[Ares-races] 12 volt power connectors

[Rick Hampton]

Hi, Mark.

A couple of comments:

1) I like the Power Poles MUCH more than ANY Molex or Jones plug that has ever been chosen in the past.  Irrespective of what the local groups have selected (I've been hopping around the country for the past couple of years), I've chosen the Power Poles for my equipment and carry adapters for all the other "standards."  Now I'm in tune with what appears to be the majority of groups, without the worry of being unable to support the other groups.  I think
anyone seriously interested in doing ARES work should have adapter cables to all the "standards"... just in case.

I visited your website and would like to make just a few comments on the information so you can fill in some of the unknowns

2) You can easily panel mount Power Poles.  Tim O'Rourke, W4YN, showed me how he does it with a neat, simple, and no-cost trick.  Nibble or cut a small U-shaped metal clip from aluminum or tin so that the inside just slides into the grooves on the side of the PowerPoles where the roll pin would go when mated to another plug.  Stick the connectors through the chassis hole, slide the U-clip down over the connectors, then fasten the U-clip to the chassis
with screws, pop rivets, or any other means of your choosing.  You can also buy the panel mounts made for the Power Poles, but Tim's idea is so simple, I've not found that necessary yet.

3) The 30 amp contact for the Power Poles will accept from 12 to 16 gauge wire and are readily available via mail order from a variety of places and just about every flea market I've been to lately.

4) There are several styles of OEM connectors, but the OEM T-connector seems most prevalent for modern rigs.  The connectors on my Yaesu and Icom FM rigs are all fused for 15 amps (at 13.8 VDC) for a minimum power rating of 207 Watts.  Those may not be maximum values, but they should be good for known minimum values.  You can purchase all of the OEM connectors from Powerwerx. (http://www.powerwerx.com/category.asp?CtgID=1003)

73,

Rick Hampton, WD8KEL


Mark Derby wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Our local (Muskegon, Michigan) ARES-RACES group has discovered that we do not have an agreement on what 12 volt power connectors we all should be using.  ARRL recommends a Molex 1545 which no one is using due to availability.  What is being used are Radio Shack 274-222's, Radio Shack 274-151's and Anderson Powerpole connectors.  To see pictures of these connectors go to www.mcares.org and click on the Connector Discussion link on the left of the page.
>
> My question is what is everyone else using?  Has anyone used Molex 1545's?  Has anyone had problems with Molex 1545's?
>
> Thanks and 73,
>
> Mark Derby
> KB8UFF