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Old 06-21-20, 11:57 AM
  #23  
steelbikeguy
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Location: Peoria, IL
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Originally Posted by 2_i
When using similarly looking connectors on a bike, I ran into the problem of them slipping out of each other due to wire weight and vibration. There are similar connectors around with a ring spring around the pin,

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T5SW7FE

but they slip out too, and occasionally the spring gets crumpled forcing you to change the connector as a penalty for trying to close it. Yes, you might get a housing, but there are issues with these: weight straining the wire, bulky size, potential need to synchronize wires and plan ahead that is somewhat uncharacteristic of a bike that is in a permanent prototype state. I resort to a velcro sleeve for keeping connectors together, but is a bit of a pain.
I haven't used these little banana plug style pins myself, but know that they are used by a number of individuals on their bikes.
Regarding the problem of wire weight pulling the pin and socket apart, that suggests two possible causes.
The first would be insufficient or inconsistent spring force in the contacts. I'm accustomed to buying connectors (and parts) from well known manufacturers, and they have pretty high standards for quality and consistency. It might be worth looking at the DT style pins and sockets as an alternative. They cost a little more, but if they last a long time, it's not a bad deal.
The second potential cause is that the connectors shouldn't be supporting the wire weight. As a rule of thumb, wires (or wire bundles) should be supported at regular intervals in order to avoid putting strain on the wires, especially at the connectors. I try to support my light wires every 6 to 8 inches or so.

I will say that some of the connectors in my bike light wires are to allow "frequent" disconnection, such as at the hub dynamo. Other connections are intended to make it easier to assemble the lighting system and will only be take apart every year or two. For this group of connections, I like to put a dab of dielectric grease on the pin/socket junction, and then use a bit of electrical tape to wrap it up and seal it up (sort of).
For example, in the photo below, I've wrapped up the pin & socket for the tail light connection and zip-tied it to the Tubus rear rack. Of course, this is a tail light that I made, so it doesn't use the spade connections that seem to be the norm for commercially made lights.



Steve in Peoria
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