Weather Pack Connectors - vanderbiltrobotics/RoboticsIntelligenceDatabase GitHub Wiki
What are Weather Pack Connectors?
Weather Pack Connectors are electrical connectors which we use for high current applications such as motors. These connectors are ideal for use on our robot because they are fully sealed against water and dust ingress. Dust protection is ideal for ensuring good electrical connections in a dusty environment and is worth points in the competition. The Weather Pack system consists of four parts: connectors, terminals, seals, and tools.
Connectors
Weather Pack Connectors come in both male and female variants, called towers and shrouds. The connectors come in a variety of configurations with different numbers of positions (terminals). The shroud has a green seal which forms the dust protection only when mated with the shroud. Note that connectors are easily reusable and reconfigurable with the extraction tool.
Tower
Shroud
Terminals
Weather Pack terminals are crimped onto wires before being inserted into a housing. The terminals come in three sizes to support different sizes of wire: 20-18 AWG, 16-14 AWG, and 12-10 AWG. Terminals must be crimped onto the wire with the correct tool to ensure a proper fit into the housing and a good electrical connection. The front half of the terminal is crimped to the bare conductor, and the rear half of the terminal is crimped to the wire insulation and seal.
Male
Female
Terminal Ready to be Crimped
Properly Crimped Terminal
Seals
Seals are placed on the wire at the back of the terminal to ensure a seal at the back of the housing. Seals should be placed over the wire before stripping and crimping. The seal should only be on the insulation of the wire and not the bare conductor. Seals come in color coded versions for different sizes of wire:
| Color | Wire AWG |
|---|---|
| Green | 20-18 |
| Gray | 16-14 |
| Blue | 12-10 |
Video: Crimping, Assembling, and Disassembling
- Watch first 3 minutes
Tools
20-18 and 16-14 Crimper
Crimps 20-18 AWG and 16-14 AWG terminals and seals in one motion.
12-10 AWG Crimper
Crimps 12-10 AWG crimps and seals in two steps. First, crimp the terminal in either the 12 or 10 AWG hole. Second, crimp the seal to the insulation in the center hole.
Extraction Tool
Before using the extraction tool, raise the wire retention mechanism. Then, insert the tool into the position you want to remove and pull out the wire.
Buying them
We have had success buying them from Waytek. You should be able to also find them on Mouser, but Waytek seemed to have better prices and be more convenient.