Deans Plugs

Introduction

Switching the stock type Tamiya plugs out for a set of low resistance plugs, such as Deans, is a good way to lower the resistance from your battery to the motor. It can also give you a noticeable power difference when using hotter modified motors, and eliminates the possibility of melting a stock Tamiya plug.

Aside from the Deans plugs you need to make sure you have a good soldering iron or gun. There is a difference between an soldering iron and a soldering gun however, so you'll want to choose the one that suits you the best.

A soldering gun will heat up when the trigger is applied and isn't a good choice for fine detail work. It will work just fine though for soldering Deans connectors and motor leads. A soldering iron often comes with a fine pencil-like tip that makes it ideal for using in small areas. Most soldering irons are also hot the entire time they are plugged in, since most do not have a trigger.

I use a Weller 100 Watt Gun, which in all honesty, is overkill for most people, especially a beginner. I do find that the higher wattage is useful when soldering leads on a copper end bell type motor such as a P-94 or Speed Gems Pro. The downside is that using a higher wattage can actually melt the Deans plug if it's allowed to overheat the solder joint. If you want something with a little less wattage, Radio Shack offers a good selection of soldering irons and guns.

One thing that intimidates many people is the fact they do not know how to solder. If you are a beginner, I recommend reading the following sites to help you get started.

• Balak Racing-Soldering
• The Basic Soldering Guide

A common question I see is, "what do I use the male and female plugs on"? There are a couple of approaches to this, but there is one important thing to keep in mind. You should always use female plugs on your battery packs. The male Deans plug is likely to short out if the pack is placed in a toolbox, or in another place that it can come in contact with screwdrivers or other sources of metal. This is due to the exposed tabs on the male Deans connector.

As far as what connectors to use on the rest of the electronics it doesn't matter as much. However since it's harder to find male versions of the Deans connectors in packs that contain more than one, I prefer to use the female connectors for the motor as well. After all you'll be much more likely to have more motors than you do speed controllers. That means that the ESC leads that run to the battery, and to the motor, will have male Deans connectors on them. So you'll need to be careful when using males on both sets of leads, to make sure you don't accidentally plug the motor leads of the ESC into the battery itself. To prevent this from happening I suggest you use wire tires and fasten the ESC's motor leads towards the back of the truck so you can easily know which is which. Below you'll find a diagram demonstrating the way I use Deans plugs on my electric Stampedes.

As I mentioned above it's harder to find packs of the male Deans plugs. My local hobby store does not carry them in this fashion, and neither does larger online hobby distributors such as Tower Hobbies. However if you look hard enough you can find them, if you prefer to go that route. An example is this listing at Stormer Hobbies.

Part One:	Introduction
Part Two:	Installing Deans Plugs