How To Solder XT90 Connectors

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Want to learn more about RC Connectors? Please visit my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-battery-connector.html

[@JUKE179r]

Hello from the future! 😂 I totally concur with using a solder gun rather than a solder pen for the bigger Amp RC battery connectors. I recently used my Aoyue solder station for circuit boards to remove the EC5 connectors and solder in QS8-S connectors on my CBHL LiPo batts for my Redcat RC ‘64 Lowrider. That took longer than should be to have adequate heat to solder the battery wires to the QS8 connectors. A solder gun gives quicker constant heat to a larger area melting solder for adding wires without overheating/melting the connectors. Cheers from a Yank in the UK! 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@denniss7805]

You have no ida how much you just helped me, Thank you so much!

[@CharlieDeltaEchoVict]

Great soldering job, you make it look easy. Bet it wont be when I have a go later today!

[@loucam-l6214]

I had no idea about tinning! 😱 I'm thankful none of my awful previous solder jobs have undone themselves, but knowing now about tinning I'm sure they'll be perfect

[@uberthium7b5]

Man just got my first soldering ever done. Had an issue and found this very VERY helpful! Thanks!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it helped & thanks for the view. 🙂

[@sunsetpark_fpv]

10:26 - "interesting smells and smoke usually appear" 🤣😂 Nice clean work - especially with the heat shrink tubing!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

😁

[@midwestrcadventures7193]

Just wanted to say thanks. This video really helped. I figured out that my solder iron wasnt getting hot enough to tin the wires. Following your advice I was able to tin the wires and convert my ERevo 2.0 traxxas connectors to the XT90's so pumped. cant wait to get it out and bash. :)

[@mikebuckhurst1534]

Exactly my problem, until I watched this video I was thinking I couldn't solder, it was just not enough power.

[@EmmanuelPleshe]

Having watched a few of your videos now I wish you'd worked at the shop where I learned how to solder as a teen. Well, I'm glad to be having a headstart from watching you as I relearn soldering to mess with crawlers!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad to help 🙂

[@dallas7281]

Great video. Precise and to the point. Well done.

[@pavels.1358]

Thanks, John! Great job. I was using a soldering station instead of soldering gun, and that was a very bad idea.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for watching 🙂

[@davidcrowson4745]

This was very helpful changing out my connectors for my e-bike this weekend.thank you.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it helped

[@KiloFeenix]

This is why i came here.

[@jwagner217837]

Excellent vid! Didn't know you could turn the posts which is great knowledge! Thank you!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You bet

[@choke666]

Awesome. Thankyou much!! I WAS going to convert ALL my batteries and cars to TRX connectors but i quickly changed my mind when i realized what a nightmare they were to solder!!! I really like the XT60's though.

[@kenspaceman3938]

Thanks for your clear and informative DIY video on soldering these XT90 connectors.👍

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful

[@bldjln3158]

Very helpful. You did a good job at not covering the screen with your hands.

[@MegaPummer]

This is one good soldering tutorial thank you!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful

[@HighVoltageKits]

Thanks, learned a bunch. Is there a reason the plug has to be together when in the metal vice? If it was separated there would be no risk at all of a short from the exposed ends touching metal.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I go over the reason why starting at 0:38 - it's to ensure the pins stay aligned if the housing softens from too much heat.

[@cup_and_cone]

What's the max size on XT90 plugs? Wondering if 8-gauge wire will fit on an XT90...

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You can size any wire to fit in a connector pin. 8 will work on the 90's, but it does have to be sized a little. I demo this in my Bullet Connector video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJW3dYerd8dmprM

[@davidh5395]

Very nice. Very clear. Thank-you.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful 🙂

[@marward]

Very informative video. Thanks!

[@bruteforce6570]

Very helpful 👏👏thanks for being so detailed 👏👏😃😃👋👋

[@waynemiller6070]

I just got a new soldering station. The thermostat says that it's well over 800° and yet it doesn't seem hot enough to melt the solder once the wire is touching the connector. I'm probably doing something wrong. More flux, more tinning. I don't know.

[@philippeannet]

Absolutely top !! Just missing the temperature I should set with a rework station (WM3 and the like) ??

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I've never tried to solder wire with a hot air rework station so I have no idea at what temp you would use, or if it would even work. I've only used soldering irons or guns for wiring projects. For them there is no "best" temperature value as there are variables involved such as wire/connector size (thermal mass), type of solder, type of solder tip, how long you are willing to hold heat to the object, and individual working temperature preference. On larger connectors like the XT90 with larger wire (8 or 10 AWG) with a fair amount of thermal mass, I will usually have a conventional tip soldering iron set on the higher side (around 400C). With the newer direct drive tip technology irons such as the TS100 or the Hakko T12/T15 tips, I run about 20C cooler so around $380C.

[@philippeannet]

I wasn’t talking about hot air... got a Weller WR3M station, but soldering with a standard 80W tip. I think you’re right, something close to 400C is probably best, was working way lower, and having trouble (took too long, and damaged the connectors, but have to say I didn't plug the opposite connector, which certainly helps dissipating the heat and also ensuring they stay aligned). I’ve seen another video which mentions 400C, too... Many thanks for the video & your reply !! Much appreciated !! (just tested... 390C worked perfectly)

[@zeno6111753]

Great video, thank you for posting! I have always used a big old soldering iron on these, which usually resultet decent joints but almost always melted a bit of the plastic as well. Will be getting a soldering gun now for sure! Have you modified the tip on yours perhaps, it doesn't look like the default one I keep seeing?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Stock tip; no mods.

[@Leandro-mk4lv]

Can a 60w soldering iron do the job? Not as clean as this one

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Need at least 100W to do larger gauge wire & connectors. Power is covered in detail on my RC Soldering Beginners page: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-soldering.html

[@thatmand4542]

Im planning on buying a castle mamba x esx and im only gonna run 3s on my rc car and i want to know if this connector would be too overkill for a 12 gauge wire

[@Rchelicopterfun]

What's the maximum current rating of the ESC/Motor combo? An XT-60 would likely be adequate if it's not more than around 60 Amps max or so. Nothing of course wrong running a larger connector than needed other than the increase in size and cost.

[@thatmand4542]

@@Rchelicopterfun well now that i look at it i might be using a xt90 cause the amp draw will be around 70 to 80 or so,but thanks for the info man :D

[@georgevprochazka5316]

What is the tool you're using to shrink the tubing ? Thanks

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Hot air rework wand/gun. Any hot air gun would of course work for this purpose.

[@tomjoad1060]

thank you for the instruction!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thank you for watching 🙂👍

[@relectric720]

Thank you for the video. I want to learn how to solder. I want to buy the best solder to learn from. Kester 44 rosin core 66/44 .8mm 1lb spool on Amazon I will be using xt60 xt90s with 12 gauge silicone wire will this work. Thank you again .

[@skubyvision]

Thank you! Great tutorials.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for watching

[@David_11111]

Yay good call on rotating pin shell ...

[@jonaspetelo3630]

im trying to do the same exact thing but with copper ends on the connector.. the tin wont even stick to the copper any ideas?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Not enough heat, not enough flux, poor quality solder, poor soldering technique. Any or all.

[@jonaspetelo3630]

Thanks I ordered the same gun as you comes in today I’m gonna give it a try

[@NormanWray-hi8cu]

Hello dear a x t 60 with a 14.8 charger can't change with a 48 voltage charger sir 😊😅I only want a pair of x t 60 plugs sir thank.

[@josecabrera5632]

What is the power of your solderer? I tried my 30Watts one and failed!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

140W.

[@Nick-cs9dt]

If you hold the iron on that long won’t the heat conduct through the wire and ruin the cells?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

10 to 15 seconds long? Not even enough time to boil off the flux or feel much warmth from the wire where I'm holding it less than an inch away from the connector. At the battery terminal tabs a good 6 inches away, likely not even enough conducted heat to detect. Regardless, the cells are exposed to much greater localized heat when the tabs on the cells are soldered along with the wiring.

[@Nick-cs9dt]

Thanks, that’s good to know. Do you know whether ESCs are more vulnerable to conducted heat? When I did mine one of the cables got quite hot going into the ESC. I did have to redo it so I probably did two lots of 8 seconds on a 10awg wire 2inches long.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Again, pretty hard to conduct enough heat from a soldering iron or gun through a length of wire to do much harm. Most ESC's state they can handle operation temps up to about 90C (190F) for short duration's. So I would suspect as long as the wire ends at the ESC are not getting over that (which I can't imagine how they ever could), you have little to worry about.

[@ErikBrabander]

Great tips! Thanks for the video!

[@richdobbs6595]

You make it look so easy! But I thought that standard practice is to use female connectors on batteries. Have I misunderstood this?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The connector with the lowest possibility of shorting is always on the battery/power source side of the connection. In the case of the XT30,60,90 and 90 anti-spark, that would be the male connector with the female bullets inside. For more information on connector polarity practices - see my RC connector article on my website. The polarity topic is about 2/3 of the way down in the article: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-battery-connector.html

[@PhilMeUpBaby]

What heat gun is that?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Weller soldering gun.

[@maritimezombie7684]

Great video, thank you!!!

[@HungTran-jf8xf]

Hi! Can i use xt90 connect for 10awg wire??

[@Rchelicopterfun]

That's the size of wire I'm soldering in the video - so yes.

[@vtrmcs]

My dad has exactly the same Weller gun as you have there. I couldn't get enough heat out of it to solder EC5 connectors. Have you ever tried? Hope you dont mind me asking. I ended up buying a new Hakko soldering station which cost a fortune but worked instantly. Just short of things to solder now :D

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yes, those Weller guns will easily do any RC connector out there. Including EC5's (yes I have done many) which are pretty much the same pin size as an XT90. It will easily do 6 AWG wire and I've gone larger than that on house wiring. Must have been something wrong with the gun you were using. Did you try a new tip or at least tighten the one in the gun? It's not uncommon for the nut/screws that hold the tip ends in place loosening up and they need to be tight to pass the current.

[@hamzasohail2792]

Hey mate, my wires keep ripping off my XT90s, any idea why, any tips?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I would have see them to better understand the mode of failure. Commonalities include: cold/brittle soldering, wrong type of solder (non-lead), not enough flux used giving a poor/oxidized mechanical connection, poor tinning, poor soldering technique, or something unrelated to solder.

[@SolRC]

@@Rchelicopterfun so using non lead or silver solder is a failure point?

[@MiguelY22]

nice video

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks

[@m3hdim3hdi]

that soldering iron is weird what its called?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Stated at 2:32 "Weller Soldering Gun".

[@jackjohnson9989]

Very nice, clean job. What are you using video gear wise? This recording is as sharp as a tack!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks. Camera is just a little Canon Vixia HF R600. Think the current model that replaced it is the R800?

[@jackjohnson9989]

@@Rchelicopterfun Belated thanks. You're right about the current models but If I find a used one in good nick, it'll more than meet my immediate needs. Cheerio!

[@danielhearnden3776]

What wattage is the soldering gun ? Cheers

[@Rchelicopterfun]

140 Watt

[@danielhearnden3776]

Cheers John do you think the weller 100w will do as good a job as yours ? Thanks mate

[@Rchelicopterfun]

@@danielhearnden3776 It totally depends on the gauge of wire (how much heat it's pulling out of the tip) and how long you are able to hold the tip to the wire/connector to melt the solder before the housing of the connector starts to soften too much. 100W should be able to do 12AWG and may do 10AWG would be my best guess. The only way to find out is to try it :-)

[@slicktmi]

Thank you!

[@onemansvideos2134]

Made that look way easy

[@troyl5929]

Are your hands made out of iron or something? I counted 15 seconds when you were putting the wire into the xt90 and you held that wire... my hands would be burnt at this point

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The silicone insulation on those wires is pretty thick and makes a wonderful heat insulator. It was getting a little toasty however. 🙂

[@troyl5929]

@@Rchelicopterfun Even with my insulated wires they get super toasty. How do you get them to melt into the solder so easily? I usually have to leave my iron on top of the wire while pressing it into the connector and it will melt the plastic before melting into the solder. Also a lot of times the solder will drip under the connector

[@Rchelicopterfun]

A powerful enough solder iron or gun for the job, and good quality 60/40 or 63/37 rosin core leaded solder are the two main factors. If you boil off all the rosin flux, extra flux is also a must have consumable. Clean solder tips are very important for good heat transfer and little oxidation contamination. Practice is of course important. I cover all these soldering basics and wire size in correlation to required solder iron Wattage on my RC soldering page if you haven't seen it: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-soldering.html

[@paulwyleciol3459]

nice

[@DannyTillotson]

Very helpful thank you

[@sreekumarUSA]

Thanks

[@rorymurphy27]

Was getting so frustrated. I just need more heat output

[@Boemel]

i destroyed a whole pack of connectors trying this. the plugs melt or the solder doesnt flow, god damn i hate soldering and have no patience with this.

[@1980thehammer]

fantastic, i would love abit more explanation kinda like step by step cause i hate electricity cause u can f....ck up pretty hard with these lipos!!! but awesome vid dude

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Perhaps my beginners soldering page on my website would answer more of your questions: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-soldering.html Or my RC Soldering Equipment Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oILJp6SAf6iGbas Or My Tinning Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enTZoGSuhtdpoLs

[@santatigerclaus]

my fingers hurt seeing yours so close to the solder

[@josephaguirre6187]

Your too comfortable soldering your positive leads... made me so nervous haha