Want to use xt60s on a 8awg wire but the wire is too big

[AerialInsight]

Hi guys.
I've built the dji s800 evo and was just about to solder the (zippy 5800mah 6s 30c) battery terminals (5.5mm bullet connectors) to a female xt60 so that its compatible with the s800, however, i dont know what i really expected but the battery came with bullet connectors which i thought id be able to strip and solder to xt60s but the wire is 8awg (3.43mm diameter) which too big get a safe and direct solder to the xt60 (3.0mm diameter hole). Anyone been in the same situation as me or have a solution?
Would rather keep to using xt60s for convenience sake.

Where have i gone wrong?View attachment 17835 View attachment 17836 View attachment 17837

 

[Motopreserve]

Have you done the math to see how much amperage you'll be drawing through the connector? If XT-60 is safe, then you'd want to snip those bullets (one at a time!) and solder the wire directly to the XT-60. No need for another solder point to potentially go bad.

ive cut back a bit of the wire to make the exposed part a bit smaller diameter to fit the XT-60, but only when I knew the amperage wasn't exceeding the connector.

 

[dazzab]

I've done just as @Motopreserver described on all my copters without any issues. Just make sure you tin both the XT60 connector and the wire before soldering them together. Also, make sure you have a male connector connected to the female side when doing the soldering. If you don't do this the pins move inside the connector when they get hot and don't line up properly when you try to connect it.

 

[jes1111]

:upset: Image #2 - is that the battery leads you're holding there? That's a nasty accident waiting to happen - the positive and negative can short to each other and you have no obvious way of preventing it during storage and transportation.

Please don't cut down the 8AWG so it "fits" an XT60 - that's just wrong on so many levels! The power system is what's going to keep you in the air - no shortcuts, bodges or lash-ups permitted

 

[Motopreserve]

:upset: Image #2 - is that the battery leads you're holding there? That's a nasty accident waiting to happen - the positive and negative can short to each other and you have no obvious way of preventing it during storage and transportation.

Please don't cut down the 8AWG so it "fits" an XT60 - that's just wrong on so many levels! The power system is what's going to keep you in the air - no shortcuts, bodges or lash-ups permitted

What's you recommendation?

 

[SoCal Blur]

What's your recommendation?

The OP may not want to do this, but I use XT-150 connectors on my batteries and PDB. They will handle 8AWG wire but they are a pain to assemble correctly. You have to push the plastic insulator on (from the wire side) while the connector is still very warm from being soldered.

 

[Motopreserve]

They OP may not want to do this, but I use XT-150 connectors on my batteries and PDB. They will handle 8AWG wire but they are a pain to assemble correctly. You have to push the plastic insulator on (from the wire side) while the connector is still very warm from being soldered.

That still seems like it is a better solution than hacking the nice 8awg wire

 

[stevemaller]

I use similar Zippy batteries, and I use EC5 connectors for my copter. I would not cut off the Zippy bullets, but instead trim off the heat shrink and desolder the bullets. You then have a nicely-tinned end, and don’t lose a half inch or so of the already-short leads. And as others said above, do them one at a time. Don’t leave open the possibility of shorting the LiPo leads together. I keep a long Velcro strap handy and keep one of the leads snug away from the other while I’m doing this.

I do not recommend using XT60 connectors for a 6S copter. EC5 is better IMHO.

 

[econfly]

To change the connector on a battery, de-solder or cut off the old connector and solder the new one directly to the wire. One wire at a time -- no big deal, but just be careful. I use XT90 connectors on my 6s batteries and do this routinely.

Is that wire from the Zippy really 8awg? It could be, I guess, but that would be overkill for a 5800mAh 30c battery. I would have expected it to be 10awg, at most, and that solders to an XT60 well enough -- about as large a wire as possible, but it will work.

If it is really 8awg wire then I think you need a bigger connector. You don't need it to handle the amp pull of an S800, but just to get a decent solder joint. The XT60 is too small for wire that big.

By the way, an Evo pulls anywhere from about 40 to 135 amps (max, full-throttle) in total, and for most flying the real world power consumption loaded with batteries and a Zenmuse ranges from around 50 to 75 amps. You can use an XT60 plug and be fine (and I think that is the plug that the S800 Evo uses by default). I like the XT90 better, for what it's worth.

 

[antpoli]

hi, I have exactly the same problem with a zippy having 8AWG cables but the capacity is 8000mAh and 30C for my quad I'm going to mount in next weeks.
I'm thinking to use XT-90 or XT-150 de-soldering existing connectors and then use a PDB with 12AWG wires

 

[Old Man]

Wires are sized to handle given amounts of current. So are connectors. Very much like plumbing where you would not put a 2" coupler in the part of a 4" toilet outlet. You would learn quickly why that doesn't work out well. To over size a wire or under size a connector defeats the purpose of the design intent of either unit. In this case increasing the size of the connector is the right thing to do, along with re-soldering the battery leads to correctly match the connector types. You may want to consider changing to EC-5 connectors on everything instead of Mickey Mousing your all too critical wiring. Like jes1111 mentioned, do something to eliminate the possibility of shorting bare battery wires together. The arc from that event will be memorable, and quite possibly fatal.

Easy does not make something right, while short cuts can often end up really expensive.

 

[jfro]

I use similar Zippy batteries, and I use EC5 connectors for my copter. I would not cut off the Zippy bullets, but instead trim off the heat shrink and desolder the bullets. You then have a nicely-tinned end, and don’t lose a half inch or so of the already-short leads. And as others said above, do them one at a time. Don’t leave open the possibility of shorting the LiPo leads together. I keep a long Velcro strap handy and keep one of the leads snug away from the other while I’m doing this.

I do not recommend using XT60 connectors for a 6S copter. EC5 is better IMHO.

+1
I agree. It's the same as I do. Desolder the bullet then solder it in the ec5.

 

[eskil23]

I have a question regarding what connector to use.

I'm building a F550 with a E300 tuned propulsion system (DJI 2212 motors, 15 amp ESCs). If the max current for each motor is limited to 15 A by the ESC and I have six motors, then the total maximal current should be 90 A, right? (I think a few extra amps for the FC, receiver etc will be negligable.)

Does it mean I'll have to use batteries with XT-90 connectors instead of XT-60? Or optionally two batteries with XT-60 connectors?

 

[econfly]

I have a question regarding what connector to use.

I'm building a F550 with a E300 tuned propulsion system (DJI 2212 motors, 15 amp ESCs). If the max current for each motor is limited to 15 A by the ESC and I have six motors, then the total maximal current should be 90 A, right? (I think a few extra amps for the FC, receiver etc will be negligable.)

Does it mean I'll have to use batteries with XT-90 connectors instead of XT-60? Or optionally two batteries with XT-60 connectors?

You will be fine with XT-60 connectors. While the ESCs are rated at 15A, the motors under full load should be well under that. Additionally, you won't put full load on the motors anyway if the build weight is appropriate -- most of your flying will be far under that. Finally, there are tons of examples of similar builds out there with XT-60 connectors and no issues. I would go with 4S power to get the most out of the E300 system and that will, all else equal, lower your current as well.

 

[navycut81]

these are the connectors I would recommend you using. they are a crimp on style connector ie no solder joint to worry about and they can be configured in any way , t-slot, in line, also you cannot connect the wrong polarity no matter what configuration you use.

http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpoles/housings-contacts/

also a little side note because they are separable you can configure your batteries to be in parallel or in series just by sliding the connectors apart, without adding extra connectors, ie failure points

 

[eskil23]

You will be fine with XT-60 connectors. While the ESCs are rated at 15A, the motors under full load should be well under that. Additionally, you won't put full load on the motors anyway if the build weight is appropriate -- most of your flying will be far under that.

Most of my flying, yes. But I would like to be able to use full power on takeoff. And if I (eventually) get permission from ATC to go above 400' I would like to go there, take my shots and get down again as fast as possible. I guess a fast climb requires full power for a not-negligible period of time.

these are the connectors I would recommend you using. they are a crimp on style connector ie no solder joint to worry about and they can be configured in any way , t-slot, in line, also you cannot connect the wrong polarity no matter what configuration you use.

Those Anderson-connectors looks just like the ones that connects the battery-pack to my UPS. They are huge, but I guess they come i smaller sizes too.

Have anyone come across surface mounted connectors that can be solderd directly to the Power Distribution Board?

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Want to use xt60s on a 8awg wire but the wire is too big

This should be telling you something. Use a bigger plug. I can't believe DJI would use an XT60 on the S800? Are they nuts?

 

[Old Man]

Most of my flying, yes. But I would like to be able to use full power on takeoff. And if I (eventually) get permission from ATC to go above 400' I would like to go there, take my shots and get down again as fast as possible. I guess a fast climb requires full power for a not-negligible period of time.

You will not obtain that permission.

 

[eskil23]

You will not obtain that permission.

LFV says you can apply for it. If the airspace is unoccupied I can see no reason not to. But they get pretty pissed you you don't apply and fly annyway.
https://translate.google.se/transla...nare-i-kontrollzon-kraver-tillstand-fran-LFV/

 

[Gary Seven]

Most of my flying, yes. But I would like to be able to use full power on takeoff. And if I (eventually) get permission from ATC to go above 400' I would like to go there, take my shots and get down again as fast as possible. I guess a fast climb requires full power for a not-negligible period of time.

You will not obtain that permission.

Old Man, his airspace is not U.S. airspace (looks like he's from Sweden). Do FAA rules apply here? Just curious.