Best RC LiPo battery connector types: Choosing and Soldering

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Even if they were rated for 90-120 like an ec5 or xt90, I can guarantee with 100% certainty that if I used those crimp deals on a truck I jump on the ramp they would come out after a few crashes or even a hard nose landing.... Solder is a strength thing more than a connection quality thing to me....
I've been watching this thread and was interested in the crimp plan mainly because I'm less confident in soldering and probably have subpar tools. Honestly the crimp kit seemed quicker and easier to switch everything over. Amp rating concerned me and having not seen anybody use the system in all the vids I watch and forums I read, it surprised me to hear that nobody had heard of it. Of all the building leaders in the field I watch though, I doubt it's unheard of. Rather, I feel these guys would switch if they thought it were a better system.
I don't find it at all cost prohibitive but 45amp rating is a tough hurdle to ignore. I browsed the available kit and put em on a seperate wish list just in case. Still, having not pulled any triggers, for the cost of changing all my stuff, I could upgrade my soldering station and probably be in better shape over all. I'm not against lead solder (crimping may appeal to those that are) and as long as I can get 60/40, I'd rather stick with the majority of builders.
In all fairness, I wanted to comment diplomatically and will continue to pay attention to various options that come up here.
 
I've been watching this thread and was interested in the crimp plan mainly because I'm less confident in soldering and probably have subpar tools. Honestly the crimp kit seemed quicker and easier to switch everything over. Amp rating concerned me and having not seen anybody use the system in all the vids I watch and forums I read, it surprised me to hear that nobody had heard of it. Of all the building leaders in the field I watch though, I doubt it's unheard of. Rather, I feel these guys would switch if they thought it were a better system.
I don't find it at all cost prohibitive but 45amp rating is a tough hurdle to ignore. I browsed the available kit and put em on a seperate wish list just in case. Still, having not pulled any triggers, for the cost of changing all my stuff, I could upgrade my soldering station and probably be in better shape over all. I'm not against lead solder (crimping may appeal to those that are) and as long as I can get 60/40, I'd rather stick with the majority of builders.
In all fairness, I wanted to comment diplomatically and will continue to pay attention to various options that come up here.
I still can't find any definitive answer on the actual amp rating of those connectors.
 
Man, im so lost here.... This seems like switching out my makita and milwaukee power tools for black and decker. Is there an actual upside other than the not having to solder thing? i even like to solder..
 
I've seen way too many proper mechanical and compression terminations fail (as an electrician) to be convinced to not solder and start using a crimper. Hot and cold = expansion and contraction which can cause strands of wire to shift and make terms start to loosen which causes more heat = expansion...etc. It's not that I think that the crimps would fail epicly, but I think they would at just the wrong time. And then I would feel the need to start carrying extra connectors and a crimper whenever I go out. I'd rather stick with a termination I (personally) trust.
 
Don’t know yet but who doesn’t want want to try new things? Plus you get a new tool. ?
 
Anderson plugs (we don’t call them poles down here but same thing) are great on your vehicle and your camper and I have them for that purpose. All the reading I have done by experts seem to suggest that solder or crimp comes down to personal choice. Anderson’s are too bulky for a lot of RC’s and relatively low amperage compared to other connectors. 4x4’s and caravans use them because they don’t come apart easily.

If they made a crimp on XT or similar connector I would consider it. To crimp. Or not is neither here nor there, look at the size of the connector and it’s amperage capability......that’s why I leave my Anderson on my 4x4 and not on my RC
 
Ill admit it, I enjoy going against the grain. That's why I've pushed through the downfalls of bullet connectors and have made them standard in all my r/c's.

It didn't start that way though. I've soldered my fair share of XT60/90's. It was only when I needed to wire batteries in series or parallel that my distaste in the XT's reached a level that brought me to search out another connector. I wanted something that looked, dare i say sexier, and was easier to solder.

I prefer using the big ol powerful soldering gun. They toss out heat that makes great connections, and does it rather quick. Downfall is they toss out a lot of heat, which can melt plastic connection case, and possibly toss heat down the wire into the battery. Bullets fix the first problem naturally, but the second issue was left for me to solve. The heat sinks I crafted work great. I could mill some cooling channels in them, but they haven't given me any problems where I would need to do anything yet.

Female ends go on the batteries for the fact that they don't wear out. The male ends are known to fail from broken prongs, to just loosing it's tight fit. I've put females on the ESC before, but that led me to have to have 3 jumpers. Putting males on the ESC leaves me needing only one jumper, and if they fail, I'm happier soldering on an ESC than batteries.

The room for failure is high. But I can honestly tell you that only one incident ever happened between my son and I through 3 years our cars have been wired with bullets. My son grabbed the right color wire and plugged it into the battery. Problem being, for some reason the motor wasn't plugged into the ESC yet, and it was the motor he plugged directly into the battery. Bad news bears on that one.

The other thing is, I enjoy soldering. I also feel that dressing up the wires is one way to try and make electric look attractive. Yes my Nero is dirt covered, but doesn't that wiring look sexy?!
 

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This is the one I use, it's made by IWISS. It's really solid; it has done a really good job for me and it seems to be manufactured specifically for Anderson Powerpoles. There may be other good crimpers, but I did some research and many people reported this one as a good one for crimping Anderson Powerpoles. Amazon reviews are really good, too.

View attachment 30711


These are the same crimpers I use for my servo and JST connectors. They are good crimpers for the money.

Even if they were rated for 90-120 like an ec5 or xt90, I can guarantee with 100% certainty that if I used those crimp deals on a truck I jump on the ramp they would come out after a few crashes or even a hard nose landing.... Solder is a strength thing more than a connection quality thing to me....

A properly done crimp will literally rip the wire in 2 before the crimp fails. Guarantee it every time. I have done this at work to show guys just how tough a cheap stake on crimped with a quality crimping tool can hold up.
 
I'm using XT90's on everything the ones with the cap wire cover, I tried EC5's but found them a pain to solder because if you happen to get messy then the plug won't go back into the plastic casing..!!
Also I'm using old skool leaded solder which I find so much easier to use than the newer stuff.. less heat needed so less chance of melting connector surrounds..?
Lastly Amass XT90's from Hobbyking are so cheap..!! win win
 
We solder up a tremendous amount of connectors here at the shop, in our opinion the XT series connectors offer the best balance all aspects of a connector:

- Easy to solder, there is plenty of access to the terminal and since you can rotate them you do not need to lay the battery/component in any particular orientation. Solder won't "run" like can happen with Traxxas blades.
- Terminals are far enough apart that shorting out while soldering is unlikely
- No need to "assemble" after soldering like EC style connectors
- They are more "forgiving", a messy solder job on an EC type connector can prevent the bullet from being inserted or can cause a short on something like a Dean's connector.
- Fantastic function! The bullet-style connectors are, in our opinion, the best style for transmission of current and for ease of use (plugging and unplugging).
- Lots of sizes available from the XT30 up to QS8.
 
One thing you can do to help is to cut small strips of aluminum foil and wrap it around the terminals. It takes a little extra but it leaves a nice, clean "border" between the solder puddle and the blade itself.
 
Trying to find a thread regarding battery brands. Which ones to avoid? Best? Adequate?
Found some cheap on Amazon HRB?
maxAmps seems expensive. Worth it?
Looking for Lipo 6s, 5000mah, 50c+, with EC5
Can someone point me to a thread or send me a list?
 
Trying to find a thread regarding battery brands. Which ones to avoid? Best? Adequate?
Found some cheap on Amazon HRB?
maxAmps seems expensive. Worth it?
Looking for Lipo 6s, 5000mah, 50c+, with EC5
Can someone point me to a thread or send me a list?
I just started using 4 of the HRB 5000mah 3S 50C packs for my outcast. Only have a couple cycles on them, but the seem ok so far.
 
Trying to find a thread regarding battery brands. Which ones to avoid? Best? Adequate?
Found some cheap on Amazon HRB?
maxAmps seems expensive. Worth it?
Looking for Lipo 6s, 5000mah, 50c+, with EC5
Can someone point me to a thread or send me a list?

MaxAmps are OK batteries from what I gather, but no where near the C-rating they claim. For the price I would absolutely go with other brands first.
From my personal experience with about 6 LiPo brands I have been most impressed with Turnigy LiPo's
The output is very good and they seem to last very well. If your budget permits the newer series is better to go with since you don't know how long other "older" models have been sitting on a shelf. Newer models that I am aware of would be either the Panther series or Nano-tech plus.

I know allot of people who love their SMC batteries. I have 2 of their packs and one was great, the other not so much. With that said all manufacturers have a bad one every now and then.

-Liberty
 
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