Wire to wire connectors
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I'm having a real hard time finding suitable wire to wire connectors, so what do people here use? Basically, I want to be able to swap hot ends so I'd like wire to wire plugs and sockets for the heater and 4 wire PT100. I'd also like to have plugs and sockets for the fans rather than extend the wires all the way back to the Duet. Then there are the stepper motors which came pre-wired with a Molex type pcb connector and which I need to extend. I could cut the plug off and extend the cable but it'd be nice to find a mating connector so that I could easily swap out a stepper motor if I needed to. I can find plenty of big chunky connectors capable of taking 10Amps or more but I was looking for something little more elegant. There are plenty of wire to board connectors and I have loads of Molex type wire to board pins and receptacles but I can't find anything with male pins that will mate with them. I didn't think this was going to be difficult but I seem to have spent days on it.
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my favorite connectors (come in all sizes)
http://www.lemo.ch/en/products
not exactly cheap sadly -
I like the Molex Microfit myself.
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I use the Molex Microfit as well for my collection of hotend assemblies. They are rated at 8.5amps
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I use dual-row Molex microfit connectors on my delta printer. The only issue I have with them is that I find it impossible to extract the crimp pins if I need to rewire them. The proper pin extraction tool is not cheap.
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Thanks guys
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Another option is JST style connectors,
I've seen a lot of JST style connectors on the ends of the RGB pixels i buy for christmas lighting and they are a good solid lock and ubiquitous on aliexpress.
first thing i do is cut them off as they are not waterproof but that's not an issue for the 3D print world.A quick search on aliexpress turned up a link to ready to crimp housings and pins http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Sets-JST-2-54mm-SM-4-Pin-4-Way-Multipole-Connector-plug-With-ternimal-male/2048071728.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.226.g6lqfC&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_2_10057_10056_10055_10049_10059_10058_10017_405_404_10040_10060_10061_412,searchweb201603_8&btsid=3821c22b-b114-45e6-877e-70e06f1ecada
a couple others have 100 units for not much more.. -
Could always try these
http://shop.rc-electronic.com/WING-AND-FUSELAGE-CONNECTORS/ROOKIE-LINE/Wing-connectors-8pin-plug-socket-2-pairs.htm?shop=k_emcotec_e&a=article&ProdNr=A85310&p=3726I may look at these myself would make wireing much better
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Any thought on 15 pin D type connectors? having trouble finding datasheets too if they would handle 40watt hot-end at 24v (1.6amp by my calculation).. cable run approx 1m.
I was planning to use these so that I can remove whole effector to swap in another one if need
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Any thought on 15 pin D type connectors? having trouble finding datasheets too if they would handle 40watt hot-end at 24v (1.6amp by my calculation).. cable run approx 1m.
I was planning to use these so that I can remove whole effector to swap in another one if need
3M show 1A http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/1/ts0234-247014.pdf however OMRON show 3A http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/307/XM3-L_XM2-L_XM4K_XM4L_1212-348835.pdf
The greater issue may be that D-Sub in general are specced for 26AWG or 28AWG wiring and this in my personal view is way to thin…...
mind you i have wired D-Sub's with heavier wire in the distant past -
A friend at my hackerspace reports pumping 15amp through single pins on 15Pin D connectors.. so I think the 1.6amp for a hotend will be ok, I've put them on the outside of the plug so that heat doesn't build up tho..
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The Mendel90 by the brilliant nophead used D type connectors for hotend etc:
http://hydraraptor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/mendel90-extruder.html?m=1
We copied this design on the Think3dPrint3d laser cut mendel90. The D type connectors work well and are particularly suited to flat ribbon cable as they come in IDC versions.
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Considering I've already used the connector, glad to hear this
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A friend at my hackerspace reports pumping 15amp through single pins on 15Pin D connectors.. .
mmm maybe that is not a good reason to copy him and whilst I'm trying to be polite I call a steaming pile of BS from him.
if he did it it…. is so far outside of even safe margins for the connector rating to even be considered vaguely safe at 15A for any extended periods.We have a huge range of "designed for the task" quick connectors for power which the heater wires should use at the very least.
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Normally I would say yes, but I believe him in this case.. either way I'm not planning to over-rate by anywhere near that in my case..
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The D-sub pins are safely rated to 3A. Test have shown the temperature rises approximately 12C at 3A. You can pump more current through them, but the temperature may approach unsafe levels.
The easiest way to route high current is to use small compact battery connectors for RC applications. There are lots of different types such as Deans, Molex, JST, Tamiya, Futaba etc and they are rated for high currents due to the design. These connectors have a lot more surface contact between the male and female pins and some are gold plated to reduce oxidation which increases electrical resistance. I use the Deans connector for my hot end and it is very compact and can handle the current without problems.
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Examples:
Deans:
Others:
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For the lower current connections such as PT100, you can use a JST style 2.54 connector pin. There are different types from 2 pins to 20 pins and they have a locking feature to prevent accidental demates. There is no point in routing the PT100 and hot end on same connector unless you split the hot end into multiple pins to reduce the current through each pin. If the connector is rated for high current, it would be large, and vice versa for smaller connector. You always way to keep the high current connection on a different connector.
