Non-genuine Deans Connectors

[tomjkear 24]

I hope this hasn't come up before because I couldn't find anything helpful via the search.

Are non-genuine Deans Connectors OK or is it advisable to use the real deal?

I changed all my plugs over to Deans some time ago and at the time I didn't consider whether they were genuine.

I have a new ESC and none of those plugs left over so I need to buy some more.

Cheers,

Tom

[mb_c11 0]

My non-genuine ones seem to corrode quite fast (metal part changes color). They are also less heat-resistant while soldering...

[tomjkear 24]

My non-genuine ones seem to corrode quite fast (metal part changes color). They are also less heat-resistant while soldering...

Interesting...do you know what manufacturer they are? It seems alternative brands are far, far more commonly available than the originals.

[TA-Mark 195]

I've bought some shocking quality imitation deans plugs before (T-Plug), but then again I've bought some great quality imitation ones. You don't really know until you get them in your hands and can see what kind of materials they are made from and how neatly they've been molded.

I currently have ribbed T-plugs fitted to all my packs and cars. Much easier to get apart than the regular smooth sided ones. I've had no trouble with poor quality materials or manufacture with these either. I get these from ebay in packs of 20.

[WillyChang 1814]

the 'bad' copies usually have leaf springs that don't hold tension, contacts that are skinnier than they should be

and sometimes the plastic body can't tolerate heat from soldering. Hard to tell before you touch/use them.

Occasionally get some good clones; usually the females are quite safe.

Males i prefer to buy originals.

[tomjkear 24]

the 'bad' copies usually have leaf springs that don't hold tension, contacts that are skinnier than they should be

and sometimes the plastic body can't tolerate heat from soldering. Hard to tell before you touch/use them.

Occasionally get some good clones; usually the females are quite safe.

Males i prefer to buy originals.

Cool, in that case, does anyone have experience of Orion, Ripmax or Simply RC connectors? Are any of those acceptable replacements?

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

Cool, in that case, does anyone have experience of Orion, Ripmax or Simply RC connectors? Are any of those acceptable replacements?

I haven't got loads of experience with different connectors, but I use TRX connectors (Traxxas) nowadays... Easily available, easy to spot the difference between genuine and copies (as I haven't seen copies using the TRX logo, and the official Traxxas packaging of course), easy to use with good grip on them (thanks to the size and ribs - you can also still disconnect them in cold weather when your hands are numb), low internal resistance from what I heard, and despite lacking a click mechanism or something (It's fitting is purely based on friction, making a good connection), they fit together tightly, they won't come loose (or even for the slightest bit) unless something or someone would pull the connectors or wires away from each other

Before that I used Tamiya connectors, which I don't need to tell any details about I assume? It was definetely worth changing to the TRX connectors!

[WillyChang 1814]

i find the TRX connectors annoying, can't remove the pins = gotta snip off a little wire everytime the plug needs changing

the copy Deans gotta be bought & used before can tell if they're good or not

sometimes shops substitute when they are out of genuine stock... have received brandnames like Eagle Racing etc

and they're still nowhere as solid as the originals.

[chinaman SS 0]

I have only used non-genuine ones so far and there are a lot variations ...

The top one is the one to use, if you can get it ... Grips helps when you need to unplug ...

NOTE the difference in the leaf spring ... I think most on ebay right now are the 'useless' ones ... ie the ones at the bottom ... AND the difference in the size of the male plug and the how the grooves and 'XT' are more pronounced for the ones on top ...

I recently bought 2 sets from different sellers; one from ebay and the other just another online RC shop and they ended up to be the same ie the 'useless' ones and I had to return them both, as the picture they advertised is not the same as the ones they delivered.

I have so far stopped buying deans plug and only using those that I have still in my stock. Converted to using 4mm banana plugs (for the cars that I am racing with) and only using batteries with female 4mm plugs. Downside: there is a possibility of reversing polarity.

incidentally does anyone have a picture of a genuine deans plug???

[kaiser 8]

original deans:

they are all i use. i do have some batts that have female 4mm bullets so i made a pigtail.

[Live Steam Mad 17]

A couple of years ago I got some high temperature capable Deans style connectors (made from Nylon instead of the normal material PVC?) that look exactly like Ebay item number 160584847832 and they are gold plated with ribbed body so you can grip them and they can sustain a little more than the 6 seconds that it takes me to solder them to a 14 AWG wire at medium temperature setting on my Antex TCS 50W iron with the 6.0mm single, angled, oval face bit fitted. Great quality connectors I feel.

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[Champ85 609]

This is the only place I buy Deans plugs:

Male and Female set

Male pack of two

Female pack of two

Female pack of four

Male with pigtail (12cm of wire already soldered) (also in 10 packs)

Female with pigtail (12cm of wire already soldered) (also in 10 packs)

It's not worth the small savings for the aggravation of poor quality Chinese knockoffs.

However, I wish Deans would make a "ribbed" version because sometimes they are difficult to separate.

[DCLXVI 3]

I skipped Deans and used Andersson/Powerpoles instead, they are a tad big but I'll never have to worry about males and females (though there are the matter of red and black)...

Got them in a bag of 20 pairs, sold as, Duratrax on Tower....

[nosthevamp 1]

Not sure what I bought; I got a new brushless motor/ESC combo and it had a deans conector on the battery leads. I bought a converter to change this to a tamiya connector, but later decided to put a matching conector on the battery and make up a new converter for the charger. So I bought 5 pairs off ebay. I only have a 30w soldering iron but decided to give it a go.

First I tried to tin the female conector by holdong the soldering iron onto the bit were the wire joins to get it hot enough to melt the solder. It just melted the plastic, one connector NFG. Got a new one out and this time tinned it by melting solder wih the iron and letting it run onto conection. This worked, so I tined the wire in the same way. After a lot of trouble I managed to get the connector held still with needle nosed pliers and cable ties, I then held the tinned wire against the tinned conection, the solder started to melt but so did plastic, second connector NFG. I carried on with this joint to see if it would join but the solder although it melted would not join. I only have 3 connectors left (I need 3) so have left it for now.

What am I doing wrong? do I need a more powerful soldering iron (and if so how come a hotter iron won't just melt everything quicker) or are the conectors to chaep and nasty (they were cheap)?

I don't want to spend money on a good quality soldering iron or nylon deans connectors if they aren't going to work. Would my money be best spent taking them to my local model shop to get them to solder the connectors on.

Then I've still got to solder the connectors on my other car, and that needs more than just the battery doing; that'll need a battery and ESC and motor, only wires done are 3 female 3.5mm brass bullet connectors.

Help a poor old dude out, I'm sure i never had the much trouble with balsa and tissue control line aeroplanes, and then I was using a soldering iron heated on a gas stove to solder piano wire and metal fuel tanks.

[Live Steam Mad 17]

I would like to, if I may, refer you to my soldering guide for doing these sized wires and Deans style connectors here ;-

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...st&p=361706

Hope that helps?

Feel free to ask any questions at all!

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[nosthevamp 1]

Thanks. Used to do it about 40 years ago but it so long since I've forgotten how, its not like riding a bike. I was thinking of getting one of these: WELLER Cordless GAS Soldering/Solder Iron/Hot Air,WP3EU, got quite a few attachemnts that would be usefull for modeling

[lentner3 281]

It sounds like your doing it right but the cheaper deans style connectors are harder to solder due to the nylon melting, however it is possible. I have a few cheaper copy's and although the nylon is a bit softer the terminals have always been good and never corroded. I'm sure your Iron is fine if it's hot enough to melt the solder by holding it to the underside of the terminal it should do the trick. You can just let the solder drip and melt on to the terminal but I'm sure this will stop the solder binding the the terminal properly.

The key is to do as you first tried but when you place the tinned wire on to the tinned terminal hold the connector by the opposite side ( the same metal piece your soldering but on the other side of the nylon) This way when you press and hold the wire on to the terminal the pressure wont make the terminal move through the soft nylon. Once in position let cool whilst holding the wire there ( a little blow helps) and hey presto.

I'll take some pics if thats not clear enough. Even the cheap ones are ok if your careful not to put pressure on them whilst the nylon is hot.

Hope that makes sense. All that said the more expensive ones are better all round as the nylon is more heat resistant and also i'm sure the internal resistance is better.

I've just ordered the ribbed t connectors from hobby king which have good reviews, some say better than authentic deans. I'll let you know what i think when they arrive.

Hope that helps and wasn't stating anything too obvious.

[nosthevamp 1]

Thankyou, just want to know if this will be any good; WELLER Cordless GAS Soldering Iron,WP3EU

My iron cost a fiver from a cheap tool shop a few years ago, so its probably not the best tool to use.

[Live Steam Mad 17]

the cheaper deans style connectors are harder to solder due to the nylon melting, however it is possible. I have a few cheaper copy's and although the nylon is a bit softer

I believe the cheap copies of the Deans connector are PVC or some low melting point plastic. The eXtended Temperature type that I always buy (I think that is what XT stands for which is moulded into the ribbing on the Deans style connectors that I buy) are made from Nylon 6-6 I believe, hence the high temperature resistance since Nylon 66 melts at 256 °C / 492.8 °F, whereas PVC melts at 180C / 360F so I read. 60/40 Tin / Lead Solder melts at 183C / 361F. Lead free solder melts at more like 205C and doesn't flow as easily because of this, and ends up melting Deans connectors I imagine...

Before you read the lines below, remember to first cut about 20mm length of 3mm diameter red or black PVC heatshrink tube and place it over your wire NOW so you don't forget later on and have to desolder and resolder things!

melt the solder by holding it to the underside of the terminal

Don't think I would attempt that since you'd have a high risk of melting the Deans connector's plastic.

Instead I hold the female Deans connector (for battery / PSU ends) in a small table vice (non serrated jaws, and helps to heat sink the plastic!) and then I tin the approx. 5mm long 14 AWG wire end with solder, then when cooled I preheat the 14 AWG wire end again for about 12 seconds (if it's got a Silicone insulation on the rest of it, not so many seconds if it's PVC) then immediately offer the 14 AWG wire end up to the tinned Deans connector (I make sure the connector prong that I am soldering to has been tinned on one side only beforehand and has a nice sized pad of solder built up on it) and hold the bit on the TOP of the wire until the heat has conducted through the wire from the fully tinned bit and has FULLY melted ALL the tinning on the Deans connector, then take the iron off and allow solder to go solid, put the iron in it's stand, and then blow on the joint a few times to cool it quickly to protect the Nylon.

I hold the 14AWG wire in a set of pliers with non serrated jaws as I offer it up to the connector and put the bottom of my hand with the pliers in on to the table so I don't wobble when holding the wire. I always use the 6mm single faced oval bit to do these thick wires with and a 50W iron, and make sure to clean the iron's rod / element on a cloth to get rid of the oxide crud when I change the bit over. You do NOT put hardly any pressure on the wire with the bit, let the tinning on the bit conduct the heat and do the work for you.

Try to have enough wire exposed so as to use very nearly ALL of the length of the Dean's connector's metal part that you are connecting the wire to, and make sure to tin just about ALL of the surface of the Deans connector there (except for that little bit that stops the prong coming out of the plastic LOL). Also try to keep the wire central on the Deans connector metal prong otherwise it can cause difficulty when heat shrinking the PVC heat shrink on later... Also try to hold all the plastic of the Deans connector in the vice jaws not just a little bit so as to provide the best heat sink LOL

Make sure to solder the wire onto the side of the prong on the lower horizontal one which is facing the upper vertical prong, and make sure to solder to the side of the vertical prong where you can get the thick wire on nicely whilst minimising the total size of the connector. The +ve one is the horizontal prong and the -ve one is the vertical prong, or at least that is the convention.

Do NOT allow the bit to stay on the prong for more than about 6 seconds as an absolute maximum when tinning the High Temperature style Deans connector. If the solder has not melted and run onto the prong nicely WHILST NOT TOUCHING THE BIT in this time then either your bit is not tinned fully, or you have yellow oxide crud or worse on your bit, or your bit is not hot enough (leave it another miniute or so and try again), or your iron is not powerful enough or not good quality, or your bit is too small or your solder has no flux in it, or is lead free solder, or your portable soldering iron's battery pack is low or poor, etc...

It's always good to make sure that your joint is SHINY and if not, freshen it up with a little fresh solder (the flux will clean the joint and make things shiny) as this means a joint with absolute maximum mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. Also make sure that there is a fillet of solder "filler" between the wire and ALL of the Deans connector's metal contact surface, if possible, for the same reasons.

Finally, pull quite hard on the cable once you have soldered it. If it ain't budging the tiniest bit, then it's soldered "but good".

Once you get the hang of it it becomes a pleasure to solder everything in sight LOL and you will look forwards to your next soldering job! It's the one practical thing that I can do well! I suck at nearly everything else.

Recently I imported some standard tin/lead solder with Rosin flux from Radio Shack, for electronics work, as I could not obtain Deans Racing Solder anymore. This Radio Shack solder is great stuff. They have banned all solder with Lead in it in the UK

Now you locate your 20mm or so length of 4mm ish diameter red or black PVC heatshrink tube that you put onto the wire before you started to solder and push it over the prong of the Deans connector where you soldered (should be quite a snug fit, I use Trickbits heatshrink).

Then get a cigarette lighter from a local Supermarket and light it by clicking it's button and adjust it's very small front lever so that it gives out the maximum amount of flame, and hold it so that the flame tip is about 1 inch under the heatshrink tube, and move it over from the start of the tube to the end, at about 8mm per second approx. and it will shrink and grip the wire nicely, then turn the Deans connector over in the vice and do the same on all 4 sides of the wire. Takes some practice, and it will go black and horrid if you get it wrong but when you have a little experience it's easy and gives you a lovely neat job.

For my 14 AWG wire I got some 5mm (2 lots of 1m long red and black from Ebay) heatshrink which shrinks 2:1 but takes a couple of tries to shrink fully! Then it grips like a b*****. Good stuff. Doesn't melt or burn easily with the lighter flame.

For goodness sake don't let a model shop do this lot for you, take some time and learn to do it all yourself, it'll make you feel good

And something always seems to need soldering LOL

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[Live Steam Mad 17]

Thankyou, just want to know if this will be any good; WELLER Cordless GAS Soldering Iron,WP3EU

My iron cost a fiver from a cheap tool shop a few years ago, so its probably not the best tool to use.

Sorry, haven't got the faintest idea about gas soldering irons in the Weller range, apart from that Weller are supposed to be a quality brand, but I am staying with Antex as their 50W TCS iron is the one I learned with and I like it.

My long-moved-on-to-other-things local pal Mike_T (his attention turned to girls and 1:1 cars, can't blame him!) bought a gas powered iron from B&Q the UK DIY chain store, and it was great, he found (whilst it lasted, it broke once and he needed another one), I think it was Benzomatic brand, from memory.

I don't think anything over 50W is really necessary, and to be honest once you get practiced, maybe a 40W iron could cope with even 14AWG wires. Maybe an 80W iron would heat things too rapidly and melt many cheaper Deans style connectors, I don't know...

Cheers,

ARG

[metalmickey0 0]

Little thing i do, which i find helpful. Is connect the appropiate opostite connector on too, because it then keeps the tabs lined up if it does get all a bit warm. And i`ve got all versions of them . Still g.ot some in neon yelloe and green too as well as the red and black versions

[nosthevamp 1]

Little thing i do, which i find helpful. Is connect the appropiate opostite connector on too, because it then keeps the tabs lined up if it does get all a bit warm. And i`ve got all versions of them . Still g.ot some in neon yelloe and green too as well as the red and black versions

Thats what I thought about doing (only trouble is I thought about after I melted the others). I bought 5 new female conectors to replace the ones I melted and to give me spares incase I mess up again. But from now I'll be soldering them when joined to their oposite numbers. I'll wait until I get my helping hands and new soldering Iron next week though.

I liked the look of the gas iron. Being made by weller which is a good name in soldering irons, added to the fact it is fully adjustable and comes with extras like a hot knife and hot air blower, helped me decide to get one to replace my old five pound cheapie.

[lentner3 281]

I know it has been suggested that melting the solder by holding the iron on the underside of the terminal is wring but I garuntee if you don't the solder wont take to it properly and you will have trouble further down the line. The nylon willmonly melt if you take toomlong and put pressure/lean on the terminal. Hence it is better to hold the connector by the opposite side not the nylon part.

That might not make sense but I'll do a vid in the next few days to explain. I will also use cheap connectors to prove a point.

[Live Steam Mad 17]

Little thing i do, which i find helpful. Is connect the appropiate opostite connector on too, because it then keeps the tabs lined up if it does get all a bit warm. And i`ve got all versions of them . Still g.ot some in neon yelloe and green too as well as the red and black versions

Unfortunately that would heat sink the metal prong that you are soldering to and make it require even more Watts to solder (at least in my imagination anyway).

ARG

[Live Steam Mad 17]

I know it has been suggested that melting the solder by holding the iron on the underside of the terminal is wring

I didn't actually say it was wrong, just that I wouldn't attempt it myself LOL. If you do it that way though, be aware that by the time you have put enough heat into the joint to make a nice fillet of solder between all of the surface prong and the big thick wire and make it all shiny and very strong then the plastic would have melted. At least in my mind anyway!

Since you are only melting the little bit of tinning on the underside of the wire and on the top of the connector prong in doing it that way, you won't have a lot of solder there for a low resistance connection I would have thought? Sure it might well work, but what happens when you are putting 80+ Amp's through it ? Sometimes I have seen connections desolder themselves on other people's stuff when the motor is getting rather Ampy!

Fair enough though, whatever works for you

ARG