ESC and Battery Connectors

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GuyFromCanada

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Arrma RC's
  1. 4x4-Mega
I promise I'm not trolling!

What connectors are people running and why? I'm mostly thinking max 2-3S, as the 4-6S systems are out of my price range. I was originally thinking of using Dean's/Tee in the future simply because the Mega 4x4 come stock with them. A negative I have found with this connector is that if the fitting is tight, they can be hard to separate since there is very little to grip.
 
For 2-3s, really any connector will do. Do you do your own soldering? If you have a local hobby shop, maybe stop up there and see what connectors they carry on hand and take a look and see which connectors you like the best. I know EC5 are popular as well. Or you could use XT60 or XT90 which I think have a better gripping ability than Deans.

@WoodiE responded while I was typing lol.
 
deans never had a issue

I'm inclined to stick with Dean's just for the sake of existing hardware and substitute-ability, but I think it does lack in the "grip" department. If I considered a dual pack setup for anything in the future, what do those ESCs normally run? Is there a standard in that regard?
 
For me, deans didn't have enough grip and would come loose on hard landings, so I switched everything to 4mm HXT banana connectors which, imo had too much grip and were difficult at times to pull apart.
Then I found Arrma and fell in love with the XT90's which is all I run these days
 
Used to run all Dean's but the spring on the male plugs failed over time and that truck would randomly lose power or cut out till I noticed it. I switched to xt90 on all of my stuff now. No regrets. Soldering a 10 gauge wire to Dean's suck. Xt90 is much easier to solder.
 
For 2-3s, really any connector will do.
Chevy is absolutely correct, 2 and 3s isn't going to draw a huge amount of power so many connectors would indeed work.

@GuyFromCanada I'd still go with the XT90 or EC5 just for upgrade ability. Sure you're only running 2 or 3s right now, but what about next month or next year when you want to run 4,5,or 6s - then you'd have to go and change all your connectors.
 
4,5,or 6s - then you'd have to go and change all your connectors.

Lol I started out using Traxxas connectors. Then found Arrma and switched my one Traxxas vehicle to XT90 along with my 4 batteries. Then I bought 20ish batteries and switched them over to XT90. I then converted my HPI 5B SS to electric and switched to XT150. That was fun soldering for hours swapping 6 vehicles and like 25 batteries and 18 charge leads LOL.

All said and done I love the XT150 connectors. Upgrade proof, easy soldering, series connections without adapters, virtually no chance of shorting while soldering since they are individual plugs. They are overkill for most vehicles though.

I still use Traxxas connectors for my 1/16 Traxxas Revo but that has dedicated batteries so it isn't a big deal.....and the XT150 would have been 10% the size of the car haha.
 
Chevy is absolutely correct, 2 and 3s isn't going to draw a huge amount of power so many connectors would indeed work.

@GuyFromCanada I'd still go with the XT90 or EC5 just for upgrade ability. Sure you're only running 2 or 3s right now, but what about next month or next year when you want to run 4,5,or 6s - then you'd have to go and change all your connectors.

Yeah, I only have 4 batteries right now...2x stock 2400 mAh with Deans, and 2x 5300 mAh with old TRX connector adapted to Deans. I like the sound of XT90, since it seems like it would be easier to mate and pull apart.
 
I promise I'm not trolling!

What connectors are people running and why? I'm mostly thinking max 2-3S, as the 4-6S systems are out of my price range. I was originally thinking of using Dean's/Tee in the future simply because the Mega 4x4 come stock with them. A negative I have found with this connector is that if the fitting is tight, they can be hard to separate since there is very little to grip.
I would stay away from Deans, as they can be extremely tight at 1st, then become loose over time and even short out. I've heard after very little time they can get very charred inside, almost pure black and even get brownouts or loose power. Deans connectors are only rated to 60a, although many do use them above this rating. Also, many complain they can be a bit of a pain to solder.

For 6S Lipo, or two 3S Lipos, XT90's or EC5 connectors are the way to go. XT90's are rated to 90+A, but can easily handle more than this and are very easy to solder. You can even get the wire caps so you do not need any shrink tubing. Spark Arrest XT90 plugs are also available (will never spark when plugging or unplugging battery). EC5's are rated to 120A continuous I believe, but really, you will not notice any difference compared to the XT90's. If you may consider going to 1/8 scale Arrma later, go with XT90's, as will not need to change anything later.
 
Spark Arrest XT90 plugs are also available (will never spark when plugging or unplugging battery).

Are the spark arrest connectors supplanting non-spark arrest connectors? If I'm starting fresh, does it just make more sense to buy the spark arrest connectors?
 
Are the spark arrest connectors supplanting non-spark arrest connectors? If I'm starting fresh, does it just make more sense to buy the spark arrest connectors?
Some people are worried about this, but really, it's a personal choice. Although they do offer that extra protection, I've never had a problem in 4 years not using them. My two 6S Lipos (SMC True spec & Zippy Compact) do not have spark arrest connectors, but my two Power Hobby 3S Lipos have the spark arrest XT90 connectors. The spark arrest connectors are more expensive than the regular XT90 connectors. I also have some spare cool looking "black" XT90 connectors, but they do not have the new spark arrest connectors.

Keep in mind, "ONLY" the FEMALE end (battery side) that has the new Spark Arrest plugs, as the Male ends (ESC side) do not have this feature. Hope this helps.
 
I use the XT150. They are over kill, but I really like them and would never use another connector again. They are tight and I hear people complaining about getting them apart, but I'm a concrete worker. Nothing is hard outside of work, haha
 
I tried the castle connectors but man they are so hard to get apart. I use xt60 now cause i had a bunch of them. But on my smaller scale stuff i use deans connectors. Make sure not to get the ones from ebay... They suck!!! Get real deans connectors..
 
Used to run all Dean's but the spring on the male plugs failed over time and that truck would randomly lose power or cut out till I noticed it. I switched to xt90 on all of my stuff now. No regrets. Soldering a 10 gauge wire to Dean's suck. Xt90 is much easier to solder.
This was my main issue with deans, that little spring would wear down and you would have to replace the connector, and heaven forbid if that spring popped up and out while trying to plug it in. I have switched everything over to Amass XT90 connectors, it's so much easier putting a round wire into a round hole than trying to solder a round wire onto a small flat tab.
 
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Install the xt90 connectors on 3, 4, and 6s batteries. For 6s setups (1x 6s, 2x 3s) and 8s (2x 4s).

Only deans left are on my redcat be6s, and plan to swap over to xt90 today on the HW max8 esc.
 
xt60's if your only going to run 4S or less. XT90's if you plan on running higher. I use traxxas plugs as that's what my first 2 electric trucks came with, so that's what I stuck with. After soldering a few of them, I wish I had learned about XT90's. I suppose I could change everything over to XT90's... a lot of effort I don't really want to deal with. The traxxas plugs have worked well for me on all mine, but I only run 2S or 4S depending on the vehicle. Soldering them is a pain. I soldered a few XT90's and XT60's for a buddy of mine and they are so nice/easy to do comparatively.
 
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