Deans® Tech Bench - "Simplify And Add Shortness"

Simplify And Add Shortness

The legendary Colin Chapman of Team Lotus, had one simple rule when designing race cars, "Simplify and add Lightness". This rule can be adapted as a wiring principle, with the change of one word - "Simplify and add Shortness". 

Long wiring and the use of adapters, are the enemy of performance and reliability.

What Does This Rule Mean

Simplify - Avoid Adapters! The compact size and light weight of the high-performance Deans® Ultra Plug®, means you can use one connector for all applications. With a size and weight comparable to a XT60 or EC3, but with power handling capability exceeding the larger XT90 and EC5, the Deans® Ultra Plug® is suitable for both low and high current applications. All of these competing connectors have resistance three or four times higher than the Deans® Ultra Plug®.  The use of an adapter including its' additional wire length and solder joints increases that performance penalty  6x - 9x or more.

Add Shortness - First, if you cut the length of your wire in half, you cut the resistance in half. It takes a three wire gauge increase in size to cut the resistance in half. Larger wire gauge is also heavier. Cutting your wire length in half has the same performance increase as changing from 12 gauge wire to 9 gauge wire. It also has the added benefit of decreasing weight.

Shorter wire between the battery pack and speed control has an additional extremely important benefit. Long wiring, between the battery and speed control, results in increased inductance. What this means is, there can be voltage surges, above the voltage of the battery pack. These surges lead to speed control and capacitor failure. In fact the reason you need capacitors is due to these voltage surges. Wire gauge has no effect on inductance. The only way to reduce this, is by shortening the wiring.

Simultaneously reducing the resistance and inductance makes this a double win.