Any compact, reliable, waterproof connector?

[cwah]

Hello,

I'm looking for equivalent connectors to the Higo's one:

https://www.e-bike-technologies.de/index.php/en/connectors/higo/higo-mini-b-connectors

In this shop, they cost about £4 per connector, so just a pair would cost £8.

I'm planning to change ALL my bike connectors to reach reliability. So throttle, variable regen, hall sensors, light X 2, amp meter display... + all the spares throttles, controller, bikes...

So changing them all would probably cost me many hundred pounds just to change connectors!!


Any way to find either the same or equivalent at better price?

Thanks

 

[anotherkiwi]

I am going to replace the plugs on a Chinese controller with those but I only need PAS, brake sensor and speed sensor so less than 30 €...

 

[danielrlee]

I understand your desire to cut costs, but if you want to play with cutting edge, be prepared for sharp prices and bleeding fingers. I don't know of anywhere else that sells individual Higo connectors so I think you're bent over a barrel here.

EDIT: Just to add, I think your search for such a connector is somewhat misguided. The most reliable connection is a soldered connection and if you've got a reliable system, you shouldn't have to worry about having to fiddle with it in the future.

 

[anotherkiwi]

...and if you've got a reliable system, you shouldn't have to worry about having to fiddle with it in the future.

You haven't been reading @cwah's previous posts have you...

 

[danielrlee]

You haven't been reading @cwah's previous posts have you...

I know about cwah's previous builds. I always like his vision, but I think that many of his reliability issues have been caused by poor design choices (usually minor parts) and too much cost cutting. I shudder to think how much he's spent over the last few years, just to see each build fail in a new and creative way.

 

[cwah]

I understand your desire to cut costs, but if you want to play with cutting edge, be prepared for sharp prices and bleeding fingers. I don't know of anywhere else that sells individual Higo connectors so I think you're bent over a barrel here.

EDIT: Just to add, I think your search for such a connector is somewhat misguided. The most reliable connection is a soldered connection and if you've got a reliable system, you shouldn't have to worry about having to fiddle with it in the future.

I agree I have many cheap parts... and connectors caused me enough grieve to have binned all of them and soldered all my small wires.

Currently all my light, throttle, hall are soldered. It has advantages and disadvantages.

Its definitely more reliable than any JST connectors I had so far...

However, under heavy rain, when the whole lots is submerged short does happen. Shrink wrap are not as water tight as I hope and when its full of water it just short. It is problematic.
I decided to fill all connectors with waterproofing gel in order to fight the rain....


Unfortunately, parts do fail. And when it fails diagnosing the problem takes time.

I thought the issue was from my cheaper throttle and swapped it.

Then when replaced.. I realised the issue was still there. It came from my wuxing expensive regen throttle who failed.

Diagnosing and replacing parts takes LOTS of time, especially when all wires are soldered and silicon gel has to be removed.

So it's good... until you have a bike failure and you need to start diagnosing the problem. Then it becomes a very tedious job.


Ideally, I'd like compact and reliable connector allowing me to quickly swape the part, diagnose the issue and finally replace the failed one....

 

[danielrlee]

Have you tried troubleshooting an issue involving Hugo connectors? Sometimes they make life extremely difficult when finding somewhere to insert a DMM probe while dealing with an inline connection. I'm not sure they are the 'fix all' solution you are looking for.

Have you tried marine grade heatshrink supplied with adhesive on the inside? Ive not myself, but I hear it's good stuff.

 

[danielrlee]

Out of interest, how did your 108x throttle fail?

Also, have your soldered connection issues been caused by electrical shorts? If so, can't they be solved with improved isolation, i.e. longer heatshrink runs?

 

[danielrlee]

This reminds me of discussions about Justin's fully-potted PhaseRunner controller. Individuals argued that potting makes future troubleshooting impossible, but the design decision was made in an attempt to prevent a failure from happening in the first place (a strategy I happen to agree with).

The above makes me wonder how effective potting a permanent connection with epoxy would be.

 

[cwah]

Maybe I should try marine grade heatshrink, are they advertised to be waterproof? any link?

Not sure if longer heatshrink would really solve the problem because I park my bike all day outside. On heavy rain the wire can be submerged for long time and water just get in.

My 108x throttle fail by sending continuous on power to the controller. I didn't dismantle to find out more.

 

[danielrlee]

Not sure what else to advise, but this is the stuff:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=heatshrink+marine&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=heatshrink+adhesive&_sacat=0

I'd go for the 1:3 shrink at a minimum for nice and tight insulation. Good luck with it. Let us know how you find it.

 

[danielrlee]

My 108x throttle fail by sending continuous on power to the controller. I didn't dismantle to find out more.

This sounds like a short between 5V and signal wires, although generally the 108x throttles are well protected against water ingress.

 

[Nealh]

Cwah has always tried to look or do the near impossible of leaving an e- bike out in all conditions and expect it to work all the time. E- bikes aren't designed to be all weather leave it out and ride type of transport, they need to be undercover or have some basic protection when not in use, they are designed to look like and resemble a bicycle in most cases. Any thing else will stand out and draw unwanted attention.

He wants 25/30mph in a bicycle style but not willing to pay insurance,tax fuel costs etc, etc for a scooter/moped which is the cheapest and easiest all weather option, they at least have more body work where components are safely hidden in the dry and routed out of the weather.

 

[danielrlee]

Cwah has always tried to look or do the near impossible of leaving an e- bike out in all conditions and expect it to work all the time. E- bikes aren't designed to be all weather leave it out and ride type of transport, they need to be undercover or have some basic protection when not in use, they are designed to look like and resemble a bicycle in most cases. Any thing else will stand out and draw unwanted attention.

He wants 25/30mph in a bicycle style but not willing to pay insurance,tax fuel costs etc, etc for a scooter/moped which is the cheapest and easiest all weather option, they at least have more body work where components are safely hidden in the dry and routed out of the weather.

All you say is true, but I'm convinced that his remaining issues can be engineered out with an all electric solution.

 

[Danidl]

All you say is true, but I'm convinced that his remaining issues can be engineered out with an all electric solution.

.. the lightest and most reliable electric connection is a soldered joint and the next is a standard chocolate block connector strip with screw terminals. The best way to waterproof these is to use self algamating tape, available from Maplins and aldi etc. This tape when streached a little fuses bonds together and makes a continuous solid slightly flexible waterproof and electrically insulating material. If you need to open the joint you need to use a sharp blade to cut through it. Shrink sleeving unfortunately will leave voids where it is trying to tighten over a few cables.

 

[mike killay]

I carry old supermarket polybags and leave them over the handlebars etc. when I park in bad weather.
All my connectors are inside the box that holds the controller, and that box is also protected by the battery (Tonaro Enduro)
At the handlebar end and also the motor, I have used a blob of Evostick around where the cables enter the throttle, brakes and control switches.

 

[mike killay]

Thinking on it, instead of heatshrink, why not use Evostick over the connection?

 

[Danidl]

Thinking on it, instead of heatshrink, why not use Evostick over the connection?

. The standard bathroom silicon sealants and even better the lexan polymer sealants in either black or transparent, will also work quite well. I used it to fill around a cable passing into a hole into the controller housing Particularly where cables enter a rigid enclosure, .. as a sort of grommet. The problem with them on a cable is applying pressure to make sure there is no void. .. the self amalgamating tapes is very good for this as you can tamp it down as it is being applied.

 

[mike killay]

. The standard bathroom silicon sealants and even better the lexan polymer sealants in either black or transparent, will also work quite well. I used it to fill around a cable passing into a hole into the controller housing Particularly where cables enter a rigid enclosure, .. as a sort of grommet. The problem with them on a cable is applying pressure to make sure there is no void. .. the self amalgamating tapes is very good for this as you can tamp it down as it is being applied.

I used self amalgamating tape on my electric boat.
Fine, but it will not stand any abrasion.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I know that eventually the HW brake sensor will get humidity inside and pack it in. I want to be able to swap it out easily so spending 8 € on water resistant plugs isn't a huge expense. Same for the speed sensor which is exposed to accidental damage (branches etc). As you say cwah it is a loss of time so being able to swap bits out in minutes instead of hours is worth the money spent on higo plugs IMO.

Tape is a huge pain to get off but it is what I am using at the moment.

If water is getting in your heatshrink then it is the wrong size.