Anderson plugs

Gidday CRAZY DOG, after going to the trouble and expense of buying anderson plugs myself not soldering them was a crime I thought, but a soldering iron was not up to it so I bought a torch kit for $19.00 and it worked well.
Have also used the torch to start wet timber when camping so it was a good investment I thought. Anderson plugs are a very snug fit when clipped togeather so vibrating is not an issue.
Wazza

If you don't have a proper cimping tool to fit that size cable - don't crimp.

If you don't have a soldering iron to handle that size cable - don't solder.

Don't tin the end of the wire and then crimp - cold-flow of the solder will mean a faulty connection eventually.

If you're paranoid, crimp, then solder. If the crimp was worth doing, then there's no point in soldering.

If there will be any movement of the cable, put heatshrink over the sleeve and wire to stop fatigue failure at this weak point.

The plugs stay together due to the detent design of the connectors - you can standard and high-release-pressure ferrules.

Solder and when you assemble one and join them the second question will be answered.

Solder. Use a blow torch. If you don't have one you can pick one up for around $20. Heat the cable where it will enter the female end of the lug. Fill the lug with solder. Keep it hot and liquid and plunge the cable in.

When you have done both, fit the lugs to the plastic holder the job is done.

Hey there Doggie!

I'm not going to lecture you at all.
What I'm going to do is direct you to the Anderson Web site which will answer all your questions. It also has assembly instructions in PDF format which you can download and print.

Anderson Connector

Cheers,

From long time electrical experience - do not solder! Any machinery that is subject to vibration - crimp.

Hi Crazy



The cut away shows how the plugs hook together with a stainless steel spring pushing the lugs together. This ensures a good connection and they won't come loose.

With regard the connections if you don't have a proper crimping tool then it is best to solder. Make sure not to deform the lug or spill solder over the lug as the Anderson plug is precesion moulded and there is no tolerance for deformed lugs.

When I solder I use a butane torch $19.00 from Dick Smith, A block of wood with holes drilled into it and a damp cloth ready to cool the lug down. Heat the lug and fill with solder to 3/4 full and while controling the heat on the lug slowly dip the wire 2 or 3 times till the tip of the wire is saturated and coated (Careful not to spill the solder) then place the wire in position and cool down with the cloth.

The idea is to just have solder on the first 8 to 10mm of the wire so that the wire does not get brittle and be prone to stress cracking over time. This procedure also ensures you don't melt the insulation.

Hope this helps.

Regards Derek.

I use the 30 A version which are smaller and easily soldered with a standard soldering iron. Also cheaper and they are compatible with the larger 50A version pictured above.

There are many different types of Anderson plugs rated for different currents, Seems every one commonly uses the 50A version, not sure why. Jaycar sells a variety of them including the 30A version which are conveniently coloured red and black.

Anderson connectors only work to provide such low contact resistance with a small conatct area because they are silver plated. Silver has a low resistance initially, but is also resistant to corrosion.

Electrolysis will still strip off the plating if the connector is wet for a long time while it has 12 volts DC on it.

If you get solder on the contact surface there is no way to remove it without removing the thin silver plating. Throw the lug away and start again on that wire.