Does this look like enough contact?

[felixthemaster]

I got the Align motor for its efficiency and flight times. But the bullets that come with it seem to be of a different design (same diameter, springier plugs and longer). I think these look like the banana plugs that come with chargers.

They have a nice snug fit, but It seems like I am losing half a cm of contact. Are these okay to fly? I have tried to solder motors before, but I did a terrible job. Granted, those wires were already butchered, but I still did badly.

[thepiper92]

Originally Posted by felixthemaster

I got the Align motor for it's efficiency and flight times. But the bullets that come with it seem to be of a different design (same diameter, springier plugs and longer). I think these look like the banana plugs that come with chargers.

They have a nice snug fit, but It seems like I am losing half a cm of contact. Are these okay to fly? I have tried to solder motors before, but I did a terrible job. Granted, those wires were already butchered, but I still did badly.

You sure they don't push in more? I had bullets like that, male ends were really bowed out. I pushed it in and it would stop there. So I just pushed it harder and it pushed past the bowed out area. Maybe would have helped if I had carefully taken pliers and collapsed it, as when you disconnect them, they don't now back out like when new, just a small amount.

[felixthemaster]

Yup, I am sure. The male 3.5mm bullets are a lot more compact.

The ridge you see in the heatshrink is where the hole ends. And if you look at the length of the banana plugs, it's too long.

[tonys-heli]

bite the bullet and learn how to solder..sorry, I couldn't resist..in this hobby soldering is part of the game..i use a pencil torch for bullets while I have the soldering gun already heating the lead. then pop the lead in the bullet while heating it a lil longer..haven't had a bad connection yet..i wouldn't use it like that..10 min fix. tops.

[felixthemaster]

I do solder wherever I can, I am just worried about the result.

I ended up biting the bullet. It feels very odd, like a sausage down a hallway as the motor wires are very thin at the end and the 3.5mm bullets have a large diameter.

I haven't tried using the torch attachment yet, that looks like fun. I had shaky hands under pressure, but i hope it set well whilst the solder was re solidifying.

The motor beeps sound odd/intermittent. But I guess I will know for sure if the motor bogs badly during flight.

[Danihoer]

I think the bullets on the motor are only 3mm.
I think you have to solder the 3,5mm.

[thepiper92]

For soldering I use a pair of adjustable pliers (the ones you open up all the way and move the bolt to the outer slot, I don't know the name). From here I use an elastic band on the handle to keep the pressure. This works for connectors and the pliers also have half circle areas further down that secure bullets. This allows the bullet or connector to be held as I drip some solder in the hole. Lastly I coat the wire tip in the solder, heat it long enough for the solder to run into center of the wire strands, then, first heating up the solder in the bullet, put the wire in the bullet and heat it all up, holding the wire and pushing down a bit. Occasionally I get soldering pushing out the top, but usually it pushes up close to the top perfectly and the whole tip of the wire is secured with solder, one with the bullet.

The XT60 connectors have a tapered slot for soldering, allowing direct connection with the solder while putting a wire in. This is a better design, as before, sometimes by the time the solder melted, the bullet started melting the connector.

[felixthemaster]

I did the same with helper hands, but I held the motor wire in my hands as it was easier to push in. After I strapped the motor in, that weird sound disappeared, and chirped normally. And it seems like it flies without bogging more than usual. Another successful solder

Apparently the factory solder is lead free and I am supposed to cut off a chunk of the motor wires because it does not mix well with lead solder. Is this right?

[myxiplx]

I would caution against cutting motor wires. They are an extension of the windings, with the strands individually coated. You have to clean the coating off totally in order to get a good solder joint.

[Andy from Sandy]

You have the wrong bullet sockets on the ESC. Best to source the correct ones. You can see that the lantern is not fully compressed so it is probably not making the best connection it could.

Not saying it won't work.

As myxiplx, the motor winding is enamelled copper wire and it is very difficult to remove.

[felixthemaster]

I have it all soldered and working properly. Am I worrying about nothing? I was told that the lead free solder does not mix well (to my rosin cored lead solder), and causes cracks and will lead to very high resistance.

[daboxe]

I am not 100% sure I follow. You have the wrong male and female pairs for the motor and the esc. They don't match. So you need to fix it. The easiest way to fix it is to redo the esc side with the correct female bullets.

[junior10]

NO, that is the wrong size. it will make contact but will most likely separate with vibration from the heli. i wouldn't trust it.

[myxiplx]

He had the wrong pairs, but in post #5 he re-soldered the motor side. Now he's just concerned about potentially mixing different solder types.

[doubletap]

Originally Posted by thepiper92

You sure they don't push in more? I had bullets like that, male ends were really bowed out. I pushed it in and it would stop there. So I just pushed it harder and it pushed past the bowed out area. Maybe would have helped if I had carefully taken pliers and collapsed it, as when you disconnect them, they don't now back out like when new, just a small amount.

Take the female bullet from the align esc, thats what i did.. it will work as a charm.