Wiring tips and tricks you have learned and want to share.

[XSrcing]

Since the weather is no good for flying I have spent hours just staring at my airplanes, taking everything out, and putting it back in again. Along the way I keep making little changes.

When hooking the flight controller signal wire to the ESC lead I didn't like how flimsy the connection felt with just a single make terminal pin sticking out. It would be too easy to bend and break. So I replaced the single gang connector housing with a 3-gang and gave the connector polarity so I have to really try to hook it up wrong.

This is the connector kit I am using:
Crimping Tool Kit, Preciva Dupont Ratcheting Crimper Plier Set with 1550PCS 2.54mm Dupont Connectors and 460pcs 2.54mm JST-XH Connectors for AWG 26-18(0.1-1mm²) https://a.co/d/2oHII3q

What do you guys have?

 

[Piotrsko]

Wrong guy here. Been known to just tin the end with excessive solder and use that.

 

[LitterBug]

Since the weather is no good for flying I have spent hours just staring at my airplanes, taking everything out, and putting it back in again. Along the way I keep making little changes.

When hooking the flight controller signal wire to the ESC lead I didn't like how flimsy the connection felt with just a single make terminal pin sticking out. It would be too easy to bend and break. So I replaced the single gang connector housing with a 3-gang and gave the connector polarity so I have to really try to hook it up wrong.

This is the connector kit I am using:
Crimping Tool Kit, Preciva Dupont Ratcheting Crimper Plier Set with 1550PCS 2.54mm Dupont Connectors and 460pcs 2.54mm JST-XH Connectors for AWG 26-18(0.1-1mm²) https://a.co/d/2oHII3q

View attachment 233619

What do you guys have?

I would HIGHLY advise against using exposed male pins that have power or ground on them. That is what female connectors are for. Too easy for them to fall in the wrong place and cause havoc.

ALWAYS make sure there is no power on your gear when plugging and unplugging gear. Give it a second glance before plugging power in to make sure nothing is plugged in backwards.

 

[XSrcing]

Wrong guy here. Been known to just tin the end with excessive solder and use that.

Great for weight savings. Terrible when you need to take everything apart to transport it.

I would HIGHLY advise against using exposed male pins that have power or ground on them. That is what female connectors are for. Too easy for them to fall in the wrong place and cause havoc.

ALWAYS make sure there is no power on your gear when plugging and unplugging gear. Give it a second glance before plugging power in to make sure nothing is plugged in backwards.

What pins are you talking about? That picture shows a bunch of stuff disconnected. The Automotive Society of Engineers considers me a "master" in low voltage electrical (almost got the high voltage done) so I would hope I can manage these battery powered toys.

 

[Bricks]

Great for weight savings. Terrible when you need to take everything apart to transport it.





What pins are you talking about? That picture shows a bunch of stuff disconnected. The Automotive Society of Engineers considers me a "master" in low voltage electrical (almost got the high voltage done) so I would hope I can manage these battery powered toys.

At first I did not catch how your pin setup with the connecter was done I think that is what he did not see.

 

[LitterBug]

Great for weight savings. Terrible when you need to take everything apart to transport it.





What pins are you talking about? That picture shows a bunch of stuff disconnected. The Automotive Society of Engineers considers me a "master" in low voltage electrical (almost got the high voltage done) so I would hope I can manage these battery powered toys.

Perhaps the picture makes it very unclear what wires go where. It really looks like you could have "hot" exposed pins. Typically we use protected ends like these. I either use paint or colored tape to keep track of which connectors go together.

Automotive would not approve of bare pins either!

 

[Tench745]

Perhaps the picture makes it very unclear what wires go where. It really looks like you could have "hot" exposed pins. Typically we use protected ends like these. I either use paint or colored tape to keep track of which connectors go together.
View attachment 233719

Automotive would not approve of bare pins either!

Look at his picture again.

 

[LitterBug]

Look at his picture again.

Why not just use standard connectors with no exposed pins?

 

[XSrcing]

Why not just use standard connectors with no exposed pins?

In that picture above, the connector with exposed pins is unplugged. When plugged in there are no exposed pins. When unplugged, no exposed pins are connected to B+.

That connector is only for the S1 signal wire on the flight controller, which goes on to a Y-harness to both ESC's. The BEC is disconnected at the ESC, but I haven't torn apart the Y-harness so it looks like that connector is still receiving power. I am using 3 terminals in that connector simply to increase retention over a single male-female terminal connection.

The 6 exposed pins on the starboard side of the FC are for the VTX and camera, which are unplugged while messing about with iNav. Don't want them getting hot and wasting power for no reason.