connectors

Anyone know the difference between Futaba and JR/Hitec connectors? I just don't see a difference!

Futaba have a keyway to maintain polarity but you can remove the key with a scalpel if you want to mix and match. If you do plug in the wrong way round you just get no action, the only servos to be careful of are some of the old Sanwa/ Airtronics ones as if you plug those in you 'll let out the magic smoke

So am I right in saying that basically they are the same connectors except futaba ones you can unlock and swap the pins around if you want to, but Jr/Hitec pins are stuck in place?

No,

You can unlock & change all the wires on most of the servos, if you were to use Sanwa then the wiring configuration is wrong the red +ve & black -ve wires are reversed.

The plug on the JR has chamfers on the top left & right, Futaba has a tang on the signal wire side, white wire, this prevents you plugging in the wrong way around, if you want to plug a futaba servo into a JR receiver or extension lead you have to cut off the tang & chamfer the top edges, the JR servo lead will go into a futaba receiver or extension lead without any modification, you just have to be careful as it can go in the wrong way around if forced

Who said you can't teach a teacher

Thank you gents! - you learn something new every day!

But there's more than just the housings,

When you get down to genuine Futaba and JR connectors (and others too), you will find the actual metal pins and sockets do differ between makes. Some use round and others square. Also the sizes and the method of providing a friction grip vary.

They are all made from pre-crimped flat sheet presented on a roll. Some are plated and even gold flashed. They are usually supplied factory assembled to the wires by an auto crimping machine or hand crimper. Unusual to find soldered connections.

Some miss matched combinations fall apart. Only the friction of the plastic housings hold it all together and fool you into thinking it's a good connection.

I prefer genuine JR myself simply because I've stuck with it over the years and it's worked well for me. No problems encountered.
I do use other makes but only after checking they will be OK to use

As beautifly discribed by Bri.

JR and the best



And the other one

If there's any question about the plug being loose and a possibility of coming out in flight then I put glue on the plastic parts. Before I was a butcher I used to tread a piece of fishing line through the wires and tie it round the receiver

Mark Barnes wrote:As beautifly discribed by Bri.

JR and the best



And the other one

Blah, I believe you only use Wong Kong or those rubbish Hi-Tec thingy's so how would you know what quality is, you use Spektrum.

By far the highest percentage of my crashes have been down to thumb issues or deadsticks not had a single one I could put down to a dodgy servo connector and I've been mix and matching them since Adam's dog was a pup

Longer probably

If Carlsberg made Them

Another interesting point about the sort of connectors used in servo plugs, is that they are typically only rated for about 50-100 mate/unmate cycles. Fine for normal use, but not so fine when you use them on things that need dismantling after every flight.

Of course, that number is a manufacturers spec on the contacts, so in reality they can last much longer than that. Nevertheless, I find it prudent to replace those connectors with something a bit more robust (such as the MPX green 6 pin jobbies on the wings of gliders)...

Cheers
Andy

To address this issue I am using a multiway connector from RS for a number of years. Checking now I couldn't see a spec for the number of mate/unmate cycles however in practice they are very good and I have never had a dodgy connection over many dozens, probably hundreds, of cycles and ten or more plug/socket combos. They are fiddly as one has to crimp the terminals in the plug part and solder the socket part to a piece of stripboard but definitely worth the effort imo

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=searchProducts&searchTerm=232-9959

Another advantage is that they are 0.1" pin spacing so a regular servo connector can plug into the socket (Useful for testing and charging)

Or just use ASHLOK