Anderson Power Poles for 12VDC radio applications
The Anderson Power Pole is a flexible modular power connector system that features:
- Flat wiping contact system
- Interchangeable Genderless design
- Coloured, Modular housings
- Polarised housings
- Wide product range - From 10 amps through 180 amps
- UL94 V-0 housing material
Benefits:
- Simplifies assembly requirements and reduces parts inventory.
- Allows customized multi-pole configurations with visual color coding to match wires.
- Prevents damage to connectors from being mated incorrectly.
- Allows versatility to choose product best suited to design requirements.
- Provides security in knowledge that the connector chosen meets strict UL flammability ratings.
I have used these connectors for several years with great success. The connectors are quite inexpensive when purchased from the US in lots of 30 2 pole connectors, coming in around A$3.00 a pair of 2 pole connectors including postage.
Anderson make specific crimp tools, but they are very expensive. You can crimp the smaller sizes using a ratchet indent crimper made for small electrical crimp lugs, position the indent on the opposite side of the barrel split. Powerwerx has a great "TRIcrimp" crimp tool that does 15 - 45 Amp contacts at around US$50, but their cheaper plier crimp tool is just a plier indent crimper for electrical lugs, doesn't do a good job, and isn't worth wasting money on it and international air freight.
You could just solder the connectors, but be aware that it is unsound to depend on solder for physical retention of the cable under fault conditions. Further solder wicks up into the conductors reducing their flexibility, and soldering heat may cause the insulation to shrink back or deform.
One of the "issues" with these connectors, is that the small split dowel used to retain the red and black parts in alignment falls out. If you do not intend dismantling the plastic parts, they can be reliably glued together by placing a small dot of Super Glue (CyanoAcrylate Ester) in the mating female keyway of the black part before quickly sliding the two plastic parts together, and dispensing with the split dowel. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SUPER GLUE BEFORE USING IT.
| The basic polarised genderless two pole 30A connector. 15, 30 and 45A
connectors use the same housing and compatible contacts, they are
interchangeable.
The wiping action cleans contact surface during disconnection, assisting minimal contact resistance at high current. |
 |
| A pair of two pole connectors on 2 x 4mm2 mated. |  |
| A three way splitter at the end of a 2 x 2.5mm2 cable using a pair of pre-insulated butt joiners |  |
| A convenient little splitter from Red-Dee-2 Connect. |  |
| A RigRunner 8 port distrubution panel for a flexible, tidy, safe and effective DC distribution system. The IC-7000 at the left was plugged in temporarily to provide 6 meter capability in a contest, made easier by the PowerPole DC distribution. |  |
| A close up of the RigRunner 8 port individually fused distribution panel. |  |
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