What are the common battery connectors?

A connector is a device that connects circuits together. Most battery packs require multiple connectors. The main battery connector is the mechanical and electrical components that connect the battery to a PDA or other electronic device.

As in the example below, in the red circle, the battery is connected to the drone through the connector.

Of course, there are various battery connectors on the market, each of which is suitable for different applications. When selecting a connector, you should make matching choices according to your needs. The following are common connectors:

• Balance connector

These (usually white) multi-pin plugs are located on multiple cells and provide connectors for each battery terminal inside the battery to monitor voltage and operate each battery individually. This allows the charger to discharge a particular battery to balance the battery pack. Each battery will have a wire plus a negative voltage meaning that the 3S battery balance plug will have four pins. It is important to connect this plug to the charger during balanced charging, which is often overlooked by beginners. Some chargers can use this low current connection to charge the battery, so this is also a type of connector.

• XT60 connector

These high current connectors are very widely used, especially in cars and drones, which can be easily used by operators and can avoid erroneous connections.

• Deans / T connector

 These short, thick connectors are suitable for high current applications. They have a short plastic plug body, sprung flat tabthat maintain contact pressure against the metal prongs (which can be stiff to connect) and are keyed so will only connect one way round.

• Tamiya Connector

A common battery connectors (sometimes translucent) are found on most NiMH batteries. These white connectors have a snap-on position that can be unlocked before they are pulled apart. They are the key to an auxiliary installation, but the connectors can be forced, so care must be taken to observe the correct polarization (connecting the positive pole to the positive pole and vice versa), such as identifying the wire color.

Note: These do not apply to high current applications, such as large burst rate LiPo batteries, which can overheat if used.

• Traxxas connector

These rectangular proprietary high current connectors feature a keyed design to avoid erroneous connections and a textured plug for easy removal. Please note that Traxxas now also features an iD connector with integrated balanced connector leads to simplify charging. These apply to iD chargers and can be identified by flat octagonal connectors.

• Bullet connector

Often referred to as banana plugs, these usually appear on the charger adapter leads rather than on the battery. Available in a variety of diameters, larger sizes support high currents, but care must be taken to ensure they are properly rounded.

• JST RCY connector

These small, low-current, thin-walled plugs are usually located inside the transmitter and are ideal for connecting rechargeable battery packs instead of AA batteries.

• Molex Picoblade connector

These tiny two-pin connectors are available for micro drones. They are designed for low current chargers such as USB powered chargers. Also, care should be taken when connecting these batteries, as small plugs may be connected together in the wrong way.