POWER POLES -- HELP -- OH PLEASE HELP EDUCATE THE OLD MAN -- Hi-HI

[WD5JOY]

Hello Year 2012 -- Old Guy in need of help -- for my mental well being! ANDERSON Power Poopers (Poles of course)!


OK gents and lady-gents .... I bought a rig to use in the iron lung and it has a POWER CORD with the "Anderson Power Poles + Fuses on one end --- in both lines (+ & -) --- AND the connector to plug in to my newly purchased used Kenwood TS-590 on the OTHER END.

My ignorant dilemma lies here: --- As it sits on the desk and with my current power supply which has only BINDING POSTS I do not have the proper Power Pole Cable to go from the power supply BINDING POSTS with the other end connecting to the existing Power Pole Connectors on the supplied Kenwood Power Cord.

The POWER CORD has a RED and a BLACK power Pole Connector on the respective wires. I have NO idea how to tell if they are 15 amp ... 30 amp .... 45 amp etc etc etc Power Plugs. I'm sure it's easy - but this is my VERY FIRST exposure to these Anderson Wonder Connectors and the confusion grows by the minute. I see here http://www.windsun.com/Hardware/AndersonSB.htm there is NO MAKE OR FEMALE CONNECTOR but cannot wrap my broken mind around the "how it works". I am obviously missing the easy part and focusing on the unknown and this will let anything click!

I found a cable at Power Werx that MIGHT be the solution to the connection from the Power Supply to the existing Power Poles -- however, frustration has made me doubt myself. The cable is here at http://www.powerwerx.com/adapter-cab...cable-6ft.html yet the lack of a mention of "male and female" befuddles me once more!

Anyone? Please! Hi-Hi and all that rot! The old man needs an education -- or confirmation that I have not lost the remainder of my mind! It looks like the amp ratings are by COLOR?? Maybe not?? HELP! NO MALE OR FEMALE?? How??I am close to wacking off the POWER POLES and forming a loop in the end of the bare wire and hooking the ends to the power supply --- the way I have for 60 plus years --- but I am trying to learn the "new and improved" way of making these connections with Power Poopers!

Anyone brave enough to help the senile bag of bones in his quest for knowledge? I guarantee it WILL be APPRECIATED!

Dumb Don ....... out!

Oh yea ......... if you know when I last changed the colostomy bag tubing ....... remind me! HI and HI one last time.

[WB2WIK]

Um, I'd cut off the power pole connectors, strip the wires, and attach the wires to the power supply binding posts...and would have made some contacts already.

[KF5FEI]

There is no male or female -- they are unisex. They are polarized by locking them together with a build in tongue and groove arrangement. For the ham stuff, the amperage rating deals with the size of wire they are designed for. The connector shells and the actual contacts are the same size -- only the size of the part the wire crimps into is different. Perhaps someone local can make you a pigtail with Powerpoles on one end.

[K0SPN]

Technically, the colors denote the voltage of the connector; at least that's what Anderson says. Which means that, technically, we are not using them correctly, as designed by Anderson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_conn...ole_connectors

Technical correctness aside, I do use them just like so many other amateurs do; red/black for 12V (13.8V) +/- DC.
I use a West Mountain Radio Rigrunner (http://www.westmountainradio.com/pro...s_id=rr_4005_c); power supply to the 40A fuse side and the other five are outputs, each fused separately.

So, as I see it, you can either:
A: Get a Rigrunner and set it up that way, same as I did
B: Get a set of PowerPole connectors and make a short jumper to go to the power supply
C: Cut off the PowerPole and wire directly to the power supply

Option A is the most expensive and time/labor intensive, but gives you plenty of options to add other accessories later and fairly easily power them.
Option B or C would be the way I'd go if I were in your position, but I'd suggest going down to the hardware/home store and getting some ring terminals instead of just wrapping the wire around the power supply terminals (which is how my jumper is from supply to Rigrunner input).

[WG7X]

Um, I'd cut off the power pole connectors, strip the wires, and attach the wires to the power supply binding posts...and would have made some contacts already.

Amen brother Steve!

To the OP. Do what Steve suggests, quit worrying so much. Cut off the offending connectors. Wire the red wire to the positive (usually red) post and the black one to the negative post (usually black). Turn the radio on and get with it already!

One small additional piece of advice: Make sure that the power supply will provide enough power to run the radio. 25-30 amps is usually sufficient for most 100 watt HF radios, although it is better to have more capacity than you need at first. A good 30-40 watt supply should do it.

73 Gary

[KA9JLM]

Um, I'd cut off the power pole connectors, strip the wires, and attach the wires to the power supply binding posts...and would have made some contacts already.

Me Three....

[KC9UDX]

Me Three....

Me four. I haven't used Powerpoles, don't know that I ever will. Everything I have has binding posts, and if it doesn't, they're easy enough to add... Never need to buy a plug..

Actually, I think I have used them, on electric forklifts...

[WB2WIK]

I never went with the Power Pole fad, either.

They're cute and unisex, not a bad design. Also, not a great design. Just another design.

If I get any kind of cable with Power Poles on it, I just cut them off and use whatever I was using...

[KV6O]

I use powerpoles on all my equipment, I like them. That said, If I came across them and didn't use them or know what they were, I'd cut them off too.

They are supposed to make things easier, when they don't get rid of them!


Steve
KV6O

[KC9UDX]

They are supposed to make things easier, when they don't get rid of them

Just like Amphenol's, Molex's, banana plugs, and DIN plugs, etc etc etc...

Really though, what's simpler and easier than a binding post?