Securing PowerPole connectors

In preparation for this year’s Field Day, I made a bunch of cables with PowerPole connectors to connect the solar panel, charge controller and batteries. I’m sure that I’m not the only one doing this.

Normally, I don’t bother trying to secure the two halves together. You can buy a little roll pin to insert between the red and black housing that prevents them from coming apart, but some folks complain that the pin has a tendency to fall out, defeating the purpose.

This morning, though, in the daily digest that I receive from the Elecraft-KX mailing list, there was a link to the thread, Securing Anderson Power Poles. I liked some of the suggestions so much, I decided to summarize them here:

• Dan W7UP: See QST Hints & Kinks “Tie Your Powerpoles” Jan 2012, page 64
• Rudy K8SWD: Anderson has little plastic doohickeys (technical term) that fit into the holes where the roll pin goes that holds the connection together. I have one that either came from Elecraft or with my solar panel-can’t remember…but it works well. Powerworx has them. You can also thermal bond with a soldering iron like you are making little welds on both sides. Permanent (mostly) but it works better than the roll pins. Just clean the tip really good before soldering!
• Joe Street: A small cable tie also works but is not as planet friendly.
• Dave K0CDA: [Anderson] also make connectors that are thermally bonded together in pairs.  They do NOT come apart.
• Don W3FPR: I use a drop of Super Glue on the junction of the plastic pieces. Warning – that glue grabs quickly, so slide the 2 pieces onlyl enough to start the assembly, then apply the drop of glue and quickly finish sliding them together. I have never had ones prepared like that come apart, and I don’t use roll pins. I will say one more thing – use only the genuine APPs. I have seen some knockoffs that do not mate well.
• Dave AE7FD: There are clips that lock PowerPoles together. See https://powerwerx.com/powerpole-connector-retention-clip.
• Greg KC9NRO: Take a hot soldering iron. Wipe the tip with sponge. Run the tip down both side of APP bonding the black and red sides together. Clean soldering iron tip and apply some solder to tip. That’s how I roll. Never comes apart
• Mike AI4NS: PVC cement will soften the plastic enough to bond them together. You can also get plastic welding rods, such as Daindy Plastic Welding Rods. Chuck a rod in a Dremel and weld them together. I have made plastic boxes and panels using this method.
• Jack WD4E: Snip the cotton end off a Q-tip, cutting at an angle.  Insert into hole made for roll pin, cut off excess, save remainder of Q-tip for next requirement.
• Troy K4JDA: 2.5mm screws work well, stay in, and are easily removable.

I think these are all great suggestions. I think that I’m going to try the cotton swab method. While reading them, another thought occurred to me. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m thinking a little drop of hot glue on the roll-pin hole might work, too.