West Mountain Radio PWRcrimp User manual

SECURING THE HOUSINGS
Anderson recommends and supplies a more reliable spiral
pin. Do not use roll pins on Powerpoles®! We recommend
not using the roll pins because they may fall out and cause
damage to your radio. After testing both pin types, even
the proper spiral pins can fall out. Anderson does not
recommend their spiral pins for critical applications.
After consulting with Anderson, they recommend using
cyanocrylic (CA) glue, such as Crazy Glue, to hold the
connector bodies permanently together. Normally the
dovetail joints in the housings hold well, but if glue is
preferred, do not use pins. Make sure of proper assembly
BEFORE gluing, as they will be permanently bonded
together. All it takes is a very small drop of CA glue in the
seam between the red and black housings. Alternatively,
a bit of silicon glue injected in to the hole between the
red and black housings works reasonably well to hold the
housings together, and, if needed, can be later separated.
INSERTING THE CONTACTS
After crimping, the contacts go in the housings in only one
way. Insert the contacts so that their sharp hooked edge
will be facing against the at spring that is in the housing.
IMPORTANT: Before inserting the crimped contacts, make
sure that the tab is not bent up or down, compare the
nished crimped contact to a new one and make sure it is
straight and the same angle. The contacts should slide in
and click. Check to ensure they are fully seated and that
the contact and its wire “oats” slightly inside the housing.
If it feels tight the contact may not be snapped in fully
or the contact is bent or has become wider than it was
originally during crimping or soldering.
Tip: If you are using small gauge wire, use a small
screwdriver to push the contact into the housing.
REMOVING A CONTACT FROM A HOUSING
With a small screwdriver lightly pry the contact up away
from the housing at spring clip while gently pulling the
wire and contact out. Be sure to bend the contact back
correctly straight before re-inserting it in another housing.
For a pair of heavy wires, gently work each wire out of the
paired housing.
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CONTACT RATING AND WIRE SIZE
Anderson 15, 30, and 45 ampere contacts all mount in
the same plastic housings. All contacts have the same
connection contact area. The difference is the size wire
that ts each contact.
• 15 amp contacts can be used with #15-20 AWG wire.
(For #20 AWG or smaller the wire will have to be doubled
or tripled over to ll the contact for a good crimp. Another
option is to fold it back on the insulated wire so the crimp
includes the insulation for a sturdier cable.)
• 30 amp contacts can be used with #12-16 AWG wire.
(It is possible to use up to #10 wire in a 30 amp
contact even though they are made for 12 to 14
gauge.The #10 will need to be cut cleanly and neatly
twisted to get all of the strands inside. For #18 AWG
or smaller the wire will have to be doubled or tripled
over to ll the contact for a good crimp.)
•45 amp contacts can be used with #10-14 AWG wire.
Powerpole current ratings are according to the National
Electric Code by wire gauge for a 30ºC rise above ambient
at the rated current. Powerpoles will easily sustain these
ratings continuously without ventilation. With proper
ventilation they will easily sustain double their ratings and
much more for short bursts.
CRIMPING WITH THE PWRcrimp
This tool is a custom designed crimp tool for professionally
crimping Anderson 15, 30, and 45 ampere Powerpoles®. It
has a contact holder to position the contact correctly, and a
ratcheting mechanism to assure correct force is applied
each time.
NEVER USE THIS TOOL FOR ANY OTHER BRAND
CRIMP CONTACT, YOU MAY BREAK THE TOOL AND
VOID THE WARRANY!
The long handles on the PWRcrimp will provide extra
leverage, however it is normal to use two hands to fully
crimp a contact. For 45 Amp contacts with #10 wire you
may need to push the tool against your bench using your
weight against the top lever. The results are professional,
providing aerospace quality and the strongest and lowest
possible resistance crimp, and much faster than soldering.
The PWRcrimp tool has three crimping dies, marked 15,
30, and 45, for the respective Anderson Powerpole contacts
and wire gauge ranges. The plastic contact positioner
extends off the other side of the lower jaw. Without a contact
in the tool, try the crimper by squeezing the handles closed.
The ratchet will click until the end of travel, and with some
force, only then allowing the tool to open. When it is partially
closed, try the release lever which is located between the
handles under the “W” in West Mountain Radio. The release
allows you to start over without damaging the tool or the
contact if the contact was incorrectly positioned to start.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING
POWERPOLE CONNECTIONS
This manual has general assembly tips and photographs
to make Powerpoles®easy to install on any DC cord. It is
recommended to read these instructions thoroughly before
crimping Powerpoles to fully understand the connectors,
contacts, housings, and assembly orientation. Follow these
instructions carefully when using the PWRcrimp tool to
make good, reliable and consistent connectors.
GENERAL POWERPOLE
CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
CONNECTOR PAIR ORIENTATION OPTIONS
The picture to the right is the ARES/RACES standard
orientation used on West Mountain Radio RIGrunners.
This orientation is correctly polarized and genderless.
Tip: The housings may
be oriented in several
other ways for special
applications to avoid
accidentally plugging
in the wrong voltage
source. With other
orientations, a matching
pair may be mirror
images rather than
genderless mating pairs.
PREPARING THE HOUSINGS
The plastic housings are held together with dovetail joints.
Assemble by sliding these joints together. They will be
damaged if you try to snap them together or apart. They
ONLY slide together in one direction.
Tip: Slide the connector housings together before
inserting the contact pins. This is especially
important when using heavy paired-wire.
PWRcrimp
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IMPORTANT: Only if the 45 Amp contact appears to
be aligned properly, and will curl inward, continue to
squeeze. If the contact is misaligned, use the release
lever to start over. DO NOT CONTINUE SQUEEZING.
If it is properly aligned, continue, but ONLY TO THE
POINT WHERE THE RATCHET RELEASES. Squeezing
past the release point may over crimp the contact or
damage the tool. The ratchet release point assures
that the crimp is fully compressed and makes the best
connection crimped to the proper dimensions.
PWRcrimp MAINTENANCE
For a long service life, the PWRcrimp, like any crimp tool,
requires periodic and proper lubrication.This should be done
every 50 or 100 crimps. Always make sure that all of the pivots
points are oiled with machine oil. Ensure that the lubricant ows
inside bearing surface of all pivot points. See the gure below.
The crimp dies come pre-lubricated. It is recommended
to periodically spray the dies with a light coating of silicon
lubricant or WD40 to allow the crimped contacts to be
removed easily and to make the dies last longer.
The tools are adjusted at the factory for a full strength
crimp. If you feel that the crimps are too tight or too loose,
you may check the crimp by measuring the height (smaller
dimension) of a nished crimp with a micrometer or
accurate vernier caliper.
Contact nished crimp measurements:
(the height of the crimped portion, smaller dimension)
45 amp contact with 10 gauge wire .100” to .120”
30 amp contact with 12 gauge wire .090” to 110”
15 amp contact with 16 gauge wire .080” to .100”
If the tool does not crimp within this range, try the following
adjustment procedure:
The tension and compression of any crimp tool tends to
lessen with use and wear. There is a toothed wheel held
in place by a silver colored Phillips head screw that adjusts
a tension pivot cam. The adjustment is not obvious as it is
impossible to see the position of the cam and adjustment
should not be attempted without an accurate way to
measure the nished crimps according to the table above.
The toothed cam wheel is set to minimum tension when
the at on the shaft is facing the pivot point directly next to
it. It is at maximum tension when the at is 180 degrees
opposite and away from the adjacent pivot point. Rotating
the toothed cam wheel in either direction between these
extremes will adjust the tension and crimping force. Note
that there are two locations for the set screw to allow for
ner adjustment.
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PWRcrimp Warranty
The PWRcrimp is warranted against failure due
to defects in workmanship or materials for ninety
days after the date of purchase from West Mountain
Radio or an authorized dealer. If purchased from an
authorized dealer it must be returned with a copy of
the original sales receipt or proof of purchase.
Warranty does not cover damage caused by abuse,
accident, misuse, improper or abnormal usage, failure
to follow instructions. If failure occurs within this
period, return the PWRcrimp to West Mountain Radio
at your shipping expense with a full explanation and
necessary proof of purchase. The tool will be repaired
or replaced, at our option, without charge, and
returned to you at our shipping expense. Repaired
or replaced items are warranted for the remainder of
the original warranty period. You will be charged for
repair or replacement of the tool if returned after the
expiration of the warranty period.
West Mountain Radio shall have no liability or
responsibility to customer or any other person or
entity with respect to any liability, loss, or damage
caused directly or indirectly by use or performance
of the products or arising out of any breach of this
warranty, including, but not limited to, any damages
resulting from inconvenience, loss of time, data,
property, revenue, or prot, or any indirect, special
incidental, or consequential damages, even if West
Mountain Radio has been advised of such damages.
Except as provided herein, West Mountain Radio
makes no express warranties and any implied
warranties, including tness for a particular purpose,
are limited in duration to the stated duration provided
herein.
www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186
tel [phone] fax: [phone]
NOTE: YOUR WARRANTY MAY BE VOIDED IF THE
TOOL IS DAMAGED DUE TO SETTING THE TENSION
TOO HIGHLY.
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PREPARING TO CRIMP
Wire cutters are needed to cut the wire and wire strippers
should be used to strip the wire. Use of cutters to strip wire
might possibly nick the wire strands. With the strippers, strip
the wire insulation back 3/8 in., trying not to nick the strands.
PREPARING THE WIRE ASSEMBLY
Tip: If you are using heavy paired-wire, orient the paired
wire with the red/plus wire on your right with the stripped
end of the wire facing away. Install the contacts so the
hooked edge of the contact is down and they will install
in the housings correctly without twisting the wire into
alignment.
CRIMPING 15, AND 30 AMP CONTACTS
Carefully insert all of the strands of the wire into the
wire cup on the contact end. Fully open the PWRcrimp
jaw. With the hooked edge downward, place the contact
and wire fully into the plastic contact positioner for the
respective 15 or 30 amp die. Notice that the contact’s split
seam of the wire barrel is facing squarely up towards the
center of the upper die. Make sure that the wire is still fully
inserted into the contact and crimp down rmly. Continue
to squeeze through each ratchet index, only until the tool
opens. DO NOT SQUEEZE PAST THE POINT WHERE
THE RATCHET RELEASES, doing this may make a poor
or damaged crimp or damage the tool. The ratchet release
point assures that the crimp is fully compressed and
makes the best connection.
CRIMPING 45 AMP CONTACTS
For 45 Amp contacts, do not place the wire in the contact.
Fully open the PWRcrimp jaw and with the at tab
downward and the open end of the “U” upward, place the
contact fully into the 45 amp die and contact positioner
opening. Slightly close the tool, but only until both tabs
of the 45 Amp contact are just touching inside the upper
die. Be sure that both tabs are symmetrical inside the
upper die. One tab may want to spread outward instead
of inward, ruining the contact and possibly jamming or
damaging the tool. (Some Anderson 45 amp contacts
supplied are formed slightly wide, and the contact may not
t properly in the die.)
If the tabs are not inside the die when partially closing the
handles, use the release lever and take the contact out.
Slightly squeeze the contact tabs together with a pair of
pliers so they are more of a U shape than a V and start over.
With the contact properly aligned inside the slightly closed
tools die, neatly place all the strands of the wire fully in to U
shaped channel and crimp until the ratchet mechanism just
releases. This will take considerable force.
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