Anderson powerpole 3D print for 'coin' holders (2 Viewers)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 17, 2003
Threads
64
Messages
4,427
Location
Sunnyvale, CA
Website
www.george4wd.taskled.com
I posted a couple of pics in the what did you do with your 80 thread a few days back.

Anyhow, V2 looks pretty close. I'm just sizing up the roll pin hole a little to make it easier for the roll pins to be inserted.

So, this is the latest 'look'. The grey is too light, so I'll probably just use black versus go hunting for darker grey.

and1.jpg


The powerpoles slide in with a reasonable amount of friction. The roll pins will just secure them.

and2.jpg


This is V1 (posted in the other thread), to see how/where it fits. This was a white proto.

a2738d0b-2b0c-493a-82cb-80e229367af2.jpg


Figured I start this thread since I'll post up the STL once I happy with it. I'll do a new test fit tomorrow. The design is in solidworks, so I can put those files up too if anyone wants them.

cheers,
george.
 
Oh, the reason for powerpoles is that I hate cig lighter plugs and have cut them off most everything I have that 'plugs' into 12V and put powerpoles on instead. So, having places to plug powerpoles into the 80 is good. I even made a cig lighter to powerpole pigtail to be able to use my powerpole stuff with an older cig lighter outlet.

I have done the same to my patrol in oz.

cheers,
george.
 
Looks nice, well done! I personally hate Anderson power pole connectors, I think they can be super finicky and quite honestly look unrefined. I stick to duetsch connectors now, for fridges and stuff. That’s just my taste, that said I know plenty of people who run APP connectors and love them so I’m not one to throw shade.

Nice job!
 
Last edited:
I like DC coax jacks myself, but you can't beat Anderson for versatility and current capacity. I think their low end is 15 amps, up to 45 amps, all on their smallest housing. Meanwhile, Switchcraft rates their standard coax jack & plug at around 5 amps, and 7.3 amps for the heavy duty version! Plus, Anderson offers a bunch of colors, which is helpful for a complex system.
 
The thing I like about the powerpoles is that they are genderless. So, I can make extension cables, switch boxes, breakout boxes and they all plug and play together.

Coax connectors - yes, I've used those and I've moved away from them. Just spent a bit of time upgrading a few old coax based units to install (epoxy in) powerpoles.

Their 'un-refinement' is perfect for easy field repairs or updates, no special tools required.

I'll have to post a few pics of things that I've 'powerpoled' :)

cheers,
george.
 
Probably from my amateur radio background but personally like APPs. This is a very nice idea and implementation.
 
A sampling of powerpole stuff. The white breakout is a 3D printed holder with 5 parallel powerpoles, so can be an expander off one extension etc.

For temporary power to various items, the powerpoles are a good choice. High current and self-wiping contacts that are easy to examine. I wouldn't use them for permanent wiring, but for hooking camping stuff together they do work well and offer great flexibility. Decent retention when plugged together, but can pull out if you trip over a cable etc., pull out hopefully before you trip over onto your head :)

PXL_20220412_015549792.jpg


Switch (lights up when on). Input is either end. Short extension plugged in.

PXL_20220412_015604392.jpg


Converted baofeng charger to operate direct on 12V (has an internal 12V to 10V converter).

PXL_20220412_015614522.jpg


My 3 headed camping light (LEDs) with dimming capability. I like it since I can direct the light where I want it. I typically use it with a coleman skyhook,

PXL_20220412_015637563.jpg


If I need to run something away from the vehicle (e.g. 12V pump for getting water out of a well or spring etc) then I have a 4 cell (lifepo4) battery pack. It can also directly charge by plugging it into vehicle power when the vehicle is running.

PXL_20220412_024545419.jpg


cheers,
george.
 
I’m just curious how many things your are needing extension cords for.

Lighting, water pump, etc. With the breakout, I can run a single extension from the vehicle up to 20' feet away and then plug in multiple devices. Since I like to camp for a few weeks, there's often enough times where having somewhat remote power is handy. All fed from by aux battery.

Like on my 2 week death valley trip, I stayed in some cabins several times. Being able to run my lights powered from the vehicle was handy, just plug in the extension and bring it into the cabin. I much prefer this than a gas/petrol lantern - one less thing I have to have fuel for.

cheers,
george.
 
Well, I'm very happy with V3. The roll pins now push in with some resistance, but not a ridiculous amount. I use the roll pins that come with the anderson powerpoles when you buy them as a 'kit'. The design is such that you can use a small drill bit to push them all the way through and out in the middle gap, if you ever want to remove the pins and the powerpoles from the plastic assembly.

I print them using PETG and using a friends Prusa printer.

The attached STL can be run through whatever slicer you choose. For printing I orient the face of the assembly facing down on the print surface. I slice & print with a brim - just seems to provide a more consistent start to printing and better starting adhesion - do whatever works best for your printer.

Test fitting V3. Ignore the little 'extra' plastic on the top-right edge - I didn't remove the brim completely in my rush to test fit and only noticed in the picture. Only one powerpole installed so I can grab the unit with long nose pliers to extract it after test fitting.

PXL_20220412_210549797.jpg


The powerpoles push in from the back direction - that way the front doesn't need the notches for the powerpole locking protrusions. A cleaner look. You just push the powerpoles in from the rear as far as they will go in with the front face down on a hard surface. That will ensure that the roll pin hole lines up exactly with the assembly, you can just look through the hole and you should see daylight at the other end.

You remove the stock coin slots by just grabbing the middle flange/separator with some long nose pliers and just pull - they come out easily. The new assembly just pushes and clicks in.

cheers,
george.
 

Attachments

  • toyota_pp.STL
    135.8 KB · Views: 48
Well, I'm very happy with V3. The roll pins now push in with some resistance, but not a ridiculous amount. I use the roll pins that come with the anderson powerpoles when you buy them as a 'kit'. The design is such that you can use a small drill bit to push them all the way through and out in the middle gap, if you ever want to remove the pins and the powerpoles from the plastic assembly.

I print them using PETG and using a friends Prusa printer.

The attached STL can be run through whatever slicer you choose. For printing I orient the face of the assembly facing down on the print surface. I slice & print with a brim - just seems to provide a more consistent start to printing and better starting adhesion - do whatever works best for your printer.

Test fitting V3. Ignore the little 'extra' plastic on the top-right edge - I didn't remove the brim completely in my rush to test fit and only noticed in the picture. Only one powerpole installed so I can grab the unit with long nose pliers to extract it after test fitting.

View attachment 2979899

The powerpoles push in from the back direction - that way the front doesn't need the notches for the powerpole locking protrusions. A cleaner look. You just push the powerpoles in from the rear as far as they will go in with the front face down on a hard surface. That will ensure that the roll pin hole lines up exactly with the assembly, you can just look through the hole and you should see daylight at the other end.

You remove the stock coin slots by just grabbing the middle flange/separator with some long nose pliers and just pull - they come out easily. The new assembly just pushes and clicks in.

cheers,
george.
Very nice! I'm a huge fan of powerpoles and while I can't think of an immediate reason to have 12V DC in that particular spot, I certainly appreciate the work involved in designing this bit.

BTW, I'm still a huge fan of my fatman boost converter in my MTB lights I built 15 years ago.
 
Very nice! I'm a huge fan of powerpoles and while I can't think of an immediate reason to have 12V DC in that particular spot, I certainly appreciate the work involved in designing this bit.

BTW, I'm still a huge fan of my fatman boost converter in my MTB lights I built 15 years ago.

Fatman, now that is a blast from the past :) Glad that the old driver is still working well for you.

As an aside, I had a fatman powering the triple LED camping light above when it was powered from a 6V battery with a pot for dimming. It is now running nominal 12V input so has an nflex (also now obsolete...) with 'digital' dimming. That camping light has been used for near 20 years now, since my kids were kids :)

Since I've lopped off cig lighter plugs from all my 12V stuff and put powerpoles on instead, I have plenty of reason to have outlets in the console area :)

I'll have to post up the STL and some instructions for my 5 port breakout box when I get a chance.

cheers,
george.
 
The STL files attached for the top and bottom pieces as well as the soldering jig.

Top piece looking in. 10-32 bolts that are nominal 0.75" of thread.

top.jpg


The 3 'pieces'. The bottom has 10-32 threads for the bolts to thread into. The 3D print does a pretty decent job of 'cutting' the threads in.

You can see the 5 powerpoles soldered together. Next post will show the jig for soldering and also the part numbers for the right angle contacts.

thelot.jpg


cheers,
george.
 

Attachments

  • pp_5_jig.STL
    49.5 KB · Views: 27
  • pp_5_bot.STL
    878.4 KB · Views: 34
  • pp_5_top.STL
    653.4 KB · Views: 48
Last edited:
The jig for soldering. Basically similar to the top/bottom pieces, but cut away to allow easy soldering iron access while maintaining the correct position of the 5 powerpoles to then drop into the actual assembly above.

jig.jpg


The contacts are available at Digikey and likely other places too.

Actual part number -> 3-5913P1

Digikey part number -> 2243-3-5913P1-ND

cheers,
george.
 
Last edited:
very cool. i need to find someone with a printer like that and befriend them. thanks for making the files available! its been 20yrs since i used CAD software...and even then i wasn't very good at it.

i've considered adding a couple PP jacks, replacing 12V cigarette jacks, b/c i just don't like that form factor. an adapter solves the problem of any random accessory i don't want to chop the end off of. there are off the shelf 1-1/8" jacks which i'll probably use vs your custom route. but your breakout boxes, etc opened my eyes on the possibilities available via this form factor
 
Wow! love this @george_tlc .
I have two runs to the rear of the truck.
  • 10 gauge through a fuse block with a relay and dash switch with a dual APP connector
  • 4 gauge through a breaker to a power distribution block then to a dual APP connector
1649945852363.png


I used 45A APP's all around since I didn't want the connector to be a limiting factor.
The 10 AWG run is for the fridge and the switch works perfectly. The 4 AWG run is for my compressor, diesel heater, and anything else that draws less than approximately 30A.
 
Ok, so I've bought the dual powerwerx units before (that replace a cig lighter 'outlet', but given I now have the powerpole 'part' design, I figured I'd create my own. Bit of time and pennies to 3D print.

First proto. Final will be in black, just orange was already loaded and since this was just a sizing proto...

Still on the 3D printer (with brim)

IMG-20220427-WA0002.jpg



Powerpoles slide in beautifully.

PXL_20220429_011500169.jpg


The rear view. Same hole going through to push in the roll pins to secure them in place. One roll pin pushed in per hole.

PXL_20220429_011511089.jpg


I'm still 'refining' the nut thread.

I'll attach the STL files once I've got the nut sorted out. Fits the same 1 1/8" hole as the powerwerx and other cig outlets.


I posted this in a different thread, but here it is in this thread. The final black version installed in one of the coin blanks.

PXL_20220424_215142521.MP (1).jpg


cheers,
george.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom