Connectors, Wiring and Voltage.

[O_RLY?.YA_RLY!]

Im trying to install a CA crane stock onto my TM SR16 and i have a few questions concerning the wiring and connectors of the gearbox/ batteries and voltage.

 

First, how do i take apart a mini tamiya connector? Im thinking of switching to Deans connectors and im not sure if i should just cut the original Tamiya connector off or if theres a certain way.

 

Second, my charger only has a large tamiya connector on it, if i switch to a small tamiya connector a Deans connector on the charger, will this break it?

 

Third, how can i tell if a wire is 16 AWG or 18 AWG? What would happen if i accidentally connected a 16 AWG to a 18 AWG wire?

 

Last, my Crane stock came with a 9.6v battery and im worried about the voltage. I have been told that 9.6v will wear out stock TM nylon bushings very quickly, so how long would the gun shoot before i have to replace the bushings?

[a global threat]

Last, my Crane stock came with a 9.6v battery and im worried about the voltage. I have been told that 9.6v will wear out stock TM nylon bushings very quickly, so how long would the gun shoot before i have to replace the bushings?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

You'll be fine with stock bushings. It will be a very long time before you need tochange bushings unless you upgrade, but you should change bushings anyways since the gearbox is open.

[Hilts]

First, how do i take apart a mini tamiya connector? Im thinking of switching to Deans connectors and im not sure if i should just cut the original Tamiya connector off or if theres a certain way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can push the pins from the front and they should come out easily enough, but if you're fitting Deans it's easier to cut the Tamiya connector off and solder the Deans connectors on. If you leave enough of a lead, you can use the cut off connector to make a Tamiya/Deans adaptor - might help with the Q. below .

Second, my charger only has a large tamiya connector on it, if i switch to a small tamiya connector a Deans connector on the charger, will this break it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, I use Deans on my charger fine. Put a male on your charger and AEG, females on your batteries to prevent them shorting . As I mentioned above, you could also make an adaptor - cut the Tamiya connector off your battery then solder a male Deans on the end. Plug the Tamiya into your charger and the male Deans into the females on your batteries.

Third, how can i tell if a wire is 16 AWG or 18 AWG? What would happen if i accidentally connected a 16 AWG to a 18 AWG wire?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

16 AWG is thicker and can handle higher a slightly higher electrical current - see here. The thinner wire should heat up more with the same current load and might melt the insulation, but that's not to say that won't happen with the thick wire - it depends on sustained usage mainly. You shoud be OK connecting the 2 (the wire on my batteries is thicker than the stock wiring for my MP5 and I've had no probs ) but someone else may have different ideas.

Last, my Crane stock came with a 9.6v battery and im worried about the voltage. I have been told that 9.6v will wear out stock TM nylon bushings very quickly, so how long would the gun shoot before i have to replace the bushings?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure, have you upgraded the spring also?

 

Hope this helps

 

H.

[O_RLY?.YA_RLY!]

Wow. That was very helpful. +1.

I havent upgraded anything at all so far, this is going to be my beater gun and the reason why i want the crane stock on the SR16 is so that i can take the full stock and put it onto my project gun, but if/when it breaks i can just put in some spare metal bushings i have laying around.

[xufima]

I would make a Tamiya/Deans adaptor cable so you can use your charger to charge either type.

 

Nothing bad will happen when connecting a 16AWG and 18AWG wire together, the fuse should blow long before the wire melts, that's why it's there.

[Tommygunn]

First, how do i take apart a mini tamiya connector? Im thinking of switching to Deans connectors and im not sure if i should just cut the original Tamiya connector off or if theres a certain way.

 

There are two types Tamiya 'large' and Kyosho 'mini'. The method of wire/internal connection removal is the same and can be done with a purpose made tool or as follows. The plugs, apart from size, have the same internal metal male and female plugs that have barbs on them to retain them in the plastic outer plug.

What you need to do is get a small, flat jewellers screwdriver and insert it to bend the barbs inwards while applying a moderate pull on the wire.

You can then do as you wish if you want to retain the Tamiya/Kyosho plugs. However, I would recommend using Deans, or as I use, Corally type bullet plugs, in this case 4mm:

The main reason to change to a better plug is because, in comparison to the rest of the circuit, the Tamiya/Kyosho plugs have very poor connectivity/conductivity while Deans and Corally plugs have what is termed zero resistance.

p.s. if your going to change the plugs over then don't bother faffin' just chop them off if you've got enough wire slack, and in any case you'll only lose about 5mm of wire.

 

Second, my charger only has a large tamiya connector on it, if i switch to a small tamiya connector a Deans connector on the charger, will this break it?

As has been mentioned by someone previously, I changed to Corally male connectors on my charger to match the females on my batteries. However, beware, as just pointed out I use females on both poles of my battery so that they are fully insulated. This means that I have exposed male plugs on the charger so make sure they don't touch when you plug you charger into the mains:

You should, for the good of your batteries when charging, ditch all crappy Tamiya/Kyosho plugs and fit some zero resistance plug on your charger.

 

Third, how can i tell if a wire is 16 AWG or 18 AWG? What would happen if i accidentally connected a 16 AWG to a 18 AWG wire?

Here is a link to establish what wire gauge you have:

http://www.rbeelectronics.com/wtable.htm

I personally use silicon 16AWG silver plated wire as shown below(with Corally plugs) which is approximately 1mm in diameter making it 16AWG.

You will notice from the bottom table that 18AWG wire is more than enough to handle the voltage and amps associated with airsoft.

Let's say there is a average of 5 foot of wire(and I'm exaggerating) therefore 18AWG could handle up to 12V at 24Amps which is well within airsoft parameters.

I just use 16AWG because it is nice and chunky and more resilient to being knocked about.

Your wiring is like a chain; it's as strong as its weakest link, but in airsoft it ain't no problem.

 

Last, my Crane stock came with a 9.6v battery and im worried about the voltage. I have been told that 9.6v will wear out stock TM nylon bushings very quickly, so how long would the gun shoot before i have to replace the bushings?

This question is like saying, "how long is a piece of string". You cannot determine it and all you can say is that the faster and more often you use your gun then the quicker it will get to the point where it will wear out and break.

I would definitely recommend that you junk your nylon bushings and fit some metal ones as they will significantly extend your AEG's life.

 

Lastly I too am considering adding a Crane stock to my AEG and hit upon an idea which I notice Hurricane have nicked in their new stock.

The idea is to do the below:

The plan is to wind one wire inside the other to create a self compressing spring of conducting wire. The springynous? will be retained by heat shrink(not shown) shrunk on as you see the wires now. What you will get is a flat, self compressing 2in1 wire that will fit inside the stock tube that will easily be able to stretch as the stock is extended.

This is far superior to any current system which basically involves scrunching the wires up in the stock tube which can lead to all sorts of trouble.

[rtrdpenguin]

Wow that was a mad guide. How are the bullet type connectors you use? Deans are pretty expensive and if these are about as good with a lower price I might switch =) +1 for cool guide

[Tommygunn]

Talk about mad, it was well frustrating trying to wind one wire around the other at the same time.

 

The Corally plugs are great and to my mind superior to Deans especially in terms of getting them to fit inside the cramp space of a RAS as shown above. You must, however, not be colour blind because if you have soldered the plugs on, as I have, then it is possible you could connect the black to red and red to black.

I would hope only the deserving stupid would do that and in any case it could be avoided by mixing the plugs/sockets and putting a male and female on the battery and doing the same on the charger/AEG leads so no mishaps could happen.

 

I got mine when I was still living in the UK and they were £9.99($17) for a pack of 10 pairs(male/female) from a local model shop.

 

Cheers.

[TriChrome]

I would stick with deans plugs; there is no accidental way to touch positive to negative.

[Tommygunn]

True, considering the amount of monkeys that play airsoft.

[Melonfish]

i've got some 24amp wire for my battery extention, now standard aeg 9.6v batts discharge at about 20-25 amp don't they, is this wire suitable for my aeg or is it gonna melt?

 

the wire i have is thicker then my stock wire, just. that should help right?

pete

[TriChrome]

I always use 16 gauge wire. It's rated to far above what any AEG can pull (electricity wise) and will always fit in the tracks of the gearbox properly (and through the other small spaces it has to fit through).

[xufima]

It's always safer to be able to handle more current then you will ever actually need. 16AWG should be more than enough.

[Melonfish]

okay i've i've calced this right what i've got here is 8 gauge wire. which should be more then sufficient.

 

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

 

this is where i got my comparison from.

 

seeing as the max load is 73 i should be alright i think.

all this leccy stuff is confuddling...

pete

[ViscountCharles]

How large are Deans conectors? I've got a G36C where space is tight - so tight in fact that it's not always easy to get the foregrip on even with TM's choice of mini connectors. Will Deans connectors fit in there?

[TriChrome]

They're smaller than the normal mini plugs your gun came with.

[Tommygunn]

Melonfish,

Are you sure you've got your measurments correct because 8 guage wire is big. Sure you weren't measuring the outer diameter of the insulation because if it was the actual wire core diameter the diameter would be about 3.26mm plus you have the insulation on top. I can't see that fitting in most parts of an AEG.

 

The picture of my 16gauge wire is a tight fit in the gearbox because that has pretty thick insulation.

[Melonfish]

Melonfish,

Are you sure you've got your measurments correct because 8 guage wire is big. Sure you weren't measuring the outer diameter of the insulation because if it was the actual wire core diameter the diameter would be about 3.26mm plus you have the insulation on top. I can't see that fitting in most parts of an AEG.

 

The picture of my 16gauge wire is a tight fit in the gearbox because that has pretty thick insulation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

prolly not then i've measured the core and its about 2 something mil so it might be 12 gauge?

 

its this stuff http://www.overlander.co.uk/detail.asp?categoryid=57&ID=200

2.5 mil so it should be 10 gauge.

 

lol didn't know it was just the core i was measuring.

pete

[Hilts]

How large are Deans conectors?  I've got a G36C where space is tight - so tight in fact that it's not always easy to get the foregrip on even with TM's choice of mini connectors.  Will Deans connectors fit in there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Deans are smaller than Tamiya minis - about 10mm x 5mm x 5mm IIRC. If you need an accurate measurement I can do it when I get home tomorrow morning .

[Tommygunn]

I still think that your going to have a pig of a time getting any wire that size to fit in the channels of a gearbox.

I just measured up the 16 gauge wire I use, pictured above, and it has an insulation wall thickness of 0.75 - 1.0mm approx and a core diameter of appoximately 1.0 - 1.5mm. This gives it and overall diameter of about 3 - 3.5mm and at that diameter I have to use the flat of screwdriver to press it into the gearbox channels.

I just think that the wire you are looking at is far to thick, and if we use a .75mm insulation thickness, then an overall diameter of 2.5mm +(.75mm x 2) = 4mm is way to thick.

[Melonfish]

its not going in my gearbox sorry, its just a battery extention, its gonna be heatshrunk so its all black as its an external ish feed to my PEQ

pete

[Tommygunn]

Oh yeah, forgot.

Have you considered the 'completely hidden wire' mod as shown in my RAS pic on the previous page?

 

EDIT: more details here - http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/inde...c=40133&hl=mods

[Sick Srt-4]

No, I use Deans on my charger fine. Put a male on your charger and AEG, females on your batteries to prevent them shorting . As I mentioned above, you could also make an adaptor - cut the Tamiya connector off your battery then solder a male Deans on the end. Plug the Tamiya into your charger and the male Deans into the females on your batteries.

H.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Great info Hilts, but I would like to add 1 bit of advice. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT use an "adapter" if you use a high end battery charger. I've been into battery powered hobbies for a long time and I can tell you 1 of 2 outcomes will happen.

 

1: difficulty charging packs - Not peaking, taking WAY too long, overheating cables, maintainence issues, etc...

 

2: Possibilies of shorts, fires, or other misc pack damages.

 

I DO use deans connectors on all my equipment.

 

Generally YES an adapter can be trouble free, and of course I DO have an adapter selction in case my friends or people at the field need a pack charge. I rarily ever use them though.

[Hilts]

Thanks for the info I hadn't considered that there may be problems charging with a high end carger (I run a Pro Peak Prodigy FYI). Personally I only use Deans too but I thought it might be easier for someone who wasn't sure to make an adaptor so they can still have the option of going back.

 

@ ViscountCharles - I was a bit out in my estimate , Deans connectors are 13 x 7.5 x 10mm h x w x d.

[rtrdpenguin]

=) Thanks again for the info about the little bulletish plugs. With those I could probably connect my battery in my PEQ to my SIG 552 without drilling out the holes (looks crazy bad) or modifying the handguard to let the wire through.