connecting wires to motors?

Sep 12, 2006 2 Replies
J

It's newbie-question time again!



As a learning exercise, I'm slowly building a little robot based on a Tamiya gearbox and wheels. The gearbox comes with two small motors, each with two little copper loops for the electrical connection.



My question is, what's the best way to connect these motors to the rest of the circuit? I don't want to just solder them in directly, because I want something I can easily take apart and reuse. I'm thinking something like a short two-wire cable (per motor) with a little plug on the end. Then I can solder a similar connector on my motor controller or whatever, and connect or disconnect them at will.



Is this a sensible approach? Is there any particular cable/connector that is standard, preferred, or recommended?



Thanks,



- Joe


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B

There are hundreds of different connectors that could be used for this job. Everybody has their own personal preferences. I suggest that you standardize on a couple of different types of connectors for your robotics hobby. You will be glad you did. For example, for serial digital signals (like I2C or SPI) and low power (7A max like your motor) I have standardized on a Molex KK connector. I like their terminal contact pressure & low resistance and their detents. They will never vibrate loose like a standard PCB connector. You can use them for PCB connection or inline connection.

For higher power connections, I use Molex nylon pin & socket connectors.

I buy most of my connectors from Newark Electronics or Digi-Key. They both have good selections.

BRW

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