smart looking connectors for hub dynamo?

[mr magnolia]

They look just like the insulated ones that I'm using - from Maplins,  Sadly, the fact that the dynamo terminal outlets are so close together means that its tricky to put two of these on - I think I have one insulated and one not, plus of course the yellow insulating tape!

[mr magnolia]

My newest installation involved the use of a Shimano dynamo with very neat cable arrangement - strip some wire, lay them in place and clip the cover over the top.  I added a drop of grease to the top of the cable entries, as a probably unneccessary precaution against water entry.

I'm very impressed:

[Kim]

That Shimano 'lego brick' connector looks naff and plastic, but works extremely well in practice.  It stays put, but releases easily, even when you forget to disconnect it and yank the cable while removing the wheel.  The dynamo contacts benefit from an occasional wipe, but it mostly stays clean.

Random fact I learned via this forum: the spacing of the terminals on a SON is such that you can actually fit the Shimano connector over them.  It'll make electrical contact, but in the absence of a spring-loaded part, probably not a very reliable one.

[mr ben]

Bump.

The collected wisdom above (and as always you can't find better wisdom than that which exists here) suggests that it would be best to use the Shimano brick connectors for those that are used (i.e. connected and disconnected) the most.

My current set-up is a SON hub with spade connectors.  I'd like I need to build a new wheel for the old bike.  I already have a Shimano dynamo hub going 'spare' which is compatible with (and indeed already built into) a rim which is also spare, so I am limited to that combo, hence the spade/brick issue.  So I need to be able to swap between wheels, one with a SON spade connection and the other with a Shimano brick.  I hoped (literally, I have no electrical skillz) that what I need is a brick-to-spade conversion using short bits of wire and components which I may have imagined into existence:


Reading what folk have said above makes me think there should be a better option, either in terms of robustness (preferred) or elegance (desired).

[Kim]

That seems like a reasonable option, tbh, and is probably how I'd go about it.

Alternative would be some sort of easily mated two-pole connector and a short connector-to-female-spades and connector-to-lego-brick cable for each wheel.

You could use pretty much any connector that takes your fancy for that.  Obvious suggestions might include:

• The waterproof inline 2.1mm DC jacks common on MTB lights.  Reasonably neat, easy to connect.
• Tamiya connectors.  Not waterproof, but non-shorting and quick-drying.  Normally used for R/C model batteries.  The female part can be solidly zip-tied to the bike without affecting the mating process.  Ugly and white.
• Weatherpak connectors.  Normally found in car engine compartments.  Extremely waterproof.  Big black and ugly.
• Bullets, Andersons, Banana Plugs, etc.  All reasonable choices, but don't gain you much over having spades to connect to the SON directly, and using an adaptor with suitible male spades for the Shimano.

[andrew_s]

This USB charger comes with such a device, ready for either type of hub connection.

[mr ben]

That's reassuring to see, although it looks neater than anything I'll manage I'm sure.  I was pretty amazed with myself when I managed to connect a rear light.

Thanks Kim,

...and is probably how I'd go about it

is certainly good enough for me!

[Polar Bear]

I'm wondering if one of these deployed per SON hub might be sufficient to ensure insulation between the terminals.  I have had very occasional shorting between the terminals as they 'slacken' with use.

[Polar Bear]

Or even these?

[Kim]

Yes, probably.  The Schmidt solution is to cover them in heatshrink, which you're using anyway to neatly terminate the coaxial cable.

[Polar Bear]

Indeed but somehow I managed to do a crap job of heatshrink last time I did it.   

[mr ben]

Thanks for the links PB, I wouldn't know where to go looking outside SJS cycles...

[andrew_s]

Or even these?

Those are car terminals, 1/4 inch, 6.35 mm, rather than the 4.8 mm of the proper SON spade connectors.
You'll need to do a bit of squeezing with pliers to make them a reasonable fit (if you don't, you'll have problems lifting side one off when you lift the connector for side two)..

The Farnell connectors in reply #32 are better if you don't want to use heat shrink.

[Polar Bear]

Or even these?

Those are car terminals, 1/4 inch, 6.35 mm, rather than the 4.8 mm of the proper SON spade connectors.
You'll need to do a bit of squeezing with pliers to make them a reasonable fit (if you don't, you'll have problems lifting side one off when you lift the connector for side two)..

The Farnell connectors in reply #32 are better if you don't want to use heat shrink.

There is an option for 4.8mm on the 12 volt planet ones.

[mr ben]

Here's my thing:


Not elegant, and could have been shorter, but to my amazement it seems to work on only the second attempt.  I found the non-insulated spades I got (from the volt planet place) were much easier to crimp properly but they didn't actually fit the existing connectors coming from the light very well (all 4.8 mm, and I can't change the light ones because they fit on the original dynamo hub spades).  So I used some insulated ones and the crimping was messy and so I've used heat shrink as well.

So I'm now facing my next audax of 400 km with wheels I've built and electrics I've fettled.  What could possibly go wrong?  Test ride required.