Connector conundrum

[markbt73 5848]

Yesterday it happened again: a Molex connector failed on an old battery pack. Pulled right off the wires while I was unplugging it after a charge. Luckily the bare wire ends didn't touch; that could have been a serious disaster.

I think I'm finally done with the old "Tamiya plugs." I've kept them around on some vintage cars for the look, but much like an old 1:1 car with drum brakes instead of retrofitted discs, it's a matter of practicality - do you want the thing to look original but be unsafe, or have one little anachronism and be able to enjoy it? I think it's finally time for the latter.

The logical choice for a replacement might seem to be Deans Ultra Plugs; they're what I have on my lipo packs and most of my 1060 ESCs. But I have never had good luck soldering the stupid things. And they're really hard to unplug, even with the old O-ring over the male pins trick. Not to mention that genuine Deans plugs are expensive, and the knockoffs are wretched quality.

This leads me to the other up-and-coming standard: XT60. Supposedly robust, easier to solder than Deans, and a far better connection than Molex. Larger form factor, but I don't think that will be a problem with most of my cars, and if it is, I'll figure something out. And you can get a lot of them for cheap, but not suspiciously cheap, if you know what I mean.

But is there an "original" brand I should be shopping for? More importantly, are there knockoffs I should avoid? I have to buy quite a lot of them; I have 6 or 7 old NiCd/NiMH packs that are still in use, three 2S lipo packs, and around 50 cars to convert. Anyone have any insight on which ones to buy, or not buy?

[alvinlwh 7226]

I switched from Molex to Deans to XT60 because I find Deans too loose, not something you hear too often. Also, most chargers are XT60 these days, so no need for adaptors. I also use XT30 for my smaller cars running 380 or 370 motors.

How easy or difficult to solder is, as with most things, it gets easier as you do more of it.  A cheat method of doing XT is to fill the pin up with solder, dip the bare wire end into flux, push it into the melted solder. No need to pre-tin the wire.

Can't advice you on brands. I had used Amazon, Aliexpress, Asiatees (free pair with every order) and they all work out fine. 

[Twinfan 2013]

I've used these and they've been good:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/logic-rc-deans-connector-set-10prs-38738

When soldering, I always make sure both halves are plugged in to each other so the connectors don't bend with the heat.  This means they fit together better when done and aren't too hard to unplug.

[sosidge 669]

Amass are the original manufacturer of the XT60. They are widely available. My favourite version has a clip-on cable cover, makes soldering a lot easier and neater.

So far the off-brand XT60s have been fine for me (none of the issues that plague non-original Deans with fitment), but the Amass connectors seem better quality than some of the copies.

[JatoTheRipper 95]

Deans suck!  They used to be the standard because there were no better options.  Thankfully that stupid fad has passed and XT60's are what I would call the new standard.  And I highly recommend the genuine Amass XT60 connectors.  I was pushing them for probably a decade now and manufacturers like HobbyWing have switched to them.

[Losi XXT-CR 469]

2 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Yesterday it happened again: a Molex connector failed on an old battery pack. Pulled right off the wires while I was unplugging it after a charge. Luckily the bare wire ends didn't touch; that could have been a serious disaster.

I think I'm finally done with the old "Tamiya plugs." I've kept them around on some vintage cars for the look, but much like an old 1:1 car with drum brakes instead of retrofitted discs, it's a matter of practicality - do you want the thing to look original but be unsafe, or have one little anachronism and be able to enjoy it? I think it's finally time for the latter.

The logical choice for a replacement might seem to be Deans Ultra Plugs; they're what I have on my lipo packs and most of my 1060 ESCs. But I have never had good luck soldering the stupid things. And they're really hard to unplug, even with the old O-ring over the male pins trick. Not to mention that genuine Deans plugs are expensive, and the knockoffs are wretched quality.

This leads me to the other up-and-coming standard: XT60. Supposedly robust, easier to solder than Deans, and a far better connection than Molex. Larger form factor, but I don't think that will be a problem with most of my cars, and if it is, I'll figure something out. And you can get a lot of them for cheap, but not suspiciously cheap, if you know what I mean.

But is there an "original" brand I should be shopping for? More importantly, are there knockoffs I should avoid? I have to buy quite a lot of them; I have 6 or 7 old NiCd/NiMH packs that are still in use, three 2S lipo packs, and around 50 cars to convert. Anyone have any insight on which ones to buy, or not buy?

XT60, I see no logic reason not too tbh. They are also cross compatible with Eflite EC3 and will plug right in. Deans are ok and more compact. I tend to use them on motor wires for brushless motors to allow for quicker motor swaps.

[ad456 468]

I have a few XT and they are all AMass and are really good quality, I do find with excess fine dust they can get sticky to put together but the majority of folk like them so it’s a “me” problem.

I use genuine Deans on most of my stuff though as I’ve no motive to change unless amp draw forces me. I can’t be bothered to change 40+ connectors without a serious motive. 
 

I won’t touch any connectors that aren’t either genuine or from a quality 3rd party as they can be utterly poor at best. A good 3rd party example is the OverLander deans plugs which are nice and have covers which help grip too. 
 

Edit : it’s Amass not OverLander that I have. 

Edited September 4 by ad456

[Shergar 141]

You can also get the Amass XT60 with in black too, if you don’t fancy the yellow glow.

[guggles 295]

I like Deans and one piece bullet connectors, but thats pretty much all Ive ever known. Well that and anderson connectors but I doubt anyone still uses those. 

[JatoTheRipper 95]

18 hours ago, Shergar said:

You can also get the Amass XT60 with in black too, if you don’t fancy the yellow glow.

I used to get the black XT60 connectors, but am unable to find those at this time.  Does Amass still produce the black version?  If so, where do you get your connectors?  Only interested in genuine Amass.

[Shergar 141]

Just looking my previous supplier doesn't seem to have them now, I have a few in my spares stash - I better stock up when I next see them!

[Wooders28 4910]

Personally, it depends where you are in the world. The UK seem to favour Deans (more batteries available with Deans), where over the pond seems to be XT60.

I've had zero issues with Deans ,even the cheap T plug I got from Hobbyking (£6 for 10 pairs) , I've run them on 5s (2s & 3s in serise) and numerous 3s, with the only issue being sparks on the plug in (I'd go with the XT90 anti spark, if I was running more than 3s regularly).

Both Deans and XT60 are rated for 60Amp.

I would maybe invest in a terminal solder station, I got mine for under £10 off ebay, and just helps keep the plug steady when soldering.