smart looking connectors for hub dynamo?

[mr magnolia]

I have some very 'unsmart' looking connectors at the minute-see photo (I've left the yellow tape to remind myself constantly that this needs sorting!):



and I want to embrace the world of 'two dynamo lights but only one dynamo wheel' for the winter, which will mean swapping the front wheel from bike to bike.  How best to make these connections in a professional, functional way that allows ready and frequent disconnection and reconnection?  The closeness of the two connectors from the hub dynamo seems to be the issue - seems like a daft idea not to have simply put them a little further apart so that spade connectors don't short each other out...

[mrcharly-YHT]

Are they just spade connectors on the dynohub?

IME, constant disconnecting and reconnection spade connections leads to a loose connection.

I'd take the leads up the fork a bit and use a Tamiya connector for the bit that plugs and unplugs.

Not sure what to recommend at hub end. Maybe use spade connectors but wrap them up solidly in self-amalgamating tape.

[Manotea]

To make up an insulated female spade terminal,  buy a packet of assorted pieces of shrink wrap from somewhere like maplins. Take a piece which is just big enough to go over the spade connector and long enough to cover the entire terminal and onto the wire.  Use a not too hot/directional heat source to shrink down the wire end of the shrink wrap. When you are done you will have a pro looking insulated terminal.

[Kim]

+1 for heat-shrink on the spade connectors - it's what Schmidt recommend.  Tamiya/Anderson/Weatherpack connectors inline if you want something quick and easy to disconnect.

Sceptical as I initially was about it, the Shimano 'lego-brick' dynamo connector has a definite advantage over spade connectors for this sort of thing.  It's much better suited to frequent disconnections.


(Interesting factoid: The Shimano connector will actually fit nicely over the spade terminals on a SON.  Unfortunately the resulting electrical connection isn't very good, as both parts are expecting the other half of the connector to be sprung.)

[Frere]

@ Manotea - perfect timing re heat shrink tips. Was sat at my desk looking and pondering over the mass of wiring, heath shrink tubes and connectors, when your post appeared. Liberated a hairdryer with sort of a flat spade nozzle attachment off the GF. Did the job just fine.

Frere

[redshift]

(Interesting factoid: The Shimano connector will actually fit nicely over the spade terminals on a SON.  Unfortunately the resulting electrical connection isn't very good, as both parts are expecting the other half of the connector to be sprung.)

To the Fettle-Mobile!  Let's Go!

Think-flash: Take Shimano connector, remove contents, make copper/brass/other leaf spring type thingummies, fit to connector, try out on SON?

That may be a winter project, once I have eliminated the current wrinkles in my life.

[mr magnolia]

I think mr charly has it about right- reason I didn't shrink wrap the spades is because I wasn't sure how often I would want to swap things about. Any pictures of a successful famous type connector will be gratefully register!

[MacB]

I'll shortly be fitting a set of these:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/supernova-qr-gold-connector-set-with-integrated-shrink-wrap-prod21402/

Not for the front wheel though, I actually got them to make removal of the rear rack easier. The dynamo wheel and front light will stay on this bike but I can envisage times when I'll only want a saddle pack. The cable for the rear light runs along with the full outer for the rear disc brake anyway. So I've cut the cable as it starts down the seatstay and will insert these connectors with the usual heatshrink stuff.

I'm still waiting for the SON Dynamo wheel so have the Shimano with the lego brick connector, which is very easy on and off. I'd like to have a similar facility with the SON but I'm not sure if these gold connectors would work so well down at the dropouts. I'll see how the ones at the rack work out and report back.

[tatanab]

I'll shortly be fitting a set of these:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/supernova-qr-gold-connector-set-with-integrated-shrink-wrap-prod21402/

The professional world catches up with the bodgers.

That is exactly what I did 30 years ago.  Contacts from a connector, add wire, heatshrink each contact, put a pin and a socket on either side of the break so that you cannot mate it the wrong way round (twin wired dynamo set up) and heatshrink the pair on each side of the break together.  Job jobbed.

[corshamjim]

I'll shortly be fitting a set of these:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/supernova-qr-gold-connector-set-with-integrated-shrink-wrap-prod21402/

Those look neat!  I'm hoping shortly to get a dynamo front wheel for the winter which I'll permanently fit the Marathon Winter tyre to, then I can easily swap to that when the weather gets icy or back to the wheel with ordinary tyres (no hub dynamo so using the bottle dynamo instead) in the milder weather.

[rogerzilla]

The Shimano connector, beiing purely mechanical, allows the copper wires to corrode.  I was getting a very disappointing light until I pulled the wires out, retwisted them and put them back in the connector.  Soldered wires don't do this.

On the SON-XS I just use Halfords 5A female spade terminals, crimped, soldered and shrink-wrapped.

[frankly frankie]

That may be a winter project, once I have eliminated the current wrinklies in my life.

FTFY

[mr magnolia]

I'll shortly be fitting a set of these:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/supernova-qr-gold-connector-set-with-integrated-shrink-wrap-prod21402/

 I'm not sure if these gold connectors would work so well down at the dropouts. I'll see how the ones at the rack work out and report back.

look forward to that report.  I've looked at hifi type connectors in the past and not bothered with them for the same reason - worry about introducing a point of weakness into the supply line.  Supernova though; I assume they come from the germans as per the lights?  If so, then I'd have less concern. [will check out their website also] edit: no mention of connectors on their website/brochure.

How big are the connectors?  The web photo gives few clues.

[Maverick]

I'll shortly be fitting a set of these:-

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/supernova-qr-gold-connector-set-with-integrated-shrink-wrap-prod21402/

I have two sets of these fitted so I can take the lights on and off the bike. Never had a problem despite riding in heavy rain for several days in germany last year. It is a bit fiddly getting the shrink wrap right so that it overlaps but still allows the connecters to be dis/reconnected.

[MacB]

Tidy job there Maverick, just curious though, why do you have the connection partially under a cable tie? I was aiming to have the connection on a loose part of the run so that I don't have to disturb any of the setup to undo. Is it just that cable ties are cheap and easy or is there a concern about the connectors coming loose if unsecured?

[Maverick]

. Is it just that cable ties are cheap and easy

This. Also it is positioned under the front of the saddle and causes the wire to stand away from the frame where it can catch on my leg
The connectors for the front light are unsecured and I've had no problems with them.

[MacB]

Ok, fitted them and took some pics but I'm a total fail when it comes to uploading, here's a link:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37729119@N08/?saved=1

[corshamjim]

Very neat! 

[mr magnolia]

yes- thanks for that, mr mcb, they look very neat indeed. 

I may need to have a shot myself with those although for frequent wheel changing, I will need to avoid shrink wrapping the whole gubbins, and instead, I think, have a zip-tied arrangement close to the forks to hold the bicycle/fixed end of the connector, along with some 'other' and as-yet unthought about, piece of removable something to hold the small length of wiring to connect the dynamo to the fixed wiring. 

Obviously this 'something' needs to be easily removable and replaceable in the dark and wet, and it will need to be fairly robust to cater for the inevitable point in time when removing the wheel in a cursing form of dark and wet means I've forgotton about the fact that the wheel is connected to the bicycle by some thin bits of important wire...  (Maybe though I should just address that bit by some enhancement of my zen-state instead)

[Kevina9]

The best way to smarten up ugly dynamo connectors and wiring would be to make them invisible, IMHO.

That's what I tried to do in my recent dynamo light fettling attempt :



Yes, it IS connected  :



(note to self : consider swapping the stand-out blue insulation for stealthier black )

There's just enough slack cable at the bottom end to allow the hub to rotate forward for easy connector removal/reconnection, when the QR is loosened off.  If I needed to do this frequently, I might fit a Tamiya connector above the spade connectors.

Cable running up the fork is held in place by black insulating tape, which blends in nicely on black forks :



The top end looks like this :



Excess cable is hidden up inside the steerer tube, held in place by a foam bung molished (I beleive that's the word to use in this context in this Parish) from an off-cut of some bar foam that I had to hand at the time.

The tape on the wire to the light is just to tidy up & insulate the connectors for the rear light as I haven't fitted one yet.

Hope this gives you some ideas for your own fettling!

[Kim]

+1 for running the cable up the inside of the fork like that.  Even if done with cable-ties, it looks far neater than twisting it around.

[MacB]

Ooooh, I like your connectors to the hub there, is that just regular spade ones wrapped in insulation tape, or have you used a shrink wrap?

[Kevina9]

Neither - they are ready-made ones from Halfords with moulded insulation covers, that I happened to have handy, like these :

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_160735_langId_-1_categoryId_165562

Probably totally the wrong size, but they seem to stay put, and keep working!

[Biggsy]

Are spade connectors ever made of stainless steel?  I know it's not the best electrical conducter, but neither is copper when corroded.

[MacB]

Neither - they are ready-made ones from Halfords with moulded insulation covers, that I happened to have handy, like these :

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_160735_langId_-1_categoryId_165562

Probably totally the wrong size, but they seem to stay put, and keep working!

Hmm, they look very nifty, I'm not at all electrically minded, as I'm sure some of my numpty posts have revealed, so never seen anything like that before. Is Halfords a good place to have a nose, or Maplins, or somewhere else? I'm thinking something like that plus some shrink wrap over the top to make it all nice and snug.