In article ,
"gareth" wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
...
"gareth" wrote in message
...
Decided to Power Pole all the 12V gear here (Why I ever decided to put
a detachable 12V lead via an octal plug/socket combination on my HB
QRP 80M rig is beyond me!) and discovered Torberry down in Waterlooville,
Hants.
Ordered enough yesterday, and prompt delivery today!
Well done that firm! (No connection with them (apart from the Power
Poles

For a good number of years a friend and I used some 2 pin Molex type plugs
for the 12 volt power so they would all interchange. They were not rated
for the current of the later devices and started to be difficult to find.

We have now switched over to the power poles like some of the rest of the
country. There is a recommended way to pair them up as sort of a
'standard' so people in different parts of the country can swap out the
gear if wanted.

While there are several varities of them, they make some that use the same
plastic housing and the contacts are different only in the size of wire
they are made for. I think it is the 15, 30,45 amp ones that are that
way.

I hope you spent afew more dollars and bought the crimping tool for them.
Makes instlling them well worth the $ 20 or for the tool.


No, couldn't find the accompanying advert for the crimpers so will probably
solder the connections
unless I can find a man who has the crimpers already. That is, unless I
fashion
a crimping block in my metal working workshop; how big is the hole for
the 30 Amp pins when the crimper is closed?

I also used the Molex 2-pin connectors for many years. It may have been
a Heathkit or an Icom FM radio that got me started. Then the local ARES
guys came up with a "standard" that was backwards from what I had! As
far as I can tell, the PowerPole standard is fairly universal.

I believe the 45 Amp terminals are open barrel, and the 30 Amp terminals
are cylindrical barrel. Before the expensive open barrel crimp tool was
introduced, they recommended a common Gardner-Bender tool that put a
deep dimple in the back of the 30 Amp barrel. You could open the barrel
slightly and use it with 10 AWG stranded wire.

Do not use tension pins to lock connector housings together. There is a
high probability they will come out, and could short-circuit any
electronic equipment they fall into. Instead, use super glue to join
them. Some are sold already glued together.

Other than tension pins falling out, the only other problem I've had was
when the terminal did not "click" when inserted into its housing.

Fred
K4DII