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Forum Index : Electronics : Connector/plugs standards

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South Easter

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Joined: 18/06/2007
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Posts: 36
Posted: 12:55pm 09 Sep 2007
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Hi, I am wondering if there are any standards for DC connections in microscale RE? Something that cant be confused with/fit into AC outlets, and also cant be connected backwards.

I use banana plugs at the moment, but it seems far from ideal.
South Easter
http://windpower.org.za
 
Warpspeed
Guru

Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 10:28pm 09 Sep 2007
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Both Clipsal and HPM make a round two pin plug where the two pins are at rightangles to each other. These are commonly used for DC applications in Australia.

Clipsal part numbers are 402-32 and 492-32

Any good electrical supplier should have them.Edited by Warpspeed 2007-09-11
Cheers,  Tony.
 
South Easter

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Joined: 18/06/2007
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Posted: 07:16am 10 Sep 2007
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Thanks Warp. Looks perfect! Can u tell me which pin is conventionally positive?
South Easter
http://windpower.org.za
 
Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 07:32am 10 Sep 2007
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I am not sure that there actually is an Australian standard for this, but I could be wrong.

These plugs are used very widely for any ac or dc voltage other than 240v ac.

Because of the very wide application range, everyone seems to have their own idea about polarity! but the plugs and sockets are very common, easy to obtain, well made, and very convenient for our type of application.
Cheers,  Tony.
 
RossW
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Joined: 25/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 495
Posted: 08:55am 10 Sep 2007
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Depends on the application - the other "nearly universal" high-power DC plug is the Anderson range.

These are "sexless" connectors - each connector will plug into any other, they're (usually) polarity-marked and come in low capacity (around 10 amps from memory) up to huge buggers that will carry hundreds of amps.

You find 'em in UPSs, on trailers, in forklift chargers and scisor-lifts, all manner of things.
 
Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 08:29pm 10 Sep 2007
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Another handy type of connector to use outdoors for low voltages and fairly high currents, are the Utilux five and seven pin trailer connectors.

Fairly crude, but they have massive brass pins and are very reliable for what they are.
Cheers,  Tony.
 
South Easter

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Joined: 18/06/2007
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Posted: 07:02pm 12 Sep 2007
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Thanks for all the comments!

The Clipseal ones look good... It seems kinda logical to me that the horizontal pin is negative (-'ve) and the vertical is a bit more like a +, so should be positive.
South Easter
http://windpower.org.za
 
Warpspeed
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Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 09:44pm 12 Sep 2007
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That would be an excellent way to remember, once you have decided which way to mount the socket!
Cheers,  Tony.
 
South Easter

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Joined: 18/06/2007
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Posted: 05:24am 16 Sep 2007
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Good point Warp... somehow seems sensible to have the connectors one above the other? Suppose it depends on where the hole for the wire is on the plugs... usually one would want the wire coming out downwards (not sideways) so that multiple plugs can fit next to each other...

Seems like this issue is crying out for a standard... any standard!
South Easter
http://windpower.org.za
 
Gill

Senior Member

Joined: 11/11/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 669
Posted: 10:05am 16 Sep 2007
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G'day fellas,
I have a Chesney caravan which use that style of very low voltage socket and it is wired as you indicate above.

Mounted such that the pins form a 'T'. The '-' being Neg and the 'I' being Pos.

I think the Chesneys were manufactured in the 1960, 70 and 80's but now out of business.

Well thats my penny's worth.
was working fine... til the smoke got out.
Cheers Gill _Cairns, FNQ
 
AMUN-RA

Senior Member

Joined: 10/03/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 144
Posted: 08:51pm 16 Sep 2007
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The horizontal connector should be the positive. they are rated at 15 A but it has been found that they cannot cope with this level ,so in practice should be limited to 10 A Quote from photovoltaic power systems
NUER02 edition used by tafe for teaching pv installers.
Ref page 36 unit 8
For my money I would use anderson's as I find the plug falls out of the clipsal socket very easily.
Mick
Every day the sun shines
& gravity sucks= free energy.
 
South Easter

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Joined: 18/06/2007
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Posts: 36
Posted: 10:16pm 16 Sep 2007
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Hi Mick. Is there an online reference I can find which gives the recommended polarity?
South Easter
http://windpower.org.za
 
AMUN-RA

Senior Member

Joined: 10/03/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 144
Posted: 10:31pm 16 Sep 2007
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Any online reference should say the same thing as these are the standard reference books used by CQU.Mick
Every day the sun shines
& gravity sucks= free energy.
 
gedanate
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Joined: 25/11/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 1
Posted: 07:43am 25 Nov 2007
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Hi guys, I found your discussion while researching for a standard for this plug. Apparently there *IS* an Australian standard of sorts, and all states except for Victoria use the Horizontal pin as Positive, and the Vertical pin (when it forms the letter "T") as the negative.

This was mentioned in a WICEN document which is read by Amateur Radio hobbyists who take part in emergency communications. They need to standardise their plug fittings, or else they risk blowing the circuitry of their radio transcievers.

Why on Earth the state of Victoria has to be different - when all the other states and territories agree - is a puzzle. :-)

Cheers,
David

David Harvey
 
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