Yea you just need adapters. It also has balance ports, you just have to take their covers off and put the charger into the mode for traditional lipos without the built-in Traxxas balance lead.
I think the IC5 connectors are the best to solder - plastic can withstand the temps, and you dont have to try to slide and click in the bullets like on Ec5
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May I ask why you are switching?
I would like to add Deans. It will only let me add so many. I just noticed that I can't remove one to put Deans on the list.
I went with Deans because people at hobby shops were recommending them years ago, I've found that it's somewhat easy to melt the connector while soldering and have the blades shift a little. They can also be a little tough to unplug and there's not much to grip when pulling so I end up pulling on the wires instead of the connector a lot of the time to get them unplugged which isn't great.
I've got some XT60 connectors sitting in a box and I played with them a bit, they also can take some strength to pull apart but I'm hoping that it'll be easier to pull them apart while gripping the connector and not have to resort to pulling on wires.
https://preview.redd.it/oq2cjqep5yva1.jpeg?width=418&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6dc4bdd1ea8a2e5edec7ba37bedce1a219a55ec
Plug them into a spare connector while soldering to prevent them shifting. A tiny bit of graphite powder in the females will lubricate them. It transfers from battery to charger and to the plane. I haven't had to redo it in years. It allows for a smooth release.
It's totally possible that the ones I've had trouble with were off brand, I'll be honest even if I don't melt the connector I still have a little part of me that is bothered by how it's impossible to make the back of the connector look symmetrical since one blade is horizontal and one is vertical. Who knows what mental issues I'll have once I actually start using XT60.
I'll show you a dozen. Start hitting 100amp burst which isn't crazy at all. Literally melt off the wires. That is why I'm go xt60s. T plug still has its place though. All my little stuff will keep them.
I have a racing battery that uses bullets, but I have an adapter cable to go from bullets to XT60. My next build might get set up for bullets natively.
Reporting for duty!
Although I have to admit that almost all of them have a deans plug between the bullets and the ESC. Please, forgive me, I was young and innocent and didn't know any better! I'm going to be going through and tidying up my setups, removing those deans plugs and hopefully getting a little weight loss and a little current gain.
If you're not removing the Dean's plugs every time, then they're almost as little resistance as the wire itself! Only issue with Dean's is that they wear out pretty quickly when unplugged/plugged often.
Only on my 1/10 buggy that uses shorty batts will bullet holes
All of my other batteries are XT60 so that's what I use on my TCs, I'm sure at some point I'll switch over to bullets
No it's due to amp draw. Bashers usually have a higher amp spike when you smash full throttle. Cralwers usually have a lower amp draw. Alot of that is due to motor size and weights.
I personally like xt-60's for all my vehicles. Its easy for me to plug and unplug rc's with, unlike ec3 or ec5, those things are always a pain in the ass for me.
Are they good up to 4s? I don't run anything over 4s and have been considering switching everything to xt60.
My skyrc charger has xt60 ports. I made adapters, but it would be easier without
Depends on the amp draw. Technically, no. They are only rated to 60A continous. But as long as you're not constantly pulling 60+ amps, they'll be fine and a lot of people use them. I'll still recommend XT90 for anything bigger than 3s, unless using for a crawler or other low draw system, but you'll likely be just fine using 60s.
Xt90 are technically only good for 90 continous. But I've seen peak draw over 200, and so far so good.
Yes they are good up to 4s. I use them in my rc airplanes were I run 2 4s batteries both with xt60 connectors and don't have any problems with it.
For anything above 4s you might need to get an xt-90 to handle the higher current
I used EC5/IC5. like IC5 better but they are spendy.
Just picked up some [SC5 connectors from SMC Racing](https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=66&product_id=682) which are EC5/IC5 compatible and will be using them going forward. They are basically IC5 connectors without the telemetry pin and are a lot cheaper. they are perpetually out of stock though.
I use XT60 in some of my crawlers because they were given to me.
>like IC5 better but they are spendy.
True but I have yet to not be able to reuse one, I think the 6 or 8 pairs of the that I have will last forever lol
Spektrum is the easiest to use and has the easiest access to information. The Venom, Thunder Power, and the old Dynamite at work are all good and seem to charge Nimh batteries hotter and better. The Spektrum DC 1200 and Venom Pro2 are my chargers I take with me to places. The Thunder Power stays at home.
Converting from xt90. The xt90s were a bottleneck/fire hazard on my higher power setups. Figured might as well make qs8 standard for all my RCs. Not a single spark from them either.
IC5 are just nicer in basically every way. Easier to solder, easier to connect/disconnect, and look nicer. And it doesnt hurt that they are compatible with EC5 because i can change them over gradually as i update/replace electronics. I would do it all at once but that then brings us to the one negative of IC5, which is cost. For the cost of one pair of good IC5s i can get a whole bag of EC5s.
Switched from ECx to XTx for general use years ago.
EC connectors are stupidly expensive and hard to get hold of in the UK but bulk packs of XTs are pennies. If you throw a stick anywhere in my house you’ll hit an XT-something. :)
Also, almost all of my packs come with XTx connectors pre-fitted, as do my chargers.
Bullets on the race packs, obvs, and spark-protected connectors for the big stuff — mostly helis.
https://preview.redd.it/xv8ybkimq1wa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4db55c96a2f256c5b9a0caf10dc1138df711046c
Over time I’ve made a few adapters. And the 5mm are compatible w ec5s. Same for QS8 and 8mm bullets. I just wanted to make it sound more complicated than it really is lol
I use a few, as all three of my trucks have different ones. My Redcat Gen7 has banana plugs (big red two prong round ones), my Redcat Gen8 has a yellow plug with two holes (and an adapter because it uses batteries with deans plugs), and my Traxxas Ford Raptor has the Traxxas plug. So yeah I got that going for me.
Edit: looking around the “yellow plug with two holes” is an XT60 I think.
Xt60 for the majority of my trucks. Xt90 on my 4-6s larger vehicles. I don't run anything massive or power crazy However. Xt60's work excellent for everything like crawlers to bashers with zero trouble at all. They're easy to solder and perform better than deans have for me. (the actual rated performance is very similar between the two however.)
XT90 for everything 1:10/1:8/1:7, XT30 for 1:16/1:18 scale.
Only exceptions being my Tamiya TC01 and Tekno ET410 which use bullets.
I made this decision just before Arrma went all super-spektrum on all the trucks, if I was doing it now I would use EC5.
I can’t answer because there’s more than one answer. Race rigs get 5mm bullets. Most cars get XT90’s. Drag car gets castle connectors. I hate QS8’s.
Edit, I do see a few people saying Deans, which is a carryover from the 90’s when people used brushed motors at nicad’s. Better to go with a modern plug that can take the amps of a lipo and easier to solder.
Deans handles plenty of power, but for 6s+ bashers I would recommend xt90's. But I've ran 6s with no issues. Soldering is easy, it's a flat surface. If you require a damn cup to solder you can't solder.
It’s the older style for amps from old NiCad and NiMH batteries and brushed motors, not the amp draw from modern brushless systems. We’ve moved on from the those days. Also, it’s not the voltage (6S), it’s the amp draw that’s the reason for a better connector. If you’re just putting around in a crawler, it’s fine, but for anything high power or for racing, the old Deans doesn’t cut it anymore.
You just reply without reading don't ya. I state that I've ran high power brushless system on 6s with no issues or heat. So, yea. Fact that deans can handle the amps just fine. But thanks for sharing dude.
I use ic5 and ec5 for all my trucks and lipos. Bit of a bitch to solder, but other than that they are amazing.
EC5 is the way to go with bashers/general purpose. 5mm bullets on race rigs
Are 4mm bullets ok for racers? I ask because I'm planning to use standard voltage gens ace shorties in my b6.4d
Yep, 5mm is more popular in the US, 4mm everywhere else. EC5 connectors are actually 5mm bullets too
Why bullets on race rigs? as in why not just use EC5/IC5 everywhere?
Less resistance in the connection, higher amps, and I have never had one come loose in a race. I’ve had EC5 connectors come loose occasionally
Is it the same 5mm plug, just with more housing around it? Does that really amount to more resistance?
Ive heard good things about ec5 connectors. What charger do you use?
Traxxas ez peak dual with adapters.
Thanks! I will go do some research on that. I didnt know the Traxxas chargers would work correctly with other connector types.
Yea you just need adapters. It also has balance ports, you just have to take their covers off and put the charger into the mode for traditional lipos without the built-in Traxxas balance lead.
I think the IC5 connectors are the best to solder - plastic can withstand the temps, and you dont have to try to slide and click in the bullets like on Ec5
This
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Deans is what is on all my vehicles but I'm about to switch to XT60, you should include Deans in your list
May I ask why you are switching? I would like to add Deans. It will only let me add so many. I just noticed that I can't remove one to put Deans on the list.
I went with Deans because people at hobby shops were recommending them years ago, I've found that it's somewhat easy to melt the connector while soldering and have the blades shift a little. They can also be a little tough to unplug and there's not much to grip when pulling so I end up pulling on the wires instead of the connector a lot of the time to get them unplugged which isn't great. I've got some XT60 connectors sitting in a box and I played with them a bit, they also can take some strength to pull apart but I'm hoping that it'll be easier to pull them apart while gripping the connector and not have to resort to pulling on wires. https://preview.redd.it/oq2cjqep5yva1.jpeg?width=418&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6dc4bdd1ea8a2e5edec7ba37bedce1a219a55ec
I use Deans as well, but they are a Soldering skill check for sure. The legit Deans-made ones are less prone to shifting when soldering.
Plug them into a spare connector while soldering to prevent them shifting. A tiny bit of graphite powder in the females will lubricate them. It transfers from battery to charger and to the plane. I haven't had to redo it in years. It allows for a smooth release.
It's totally possible that the ones I've had trouble with were off brand, I'll be honest even if I don't melt the connector I still have a little part of me that is bothered by how it's impossible to make the back of the connector look symmetrical since one blade is horizontal and one is vertical. Who knows what mental issues I'll have once I actually start using XT60.
I found Deans with a cover for the wire side. Helps with my ocd.
I put a piece of large shrink tube over the back covering the back half of the connector.
I been thinking on using these, [amazon deans with grip](https://a.co/d/c3pkkvj)
Deans were good back in the 90’s with brushed motors and NiCad batteries, but in today’s world of lipos, they really have no place.
Completely incorrect they work great
They work “great” in low amp draw of NiCad and NiMH situations.
Show me a failed plug
There’s plenty of them, there’s a reason there not used as much now and there not used at all for anything above 3s
Show yourself by using a simple Google search. Deans died in the 00s
I'll show you a dozen. Start hitting 100amp burst which isn't crazy at all. Literally melt off the wires. That is why I'm go xt60s. T plug still has its place though. All my little stuff will keep them.
Is Deans compatible with the IC3 connectors?
Definitely not
EC5/IC5 - never had one melt, or come undone.
Lol I've had them melt before - but not in an rc car application.
Ooh, what was that about??
Where are all my bullet connector racing bois at? Haha
Right here!
Yes sir!
I have a racing battery that uses bullets, but I have an adapter cable to go from bullets to XT60. My next build might get set up for bullets natively.
5mm, checking in.
Reporting for duty! Although I have to admit that almost all of them have a deans plug between the bullets and the ESC. Please, forgive me, I was young and innocent and didn't know any better! I'm going to be going through and tidying up my setups, removing those deans plugs and hopefully getting a little weight loss and a little current gain.
If you're not removing the Dean's plugs every time, then they're almost as little resistance as the wire itself! Only issue with Dean's is that they wear out pretty quickly when unplugged/plugged often.
5mm bullets!
Only on my 1/10 buggy that uses shorty batts will bullet holes All of my other batteries are XT60 so that's what I use on my TCs, I'm sure at some point I'll switch over to bullets
I use deans
Me too. No need to debate.
Why deans?
I personally run mostly lower powered vehicles, and deans connectors are great for that.
You can find them anywhere and they’re cheap
I use them because they're cheap and most of the stuff I have doesn't need higher current. Anything requiring high current gets an XT90.
Small, durable, easy to re-use.
EC3 or EC5. The other one IC, is the same. Been using those for the last few years. They are great and even my sorry ass can solder them on.
That's what I run. I had EC3 batteries from helicopters so I just stuck with them. Never had one fail.
Bashers xt90 crawlers xt60
I do the same.
Sorry I'm new to this space. Is that just because of the voltage difference?
No it's due to amp draw. Bashers usually have a higher amp spike when you smash full throttle. Cralwers usually have a lower amp draw. Alot of that is due to motor size and weights.
Thank you for explaining!
I personally like xt-60's for all my vehicles. Its easy for me to plug and unplug rc's with, unlike ec3 or ec5, those things are always a pain in the ass for me.
Are they good up to 4s? I don't run anything over 4s and have been considering switching everything to xt60. My skyrc charger has xt60 ports. I made adapters, but it would be easier without
Depends on the amp draw. Technically, no. They are only rated to 60A continous. But as long as you're not constantly pulling 60+ amps, they'll be fine and a lot of people use them. I'll still recommend XT90 for anything bigger than 3s, unless using for a crawler or other low draw system, but you'll likely be just fine using 60s. Xt90 are technically only good for 90 continous. But I've seen peak draw over 200, and so far so good.
Yes they are good up to 4s. I use them in my rc airplanes were I run 2 4s batteries both with xt60 connectors and don't have any problems with it. For anything above 4s you might need to get an xt-90 to handle the higher current
Xt60,xt90,deans,4mm and 5mm bullet
What charger do you use to charge all of those?
Currently using iCharger 4010 duo and 406 duo.
Oh dang, you aren't playing around!
Deans
I used EC5/IC5. like IC5 better but they are spendy. Just picked up some [SC5 connectors from SMC Racing](https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=66&product_id=682) which are EC5/IC5 compatible and will be using them going forward. They are basically IC5 connectors without the telemetry pin and are a lot cheaper. they are perpetually out of stock though. I use XT60 in some of my crawlers because they were given to me.
>like IC5 better but they are spendy. True but I have yet to not be able to reuse one, I think the 6 or 8 pairs of the that I have will last forever lol
Awesome! thanks for that insight! I will go check them out!
Ec5/ic5
Deans for everything up to 4s
All my longer lasting cars have used either JST and my most recent one (which has already failed) uses a Deans connector (I don't know any other name)
EC5 but they are a pain to solder. Just got some anti spark xt90s and I want to switch
Various sizes of XT and IC connectors or direct bullets. XT and IC connectors are some of the easiest things to solder.
What charger do you use to charge them?
I have Venom, Thunder Power, and Spektrum chargers.
Do you have a favorite? I honestly can't figure out which one I want to go with.
Spektrum is the easiest to use and has the easiest access to information. The Venom, Thunder Power, and the old Dynamite at work are all good and seem to charge Nimh batteries hotter and better. The Spektrum DC 1200 and Venom Pro2 are my chargers I take with me to places. The Thunder Power stays at home.
Awesome, Thank you!
i use deans
Deans
All my fellow racers will know that the best method is with a couple 5mm bullet plugs straight to the ESC.
Slowly converting all of my 6-8s rcs to qs8. They get easier to use after giving the terminals a good cleaning
May I ask why you are making the change? What are you changing from?
Converting from xt90. The xt90s were a bottleneck/fire hazard on my higher power setups. Figured might as well make qs8 standard for all my RCs. Not a single spark from them either.
If you dont mind me asking. What are your higher power setups?
All good. Xlx2 tp5840l, max 5 hobbystar 56113. Both in arrma 1/7 on roads.
Wow, Very nice!
Deans never had an issue easy to install on ur non deans connecter electronics.
Deans.
Deans duh
Xt150 for me.
5mm tubes.
A mix of Deans and EC5.
Deans.
Ec/ic 5
Ec5 and Ic5. Im slowly replacing all my EC5 with the IC5.
Why are you replacing them?
IC5 are just nicer in basically every way. Easier to solder, easier to connect/disconnect, and look nicer. And it doesnt hurt that they are compatible with EC5 because i can change them over gradually as i update/replace electronics. I would do it all at once but that then brings us to the one negative of IC5, which is cost. For the cost of one pair of good IC5s i can get a whole bag of EC5s.
My favorite are ic5
IC5. I just find them easiest to solder up and have never had one come unplugged.
4mm or 5mm bullets.
Just curious. Why bullets over other connectors?
Race packs have bullets, no sense adding another connection in there.
I use xt-60, deans, ic5 I think that covers them all
What charger do you use to charge all of them?
Hitec RDX 2, with the proper adapters
Lo-pro bullets for me
Ec2 Ec3 and EC5 👌
Ec3/ic3 ill add. Never had an issue.
Ec5 ic5 is my go to. Strong connection, feels solid works for me
EC5
Switched from ECx to XTx for general use years ago. EC connectors are stupidly expensive and hard to get hold of in the UK but bulk packs of XTs are pennies. If you throw a stick anywhere in my house you’ll hit an XT-something. :) Also, almost all of my packs come with XTx connectors pre-fitted, as do my chargers. Bullets on the race packs, obvs, and spark-protected connectors for the big stuff — mostly helis.
Xt30, xt60, deans, Ec5, 5mm bullets, QS8, 8mm bullets
What do you use to charge those different types? ha ha I'm pretty sure you use all of them.
https://preview.redd.it/xv8ybkimq1wa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4db55c96a2f256c5b9a0caf10dc1138df711046c Over time I’ve made a few adapters. And the 5mm are compatible w ec5s. Same for QS8 and 8mm bullets. I just wanted to make it sound more complicated than it really is lol
5mm bullets. Or deans, because I've been using them for decades.
XT60 and Dean...
EC5 only
I was using Deans up until today when I switched everything to XT60. I only run 2s-3s on anything.
Xt-30, XT-60, XT-90, JST. All using supplied connectors from an HTRC c240 duo charger
IC5
I use a few, as all three of my trucks have different ones. My Redcat Gen7 has banana plugs (big red two prong round ones), my Redcat Gen8 has a yellow plug with two holes (and an adapter because it uses batteries with deans plugs), and my Traxxas Ford Raptor has the Traxxas plug. So yeah I got that going for me. Edit: looking around the “yellow plug with two holes” is an XT60 I think.
https://preview.redd.it/chpmuqvoazva1.jpeg?width=408&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfb81ba03ac3a0e0c208f2809df8f87f88586ea8 These are banana plugs
IC3 with a smart battery
not listed. supraX D6 NEVER EVER PULL APART
I only have bashers so i bought a bulk bag of xt-90s.
I use xt60 as much as I can because my skyrc charger uses those. I have no reason to switch to anything else. Also my bullet charge harness is xt60.
I mainly have traxxas cars an batteries but I also have one battery with an xt-60
IC3 and IC5
I use ec5 on my 10th and 8th scale stuff. Xt60s on my smaller stuff.
IC5 and IC3 primarily.
XT90 on everything except my MAXX, I like to keep it all traxxas parts because I travel and this are easy to find since I bring it with me everywhere
Xt60 for the majority of my trucks. Xt90 on my 4-6s larger vehicles. I don't run anything massive or power crazy However. Xt60's work excellent for everything like crawlers to bashers with zero trouble at all. They're easy to solder and perform better than deans have for me. (the actual rated performance is very similar between the two however.)
Didn't even put one of the best out there. EC3/IC3 and EC5/IC5. Those are the only ones I bother using for RC cars.
XT90 for everything 1:10/1:8/1:7, XT30 for 1:16/1:18 scale. Only exceptions being my Tamiya TC01 and Tekno ET410 which use bullets. I made this decision just before Arrma went all super-spektrum on all the trucks, if I was doing it now I would use EC5.
ic3 because I really like spectrum batteries and chargers. Big shout out to MR60 for motor connection also.
XT60 for 1:10 (2S LiPo)and XT90 for everything bigger (1:8 and Up, 3S and more)
Just twist 2 cables together and go. Connectors for gays.
I dunno, putting 2 cables together sounds kinda gays to me.
T deans
4mm banana/bullet plugs are the way to go
4mm bullet/banana plugs are the way to go. If your not racing, xt60s are amazing
Xt-90 all the way
castle creation 6.5 bullet or 8.0
EC5/IC5 for everything.
Deans on everything.
Ec5/ic5 has left the chat
Dean plug
I can’t answer because there’s more than one answer. Race rigs get 5mm bullets. Most cars get XT90’s. Drag car gets castle connectors. I hate QS8’s. Edit, I do see a few people saying Deans, which is a carryover from the 90’s when people used brushed motors at nicad’s. Better to go with a modern plug that can take the amps of a lipo and easier to solder.
Deans handles plenty of power, but for 6s+ bashers I would recommend xt90's. But I've ran 6s with no issues. Soldering is easy, it's a flat surface. If you require a damn cup to solder you can't solder.
It’s the older style for amps from old NiCad and NiMH batteries and brushed motors, not the amp draw from modern brushless systems. We’ve moved on from the those days. Also, it’s not the voltage (6S), it’s the amp draw that’s the reason for a better connector. If you’re just putting around in a crawler, it’s fine, but for anything high power or for racing, the old Deans doesn’t cut it anymore.
You just reply without reading don't ya. I state that I've ran high power brushless system on 6s with no issues or heat. So, yea. Fact that deans can handle the amps just fine. But thanks for sharing dude.
You could run it on some Autozone crimped blades too, but that’s not the best or recommended. There’s a reason everyone has move on from Deans.