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Power connector for the latest AZ EQ6

almcl

By almcl
in DIY Astronomer

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almcl

almcl

Posted
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Just become the happy owner of an AZ EQ6 mount.

 Wonderful piece of equipment - substantially heavier than my EQ5!

One question though.  The new style screw-on two pin power plug is a greatly improved design - see image below - but the supplied cable with the car cigarette lighter style plug doesn't allow easy connection to any of my mains adapters.

Has anyone got a reference or a UK supplier for this style of connector?  I'd like to make up my own cable...

power plug.jpg

power socket.jpg

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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.... Or .... You can buy one o the range of suitable cables/connectors made up by Astronomiser. http://www.astronomiser.co.uk/pwrhbx.htm#sspazeq6

... And FLO sell a cable from standard power supply pins to a cigarette lighter socket that you can plug the cable that came with your mount into.  https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/female-cigarette-to-m8-ring-tongues.html

Personally I think a direct cable between power supply and mount is better. Initially I made up my own cable with a cigarette lighter socket on the end. Within minutes of using it the cigarette lighter split and became useless.  It simply wasn't strong enough for the job. 

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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Good. Glad to help. You might have to wait a week or two for it to arrive!  Incidentally, Astronomiser will make up a cable with tinned ends or ring  tongue connectors on the end.  I only realised this after I'd ordered the connector from Amazon. But it did mean I could make the cable length that I wanted.  

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ChrisCM

ChrisCM

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Have you considered using Anderson Connectors at the "Cigar Lighter" plug  end?

These are gender less connectors which, in the smaller size will take up to 30A. I use them on all my Astro 12v dc equipment and my Ham Radio equipment. ( Lets me use my substantial 12v radio PSUs to power my Astro gear)

http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/anderson-powerpole-connectors.html

This some of my "Spaghetti" showing how I use them with various adapters to mount etc.

Chris

 

IMG_0675.JPG

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hughgilhespie

hughgilhespie

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Hi, 

Maplins sell this style of connector. They are OK-ish. The cable clamp has a pathetic range of adjustment, you need exactly the right size cable for it to hold it securely. Plus, I find them difficult to solder. The connectors don't 'wet' with molten solder easily and you can end up with dry joints rather too easily. It pays to give each soldered connection a good tug before final assembly.

They are cheap and cheerful and will work but a bit of care is needed.

Regards, Hugh

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almcl

almcl

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Thanks, Chris, they certainly look the business and a good price too, in that link, but it's the final connection to the mount that was my problem - not wishing to break into the (almost) brand new bits that came with the mount.

Gina, by that you mean the ones like the Synta supplied connector but possibly not manufactured in the PRC?

Hugh, do you have a Maplin part no, because I gave up trying to discover what Maplin call this particular plug?  I have had experience of the non-solderable Maplin plating, too. Irriating, isn't it?  

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hughgilhespie

hughgilhespie

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Hi almcl,

The Maplins part numbers for the 2-pin connectors are:

  Locking Line Socket 2-way (I would call this a Cable mounted plug, gender female) - Code FK22Y. This is the identical part to the one in the photo in your first post.

  Locking Chassis Plug 2-way (This is the bit that you fix to a panel via a 16 mm ish hole) - Code FM50E

There are also Locking Line Plug 2-way and the matching Locking Chassis Socket 2-way - I don't have the part codes for these but they can be found on the Maplins site - albeit by spending a huge amount of time searching. It is surely the worst e-commerce site I have ever seen!

Hope this helps,

Regards, Hugh

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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1 hour ago, hughgilhespie said:

Hi almcl,

The Maplins part numbers for the 2-pin connectors are:

  Locking Line Socket 2-way (I would call this a Cable mounted plug, gender female) - Code FK22Y. This is the identical part to the one in the photo in your first post.

  Locking Chassis Plug 2-way (This is the bit that you fix to a panel via a 16 mm ish hole) - Code FM50E

There are also Locking Line Plug 2-way and the matching Locking Chassis Socket 2-way - I don't have the part codes for these but they can be found on the Maplins site - albeit by spending a huge amount of time searching. It is surely the worst e-commerce site I have ever seen!

Hope this helps,

Regards, Hugh

They don't look like the right ones to me. They're the same type but have too many pins. Also  the AZ-EQ6 plugs and sockets are 12mm.  I know this because initially I bought a 16mm plug in error because it looked identical in the picture. You're  right about the Maplins site though.  I'm not saying Maplins don't sell the right ones. It's just that after searching for ages I eventually found the Amazon supplier.  Astronomiser also confirmed these connectors are difficult/impossible to source from a UK supplier. 

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Gina

Gina

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Yes, it's 12mm - or at least the ones I bought a couple of years ago were.  They're very good - tight fit with screw on locking ring.  I bought 2 way and 4 way and have had no problem with soldering wires onto them and their mating chassis plug.  Nor any problem with electrical contact in my observatory.

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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14 minutes ago, Gina said:

Yes, it's 12mm - or at least the ones I bought a couple of years ago were.  They're very good - tight fit with screw on locking ring.  I bought 2 way and 4 way and have had no problem with soldering wires onto them and their mating chassis plug.  Nor any problem with electrical contact in my observatory.

Good. That's three reliable sources for this connector found now.  I must say it took me a long time earlier this year to first find out what the connectors were called and then a supplier.  

I had no problems soldering the wires on either, apart from it being slightly fiddly.  I found it useful to put some heat shrink sleeving on the cable to get a better grip where the cable enters the connector.  I noticed that's how the SkyWatcher cable is done. It looks like a slightly better finish.  I also bought a ferrite bead from Maplins, just like on the skywatcher cable. I've no idea whether it really helps or just a bit of black magic. 

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hughgilhespie

hughgilhespie

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7 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

They don't look like the right ones to me. They're the same type but have too many pins. Also  the AZ-EQ6 plugs and sockets are 12mm.  I know this because initially I bought a 16mm plug in error because it looked identical in the picture. You're  right about the Maplins site though.  I'm not saying Maplins don't sell the right ones. It's just that after searching for ages I eventually found the Amazon supplier.  Astronomiser also confirmed these connectors are difficult/impossible to source from a UK supplier. 

Just Maplins wonderful site!! The item number I gave is for the 2-pin connector, exactly as shown in the first post. Maplins sell a range that go up to 8-way so they jusy use one 'generic' pictore on their site.

Regards, Hugh

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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24 minutes ago, hughgilhespie said:

Just Maplins wonderful site!! The item number I gave is for the 2-pin connector, exactly as shown in the first post. Maplins sell a range that go up to 8-way so they jusy use one 'generic' pictore on their site.

Regards, Hugh

OK. I'm with you now.  Well that's good that Maplins sell them. It'll be a bit quicker than the two or three weeks from China probably.

I must say I never found them on Maplins (or RS or any other UK supplier) despite searching hard for ages a couple of months back. Nearly everyone seems to call these aviation connectors except Maplin!  But you also have to careful that they're the 12mm variety because they come in different sizes yet all look the same in the photograph. 

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Ouroboros

Ouroboros

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Just a note of caution ..... FK22Y on the maplin site looks like it's 16mm not the 12mm required. Unless I'm mistaken.  As I say, I bought a 16mm plug that looks identical to the SkyWatcher one but it was too big for the socket in the mount. 

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