All these tips are great and here is one more. Just get some of these!! They make the whole job very easy...
http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc...idcategory=215

Originally Posted by billdad1

All these tips are great and here is one more. Just get some of these!! They make the whole job very easy...
http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc...idcategory=215

Or better yet ditch the deans and switch to APP's and don't solder anything:
http://www.powerwerx.com/anderson-po...owerpole-sets/

Thanks everyone for your tips.
I went out and bought 10 gauge terminal connectors with flat ends at the hardware store. I was able to get nice fitting on the deans but it took me a lttile trial and error and trimming. I also bought 10 gauge shrink tubing. That worked just fine.
Thanks everone for all the tips and links. I am still going to order from Atlanta hobby shop the connectors that grimbeaver gave me the link to.
All of you have been great with your responses and recommendations. Thanks again.

First i'll give my advice on soldering. First, If you are into electric flight buy a good quality soldering station. I bought the TrakPower TK950 and love it. Discard the cheapie radio shack units. Second, use small diameter rosin core solder. Don't try to solder with the heavy duty roll used for creating wiring harnesses for car restoration. Third, use a good quality soldering paste, ALWAYS. And last, and the best advice i can give, buy some of these when soldering Deans Ultra Connectors. Use them once and i guarantee you will thank me for them.
http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=745357

I thought i would demonstrate how these things work. They are Maxx Products (MPI) item number 2818. They come in a pack of ten for $4.99 according to their web store. I got mine from the LHS.
Step 1 - solder one lead to the connector
Step 2 - solder connector to the Deans connector
Step 3 - connect other lead the same way
Step 4 - secure heat shrink tubing
That's it! They allow a secure solder joint completely around the connectors. I used them running 10S on a high end EDF pulling well over 100 amps and they have never failed. This battery will be used in an 11S setup. I like em'!

Originally Posted by tacx

Soldering those heavy wires to deans is not easy. The problem you run into, no matter how hot of an iron you have, is that the amount of heat requierd to get the heavy wire hot enough, along with the soldering tab on the Deans, will deform the plastic body of the Deans.

I'm not saying it's impossible but it is not easy.

A decent BIG tip ... plenty of WATTS .... = no melted body, good joint.

I have a little addition to the good soldering advice in posts here ... with big diameter leads - I make sure the strands are neat and twisted ... then flatten the lead end, tin and solder ... so it lies on the Deans tab nicely.

Nigel

Originally Posted by solentlife

A decent BIG tip ... plenty of WATTS .... = no melted body, good joint.

I have a little addition to the good soldering advice in posts here ... with big diameter leads - I make sure the strands are neat and twisted ... then flatten the lead end, tin and solder ... so it lies on the Deans tab nicely.

Nigel

There's ways to avoid melting the plastic on the Deans.

1) You get everything ready (wires, shrink tubing, etc)
2) Thin the wire all around
3 Thin the Dean connector
4) Get the wire with pliers or just put something to shield the heat and grab it by hand. Balsa, a piece of fiberglass cloth a regular cloth or even a couple folds of napkin.
5) Re-thin the cable but keep the heat in it and put it in top of the Deans that way the connector solder melts fast.
6) Hold it until it get solid and shrink the tubing

I have done plenty of connections using this method and it never fails. I have a Weller WES51 and that's hot enough to get the job done.

See below the connector I solder into a Deans to charge my EDF jet packs. The connector has 8 awg gauge wires and 8 mm bullets. As you can see you can solder thicker wire into a Deans. Oh and I forgot to mention that the wire is straight into the connector not into some type EZ-Connector. I don't like those because they provide another point of failure if you get a bad solder point into it.

I'll agree that whether Deans connectors are the best connection to use can be debated but the OP asked for help in soldering those connectors. In my opinion the EZ connectors makes it much easier and as far as i am concerned provides a better joint due to the fact that you can solder the joint 360 degrees around the wire. As far as melting the plug, the EZ connectors are soldered to the wire first eliminating the chance of melting the plastic housing. The prongs provide a good physical joint to the Deans tab making it much easier to solder all the way around without moving and allowing you to solder with minimum heat application to the plug. Just my opinion.

I accidentally bought a one cell Lipo with no connector! 3.7V. Should I be soldering deans to it? I know I can but would it be too little for Regular RCs like 2x the size of microfliers

Personally I use deans and convert anything I have to deans for the sake of simplicity. I'm probably going to rethink that and go with something a bit easier to remove.

I usually lay my plug flat on my work table I tend not to clamp it (I have tried with little success to solder a clamped deans and for me clamping is more of a hassle). I hit the connector with the solder tip for a few seconds to get the lead hot enough to hold solder, then I drop a bit of solder on the connector (called tinning). I then do the opposite connector as well as the wire leads that will attach to them NOTE: IF THIS IS A LIPO I NEVER EVER NEVER CUT OFF BOTH WIRES, you run the risk of shorting out the pack. ALWAYS DO ONE WIRE WHILE THE SECOND IS WRAPPED WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE TO PREVENT SHORTS

Ted: try the Micro/Mini Deans for the smaller batts. I use them for single cells up to 3 cells and up to 800 ma. They work very well.

Gord.

You could also make or buy a couple of adapters for your battery plugs.

http://www.headsuprc.com/servlet/the...ers/Categories