AndersonPowerPoles Suck.

[scientist]

Anyone else hate the sight of these connectors? They tear up my hands, are obscenely expensive, and are ugly as all hell.

Any reasons to use them?

[AG6QR]

I agree that there's room for improvement, but they're so much better than the alternatives for 12V power.

• No exposed conductors
• Genderless, allowing any pair of powerpoles to mate, and allowing any DC device to feed or consume power from any connector
• Impossible to connect with wrong polarity (if wired properly)
• High current (45A) mating surfaces wipe themselves clean with every connect/disconnect cycle
• Stay together by themselves reasonably well, but easy to disconnect without too much force when desired

I've installed them in my vehicles, and use them instead of those infernal cigarette lighter plugs, which were never designed for 12V power.  The lighter plugs are too big, and have a spring that attempts to push the plug out of the socket.  I use powerpoles for 12V devices in my camping trailer.  All my 12V ham radio gear uses them.  I also use them on 12V battery chargers, inverters, tire air pump, chargers for AA batteries that are powered by 12V, chargers for cell phones, a small automotive 12V Peltier refrigerator, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting.  I've bought a boatload of them, and I put them on virtually every 12V device I own.  Now I can plug anything into anything, and use any 12V extension cord for anything.

The genderless feature is very nice for DC power, and it's one of those things I never realized I needed until I got it.  I'll never go back to male/female DC power connectors if I can help it.  I put two powerpoles on one end of a cord, and one on the other, and now I've got an extension cord which can either carry power to two devices from a supply, or which can be inserted between any pair of powerpoles that's already connected, and carry 12V to a load.  I can put one powerpole on a 12V AGM battery, and it works well when discharging the battery into a load, or when charging the battery from an AC supply.  And I can even insert a load between the supply and the battery. 

You're right that the corners are sharp.  They're like lego bricks, and anyone who has stepped on one barefoot will remember the experience.  I also dislike the fact that it's possible to mis-assemble them, though it's not hard to avoid that.  Finally, I'd like some easy way to positively lock them together, and I wish there were good cheap panel-mount and PCB-mount versions (I'm aware there are ways to mount them in a panel or on a PCB).  But those are minor quibbles.

Expensive?  About a dollar apiece in quantities of 10, or 70 cents or so in quantities of 100.  Where do you get lighter plugs/sockets for significantly less than that?  Or any other high-current connector, for that matter?

I haven't found a genderless DC connector that I like better.

[dr.diesel]

I haven't found a genderless DC connector that I like better.

Agreed, I have two RIGrunner 4012s under the bunch, love them personally.

[Mysion]

If your going to rant on them at least provide an alternative!
There really aren't that many good battery connectors out there.

First you have XT connectors witch are the worst ones out there.

Then you have a few banana/bullet based plugs. Those are good as long as you solder the plug when it's not in the plastic housing. It's nearly impossible to avoid melting on my XT60 connectors. Plus they tend to be too firm and break wires when I disconnect them.
 
Andersons are not the golden connector by any stretch but they seem to work darn well. I plan to switch over all my RC stuff to andersons in the near future.

[VK5RC]

They are my standard DC connector,  my power supplies have Andersons as do my dc lead sets,  with alligator,  micrograbbers etc,  never had a problem. Black/red for 13.8v, blue/black for other voltages,  is my i'n house standard '.

[peter.mitchell]

If your going to rant on them at least provide an alternative!
There really aren't that many good battery connectors out there.

First you have XT connectors witch are the worst ones out there.

Then you have a few banana/bullet based plugs. Those are good as long as you solder the plug when it's not in the plastic housing. It's nearly impossible to avoid melting on my XT60 connectors. Plus they tend to be too firm and break wires when I disconnect them.
 
Andersons are not the golden connector by any stretch but they seem to work darn well. I plan to switch over all my RC stuff to andersons in the near future.

XT60 and XT90s are pretty terrible, yes, BUT, XT150s are quite good.

[Rick Law]

I agree that there's room for improvement, but they're so much better than the alternatives for 12V power.

...

• Genderless, allowing any pair of powerpoles to mate, and allowing any DC device to feed or consume power from any connector
• Impossible to connect with wrong polarity (if wired properly)
...

...
I haven't found a genderless DC connector that I like better.

Hate to be picky, AG6QR, isn't that two self-fulfilling?
If you wired it properly, by definition, you did not wired the wrong polarity.  That is like saying: Everyone in this room is healthy.  Unless you count it wrong by including the sick.

Personally, I prefer so polarity key.  It just avoid stupid mistakes even the more experienced of us makes now and again.

[georges80]

The powerpoles are great, just ordered another 20 red/black pairs, less than $1 a pair. I use them for my LED testing, HAM gear, vehicle solar, other portable electronics (not just 12V) that uses battery packs etc etc.

My man hands have yet to be torn up using them.

Being an engineer, function wins over form any day of the week, so I don't perceive them as ugly.

Seems like a pretty weak rant. Sounds like it's time for more beer mate 

cheers,
george.

[AG6QR]

I agree that there's room for improvement, but they're so much better than the alternatives for 12V power.

...

• Genderless, allowing any pair of powerpoles to mate, and allowing any DC device to feed or consume power from any connector
• Impossible to connect with wrong polarity (if wired properly)
...

...
I haven't found a genderless DC connector that I like better.

Hate to be picky, AG6QR, isn't that two self-fulfilling?
If you wired it properly, by definition, you did not wired the wrong polarity.  That is like saying: Everyone in this room is healthy.  Unless you count it wrong by including the sick.

Personally, I prefer so polarity key.  It just avoid stupid mistakes even the more experienced of us makes now and again.

There's a distinction between WIRING wrong and CONNECTING wrong.  If you installed the powerpoles right at the time you crimped or soldered them onto your device, then you can safely plug together any pair, and you will always get plus to plus, minus to minus.  No need to look at color codes.  There's no possible way to make a mistake.  They'll never fit together with the wrong polarity.

You can still, of course, make a mistake when you're crimping the connectors onto wires and assembling the shells.  But that's the only opportunity to make a mistake, and you only do that job once per device.

[JoeO]

The powerpoles are great, just ordered another 20 red/black pairs, less than $1 a pair. I use them for my LED testing, HAM gear, vehicle solar, other portable electronics (not just 12V) that uses battery packs etc etc.

My man hands have yet to be torn up using them.

Being an engineer, function wins over form any day of the week, so I don't perceive them as ugly.

Seems like a pretty weak rant. Sounds like it's time for more beer mate 

cheers,
george.

Where did you get them for less than $1 a pair?

[dr.diesel]

You can get a 25 pack (30amp) for $19.99 from:

http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/powerpole-sets/30-amp-red-black-anderson-powerpole-sets.html

[MarkL]

Where did you get them for less than $1 a pair?

I get mine here:

  http://www.powerwerx.com/

They have everything, including pre-built cables, adapters, and distribution assemblies.

I like the Powerpole connectors.  I use them mostly for 12V DC applications, but I've also seen them used for AC power distribution in modular office furniture.

I've also used the 350A version for battery connections in off-grid power systems.  And I've seen the same 350A connectors in battery operated forklifts.

I've never had any reliability issues in any application.  I wish every car made came with these instead of cigarette lighter "DC outlets".

[JoeO]

Thanks Diesel and Mark.  I just sent in my order to Powerwerx.

[scientist]

I should elaborate that the only PowerPoles I've used are the massive 25V ones, and they are hell to disconnect (as well as more expensive due to the buttloads of silver in them). I would hazard to say that the smaller ones are probably loads easier to mate, but I don't really know.

Another issue that's cropping up is all the cloners selling powerpoles with incorrectly sized crimp holes and way-off ratings. That's not an issue if you buy from, say, McMaster, but it's annoying otherwise.

[metalphreak]

The only thing I hate about them is getting the right crimper for them. Otherwise the modular nature and genderless design is quite nice.

[dr.diesel]

I use a standard Klein Sta-Kon crimper, but I solder as well.

[ConKbot]

The only thing I hate about them is getting the right crimper for them. Otherwise the modular nature and genderless design is quite nice.

The powerwerx tri-crimp ones are $35 (IIRC) and handle the 18-10 awg contacts for the PP15/30/45, and are ratcheting too.  If you use the right crimper, right contact and right size wire, then a crimp should be better than a solder joint.  (Just as low of a resistance without stiffening the wire and causing problems with strain)  However if you dont have all 3 items matched up just solder instead.   Which the PP15/30 contacts make really easy since they are closed cup, and hold solder nicely.