Best way to wire 2 wires from Molex into 1 in a Powerpole (WAS: Need mating connector for Kenwood PS-30 power supply)

#83

Bill . . .

On Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:14:49 -0700, "Bill Mader" <billamader@...> wrote:

Using solder for any wire that flexes frequently is not a good idea.  The solder will make the wire brittle and it will break over time.  Proper crimping is much better and is the professional choice for reliability as well as faster application. Apparently NASA and other sources say not to solder these where you crimp them,
though there is plenty of disagreement on this, too. I have ordered a good
crimping tool that is made for crimping these. 

Now I have a question about making the pigtail. Kenwood used two Molex pins to
handle the current (it's a bit much for a single pin to handle). The Powerpole
connectors handle 30 amps or more. I will be needing to merge two wires from the
two Molex pins for each polarity into a single connection on the Powerpoles. 

Is it best to use two smaller gauge wires from the Molex and run them both into
one Powerpole, or use a crimp connection to merge it into a single 10 gauge wire
(it might be 12 gauge). The thicker wire would go into the Powerpole. I could
also solder a Y together and do it that way but it adds a soldered connection in
the middle between the Molex and Powerpole connectors. 

I don't see a problem with using a butt splice connector but technically these
are made for one wire into each end. Would a crimping of two smaller wires be
good enough on one end of the butt splice?

This isn't likely to flex much in operation, but I might as well make this work
as well as possible and make it look professional. 

I still need to hunt down my Powerpole crimper but I am not in any hurry. 

Donald KX8K



----------------------------------------------------
Some ham radio groups you may be interested in:
/g/ICOM   /g/Ham-Antennas
/g/HamRadioHelp    /g/Baofeng
/g/CHIRP  

#86

I have a Kenwood power cable that is factory made and has the two wire cable from the Molex to the power supply. There are also line fuses in each wire of the cable. I was able to slip the boot off of the Molex connector and see how they connected the #10 stranded cable to the Molex connector. There are NO solder joints.
The black and red wires were separated about 2-1/2 inches back from the cable end.
Each wire was stripped back about 2 inches then the strands of each wire were divided into two equal smaller twisted wires. That now makes a red wire with two stranded bare twisted wires about 2 inches long and a black wire with two stranded bare twisted wires about 2 inches long.
The connectors were then crimped onto the 4 wire ends. Heat shrink was placed over each bare wire and shrunk. Another short piece 1/2 inch long was then placed over the 2 smaller heat shrink and the wire insulation to cover that seam and then shrunk. 
Of course, the boot is factory molded but that covered all the heat shrink and Molex connector. As far as a final cover for your installation that is your choice of materials. 
Hope this helps. The cable has worked fine for me and has been safe.

Clark  KG9FM

Show quoted text

On 08/07/2022 5:36 PM Donald Hellen <donhellen@the cable was stripped back roadrunner.com> wrote:

 
Bill . . .

On Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:14:49 -0700, "Bill Mader" <billamader@...> wrote:

Using solder for any wire that flexes frequently is not a good idea.  The solder will make the wire brittle and it will break over time.  Proper crimping is much better and is the professional choice for reliability as well as faster application. Apparently NASA and other sources say not to solder these where you crimp them,
though there is plenty of disagreement on this, too. I have ordered a good
crimping tool that is made for crimping these. 

Now I have a question about making the pigtail. Kenwood used two Molex pins to
handle the current (it's a bit much for a single pin to handle). The Powerpole
connectors handle 30 amps or more. I will be needing to merge two wires from the
two Molex pins for each polarity into a single connection on the Powerpoles. 

Is it best to use two smaller gauge wires from the Molex and run them both into
one Powerpole, or use a crimp connection to merge it into a single 10 gauge wire
(it might be 12 gauge). The thicker wire would go into the Powerpole. I could
also solder a Y together and do it that way but it adds a soldered connection in
the middle between the Molex and Powerpole connectors. 

I don't see a problem with using a butt splice connector but technically these
are made for one wire into each end. Would a crimping of two smaller wires be
good enough on one end of the butt splice?

This isn't likely to flex much in operation, but I might as well make this work
as well as possible and make it look professional. 

I still need to hunt down my Powerpole crimper but I am not in any hurry. 

Donald KX8K



----------------------------------------------------
Some ham radio groups you may be interested in:
/g/ICOM   /g/Ham-Antennas
/g/HamRadioHelp    /g/Baofeng
/g/CHIRP  

#91

It's always better to use a larger gauge than smaller, Don.? I would combine the two connections at the radio end of the cable.

The "standard" APP accepts 15A, 30A, and 45A pins.? I always use the largest pins (45A) for transceivers and the smaller ones for accessories.? I have an adapter made for the IC-7610 with a pair of fuses, APP plugs on one end, and splices to the Icom-supplied power cable.? The adapter manufacturer used #12 wire.? In FT8 use, that wire heats up but Icom's cable (perhaps #10) does not.? Heat is bad!? My project list includes replacing that adapter with one using #10 wire.? BTW, the crimped butt splices do not get warm.

There is a lot of Amateur Radio "advice" around.? Much of it is bad because it's based on anecdotes, not science.? The worst of it is about antennas.? My advice to posters here is to confirm you assertions with multiple trusted sources before posting.? Let's at least slow down the proliferation of bad advice, if not kill it altogether.? Excellent mentors know when to not provide their anecdotes unless they label them as such.? That's the difference between facts and opinion.s

73, Bill, K8TE

#92

Bill . . .


On Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:13:08 -0700, "Bill Mader" <billamader@...> wrote:

It's always better to use a larger gauge than smaller, Don.  I would combine the two connections at the radio end of the cable.I usually wire my PowerPoles with 10 gauge, and remove 2 or 3 strands of the 10
ga copper (only what won't fit into the connector) so the wire fits into the
connector before crimping.  I did wire one setup with 12 gauge because that's
all I had at the time. (I try to keep about 15-20 feet of the 10 ga on hand.) 

I can't go any heavier or I'd have to go up in PowerPole connector size from 30A
to 45A, and standard size for Field Day and other activities at most clubs is
30A, two connectors total, one for + and one for - polarities. That's how my
shack and car are outfitted, too. 

Donald KX8K



----------------------------------------------------
Some ham radio groups you may be interested in:
/g/ICOM   /g/Ham-Antennas
/g/HamRadioHelp    /g/Baofeng
/g/CHIRP  

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Best way to wire 2 wires from Molex into 1 in a Powerpole (WAS: Need mating connector for Kenwood PS-30 power supply)