POWER CONNECTOR STANDARDIZATION PROJECT
USING ANDERSON POWER POLE® 30AMP CONNECTOR SETS (
Now Available from
GFAARC)
Pictured at left are a pair
of 30amp Anderson Power Pole Connectors. As a fund raising project,
these connectors are available from the Great Falls Area Amateur Radio
Club at $1.00 per pair.
[ VISIT THE GFAARC
STORE
] Please read the information
below to learn more about this nationwide project to standardize power
connectors.
[HOW TO
ASSEMBLE CORRECTLY TO STANDARD]
The reasoning for standard connectors is because it will allow Amateur Radio Operators to connect their radios to any available power source in an emergency. (IE: another ham’s vehicle or home station, a shelter, a police station, Etc. It also will allow the use of ANY suitable power supply at any location where these connectors are used. In short, EVERYTHING will be interchangeable.
If you don't want to "change out" (replace) all your existing connectors, you should at least build jumper cords to adapt from your connectors to the PowerPole System, so everyone is compatible.
The 30 amp Anderson Powerpole® connectors (shown above) are quickly becoming the standard power connector of preference within emergency communications organizations. They first became popular in the Pacific Northwest, but now Powerpole® connectors are being adopted by Amateur Radio Operators and other Emergency / Rescue groups nationwide. Power Pole connectors allow for universal interchangeability and quick field installation of power supplies and radio equipment without having to resort to adapter cables, clip leads or other "jerry rigged" and potentially dangerous arrangements.
Ideally, all vehicle power leads, all radios, and all home power supplies should have these connectors. Power poles® are both polarized and genderless, so you never have to worry about male vs. female or positive vs. negative. Connections can be quickly made or changed in the dark without any hassles, worry or danger. The 30 amp connector can easily handle 100 watt radios.
APPLICATION: (The Nationwide Standard) The "HOW TO" OF THESE CONNECTORS!
Housings should be mated together according to the graphic above. The TONGUE of the housing (smaller side) DOWN, and the Hood (larger side) UP. RED on the LEFT & BLACK on the RIGHT. Install the Contact into the Housing from the wire end of the housing, with the bump of the contact UP - so that the bottom of the contact mates with the spring in bottom (tongue side) of the housing. Push the contact in from the WIRE end of the housing until you feel and hear a distinct "CLICK."
You may wish to use a 3/32-inch-diameter steel roll pin, 1/4 inch long, to keep the housings from sliding apart. However, most users report that normally the connector housings fit snugly enough to eliminate the need for the roll pin. (No Pins were ordered by the GFAARC – however, a small wooden dowel, toothpick or Q-Tip should work just as well if needed)
MORE INFO: (Than you probably wanted to know....)
The connector housings are dovetail jointed on ALL FOUR SIDES making it easy to slide together any number of housings in any shaped configuration for "SPECIAL connectors". Like building with "LEGOS"®, the connectors can form "L" "F" or even "Z" shapes. The Housings are also available in many different colors, should you need to build UNIQUE connectors for special applications. The different colors are also useful for circuit identification and tracing.
The highly conductive silver-plated copper contacts allow minimal contact resistance at high currents. Self-wiping action on make and break keeps conducting surfaces clean. Contact detents keep connectors mated in high-vibration applications and provide quick-break, snap action upon disconnect. Non corrosive stainless-steel leaf springs maintain constant contact pressure—ideal for frequent connections/disconnections and intermittent overloading. Durable, high impact-resistant, polycarbonate housing have UL94V-2 flammability ratings. The 15-ampere contacts are designed for 16-20 AWG wire and the 30-ampere contacts are designed for 12-16 AWG wire. The contacts can be soldered or crimped to wires. A very expensive crimping tool is available from Anderson. To remove a contact from the housing, use Anderson insertion/extraction tool #111038G2. You may also substitute a very small blade (jewelers screwdriver or X-acto knife) to depress the spring under the contact, allowing the contact to be removed.