[Elecraft] Power Poles...

[Paul Christensen]

I'm traveling at the moment and can't confirm this, but is may be possible 
to use a small retention wire if there's a roll-pin hole on the K3's APP. 
The West Mountain RigRunners use these to keep the APPs intact and it works 
very well.

I have mixed feelings about the APP.  I like it for its versatility and ease 
of assembly -- I hate it for its long-term reliability.  No doubt many AAPs 
are assembled incorrectly, but there are a great number of correctly 
assembled APPs that unnecessarily disconnect with lateral pressure.  If the 
connector breaks away during a high-current moment, the pins can form arc 
pits.  The problem seems to be aggravated with the use of larger cable 
conductor size -- like that needed on the rear of the K3 to handle ~ 20A of 
DC current.

I have two commercial APP crimpers, the best of which keeps the tongue of 
the pin from bending during the crimp.  That certainly helps, but other 
connectors with locking tabs seem to be a better solution for high-current 
equipment.   What's needed is a low-cost, reliable connector that remains 
stable with wire pressure, but still breaks away with a high amount of 
pressure in the event of an accidental strike to the cable.

One possibility is to design high-current equipment with a quad APP panel 
connector and double-up on the contacts.  That way, the connector: (1) 
becomes square in shape, instead of a thin rectangle that's prone to 
accidental lateral pulls; (2) offers higher current-carrying capabilities; 
and (3) has significantly increased pull strength, yet can still break away 
for safety concerns.

http://tinyurl.com/29ktqmw

Paul, W9AC