Best RC Battery Connector Roundup - how to choose the best rc connector type
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2021
- We test the best rc car battery connector types and adapters and discuss the best rc connectors for beginners - XT60, XT90 , Deans, EC4 and IC3, wire and bullet, just compared. RC Battery Connectors at Amain - snp.link/3d0a3826
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Switching over everything from Dean's to XT60. Even my existing batteries. I bought a bag of Amass XT60 connectors and I'm going to have a soldering party.
The good news is we'll be expert at soldering AFTER the switchover. :)
Just go all the way to XT150 instead 👍You won't regret it 😉
I did the same thing a few years ago. You will be thankful you had a soldering party, great move. As you know, Amass is the original inventor of the XT series and is by far the best! I too only use the Amass brand. Amazing how many knock offs there are today, the casing plastic in the knocks offs are harder and of lesser quality.
@@kenneth_jensen I only run 2s on my vehicles. 3s on my TRX4 Sport. If I ran 3s or higher on my bash vehicles, I would jump to XT150.
@@Benchmark67 Yes! I tried some Amazon "choice" simply for the price point... Whoops. While soldering as I'm accustomed to, I found that the cheaper brand failed and melted at the connection point in the center and the housing as well. I solder these with the male and female connected to help distribute heat.
I personally use EC8, and now, QS8 connectors. Those are 8mm connectors. They can handle much more current. 200Amps continues, and 400Amp burst. I mainly do bashing. But my batteries are much bigger. The biggest I own, are 9000mAh 4S Lipos for my Krzton 8S.
Holy moly! Appreciate the share man.
I am just searching heavily on this topic and then you talk about this. I should have waited for your video.
Rrriight????? A timely topic for us too.
I too was all about deans as that was the cats meow back in the day and it was way better than the molex connectors. Then I switched everything over to Traxxas for years and now I am switching everything over the XT series connectors and couldn’t be happier. Thank you for all the hard work you do on your channel I really appreciate it you teach me a lot. Much love brother.
Excellent explanation! Being new to the hobby, the choices for connectors was mind boggling until I saw this video. Thank you!
The XT series is definitely the best of the bunch.... all my rc vehicles, planes, drones and boats have been converted to use the XT Series 💪😉
Yeah, hard for us to knock our sentimental Deans favorite but with some objective thought, the genius of the XT 60 reveals itself.
@@RCReviewChannel thank you for the reply 🙏 for me Deans and Tamiya are so 1980's and with today's electronics and batteries we need to move forward, even though I'm a old school guy some things need to be upgraded.
Was just having this conversation with our race group love the fact that this video came out. Thank you
Rrrrright? It's timely. I don't like the subject but it keeps coming up as our crawler group is now playing with fast vehicles.
Just getting back into the hobby after 20 years away. Back then I remember there was Tamiya, Dean's and bullets but some of us found a non rc hobby specific connector called Anderson Power Poles. They were better than anything else at the time and are non gendered so you never had to worry about if you had a male or female connector. I'm switching everything to those connectors again.
Problem was they literally disintegrated when exposed to certain chemicals like electric motor cleaner and they do eventually wear out similar to Dean’s plugs and would disconnect after a hard landing or impact so nothing is perfect their best selling point was price & modularity of the plug along with the whole no gender thing.
@@hondofourfivetwo9347 Never had any issues with Anderson Powerpoles, you can bend the connector if its to loose to tighen them up and they won't disconnect after hard lander. If they are not making a snapping sound when plugging them in, the connector inside needs to be adjusted. If your APP's were disintegrating when electric motor cleaner hit them, then you didn't get genuine anderson powerpoles. There are a lot of cheap rip-offs out there.
I've been thinking of switching to XT style for quite some time now. All Traxxas currently
Hope our rambling helps your decision process.
Then go XT150, they can even be split for easy series connections 👍
In the 1980's I used Tamiya connectors now I am leaning towards XT60's for my 1/10 scale crawlers and XT30's for 1/16, 1/18 & 1/24. Very interesting vid Francis 👍🏴
I use the xt series on everything, haven't had any issues from crawlers to boats to drones. Nice helpful video 🤘
A very informative and entertaining channel. Thank you sir!
We aim to entertain. Whatever comes with it is a bonus.
I like the EC5's, their larger size makes it easier for my big stupid fingers to operate.
Very true. One can go ALL EC5 and be compatible on big and little cars.
Just go XT150 instead and be able to split the connector for easy serial connect batteries 👍😃
I'm all-in on EC5, but it sounds like with Spektrum/Horizon moving to IC5 for smart stuff shouldn't become a problem for me because they're interchangeable. I can forego smart stuff in my LiPos!
Just hope the 3rd party lipo mfrs don't stop offering EC5 items
EC5 is also on all my 2-4cell batteries. They're cheap and easy to flame solder. Cheap storm lighter is my best soldering tool.
EC5 is an easy choice. If you’re even somewhat knowledgeable in the hobby and know how to operate a charger, then save the money and go ec5 all the way
Good informative video like always! Thanks man! I did some reading a few years ago after rejoining the hobby and found the XT series to be the best based on their solid connection and how well they disperse the amperage load. 30,60, 90 and 150 seemed more fitting for the systems that I would run in anything from a 1/5th scale to an 1/12th. I've always found that the stock electronics are sub- par for the capabilities of the RC vehicles so I naturally replace them asap, so having 1 connector that matches everything has always been important. Especially out at the spot when you forgot to charge your spare and want to borrow one HAHA!
Thank you very much! You’ve done a great job. I was pretty confused about connectors prior to watching your video. It’s much clearer now. Good stuff 😊👍
Anti-spark XT90 all day baby. They look dope with the green little beep-boop spark-go-away zone too.
I currently have the ancient Tamiya plug on my OG scx10 and will switch it over to the XT60 plug. Ty for the video! very helpful
Awesome video man.
I used deans for ever.
Now I use xt60 the most.
Hey! Your reviews are the best. I am a year new to the hobby, so far I'v managed to get all the different connectors. I learned to solder and now I have to agree that XT series seems the best. not so much the xt60 for 10th bashing as they tend to pop out, but a little well placed electrical tape and sorted. thanks!
try putting a screw driver in the xt60 to open up the male end just alittle. connection should be great then
I loved Dean's plugs. Then I got the ec/ic then went to xt. Nothing is more reliable than the xt series plugs. They hold good plus they solder together super easy.
Switched everything over to XT60/90 in the last year, don't enjoy soldering, but I was very pleased with them.
Great video on this topic. Thanks for sharing! I found it pretty usefull
Thanks for a good video. Lots of useful information.
Nice to know :) I had first T/Deans, then EC/IC 5 and now also XT60. I´ll solder to EC5 my new 6S LiPos
My new Sonicwake 36 has EC5,I have 2 2S batteries, and EC5 to EC3 connecters,I was told not to use the EC3 as it to small to handle the power and could de solder ,or damage the electronics,so I orderd 2 3S 5000 100C Spectrum to be safe ,so the boat is on the shelf for now ,great review🇨🇦
My Slash still has its Traxxas connector (the old one) and I put the red JST in the smaller scale crawlers. That red JST is good for the limited space but if I'm not paying attention, I could force it kinda easily in the wrong way and fry my stuff lol
I've been teaching kids Engineering through RC cars since 1985. At first, of course we only had Tamiya which wore out and got hot BUT at least every car and battery had the same. Then came Deans and I switched my dozens of cars over to them. Thing is I had groups of 5--15 kids using my cars and getting their own and the soldering was a bear!! So I bit the bullet and switched EVERYRTHING over to Andersons = every charger, battery and car AND they don't need to be soldered!!!! I used to have to teach any helpers to solder -- which is a good skill to have and about a dozen of hundreds of kids learned -- Deans can be really hard to plug and unplug if not soldered well = melt the plastic a bit so tangs don't align perfectly :-( WELCOME ANDERSONS!! No soldering and no other issues. Now there are SOOOO many different connectors--many good ones but I'm all in on Andersons!!!
Great video, thanks you very much. Very informative.. I am going to XT 60s..
Indonesia is here
Greetings from Indonesia👋
What does Indonesia use?
@@RCReviewChannel here on average using the T-Plug and XT60 models
+1 for the XT series. nearly everything I have is XT-60 and XT-90. Simple cheap and can handle a good amperage load. XT-150's are the next step for the big 5th scale. much easier to add batteries in series.
I got into this hobby about a year ago and am totally a addict so I have accumulated quite a few cars. My local hobby shop is A-main hobby and being new to all this I didn't realize they like to shove Traxxas anything down your throat! So I have ended up with a ton of Traxxas batteries and 2 charger that are pieces of s***!! I got so pissed at these finiky sh*#boxes I ripped them out the wall and smashed them with my boots like a psycho until they were a million tiny pieces. So now I'm changing everything I own to xt60. Don't waist your money on Traxxas connectors and definitely not chargers. Listen to this guy, he's never sent me in the wrong direction.
Xt90 xt60 or xt30 all day everyday!
you answered my question. I can use EC5 cables with IC5 plugs. Thank you
Great connectors showdown Mister 👏🏼, I'm starting buggy racing so in this case the EC5 connector with a 120Amps is the best option I guess...
I was going to install TX60 until this video. Nice info thanks 👍🏻
I believe the pole results will change over time with the introduction of the IC plugs. Expensive but pretty big and easy to solder and whatnot. I also like the big XT150s i believe they are called. I have run up to 4S with Deans though and never had a issue. Little heat but i dont let my rigs cook to death.
Thanks for this. I've needed to buy another Lipo and decided to purchase one with a xt60 factory fitted, so I'm taking the plunge and going to be soldering all my existing batteries and esc leads to xt60's.
Good choice! It is the future for sure
I’ve been into RC for a long time and have a bunch of cars when I started out all I ran was LightSpeed connectors (aka Sermo’s power poles or Anderson…) they were priced similar to Dean’s but since they didn’t have a male or female 1 bulk bag could cover whatever you needed the housings could be configured in a couple different ways so you couldn’t mix up polarity or a motor and battery connection just watch what chemicals you exposed them to motor cleaner made them disintegrate. When I got hardcore into racing I built my batteries (yes built NiCad/NiMh packs) to use with 4mm bullet plugs I left for a while when I came back everything was Lipo and brushless I pretty much switched to Dean’s at that point but it didn’t last currently I’m running Dean’s on all my older stuff (anything 7.2V or 2S) where I still need a connector, for my crawlers (smaller 3s-4s batteries ) I’m using XT60’s and for my race stuff (bigger 2s-4s) I’m using 4mm/5mm bullet plugs with the majority of my bigger batteries being bullet plugs it’s easy to adapt them to whatever plug is needed for other vehicles too
My XT60 usage came over from flying FPV race drones. I already had a lot of LiPo batteries with the connector on it, so I immediately cut the T connector off of my first RC car. soldered an XT60 on it. and it just continued from there.
Been slow on switching any plugs over, Used Tamiya for along time back in the day, finally got into Deans and now i'm at the point i've converted everything to EC3, now i might swap over to XT.
Brother the shoes amazing…. Thumbs up 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💯
Connect & disconnect on the bench is very different from on the vehicle. I've flown helicopters for 30 years and deans/T style were always my go to. They always ended up becoming hard to disconnect do to arcing and burning especially on the machine. Be it a heli, plane or ground rc. When the xt60 hit the market several years back I went straight to them. Flatbar connector versus bullet?? I'll take the xt60 bullet connector! Great discussion man 👍
Just getting back into the hobby after a significant hiatus. Dean's is what I _was_ going to use but considering switching to XT now.
Started with Tamiya plugs 25yrs ago, then switched to deans. Now Im on a mix of XT60 or XT30 or 4mm bullets on my drift cars. Honestly for crawlers we should be on xt30's unless you got a seriously heavy rig. If I can drain a 850mah 4s pack in 2 mins flying fpv quads and the xt30 is fine I think itd be fine in a crawler.
Very helpful video. You did however forget to mention the SM battery connectors that usually come with smaller RC cars from China, for instance. I usually swap those out for JSTs.
Just updated my ole Wraith with xt60 connectors. 💚🙏👍
no ragrets?
@@RCReviewChannel , Love them...no regrets.
I've had deans melt off on a 3S basher. Switched my bashers to XT90 and now they are barely warm after a pack. And of course run XT60 on my crawlers.
Even though I switched over to XT's a few years ago since I have been buying a lot of Spectrum/HH products lately I have decided to also go with their IC3/5 connectors as well. I bought 2 of the Spektrum smart chargers to use with their batteries, Rx, ESC,Tx. In order to get the benefit of the telemetry. I don’t like having 2 charging systems but feel the benefit of the smart technology is worth it. When I think back several years ago I had a mess of adapters and 4 or 5 connector types so I guess having 2 now isn’t so bad. I Will see if I regret my decision.
Smart charging will always be a great option for some. Kids and beginners for sure will benefit from the safety.
Hi. Very good informative vid. Thanks. Personally I use QS8. Havent had any issues running around 70+ volts in my Kraton 12s and hopefully I wont have any issues when I make it 16s. Do you do large scale RC or just crawlers?
You forgot to mention powerpole connectors I've been using those for 18 years for all kinds of rc.
My H.W. Axe system came with the xt60 connector. But my other Associated stuff is dean's. I have one Dynamite esc with an ec3 plug.
I use XT30, 60 and 90
Ic connectors are my favorite, xt connectors are also awesome! I put an ic5 on everything due to it's high amperage rating, problem with using xt90 for everything is can't use them with xlx2 so would have to go to an xt150.
Finally an informative video on all these dang connectors! Really good info!!
Brand new to RC been researching a lot lately as I bought 2 crawlers 1/10 from a family member and had some old batteries and kind of a combo of plugs between the 2 cars we bought, (Dean's and traxis.) Trying to determine what dual charger to buy, and then what plug. What charger would you do? Great video.
thanks for a great video. I'm not into cars but I agree AMASS XT is the easiest to assemble. I dislike assembling ECs because any external solder makes assembly very difficult. I mention AMASS because I have found some inadequate XT that have tubing as the female which can allow solder to get into the connection area but AMASS uses better quality. Selection is critical.
Venom has a good thing going with their universal connectors. they include adapters with each battery.
I’ve got a bunch of EC5 and EC3 connectors and adapters for Traxxas.
I'm going to give the IC5 a shot. Using Traxxas and bullets now.
That’s what I use and they are the best. Buy in bulk and save some money if u can. 👍
In several bashing vids the xt connectors have the tendency to unplug with a heavy landing. IC5 or EC5 seem better connected and don’t unplug so fast.
We appreciate that share.
Xt 60 is where I’m headed!
Deans/T-connectors we’re great back in the day. However, they lose their conductivity due to tension/ spring failure over time and the female side is hard to clean after they get dirty/carbon build up from spark when connecting. The circular type is better as they are easier to clean.
I use EC3 for all devices 2S (all RX & Servo power), and ONLY for 2S batteries and devices, so I don’t accidentally connect a 3S, or other battery to to a 2S system to avoid burning stuff out. I don’t have any very high amperage 2S equipment.
For 3S & 4S I use XT60 .. for 5S & 6s, I use EC5.
Very good thanks
I have a trx4 with an adaptor to ic3 smart lipo, i wanted safety but flexibility
Nice 👍 I like the sound of that!! Safe battery and better charging system.
@@RCReviewChannel safety was premium for me, I also have the Bat-Safe box
I’ve only used the traxxas connector (I have 1 RC car, a traxxas) and not fond of it at all. As soon as the warranty is over and the esc is still alive they’re coming off. Probably going for the XT’s. They look very nice.
I use xt60 for my crawlers with small batteries. For my bashers which are mainly Arrma based I use EC5/IC5. I pay the extra for the smart connector on my esc as they are easier to solder and only a one time expense. Getting batteries for the bashers with EC5 isn’t hard. For the big cars the extra amps capacity with the EC5/IC5 over the xt90 is a bonus and I’m more likely to get a losi or other horizon hobbies vehicles and I’m ready for that.
I feel like not changing the connector(s) on a new esc is best to make sure it works well before voiding the warranty. While most people will say no to adapters on the truck, I think that for a short amount of time for testing is ok. I hadn’t had any issues when doing that be don’t make it the final solution.
Hurricane
it seems so obvious now, but it took me freekin days of research to come to that very conclusion. xt60 all day long.
I am kinda new to the esc world but getting back in after a 25-30 yr break, (rc planes)ditching the glow and going electric.
Currently using EC5 and transposing to xt 90 and spark arrest connectors for 6s &12s especially.
I bought like 40 ec5 to find out they are kinda not exactly what I need, should have bought ORANGE not Blue.. oh well
always good info
thank you
I have used xt90’s for a couple of years and finally just switched all my cars over to ic5. Ic5 are good connectors and you can just not use the smart port in the middle to make them standard connectors.
My first truck was an ECX barrage, they come with EC3 and I just went with it.
XT60's pins come loose over multiple connects. I've seen it multiple times and you can find many accounts of it from bashers and racers.
I'll admit the worst part of EC3/5 connectors is getting low quality ones the pins won't seat in the connectors.
I've been thinking of going to ic5 made a adapter for my losi 22s to form 5mm pin to ic5 and it was a lot easier then the Traxxas connectors
loyal deans user here.
I run crawler/trail rigs and I went with xt90s. I think they are easier to solder and disconnect then the smaller xt60s.
big plugs for big hands and old eyes. Compatible with big vehicles too
Ahh you missed the XT150 😉 They can take 150A current and you don't need adapters to add batteries in series as you can split the connector plus and minus👍😃
Just saw those monsters after. So nice.
@@RCReviewChannel after looking back 20 years, when I started in RC, those connectors have only been growing in size 😂 But so have the amps and current too.
I have just switched to XT150 all the way around. Also to be future safe the next 10 years... I hope 😁
Thanks for your great channel, love to watch your review and get some lgc inspiration among others 👍😃
I read somewhere that XT60 has a better amp draw because of it's contact path.. but I need some evidence to believe that lol
I use XT60 for all my drones and rc cars.
I have xt60 on my kaiju, is that ok or do I have to use xt90 for the type of truck I'm running for more amp?
I'll stick to the T style. Less expensive and work very well.
Deans are the easiest to use for me .
Same here.
Exactly where I’m at right now! I’m ready to ditch the deans! Lol! I lost a spring and the solder sucks! I’m crawling a Frankenstein! It’s a bunch of things!
They also make an ec2 plug. Like the xt30
Does this still apply today ?
So far I only have 2 cars both Traxxas but I put a new esc in one and it has XT60 but I’m wanting the S2200 charger so I’m thinking about going to IC5 for everything.
Good choice or no ?
I'm brand new to RC but I've been a power electronics engineer for 35 years. I'm surprised there isn't an option with a manually operated plastic detent on the shell (tab and latch) like automotive connectors. Assuming that disconnecting is a concern.
Owning only Arrma and Traxxas, my batteries consists of EC5 and TRX. I think EC5 will still be relevant for many years to come.
I've got an xmaxx coming and the batteries i got for it have the ec5 connectors. If i cut the Traxxas connectors off I've heard it voids the warranty. Should i cut off the Traxxas connectors and put ec5 on it or is the xt90 that better where i should swap over. I have a couple high current ec5 to traxxas connectors coming but i don't think I'm gonna even use them. And i don't have a traxxas charger so putting traxxas connectors on the batteries isn't really an option.
I have 16 rc cars and share batteries between alot of them. would I be better off using an xt90, that way I am good if I am using a 3s battery in my stampede, UDR, Xmaxx or Losi LMT.
I still use powerpole connectors.
Good to hear !
Did I miss the Element RC kit video ?
It was supposed to beat the trx4 sport
thanks
Love your channel and I have a question as a somewhat newbie. I've built Kyosho gas powered cars decades ago, rather new to the all electric scene. I'm currently in the process of piece by piece buying what I need to build a kit. I haven't decided which one yet, but It will be a brushed motor car. I have the Hobbywing 1080 ESC and the Fly Sky FS-GT3C. I haven't read the instructions yet on either product, but I've watched videos of the installs. However, one question remains to be answered... Do you setup the ESC first or bind and setup the Flysky transmitter/rec. first? lol I know, stupid question.. Thanks!
Bind the receiver first. Once its bound, other things will be possible.
@@RCReviewChannel Okay, will do! Thanks for the fast response...
I have many Tamiya cars and trucks. I mostly use Tamiya connectors. However, Tamiya connectors are only good for low power. I only use Tamiya connectors on 2S Lipo batteries and other low power batteries. I do like the Venom universal connectors. They allow you to use other connectors very easily. Thoughts?
Venom universal connectors. Yes, cool charging system and adapters.
I use XT30/60 but wish they put out an XT10 for mini vehicles.
I found that the XT60 is way too hard to pull apart and nothing to grip. Such a pain in the ass (or rather: fingers) to disconnect batteries etc. The IC3 and IC5 's are really fine in comparison.
I have switched to the IC5 for all my cars
I have three charger first is Hitec charger next is traxxas dual charger then I just got spektrum dual smart charger and I have a lot of REEDY Wolfpack LiPo because of my older models like Clod Buster and TL01 emax 3906 but I mostly use traxxas plugs but I use Spektrum radio and esc and motor so I don't know what way I should go
Is if safe to run a car and battery with an adapter? Meaning my battery is ec3 and the car is deans. I dont really have another option right now..
What about power poles(sermos)? Almost as much on an antique as the tamiya
I use the T-Plug type because I think it's easier and reduces the risk of being confused between + and - I've tried the banana type and an error occurred and caused my esc to short out
We like the pattern and knowing that the flat top is positive lead.
@@RCReviewChannel right I agree to that
Is the sm-4p connector any good?
One other factor is how mucht metal is actually making contact; GOLD/GOLD PLATED ( resistivity 2.44 E-8 ohm meters ), SILVER/SILVER PLATED ( 1.59 E-8 ohm meters ), COPPER ( 1.68 E-8 ) BRASS ( ~8.0 E-8 ohm meters ), are adequate conductors. SUPER-CONDUCTORS would be best, but they function at ~ -250 Celsius and are brittle Ceramics :-) Total contact area, corrosion / Oxide coating are also significant. Using an anti-corrosion dielectric "tuning" grease also helps. The quality of the solder joint, wire stranded / solide / braided, composition and gauge must also be considered. Absolute best would be made of metals purged of any Oxygen since the presence of intercalated Oxygen has a deleterious affect on wire resistivity more so than resistance.
Is there a converter for sm-4p connector to thead?
Do you recommend spectrum batteries
I often wondered why large scale bashers "only" have XT90 connectors for their escs. With escs for 1/10 scale bashing and above rated at least 120A constant draw, is not EC5 9 ( or above such as XT150) the only "safe" choice?