i ran deans for years - great connectors and nothing i’d hesitate to use. I prefer the soldering especially of the XT 60/90’s over the deans. Especially when 12/10awg wire is used. Just easier IMO.
Pick one and you are set. Nothing to avoid as long as you are using good/appropriate wire gauge and good solder connections on the connectors. It’s hard to solder big wires without a good solder iron! Need a lot of heat as the thick wire pulls it away quickly.
GL!
Thanks @sl33py and @cmatson that’s good to hear! There are many conflicting opinions about connectors.
@sl33py I completely agree re: having a good soldering iron. I just upgraded to a 60-watt soldering iron with swappable tips. The wide tips and strong heat make soldering large wires much easier, and the result is far better!
Has anyone tried using xt60 with 10AWG? It looks like it doesn’t fit (see pic below), but some folks report that it works. @cmatson you’re right xt90 are huge!
XT60 really maxes at 12g. I used XT90’s with 12/10.
XT90’s are pretty big but i have big hands and like the grip. Also with the XT90 anti-spark it’s worth the larger plugs throughout IMO.
The xt90’s are huge indeed. I wish they made xt60’s with the built in anti spark. I hated the dean’s connectors. I found them difficult to plug into one another and easy to ruin with too much heat or too long of applied heat with the soldering iron. I hated soldering them.
I have used deans connection on every board i have made. None have melted or become damaged. They are just so much more compact than anything else. I have had up to 10AWG on with no drama.
yep, if you just solder them quickly, and don’t fiddle with the same solder joint for 30 minutes, they won’t give you any trouble. Plus, they are a dime a dozen if you do screw one up
yup. get your solder game on point! use a good quality iron that can heat instantly so there’s no messing about.
if you mess around and keep the heat on for too long then you can start to melt the plug, and that’s no good.
Rookie mistake.
I think a lot of people are lacking in soldering skills and then blame the connectors when it turns to shit 
I have an X-Tronic #6040 soldering iron, so it’s not a bad soldering iron. I’ve found that connecting the opposite connector while soldering acts as a heat sink and pretty much eliminates melting of the connector. What I don’t understand is what temperature to set the iron at when doing various soldering.
no worries-
and just in general, before totally throwing something under the bus, at least keep an open mind to trying it for yourself first. I actually haven’t seen anywhere that a deans connector has caused a type of failure on a board…and I have been reading ES posts for about 6 months. Yes, they can pull apart from vibrations because they are held together by friction, and yes, they have small solder tabs so they can be more difficult to work with. But at the same time they are dirt cheap, and perfect if you just want to buy a set of like 40 of them and be good to go for a while without ever worrying about connections…
I know people screw up with soldering, but that isn’t the connectors fault: heck, you can destroy an xt90 of you fiddle with it for too long with you soldering iron- they are all just plastic; regardless of the size.
If you: solder them correctly and (depending on situation) wrap your final product in electrical tape (I did this on my space cell build because I knew I wasn’t going to be unplugging it a lot), they are completely fine.
No Offence meant @lox897 but have you even ever built an electric skateboard? I think you base all of your comments on what you have read on forums.
Edit: I’m sorry if that came across a bit harsh.
@claudiofiore88 for small joins like servo cables set around 200C and for things up to 10awg i crank it up to around 300C-350C but get in and out quick.
A few replies above I have a link to one
I know. That’s what I was thinking the whole time I was posting comments and ai knew someone was going to comment on that. Anyway, I was basing my opinion on other opinions on Deans so one day I will try it and give you a different opinion, maybe.
Hi chap and everyone else.
I have a related question to this thread on the motor to VESC connections.
Assuming that good connections can be made, how do you know which wire from the motor connects to which connector? I have three cables coming off the motor, all black, nothing distinguishing one from another. Does it matter which gets connected where?
All help appreciated!
No. If your motor is going the wrong way just switch any 2 wires. I’d use connectors and not solder straight to board because if you have to switch then that would be annoying. I think there is also an option in the VESC settings to reverse the spinning.
Guys - life was been kicking my ass the past couple months, and this project had to be put on hold, but I’ve come up for air now, and anxious to finish this thing up.
As a refresher, its a VESC / SpaceCell / Dual Rear R Spec Motors / Enertion Drive Kit on a pintail longboard (see pic). I have the radio controller, but nothing else… Am looking to make one final order, and get everything remaining I need for final assembly.
Would you all be so kind to look over this list, and let me know if I need anything else, or if you’d do something differently?
Soldering iron kit - (60w $15)
5.5mm bullet connectors to the motors (included)
XT-90 Connectors (10 pairs: $15) http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Pairs-XT90-Battery-Connector-Set-4-5mm-Male-Female-Gold-Plated-Banana-Plug-US-/151680900067?hash=item2350e2dbe3:g:ZWgAAOSw6BtVVHYY
Heat Shrink Tubing ($7)
Electric Tape
Carbon enclosure case? Or how do you all recommend mounting the Space Cell
Anything else I’m missing to finish the complete build?
that soldering iron won’t do you much good with think wires: it is worth paying a little more because I don’t think you can get a strong connection with that one.
even a middle grade weller soldering gun would be 10 times better; I used this one for a while, and it’ll get the job done:http://www.amazon.com/Weller-8200PKS-120-volt-Universal-Soldering/dp/B002YDMZF4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446500689&sr=8-1&keywords=soldering+gun
then just get some solder (because a kit really isn’t worth it- you just need an iron + solder) and you’ll be good!
The space cell comes with an xt60 on it, and enertion’s vescs now ship with an xt60 aswell. so I’d change you 90’s to 60’s, and see if you can buy like 5 pairs instead of 10 (just to save some $$)
everything else looks good! if you are concerned about spending the extra $ on the soldering iron, then you can always skip the heat shrink tubing, and just use electrical tape- but honesly, a bad soldering iron could ruin your build because all the joints are weak, and would eventually break while riding.
glad you are ready for your build!
