Replace Deans Plugs ?
 

LOSING THE DEANS - POWERPOLE/SERMOS/LITESPEED?
I've never really been a fan of Dean's plugs. Even back in the day when I first lopped the plastic 'Tamiya-style' connectors off of the battery in my Falcon, I went with Sermos PowerPole-type connectors on all of my cars.

Anyone know a good reason not to just replace all of my Deans plugs with these now? I just find them so much easier to maintain & use...but that was 1990 - does anyone use these anymore, and is there any reason not to pair them with 3S LiPos?

Thanks for any guidance!

Some.run the Deans T-type (as i do in 1/8 buggy & Truggy) or the EC5 connectors.

I used PowerPoles for years (probably 10 years or more). Couple issues with them that led me to switch to XT-60 (though you might switch to something else):

1) The contact area is relatively small compared to connectors commonly used nowadays, which means more resistance and more heat in the connector
2) The heat ends up softening the plastic and thus reducing tension on the contacts because the spring is held by the plastic housing. Reduced pressure means more resistance which means more heat, and so on.
3) One thing I found to dislike about them was they tended to come apart as a result of the weight of the wires in a crash. When I was using them, I made it a point to put some tape on the pair before each run to keep them together. The detent that holds them together just isn't strong enough.
4) They are bigger than a connector needs to be for the amount of current they are rated to carry. (Yeah, this is probably a minor issue.)

Nowadays I don't use Powerpoles for anything any more. Want some to try? Send me a postage paid return envelope and I'll send you a bunch that I took off and replaced with XT-60.

Forgot about the XT-60, many chargers now come with those as a plug in, instead of bullets!

We are big fans of the XT60 and XT90 connectors here. They are incredibly easy to solder and de-solder for re-use, have excellent conductivity and are easy to plug and un-plug time after time.

It was about a year ago that I made the XT-60 switch from Deans/EC5 because of working on a server power supply for my chargers. I can't stand EC5 connectors period.

A day and a half of de-soldering 40 plugs; soldering 38+ plugs, and while binge watching TV series, makes quite a bit of mess. My soldering station sure got a work out. I wasn't sure if it was up to the task or not, but it has worked out very well I must say. I should have done the swap years ago.

The number one reason for swapping out my Deans...the size. XT60 connectors just give me a little bit more surface area to work with; allowing me to easily grab the XT60 with thumb, and index fingers. IMO, the XT60 is the easiest connector to solder and reuse. YMMV. I even use them in my 1/8 buggy with no current issues melting the connectors.


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I love Deans. Been using them on my race cars since the 90's and have no plans to ever turn away from them.

I use Traxxas connectors on all of my race kits. One of my Tekin 1900Kv setups has XT-60, which I like just as much. Been using the Traxxas connectors for about a decade with no issues.

Thanks for all of the input! I think I'm leaning towards going with the XT-60s - unless I buy a Traxxas ID charger, in which case it'd make the most sense to stick with all Traxxas connectors. My limited experience with Traxxas-brand batteries hasn't been the greatest however, so I may have to do a little more homework to that end.

You guys reminded me of some of the negatives that came along with the PowerPole-style connectors...I'm starting to remember those bloody fingers from trying to jam those little buggers into place...but they're still easier than the Deans...I'd say my soldering skills are about average, but even with a jig I have trouble getting Deans plugs put together with confidence that they're secure.

I figure now's a good time to make the switch since I'm in the market for a bunch of new batteries anyway.

Thanks again for the help!