Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

My team bought some of the new batteries that are approved for use this year (2007), and we need to attach some of the Anderson quick-connectors that come with 6 AWG wire, as supplied in the KOP. We are also getting an additional charger, so we will need the same Anderson quick-connector, but with smaller wire.

From what I have read so far, it seems that teams need to spec out the connectors themselves, order their own wires, and assemble them themselves. There is also some hardware required to get the ends of the wires securely attached to the battery terminals.

Is this really the case? Doesn't IFI or some other F.I.R.S.T associated distributor have these cables already pre-made? Or, does anybody have all of the parts spec'd out?

Thanks!

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

As far as we know, if teams want to have additional battery cables, there isn't a source for the complete cable assembly as was in the kit. Rather, teams do indeed need to purchase their own Anderson Connectors, cable, and terminal lugs.

For the red Anderson SB50 Connectors, we've had good success with "Helmar Parts," who sells these connectors for about half the price of any of the typical robotics suppliers: http://www.helmarparts.com/product_p/6331g1.htm

Who would have thought that lift trucks would use these connectors?

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

there is a little reason for this = most teams put their battery in a different orientation to the "plug-in" point, with the positive and negative wires being of different length, so a standard battery wire assembly is usually not feasible.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I think he means "where can I get the same thing as in the KOP", not looking for a standardized version.

Don

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

We ordered the anderson connectors themselves from Allied electronics. They ran about $3.50 each or so. And then you get in the mail (got it today) a shiny new Allied catalog. :D

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

How are you guys attaching your 6 AWG wires to the MK battery terminals?

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

We use some copper screw connectors picked up for the local Home Depot. Typical connectors used to add heavy wire to power panels.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

We get the red Anderson connectors from our local Grainger warehouse.
www.grainger.com

To ensure a secure connection, we crimp and solder; because the lugs & wire are so large, we often have a mentor do this with a torch.

To connect to the battery, you want something similar to:
http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/con...ctNo=BTC020 8

They sell similar connectors at Home Depot.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

The 50 amp Anderson connectors are available through Terminal Supply as are a variety of connectors for the battery terminals. As pointed out, the copper screw down style is available at most home centers, be sure to get the ones sized for #6 wire. As a reminder for all teams, when attaching this style connector to the battery terminals, they should be positioned on the battery so that the clamp is turned to the inside of the battery to prevent damage. You may also bend the tab of the connector at right angles to help use the case of the battery as protection for the terminal and wire. After all is said and done, insulate the entire connection with tape or heat shrink. This style of terminal can be soldered using a large tipped iron. Be sure to feed solder from the end of the wire as it protudes from the terminal and don't add so much that it is visible under the wire insulation. This will harden the wire and make it more prone to breakage inside the insulation.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Oh god how I hate those things.

There may be some sort of benefit to using the screw down type of connector, but I personally prefer crimp connectors. They stick straight out, which is nice most of the time, the wires aren't horribly bent inside of them, and they tend to look nicer. The screw-down types tend to only hold by half of the strands (the other half stays to the side of the screw, and tends to cause problems.) In addition, your freshman electrical guys are a lot less likely to have strands of copper sticking out of the side of a crimp, and it's a lot easier to heat shrink over a crimp. It's also fairly easy to solder a crimp for extra strength.

Maybe we've just never done the screw terminals properly.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I think they come premade in the kit because do not have the resources to crimp their own cables.

I don't know if this is the case for sure, it is just an assumption.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

That's not possible with the ones shown in my post. The screw doesn't make direct contact with the wire strands but is forcing a plate down against the back part of the connector. Wire strands cannot get around or to the side of the plate.

These connectors are bulky, but in my experience it takes a lot less expertise to screw down the connection properly than it does to crimp and/or solder correctly. We've had crimps fail due to not being done properly and we've had way too many cold solder joints on large cables. In addition, soldering results in a stiff to flexible boundary condition in the cable. Flexing at this joint can result in the strands breaking.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Yep, we've never done them correctly. Turns out I've been sticking the wire in on the wrong side of the clamp. Man, do I feel dumb now.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Meat,
(sorry, but I wish I knew your name)
It is good to learn. We should all work to learn one new thing each day. This is yours, for today.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

hey can someone post the URL for Terminal supply company becasue for some reason i've had trouble finding them. And I myself am in need of Anderson Contacts. thanks guys and girls!

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Hehe, a good guess at the URL would probably be better than Google in this case.

http://terminalsupplyco.com/

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

When you assemble those bad boys, here are some tips.

Dont use the wire supplied in the KOP. It is super brittle and breaks down very quickly.

Upgrade to some super flexible 4 gage. Best decision we ever made. It flops like spaghetti, you can dump a whole lot more current through there, faster. Another advantage is that it doesn't get hot as quickly. And its pretty.. :)


When you make the connections to the Anderson prongs, tin the ends of the cable. After doing that pour solder down into the connector until its full. Keep it hot, and stick the cable in. Then use a pair of ratcheting crimper's to crimp it tight. After that, stick some shrink tube on the beast and assemble.

Just my two cents, we did it on all 6 of our batteries this year, and will never look back.

If you would like pictures or other help, let me know.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Using so much solder on the connection is probably what's making it brittle and breakable. It's better not to tin it at all than to do it badly.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I am going to agree with Alan on this one. No wire that is tinned should be crimped. There is no way for the tool, connector and wire to form in the right dimension or cross section to allow the contact to insert and remain in place in the connector. If you solder the connection after you crimp, then only add enough solder from the contact end, to fill the space between wires and contact. Stop as soon as it appears that solder is flowing under the insulation. This keeps the wire from becoming stiff and brittle as the wire leaves the connector body. Be careful to prevent solder from contaminating the mating surface of the contact. And never use the alligator clips to attach the charger to the connector for battery charging. All this does is scratch the mating surface.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I never said anything about the solder joints being breakable. Im talking about the actual wire itself.

We have never had one of our connections fail using this method, and I once used one as a joint for my tow strap when I towed a go-kart out of a bog with my truck.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I'm going to have to differ with some of the advice presented in this thread.

I am a proponent of only crimping these connectors, using the proper crimping tool. If the wire is old, you should brush it bright to remove any tarnish using a stainless steel brush. If you solder, you should crimp before you solder in order to get a good mechanical connection before applying solder. I do not use solder on any of the crimped contacts we use in our robots, and I do not recommend it.

You should not use heat shrink on the contacts that go into the red housings. We learned not to do that when we found the heat shrink interfering with the spring loaded mechanism one year, producing an intermittent contact in some circumstances. The housing itself provides all of the insulation you need.

Eugene

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

The shrink tube only interferes if done incorrectly.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

On the other hand, if everything is done correctly, using heat-shrink tubing on the connection serves no purpose.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Not true at all. It helps prevent cable flex near the joint of the connection - one of the main causes of connection's breaking down.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

It's likely that the "breaking down" you're warning against from cable flex is because you've made the wire too stiff by soldering it. If you crimp the connection properly, without saturating it with solder, it shouldn't be a problem.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Many teams have asked us to provide a completed Anderson Power Products battery cable. So... we now have one available at AndyMark.

We are in process of buying the correct tooling to crimp the APP and Molex contacts to the wire. This product should be available by Jan. 1.

This Battery Cable is listed on our Miscellaneous Items page.

Enjoy,
Andy

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Once again, AM has offered a good product at a good price.

I am especially glad to see that Andy and Mark are investing in the correct tooling for the crimps. FRC robot inspectors and field staff have witnessed quite a few poor battery cable connections, usually made by teams that could not afford or did not have access to the correct crimp tools.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

"AndyMark: We're more than just Shift" :)

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Yet another amazing product from AndyMark. If you add up the cost of the APP connect, wire and terminal and then factor in the cost of the APP crimper it is very expensive. Thanks for offering a great product at a great price.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

Nice! Andy and Mark does it again with special AM insulated ring terminals.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I have found Powerwerx to have a lot of neat power products for robotics and hobbies.

Their red/black zip cord is awesome for motor leads. The Anderson Powerpole series is very useful on and off the robot field.

Re: Pre-Made Anderson Battery Cables
 

I think there was something that came with the KOP that mentioned more connectors. we attach ours with a really really big crimper that will completely smash and break normal crimp connections. I absolutely hate screw down terminals for the batteries because they required me to peel off all the electrical tape every two or so matches and tighten the screws. even still, the wire manages to wiggle its way out of the connectors with the amount of bending usually required to get the big red Anderson connector to its counterpart. we crimp everything now, and its a lot less hassle in the pit, it just requires a special tool. something else we did in the past that I am not quite sure about the logic behind is to cover the space between the battery terminal and the crimp connector with some sort of clear conductive grease that I just remember being really nasty stuff and it was probably completely unnecessary.