Introduction
The Dean connectors are very widely used connectors around the world. You might’ve bought one and need to solder it with wires. Well, it’s super simple, and you don’t need any past experience.
So, how to solder deans connectors?
First, remove the plastic coating of the wire. Then put some solder on the wire and connecting point of the connector. Place the connector on a soldering helping hand. Touch the wire and connecting point with the soldering iron. After the solder melts, join them together, and they’ll get attached very quickly.
This may not be enough for you to thoroughly understand the process. Read our article to grasp the whole gist of it.
Soldering Dean Connectors in 7 Steps
Now that you know the tools you need let’s hop into the steps. The whole process is divided into bite-size pieces for your better understanding. It is very similar to soldering bullet connectors.
Required Tools
Before starting the soldering process, let’s have a look at the tools you’ll need.
- Soldering iron
- Lead-free solder
- Wet sponge
- Deans connector
- Heat shrink tubes
- Wire stripper
- Soldering helping hands
- Lighter
Here are some optional tools that’ll make your work easier-
- Flux
- Plasti dip
Step 1: Removing The Plastic Coat of The Wire
First, desolder the wires if they were already attached to a connector. You can simply cut them with a cutter for detaching them from the old connector. To remove the plastic coating, place the wire between the stripper jaws.
Squeeze the stripper to get rid of the insulating coating as per your requirement of the wire. Then twist the exposed metallic part of the wire to make it neat.
Mark the length where you want to remove the plastic coat. You’ll be able to cut it off easily with the knife.
Step 2: Placing The Heat Shrink Tubes
After you cut off the insulating coat of the wire, place the heat shrink on the wire. You must remember to put the heat shrink tubes before soldering.
Once you solder the wire to the connector, there’s no way you can put the heat shrink.
Step 3: Dipping The Points into Soldering Flux
Now, you have to dip the points you’ll solder into the flux to help the solder flow. That means the ends of the wires and the dean’s connector needs to be dunked into the flux. Though it’s an optional step, it’ll make the soldering trouble-free.
Nonetheless, you can skip it if you want.
Step 4: Tinning
First, clamp the wires with soldering helping hands. Turn on the soldering iron and let it heat up. Now touch the solder with the tip of the soldering iron. The solder will melt and get stuck in the tip. Then rub the wires with the soldering tip with melted solder immediately.
By this, the solder will get transferred to the wires from the iron. The solder will be hardened within seconds. This process is called tinning.
Now you have to solder the dean’s connector. Before that, clean the soldering iron tip with a wet sponge. Attach the dean’s connector in the soldering helping hand. Perform the tinning process in both the connecting points of the connector, just like the wires.
Choosing the perfect soldering iron and solder is vital for this step. Here are some of our recommended lead-free solder for you-
| Product 1 | |
| Product 2 |
Step 5: Joining The Wire And The Connector
This step is kind of similar to that of soldering Xt60 connectors. So, first, hold the dean’s connector and one wire with the soldering helping hand and your hand, respectively. Touch the end of the wire and one end of the connector with the soldering iron tip. It will melt the previously hardened solder.
Now put the wire on the end of the connector very quickly. The wire and the connector end will get attached instantly as the solder gets hardened.
Do the same with the other wire and the other end of the connector. However, make sure to join the correct wire with the right end of the dean’s connector.
Step 6: Heating The Heat Shrink Tubes
Once the wire-connector joints are cooled down, put the heat shrinks over the joints. Heat the heat shrink tubes with a lighter.
To do so, lighten up a lighter very closely to the tubes. The tubes will shrink around the joints perfectly. You can use a heat gun as an alternative as well.
After that, you can put a thin layer of ‘plasti dip’ around the soldered joints. This part is not mandatory at all. If your joint doesn’t come in contact with water, you can skip this bit. Be aware because heat shrink tubes are not waterproof, just like electrical tapes.
Step 7: Cleaning The Soldering Iron
You should always care for soldering tips. Before you turn off the soldering iron, you should clean the tip. For cleaning, put solder on the tip of the iron and rub it on the wet sponge.
Repeat this a few times until the tip gets nice and shiny. It will save the tip from corrosion and prolong its longevity. After cleaning, turn off the iron. Let it cool for a few minutes and store it for the next time.
Hope now you know everything about soldering dean connectors.
FAQs
Question: Are Deans and T plug the same?
Answer: The XT plug and connector serve the same purpose as Deans. But there’s a huge difference when it comes to quality. You can use an XT connector in small to medium electrics. But anything involving a large current flow should get a Deans connector.
Question: How much current can a Deans plug handle?
Answer: The ultra Deans connectors can handle 60 Amps of continuous current and up to 75 Amps of load. But there are cases when it can take up to 100 Amps of current without any problem.
Question: Are XT60 connectors better than Deans?
Answer: The genuine Deans are relatively more expensive than XT60 and a bit trickier to solder. But Deans provide an overall better quality and are very compact.
Ending Notes
We’ve come to the end of the article. Hopefully, now you know how to solder deans connectors.
Deans connectors are very common and reliable connectors out there. Remember to have the right set of tools before you perform the soldering process.
That’s it for today. Wish you good luck.
