Battery Connector Usage Chart: Model Aircraft, Boats & Cars

There are many high quality types of connectors available nowadays for use with battery packs for model airplanes, helicopters, boats, and cars. A wide range of current handling capacities are required depending on the demands of electric power setups. Smaller park flyer types only might need connectors and wires that can handle 10 amps, whereas larger scale models and 3D helicopters can easily need more than 100 amps for acceptable performance. Connector failure is often the culprit in crashes due to inappropriate contact ratings. It is well worth your investment in time to research and implement proper connector usage considering the time and money invested in your model.

Specifications used for the following table were obtained from the suppliers. When making your selection, always add in a safety margin of at least 10%. For example if your application will draw a continuous current of 55 amps, then it would be best to use a connector rated at 60 amps or greater. Note: Connector images are not to scale.

Connector Type	Current (continuous)	Wire Size (max)
Castle 4mm & 6.5mm	75 A 200 A	13 AWG 6 AWG
E-flite EC3 & EC5	60 A 120 A	12 AWG 10 AWG
Deans Ultra	50 A	12 AWG
Sermos Power Poles (APP)	15 A 30 A, 45 A	13 AWG 13 AWG 13 AWG
HXT 4mm & 6mm	70 A	12 AWG
JST	8 A	20 AWG
XT-60	65 A	12 AWG

Caveat: Be careful when buying these connectors from unknown discount suppliers because often they are cheaply constructed imitations that will not hold up to operational conditions claimed by the original manufacturers.

Posted June 28, 2015