Looking for an inexpensive PowerPole distribution block to run power in your shack or out in the field? K9JEB.com has the PC-V1 Power Connector Kit that allows you to hook up 5 different items. It is fuse protected with a fault light. whether you are new to kit building or a seasoned pro the PC-V1 Power Connector Kit will do the job. This PowerPole distribution block kit will NOT break the bank either.
Actually, v2 of this kit has been out for a while. I just recently completed my 2nd one. I screwed up badly on the first one. There are some things you can do to make building this kit easier on yourself. - Use a file or sandpaper to remove the chrome plating from the solder lugs on the fuse holders. - Put the fuse in the holders to align it while you solder, and do as John says, and be sure to really push them all the way in. - I used double-sided tape to put shims in between the power poles, for alignment and holding them steady while soldering. I use the fake credit cards I get as solicitations in the mail for shim stock. - Clamp the power poles as a block in a vise to hold them in alingment while soldering. - I also glued some pins, made from nails, in the grooves in the power poles, again for alingment and to keep everything nice and solid, but that was after soldering. - IIRC, John's instructions say to trim the wires from the power poles flush prior to soldering, and I don't agree. - John provides enough wire that you can cut the solid wire to the full 3/4" pieces for the power poles, and I think this will make it easier, particularly given my other main advice. - John's instructions mention that you need to bridge all the "power" traces with solder to provide enough conductance for the amperage, and this is absolutely true - I initially didn't do this well enough, and had troubles. - What I ended up doing was using 18ga stranded to bridge all the "power" connections. Yes, it looks awful! That's because I did it after completing the kit. Overkill? Maybe, but my motto is, "Nothing exceeds like excess!" - If I build another one, I will add the wire power "bus" right at the start, and that's where having the longer "pins" sticking up will help. Trim them off nice and flat once you're finished soldering. As you can see from the photo, I'd rather that the little tray that John (optionally) provides had wings for attaching it to whatever. The holes for mounting screws are in the middle of that tray, under the board, so if you want to move it, you have to take the board off, and I'm not super confident of multiple insertions of the little screws that hold the board onto the plastic tray. No, I'm not going to unscrew it and show the backside. I think this is a fine kit for a nice compact distribution block, and you can't beat the price. John mailed me the kit very quickly. He has many other kits available, and options for adding a voltmeter - I don't recall whether there's an ammeter too.
John K9JEB here - just wanted you to know that there is now a new case on the website for the PC-5 board that has mounting ears just like the picture above. Also - we can put #12AWG copper bus bars on the bottom of the board to boost the power handling capacity up all the way to 45A - the max for these contacts. Link to this product on the site is here: https://k9jeb.com/PowerConnector.aspx thanks all and 73
3D Printing is a wonderful thing! Might be a while until I order another - have to cut spending until I'm back to work.
I have been looking at that myself, but i don't think my soldering skills are at that level just yet. Thanks for watching
I hate to be that guy but, on your website pages, you have blue background with blue printing. It is very difficult to read.
Flux is your friend. Best to Clean it off after soldering, No Clean Flux is a big joke. If a 3D printer is wanted, I recommend a Ender in kit form. It only took me 1 year to get my Ender 3 Pro dialed in perfectly. ABS or PLA+ may be best for a project like this. The temperature in a automobile can be a brute in Texas. Nice Work.
I do use flux. I've found it's a big help, especially when I want solder to flow up on/around something. Yeah, cleanup can be bit of a pain, but if isopropyl doesn't get it, DeoxIT does. John reports that he has no troubles using Kester #44, but I don't know which alloy. Possibly, the rosin formulation is the key. I'm still using a roll of Tech Spray 60/40 that I bought many years ago - I don't go through solder very quicky. The Hakko station is set to 650F.
You should have bought a genuine Prusa Mk3 then. I was dialed in within hours. The Ender is the Baofeng of 3D printers.
cut off the factory connectors which will never fail & replace it with these for easy standardized hookups I loathe power poles, Oh they work until they get worn and the play knocks things out then you have to use a ziptie to keep the connector together
I haven't cut anything off. HRO sells the T connectors for my radio. Buy the right gender, make a pigtail.
While zipties are cheap, these are reusable: https://powerwerx.com/powerpole-connector-retention-clip
