Anderson Powerpole

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Anderson Powerpole is a family of electrical connectors by Anderson Power Products (APP),[1] although plug compatible
connectors are now available from alternate sources. Specific variants of this series of connectors have become de facto standards for
conveying "higher power" direct current (DC) electrical power, although these standards are inconsistent and sometimes ignored.

Contents
1 Overview
Anderson Powerpole 15/30/45
1.1 Competitors
ampere housings and contacts (front
1.2 Patents
view)
1.3 Color
2 De facto standards
2.1 Amateur radio
2.2 Model railways
2.3 Robotics
2.4 Radio control
2.5 Data centers
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Cutaway view of housing (side view)

Overview
Powerpole connectors are physically and electrically hermaphroditic, thus avoiding the need to worry about which end is the plug and which the socket, or which end has the
correct polarity. This is in contrast to the physically but not electrically hermaphroditic two-wire trailer plug.

Powerpole connectors are available with current ratings up to 180 amperes. The size most commonly used is the 15 / 30 / 45 ampere variety. These sizes all use the same
plastic housing in multiple colors, differing only in the metal contact inserted into the housing (selected based on the ampacity and wire size).[1] Power poles can be attached
side to side and also stacked on top of each other to make, for example, four connections with one plug motion.

Larger Powerpole connectors (the SB/Multipole series) with two or three contacts in one molded housing are commonly used in various industrial settings, including as a
battery connection for some uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), removable vehicle winches, many electric forklifts, and other electric vehicles.

Competitors

Some of Anderson's earlier patents have expired, thus other manufacturers have released plug-compatible connectors, such as "AMP Power Series" by Tyco / TE
Connectivity, Sermos, Lightspeed.[2]
Patents

The Powerpole connector was designed and patented by "Albert & J M Anderson Mfg Comp", then more recently as "Anderson Power Products".

Anderson company patents

Patent Number Patent Year Filing Year Patent Title Notes
US2838739 A [3] 1958 1953 Electrical connector Earlier related concepts
US3091746 A [4] 1963 1960 Electrical connector
US3259870 A [5] 1966 1963 Electrical connector Primary powerpole patent
US7153152 B1 [6] 2006 1997 Electrical connector with planar contact engaging surface PP75 connector
WO2004051681 A2 [7] 2004 2003 Finger proof, keyed power connector and methods thereof
WO2005059969 A2 [8] 2005 2004 A wire to board connector and methods thereof
USD604246 S1 [9] 2009 2008 Electrical connector

Color

For the larger multipole design, which is available in up to 700 A sizes, each color is physically keyed so as to mate only with a like colored connector, and Anderson
published a list of recommended voltage for each color:
 Anderson Powerpole color code chart [10]
Anderson Anderson
Alternate non-standard voltage uses
color voltage
Yellow 12 V Some APC brand 24 V internal UPS battery packs.
Orange 18 V
Amateur radio[11][12] and Warn winches at 12 V (13.8 V) for automotive use.
Red 24 V Some model railroads at 12 V.[13][14] Some robots, such as FIRST Robotics Competition.[15][16]
Some Tripp Lite brand 24 V external UPS battery packs. Sometimes used by outdoor enthusiasts for 12 V (13.8 V) battery charging, especially with
photovoltaic panels.
Some 12 V (13.8 V) automotive use in Australia, such as caravan and camper battery charging, pumps, solar power systems.[17]
Grey 36 V Frequently used by outdoor enthusiasts for 12 V (13.8 V) battery systems.[18]
Some APC brand 24 V external UPS battery packs. Some Tripp Lite brand 38 V external UPS battery packs.
Some Lees brand 36v forklift traction battery connections.
Blue 48 V Some APC and Tripp Lite brand 48 V external UPS battery packs.
Green 72 V
Black 80 V Ground for amateur radio, winches, model railroads, robotics.
Brown 96 V
Violet 120 V
White 144 V
Pink n/a

Model railroad uses all of the above colors for various purposes.[14]

De facto standards
Amateur radio

The Powerpole connector has been adopted by some segments of the Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) community as their standard 12-volt DC power connector for everything
from radios to accessories.[12] Two notable groups are Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES).[11] It is more
expensive than the older de facto standards of the two-wire trailer plug and the Molex connector, but provides a more reliable electrical connection (both mechanically and
electrically), and is easier to adapt to a wider range of wire gauges.[19]

Amateur radio equipment is based on 12-volt DC automotive voltage, which is also called 13.8-volt DC. A leadacid battery with six-cells used as an automotive battery
voltage will vary depending on various electrical loads in a vehicle. Without loads the battery will float at 11.712.8 volts, and while charging from an alternator the voltage
will increase to 13.814.4 volts DC.

For use in amateur radio, the community has adopted a standard polarity for assembling pairs of Powerpole connectors. The standard is red positive and black negative. When
viewed from the contact side, a mnemonic for remembering the arrangement for the positive connector is: "red right tongue top".

Model railways

In model railways, the NTRAK Modular Railroading Society adopted the PowerPole PP30 as a recommend practice in 2005. and as a standard in 2011. The use of the older
Cinch-Jones connector has been deprecated, but is still permitted on legacy modules. However, the owner of a module with Cinch-Jones plugs is now required to provide
adapter cables to the newer standard.[13] North Raleigh Model Railroad Club (NRMRC) also uses Anderson Powerpole connectors.[14] Free-mo modular standard adopted
Powerpole as the new connector standard as of 1 July 2015, with a one-year transition period to convert existing Jones connectors.[20]

Robotics

The connectors are used by some robot builders, including the FIRST Robotics Competition and R2-D2 Builders Club.[15][16]

Radio control

The connectors are used by radio control (R/C) hobbyist clubs.[2]

Data centers

Buildings such as data centers are starting to be designed for 380 V DC power distribution, as a way of improving electrical efficiency.[21] DC power distribution has resulted
in the need to standardize a Low Voltage (LV) connector with an integral ground conductor, which is safe for use by untrained personnel. The tendency of DC connectors to
spark when disconnected from an inductive load requires the connector's insulating housing to contain the plasma arc, in addition to normal requirements such as preventing
accidental finger contact. Examples of such connectors are the Anderson Powerpole Pak connectors[22] and the SDG (Saf-D-Grid) connector,[23] designed with the form
factor of an IEC C15 connector.

See also
DC connector
Electrical connector
Tamiya connector

References
1. Powerpole Connector Families; Anderson Power Products.
(http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html)
2. Electric Flight Power Connectors; Sailplane & Electric Modeler Magazine; January 1,
2000. (http://www.stefanv.com/rcstuff/qf200001.html)
3. Patent US2838739 A; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/US2838739)
4. Patent US3091746 A; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/US3091746)
5. Patent US3259870 A; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/US3259870)
6. Patent US7153152 B1; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/US7153152)
7. Patent WO2004051681 A2; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/WO2004051681)
8. Patent WO2005059969 A2; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/WO2005059969)
9. Patent USD604246 S1; USPTO. (https://www.google.com/patents/USD604246)
10. Powerpole Color Code Chart; Anderson Power Products.
(http://www.andersonpower.com/products/colorcode_pp.html) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20141006115233/http://www.andersonpower.com/products
/colorcode_pp.html) October 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
11. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) (http://www.activeham.com
/pmwiki.php?n=Main.AndersonPowerpoles) recommends using Anderson Powerpoles
as the standard for power connection of amateur radio equipment.
 12. Amateur Radio Standard DC Connector; VARA. (http://www.qsl.net/w2vtm
/powerpole.html)
13. Wiring and Connectors Recommended Practice; NTRAK. (http://www.ntrak.org
/wiring_connectors_rp.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120229090456
/http://www.ntrak.org/wiring_connectors_rp.htm) February 29, 2012, at the Wayback
Machine.
14. Electrical Standards for NTRAK Module Wiring; North Raleigh Model Railroad Club.
(http://trainweb.org/nrmrc/pubs/modwiring.pdf)
15. Robot Power Management Using Anderson Powerpole Connectors; First Tech
Challenge. (http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs
/FTC/FTC_Documents/Anderson-Powerpole-Guide.pdf) Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20130402005205/http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files
/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs/FTC/FTC_Documents/Anderson-Powerpole-
Guide.pdf) April 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
16. Robot Wiring Guide; First Tech Challenge. (http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files
/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs/FTC/Team_Resources
/FTC_Robot_Wiring_Guide.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org
/web/20141006084630/http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles
/Robotics_Programs/FTC/Team_Resources/FTC_Robot_Wiring_Guide.pdf) October 6,
2014, at the Wayback Machine.
17. "Caravan & Camper Battery Charging". Derek Bester. Retrieved 16 Nov 2013.
18. "National Luna". Retrieved 29 Dec 2014.
19. One Hams DC Power Connector Preference; Mal Eiselman (http://w8kvk.com
/nc4l/page12/Powerpole_Benefits.pdf)
20. The Official Free-mo Standard S4.5 (http://free-mo.org/standard#4)
21. "Researchers Flip the Switch to Test Energy Saving in Data Centers Using DC Power
Directly". Anderson Power Products Inc. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
22. "Powerpole Pak Connectors". Anderson Power Products Inc. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
23. "Saf-D-Grid Connector". Anderson Power Products Inc. Retrieved 16 June 2011.

External links
Official
Wikimedia Commons has
Anderson Powerpole connectors (http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html) media related to Anderson
Anderson Power Pak connectors (http://www.andersonpower.com/products/power-pak-connectors.html) Powerpole.
Anderson SPEC Pak connectors (http://www.andersonpower.com/products/spec-pak-connectors.html)

Amateur Radio connector standards

Amateur Radio Standard DC Connector (http://www.qsl.net/w2vtm/powerpole.html), VARA
One Hams DC Power Connector Preference (http://w8kvk.com/nc4l/page12/Powerpole_Benefits.pdf), Mal Eiselman

Model Railroad connector standards

Wiring and Connectors Recommended Practice (https://web.archive.org/web/20120229090456/http://www.ntrak.org:80/wiring_connectors_rp.htm), NTRAK
Electrical Standards for NTRAK Module Wiring (http://trainweb.org/nrmrc/pubs/modwiring.pdf), North Raleigh Model Railroad Club

Robotics connector standards

Robot Wiring Guide (https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084630/http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs
/FTC/Team_Resources/FTC_Robot_Wiring_Guide.pdf), First Tech Challenge
Robot Power Management Using Anderson Powerpole Connectors (https://web.archive.org/web/20130402005205/http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files
/uploadedFiles/Robotics_Programs/FTC/FTC_Documents/Anderson-Powerpole-Guide.pdf), First Tech Challenge

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Categories: Amateur radio DC power connectors

This page was last modified on 17 January 2017, at 23:31.

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