linger

iTrader: (1)

Finally, someone is making a better 4mm bullet connector:

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Connector-Set

I don't know how long these have been around - but they are new to me.

The problem with just about every 4mm bullet connector is that all the current flows through little spring loaded fingers with relatively little contact area. They get loose over time and the resistance goes through the roof. It you let it get bad enough - the heat buildup at the connector will melt the female bullet tube right off your expensive lipo pack. I've seen this happen way to many times.

I applaud Castle Creations for designing a better 4mm connector - more in line with the super high current 6.5mm and 8.5mm connectors. They are a little harder to push in and remove, but that's the price for a better connection.

LOW ET

iTrader: (109)

http://web.me.com/sneu/index.html

linger

iTrader: (1)

The 4mm connectors in that website is the typical, less than ideal design. The 4mm connector I'm talking about is more similar in style to the 5.5mm and bigger connectors

exploder

iTrader: (29)

i bought some of these cuz my other ones were wearing out and these did not work for me. i have orion batteries and they were very loose in the battery and some did not make contact. so to me these are a fail....

StickyFingaz

iTrader: (17)

Of course... what does Ling know? It's not like he does all the ROAR testing for Li-Pos or anything.

The female plug in your Orions were probably already worn out.

linger

iTrader: (1)

Actually, exploder might have a good point. I haven't tried those connectors on an Orion pack yet. I'll do that when I get home. The Orion female bullet plugs have a slightly larger diameter for some unknown reason.

geeunit1014

iTrader: (14)

You can "spread" out the 4 prongs a bit with an x-acto or a small screwdriver

ta_man

iTrader: (168)

The male piece of Castle Bullet connector is designed to mate with the female piece of the Castle bullet connector. Not the plugs in the Orion battery, which is designed for the lower capacity female bullets with the spring ring.

"Fail" belongs to one who did not recognize that and attempted incorrect application of these connectors. They are excellent for the purpose for which they were designed.

Chris Jarosz

Actually "Fail" would go out to the company calling them 4mm when they apparently aren't.

over gear

iTrader: (18)

i found out the hard way...

swimbikerun

iTrader: (108)

Silly question but I need some electrical eduction here. I'm a bit confused when a lipo is rated at 40c which would means a discharge of 200amps but bullet connectors are rated at 75A-100A and deans at 60A/75A. What am I missing here? I assume the discharge is less than 200amps?

94eg!

iTrader: (17)

The connector rating is in "continuous" current. And while the battery rating is in continuous current as well, motors are unable to draw such high loads for prolonged periods of time (without melting down). At best you can pull around 40amps of continuous current over the full run of the battery, so your nowhere near the C-rated limit.

People pay extra for the higher C rating because the packs run stronger, have lower internal resistance and hold voltage better under heavy load compared to lower C rated packs. It's just another advantage that everyone has to have to stay competitive...

94eg!

iTrader: (17)

These Castle Connectors have been around as long as the Mamba Max ESCs. I agree they are fail if they do not plug directly into the common 4mm female plug on most lipo packs.

I had been looking at these for a LONG time cause they do not have the needlessly swiveling head and wimply springs. I run Orion packs too, and wouldn't mind extra confirmation weather or not they fit...

linger

iTrader: (1)

Ok, I tested these connectors on just about every ROAR approved lipo pack on the market. Luckily, I have access to all of them.

The Castle Creations 4mm bullet connector is a TIGHT fit on every lipo pack on the market EXCEPT the Orion packs.

All the lipo packs have a 4.00mm diameter female tube, which is what the connector is designed for. The Orion tube measures at 4.20mm which creates a slightly loose fit.

linger

iTrader: (1)

Good observation. These days the performance of the battery is greater than the performance of the connector, and in some cases, the battery performance exceeds the 12 gauge wire soldered on to it. In RC cars, we don't have any application that uses the full power these batteries are capable of.

FYI - at about 60-70 amps continuous, it's enough to melt off all the fake Dean's connectors. The fake ones may look the same, but they don't perform the same. The real deans connectors and 12 gauge wire gets pretty darn hot at 150 amps, but do not melt.

60-70 amps is also enough to melt the solder off of a standard 4mm connector. The Castle Creations 4mm connectors should be able to handle a lot more.