I tracked the fizzing noise down to a GP cigarette lighter plug which is probably not designed for operation at 5 Amps.
By Julian
Youtuber, shed dweller, solar charge controller aficionado
Good morning all…
Youtuber, shed dweller, solar charge controller aficionado
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I bet that spring is vibrating under the EMF of 5A being modulated by the DC-DC converter's non-constant power consumption. There's probably some component of it that is modulated at high audio frequencies, 12-15khz by my ears. 26 yrs old and can STILL tell when the old CRT based television is on in the next room over, just by the coil whine.
Deans and 5mm bullet connectors for me.
its often just the pinpoint connection vibrating from the magnetic field… An RBG led strip and controller im running draws about 5 amps at 12v and when you rotate the dc input jack it sings and buzzes away quite the same
Do you know that the shiny plastic film on the LED 7-segment displays can usually be peeled off to reveal a matt surface? The reason the film is there in the first place appears to be to contain the diffused resin that is poured into the segments.
Just a thought, I work in film and tv and for 12v applications we use 4 pin XLR plugs (pin 1=Neg, pin 4+ Pos) good quality Neutrik ones are rated 50v 10a so should be fine for these applications with the advatage of being locking connectors!
JST, Tamiya, or other connectors that come from the R/C hobby community are made for the job. Many of these will drive brushless cars, with 7-14V and enormous currents up to 60A (burst) in some cases.
Anderson PowerPoles. Amateur radio people swear by them.
I have an MCB that clicks away in sympathy to the PWM controller on my 400AH AGM bank. Not surprising really though as there's electromagnets in them things! 🙂
As for the low voltage distribution issue. I personally wouldn't use NEMA 5-15s as I already use 'em for 120VAC. And also there are quite a few products out there now such as inverters and surge boards that have international power points. They'll take U.K, U.S, Australia/NZ etc. You wouldn't want a 12v appliance going into one ov those..!
I guess it depends on how much grunt you want at 12 volts. 1/4" mono Jack Plugs and sockets are somewhat suitable here. After all, they are used as speaker connectors on 100watt Marshalls driving into 16ohms so they should take a reasonable current. But they only really work where you are supplying power from the socket to the plug, the other way around is not such a good idea because the jack can short as it is inserted, depending on the exact design ov the socket. But they are mega cheap.
Another option (still in the audio connector domain) is XLR, commonly known as "Cannon", connectors. These have three pins so can also be used for split rail work. And no shorting problems like jacks have. But they are more expensive and are more difficult to physically mount.
I guess it's not just the amperage – got the same noises on a crappy phone charger due to its switching and bad contact.
I guess I will install standard American sockets for my 12v-system – the are cheap and not used over here so the risk of someone connecting stuff to my system by accident is pretty low…
Anderson Powerpoles are used throughout the ham radio community, where radios often draw decent amps (a 50W transceiver has to pull something decent.) As long as you assemble them in the same orientation they are reliable and easily handle most radio loads, and larger ones are available for bigger loads, battery setups, etc. You can build multipole connecters as the individual "poles" can be stacked. If you get the real deal (i.e. not a knockoff) they are solid high quality units, and self-cleaning. If you need to use a cigarette lighter style connection check out the connectors used for boating (i.e. trolling motors,) they are more expensive but can take much higher amps.
Great vids BTW, I've learned a ton!
You could just stick a piece of braided copper in there to improve the conductivity.
So the spring in the plug was acting as an inductor and "loudspeaking" the switching noise? – you could try quietening it by wrapping the spring in foil and providing an alternative path.
But I suppose if you're changing systems anyway…….
hi julian really enjoy your channel, have you any advice in learning c any good resources you could recommend or any advice cheers
I would agree with the anderson power poles. Universal without gender so you stick one plug on a battery pack and can use it either way from power supply to charge or to a load.
How do you go about protecting yourself(your identity and your money) when purchasing off ebay?
XT60 plugs
Anderson Powerpole connectors are by far the way to go! I have melted several cigar lighter adapter plugs even at very light loads. The added resistance from poor contact/possible ash in socket will make them hot enough to melt threads and pop apart before the fuse blows!