E-Z Safety Loop Construction

[properchopper]

No intention here to start a conversation on pros & cons - Just that I'm building a racer for a customer in NZ where safety loops are mandatory. I've seen some that don't seem very secure but I stumbled on this config while fiddling around in the parts drawer. Easy (after a bunch of soldering) and drops right in the hole in deck ; secure, tight & waterproof.

Start out with a ZippKit radio box rubber bellow seal goodie, some CC 6.5mm connectors & some shrink. Connector fits so tight in Zippkit thang that some rubber mallet "convincing" is needed.



Ready to drop in 7/32" holes :

upgraded O-rings & G-10 "washers" to keep nut knuckles from gouging underdeck



installed (with a little dab of silicone sealant for good measure)



Tony

[email protected]

(somehow the pictures didn't come out where I placed them but..)

Also, any choice/combination of connector polarity would work. Using females would be more streamlined looking if run minus the loop but would collect water and ultimately oxidize the connection (at least I think..)

 

[Rokieboater]

Nice--Thanks for posting

 

[lohring]

As you know, I was a big safety loop fan. The issue became the resistance through the connectors. The connectors you used are good for modest current draws and can be easily unplugged. I tried 8 mm connectors, but they couldn't be unplugged easily. There are high amp connectors, but they are too expensive for modelers. I still see worn connectors even in a P spec system getting hot enough to melt the solder. I hope the Australians can come up with a good high current system.

Lohring Miller

 

[properchopper]

Lohring,

I used 6.5 mm CC connectors and 10ga. wire to minimize resistance. The 6.5's are quite tight if that means anything. The whole purpose of posting this was to demonstrate that with a little prep, these can be just a "drop-in" install.

You may remember that I showed you this concept years ago. This was the first opportunity I had to put it into practice.

 

[Darin Jordan]

Nice work, Tony!

 

[Kris Flynn]

I think if you are worried about an extra set of plugs and 3" of wire then you are chasing the 5%ers

I will get some pics of mine, but I typically intall the female plug on the speedy through the deck. Then have a cable with a male on one end and female on the other (just long enough to go from battery, up through the deck and plug into female plug on speedy.

Sometimes alot of thought needs to go into the designs and locations to keep it all neat and tidy.

 

[lohring]

At one time all my boats had safety loops, see below. The connectors duplicated the others in the system. The 6.5 mm connectors are a lot better, but so are modern ESCs. Our club now mostly runs electrics and gas. We never mandated safety loops and I don't know of a recent incident where the motor ran unintentionally. In my early electric days I did have unintentional motor operation caused by water in the radio box. At present I still think they are a good idea, but not worth fighting for a national rule.

Very nice design, though. My more complex high current design wasn't practical.

Lohring Miller

 

[Dmitry]

properchopper: That loop goes is for the battery directly right? Would it maybe less prone to issues if it were made for the ESC power switches?

 

[z400]

Ive actually always wondered how some of you guys did that.

Nice write up!

Thanks!