In our team we’ve primarily just been using the wago inline splicing connectors for like all of our connections just because of how quick we can put them on. However, I’ve noticed that most other teams opt for Anderson power poles instead. I’ve never really used powerpoles, but are they worth making our standard connector?
We like them, but our team predates the Wago era… we standardized before i joined.
I like the connector aspect; it makes swapping, testing, and prototyping easier for us.
Andersons have been a sort of de facto standard in FRC for a while, whereas the WAGO inline connectors are relatively new. I see more and more teams switching away from Andersons towards the WAGO connectors though.
7 Likes
Both Options are great assuming you’re referring to Power only.
Andersons are great because the connectors feel permanent and dont tend come apart naturally.
Wagos are great because they are super quick to connect however the one downside ive heard is that vibrations overtime can sometimes cause the connection to become loose.
Andersons have been used in FRC for a long time and probably work best with old equipment but Wagos have been on the rise.
never used the wagos, but the power poles have worked great for us so i don’t think we’ll end up switching
1 Like
What do you mean by power only?
We tried Andersons on our CAN line. Lets just say we got rid of them mid season.
4 Likes
Yeah, we did the same thing except we kept them and used them for a couple of thin sensor wires and JST at a few points. Definitely not one of our brightest ideas but next year we are looking to switch to Molex connectors for higher gauge wires.
I never used to like wago nor Anderson power poles.
What changed that is getting the right tools.
First, get some automotive grade wire. TXL or GXL. Then, get the correct crimpers. The andymark kit is actually really good
Power poles never worked well for me until I got both the GXL and right crimpers. I used to do high strand silicon wire (like rev and ctre use) and XT60s. That’s a great combo, but is not nearly as quick or easy as powerpole, since you need some decent soldering skills
TL;DR: buy the right stuff and power poles are great
1 Like
I’d use Powerpoles for all 12V High amperage lines (motors), and wagos for everything else (12V <=2A, 5V, CAN).
4 Likes
We used these generic inline lever nut connectors (or something equivalent) for basically everything this season. They were pretty good, and we had no issues with them on the field at all. They were more reliable for us than powerpoles since we weren’t very good at crimping powerpoles, and all we had to do was strip a wire for the lever nuts. They made quick electrical changes much easier, since all that was required was a simple wire strip too.
For 12 gauge they could get a bit annoying though, since if the insulation was too thick they were hard to fit a wire in to, but that shouldn’t be an issue with Wago branded connectors.
I do agree that, with the right tools and methods, powerpoles are better for basically everything, but lever nut connectors/Wagos are much easier to use and harder to mess up.
This was much discussed in this recent thread. Basically, like many teams, ours uses Andersons for motor and other high amp connections and in-line WAGOs or soldered connections for other applications. Andersons are fantastic and extremely reliable for motors, but get all the appropriate tools and extras (like retention clips) and you’ll never have a motor wire come loose no matter what happens on the field. CAN wires, sensor wires and other low amp connections should either be soldered (if they’re less likely to need to be disconnected or need to be very robust, like on a drive system) or use in-line WAGOs (if you might need to replace them quickly, like on an intake or other exposed and/or vulnerable mechanism.) That’s pretty much what most of the teams I know about do. There are, of course, other solutions, but this kind of standardization also means that if you need to do something like borrow a component from another team (or lend one to another team) at a competition, the connectors are more likely to be compatible and you won’t need to modify them or add connectors. Since that’s usually when you’re moving fast and in panic mode, it’s a big plus. 
2 Likes
Do not use the inline version of Wago’s for CAN. Use the side byside version. The inline version are only rated down to 18awg wire and typically CAN is 22 awg
4 Likes
Actually, what we use are the CAN Bus Inline Wire Lever Nuts (WCP-0486) from WCP, which are specifically made for CAN connections and 22AWG CAN wire (they’re even color coded, just to keep the newbies straight on which wire goes where.) They work perfectly and the inline nature is definitely something we prefer for streamlining the CAN connections.
4 Likes
We do this as well. Crimping the smaller wires into power poles caused us no end of headaches.
I’ve done this before successfully. I would not recommend it. 22AWG CAN wire is smaller than the 20AWG max that Anderson recommends, so if you don’t double-crimp or solder the wire into the crimp, it’ll come out. Frankly I just don’t think it’s worth the hassle when 412 lever nuts work so well. I haven’t tried the 2401 on CAN.
When REV started stocking these, they made a video comparing WAGO 221-2401 (the inline one in your pic) to 40A power poles.
If you want to stay within ratings, you need to use the 221-612 for 10AWG 40A and 221-412 for
22AWG CAN. That said, it’s fine to experiment with different things you can get away with, just make sure that you thoroughly tug test your connections no matter what solution you use. I can’t remember if REVs product page is good enough to make the 2401 legal but I did see them on robots this year pushing 40A.
Also PSA: WAGO is a connector company! Not a single connector! When you say “we use WAGO” that’s worse than useless because the 3 major lever nuts that people use are all fairly different, and it’s impossible to tell which ones you are referring to. 221-2401 is the inline lever nut for large wires. 221-412 is a 12-24AWG lever nut rated for 32A (like the inline one). 221-612 is a larger version of the 412 rated for 10AWG and 41A. 41x or 61x has x taps in case you want to branch out a custom circuit.
3 Likes
Anderson is also a company, I’m just yet to see someone using a PP75 or 180 on their robot, so they’ve maintained ubiquity in FRC.
1 Like
One advantage Power Poles have over wago is once the power pole is assembled, you don’t have to worry about connecting things backwards. You still can plug the battery into the motor end of the speed controller. Less likely with falcons and sparks. You can also get single power pole housings.
We’re a big fan of the locking 2 pin Molex Connectors on our CAN bus. As many have stated, the 221s should NOT be used on your CAN bus.
Male Housings:https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0050579402/115029?s=N4IgTCBcDaIOoFkwE4AMqC0A5AIiAugL5A
Male Pins: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0016020107/467790?s=N4IgTCBcDaIOoFkwFYCMB2AwgFQLQDkAREAXQF8g
Female Housing: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0701070001/210968?s=N4IgTCBcDaIOoFkwFYDMqC0A5AIgAhAF0BfIA
Female Pins: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0016020086/467788?s=N4IgTCBcDaIOoFkwFYCMAGAwgFQLQDkAREAXQF8g
Crimper: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0638118700/1832243
2 Likes
We use these as well for CAN, just the clear housing version. Work great, highly recommend.