What battery connectors do you use?

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
Like the subject says, what connectors do you use and why?

I am completely running Dean's connectors (T-plugs) now. I did this because my flying friends used them and it allowed me to mooch off of their batteries.
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Deans here too. Once I learned here the trick to soldering them they have worked out well. (Plug a set together before soldering so they dont lose form from over heating.)
 

aiidanwings

Senior Member
Usually XT60. I don't have friends, so no worries about battery compatibility. If space is an issue, 3mm bullet connectors.
 

Foam Addict

Squirrel member
Deans, Sermos, xt60, jst, mini deans, Multiplex, Shall I go on?

HK deans are my favorite, but I love XT60s, I just can't get the real ones very easily.
 

Ak Flyer

Fly the wings off
Mentor
I've never liked deans connectors. Mostly because they are so damn proud of them. I was using the EC3's that came with my hobbyzone stuff but since all of my batteries are turnigy, my friends and I decided that we would all switch over the the yellow xt60's that come with our batteries and switch our planes and helis once, instead of switching every single battery. We also use the JST's for the smaller stuff, again because it's what comes on everything. Plus you can buy XT60's way cheaper than deans connectors and they are just as good.
 

lobstermash

Propaganda machine
Mentor
I started on Deans and stuck with them for a while. They were a little tricky to solder at first, especially with heavier guage wire, but I figured it out quickly enough. However the damned things were so hard to get apart!

After accidentally stuffing up a battery connector change by cutting both leads at the same time while chatting to someone, I thought maybe soldering batteries wasn't so clever. I was also going through heat shrink like no tomorrow re-soldering ESCs and batteries with Deans. Although heat shrink is cheap, I always forget to add it to an order. If you buy it from anywhere local it costs a fortune compared to HK's 12c/m. I can't remember the last time I soldered a connector (for myself) since changing over to XT60s.

After giving the male connectors a little squeeze with some long nose pliers they come apart nicely without being too loose. They are annoyingly bulky though.
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
Everything except deans, it seems - at once!
IMAG1337_1.jpg
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
As AK and Lobster I found Dean's less than user friendly. Even though they seemed to be everywhere I refused to lower myself to such frequent frustration.
I like both EC3's and EX60's for the common posted reasons. I just wish I could solder the pins separate from the plastic and then put them together to avoid heat/warp problems. But even that has a work-around.
I recommend you go with whatever your prefered battery comes in... unless it's Deans.
 

mjmccarron

Member
I use Deans exclusively too. I use to race indoor go-carts with Robin Deans. Their company was about a mile from my house and I didn't have to buy connectors until I moved away. Robin got me hooked on them and I see no need to change.
 

dalaman

Junior Member
Anderson Power Poles

I switched from Ec3's to the Anderson Power Poles. No soldering, easy to connect and reliable. A little costly though.
 

nerdnic

nerdnic.com
Mentor
I used to be all deans. Pulling 80 amps and ruining a few pair forced me to look for a better option. I now run xt60 on my 3S sub 50 amp set ups and 6mm bullets on anything higher.
 

tyoho

Member
+ 2 Anderson power poles (AKA sermos)

Pros- connectors soldered separately (no melted plastic), can also be crimped (actually read an article that said crimping is better than solder, but I solder anyway), modular design makes it easy to rig parallel pack setups.

Cons- Kind of pricey, physically a little big and technically only rated for 15amps (never have gotten hot for me at ~ 30amps)

I have been thinking of swapping to XT60's though because most batteries seem to come with those now.
 
Last edited:

brian79cj

Member
I have switched everything twice. I started with whatever came with the plane I bought. This became a real pain with adapters. I then switched everything to Deans. I really didn't like How hard they were to get apart. I had to use a little screw driver to pry apart when one day i accidentally shorted across both poles result, fried battery. I then switched everything again to XT60s. Love them. There is a difference between the real ones and the knock-offs.
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
I wasn't aware there were knockoff XT60's. What's the difference? How are they distinguished?
 

Christopher14

Driftin' with the wind...
I use the little red JST connectors, although most of power systems max draw is 5 amps or below. Anything larger I use XT-60s.
 

Biff45452

Senior Member
+ 2 Anderson power poles (AKA sermos)

Pros- connectors soldered separately (no melted plastic), can also be crimped (actually read an article that said crimping is better than solder, but I solder anyway), modular design makes it easy to rig parallel pack setups.

Cons- Kind of pricey, physically a little big and technically only rated for 15amps (never have gotten hot for me at ~ 30amps)

I have been thinking of swapping to XT60's though because most batteries seem to come with those now.

Crimping with the tri-crimp tool is so nice, perfect crimp everytime and so strong the wire breaks before it pulls out. You can buy different contacts (15amp, 30amp, 45amp) that all fit inside the same housing. I buy mine from powerwerx.com.

http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles