I believe the "click" Detrick refers to is when you insert the contacts into the connector housing. There's a nice document on-line showing the proper way to assemble them if you are "rolling your own" or need to check what you have. Notice the cutaway view on page 3. It shows the spring contact in the proper position in the housing. When inserting it in the housing you'll hear a "click" as the spring drops into place to hold the contact. Looking at the end of the assembled connector, you should see the contact in place covering the spring. If it isn't in that position, the contact will slide back reducing the surface area (and so increasing the heating and voltage drop) until it fails to make contact at all. Also, those connectors come apart with little or no force.
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/TrainingModules/Technical/An derson%20powerpole.pdf I did a quick pull test on a sample of 1 (Elecraft assembled) power cord and my K3 rear panel pp connector using a spring gage. It requires about 4 lb (roughly 1.8 kg) to of pull straight back on the connector to separate them. This is a power cord and K3 that have seen lots of use. It's tight enough I can slide the K3/100 around on the desk top by the cable if I don't jerk on it. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bill Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2016 12:59 PM To: 'Detrick Merz'; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Power Poles If there isn't a solid click which putting the wire connectors into the holder, the mating plugs won't stay together, at least in my experience. Also, soldering can interfere with proper mating to the shell and both connectors as well. Bill K9YEQ -----Original Message----- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Detrick Merz Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2016 8:29 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 and Power Poles I have the same experience as Ken (dragging gear around by the power cords), but I know of others who seem to have trouble getting PP connectors to stay stuck. It would be interesting to find out why they seem so solid for some people, and so unreliable for others. For reference, I tend to crimp my PP connectors (although I've soldered a few, too), and I never bother with roll pins, super glue, or anything other than the natural friction to hold the black/red housings in a pair, or anything other than friction to keep them plugged in. I plug them in end-to-end as well as into a homebrew PP distribution block. Sometimes they're near impossible to get out of the distribution block! -detrick KI4STU On Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 9:20 AM, Ken G Kopp <kengk...@gmail.com> wrote: > Perhaps something is wrong in the assembly of your Power Poles? > > Mine are secure enough to pull the K3 across the desk using the power > cable and have never been an issue. > > 73 > > Ken - K0PP > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to > detr...@merzhaus.org > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to k9...@live.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to r...@elecraft.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
