Easy detach deans plug mod

[BattleShrink]

I was having a tough time detaching my batteries, the plugs are not grippy and too small.

Bought some snap ring pliers, drilled some holes, now it's easy.
http://i.imgur.com/ffVCoxN.gifv

Don't drill all the way through, just enough depth for the nubs to grab. Don't short anything. Fire bad.

 

[WoodiE]

Don't short anything. Fire bad.

Neat idea, but that would be my worry. Someone then using those nice ring pliers that ends up shorting something. LiPo fires real bad.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Neat idea. Possible bad outcome for others not careful as you.

This is one of the reasons I really like XT60/Xt90. They are easy to solder, carry good current, and are easy to plug/unplug.

 

[olds97_lss]

Neat idea. Possible bad outcome for others not careful as you.

This is one of the reasons I really like XT60/Xt90. They are easy to solder, carry good current, and are easy to plug/unplug.

After soldering up a couple XT90's for a buddy of mine to be able to charge on my field charger... I wish I had dumped the TRX connectors on my ERBE when I got it instead of staying with the traxxas connectors for everything. Those things are a pain to solder and put together. The XT90's took a couple minutes and I was done.

 

[BattleShrink]

Hehe I guess I should learn how to solder then. Maybe when the kratons come off backorder

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yes, you should...

Soldering is easy, if you follow a few basic rules, and have the proper tools.

1. Get a decent iron - 60w stick with a small chisel tip is perfect for soldering plugs. Don't get a plumbers iron, with the huge tip. IF you can afford a $100 digital soldering station, get one, they are nice. But not really needed.
   
2. Get 60/40 rosin core solder - not the acid core or plumbers solder.
3. Get a 'third hand' jig - they are pretty cheap and will save you from burning your fingers.

When soldering -

1. Stripping the wire - only strip back about 1/8" or 5mm or so. If you are re-using wire, clip off about 1/2" or 10mm to get to good wire. Old oxidized wire is very hard to tin.
2. Tin the wires all the way through - you want the wire to soak up the liquid solder, not have it bead on top.
3. Plug the male/female plugs together (use a spare plug) while soldering - this will help keep you from melting the plug housing.
4. Use the third hand jig. Clip the plug on one side of the jig, the wire on the other. Once the wire is tinned, adjust the jigs so the wire is properly touching the plug terminal, and is straight.
5. Your hands should only be holding the iron, and the new solder.
6. apply heat, apply solder (but too too much - no glops!) and let the solder flow thru the joint, don't try to weld a bead...
7. let cool before you touch it. Ok this is optional, but recommend to avoid burned fingers.... LOL

 

[chevys10zr2003]

Yes, you should...

Soldering is easy, if you follow a few basic rules, and have the proper tools.
1 -Get a decent iron - 60w stick with a small chisel tip is perfect for soldering plugs. Don't get a plumbers iron, with the huge tip. IF you can afford a $100 digital soldering station, get one, they are nice. But not really needed.
2 - Get 60/40 rosin core solder - not the acid core or plumbers solder.
3 - Get a 'third hand' jig - they are pretty cheap and will save you from burning your fingers.

When soldering -
1 - Stripping the wire - only strip back about 1/8" or 5mm or so. If you are re-using wire, clip off about 1/2" or 10mm to get to good wire. Old oxidized wire is very hard to tin.
2 - Tin the wires all the way through - you want the wire to soak up the liquid solder, not have it bead on top.
3 - Plug the male/female plugs together (use a spare plug) while soldering - this will help keep you from melting the plug housing.
4 - Use the third hand jig. Clip the plug on one side of the jig, the wire on the other. Once the wire is tinned, adjust the jigs so the wire is properly touching the plug terminal, and is straight.
5 - Your hands should only be holding the iron, and the new solder.
6 - apply heat, apply solder (but too too much - no glops!) and let the solder flow thru the joint, don't try to weld a bead...
7 - let cool before you touch it. Ok this is optional, but recommend to avoid burned fingers.... LOL

Awesome advice @Jerry-rigged, I am also going to add something that is common sense to people that have been doing this a long time but maybe not to a someone new, DO NOT cut both wires at the same time. On a battery you will short the wires together.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Done that. Too much excitement. Also a good way to transform a good set of wire cutters into a bad set of wire strippers.

Also, watch the tip of the iron when soldering the second wire to the plug. Easy to touch the other terminal, and boom! the tip is a 1/4" shorter... LOL. When soldering batteries, now I try and heat shrink #1 before starting #2. For batteries, my work process is to cut #1 only, tin,solder, heat shrink. Make the first wire safe. Then cut #2.

 

[olds97_lss]

Done that. Too much excitement. Also a good way to transform a good set of wire cutters into a bad set of wire strippers.

Also, watch the tip of the iron when soldering the second wire to the plug. Easy to touch the other terminal, and boom! the tip is a 1/4" shorter... LOL. When soldering batteries, now I try and heat shrink #1 before starting #2. For batteries, my work process is to cut #1 only, tin,solder, heat shrink. Make the first wire safe. Then cut #2.

I hadn't thought about that much. I've only soldered cold wires so far. Good tip to have in memory if I ever end up changing power leads on a pack.