about powerpoles. I accidentally crushed the male end of the cigarette lighter adapter for my lights and fan for my trailer. My power needs are pretty modest and comes a 600CCA Powerbox.

It has two 120V outputs and two 12V (one cigarette lighter style and the other this powerpole style used for boosting a car. I'm thinking of replacing the connection for the trailer lights with a powerbox. It will free up the cigarette lighter plug for things like my mobil phone or mp3 player. I'll give that type of plug a try...so umm thanks.
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Re: Powerpoles

Postby KennethW » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:52 am

Has anyone when with all powerpoles in their camper? I am. I like that I can use any plug to tap off 12v dc power Or if the need arises I can put power 12v dc back in to the system with the same plug(solar panel, add a battery or battery charger). No separate plugs as long as the amperage fits. A fuse can be inserted at will. Plus the plugs don't work out like the cigarette type does.
If one uses the proper ratching crimping tool. The only down side as I see it is everything has to be prepped(change ends) or One has to use conversion cords(easy to make).
Am I missing something? Am I crazy to change over to the low cost power pole connectors?
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