Banana plug cables - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2016, 03:51:22 pm
content: Looking around for some extra stackable banana plug cables, mainly just interested in the unsheathed type. Has anyone noticed that the Chinese varieties seem expensive for anything slightly decent.1. I like the look of these, does anyone have them, how are they?2. Is there any difference with these and the Pomona style banana tip over the "lantern" style tips I see used on all the cheap ones?I read a while back that the lantern style tips can develop intermittent connectivity and a higher contact resistance, not sure if it's true though.

author: mmagin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2016, 09:04:38 pm
content: My favorite is to just make up my own with the (rather pricy) Pomona plugs with the screw terminal inside them. That way the plugs are reusable for a long time.However, in pre-made things, another forum member sells reasonably priced stuff, not sure about this exactly:http://stores.ebay.com/99centhobbiesThe test leads and stuff I've gotten from Frankie have been quite usable quality and reasonably low resistance.I have on the other hand not been happy with random cheap test lead cables from mainland China sellers -- the wire gauge is dreadfully small.If I'm buying the name-brand stuff like Pomona, I try to find it new-old-stock on ebay for less than digikey/mouser/etc. would have it, it's so darned expensive.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2016, 10:52:40 pm
content: Step 1: Buy a quantity of the plugs you like, add some alligator clips, j-hook grabbers, and pincher grabbers as wellStep 2: Buy a quantity of silicone high strand count tinned copper wire in an appropriate gauge(s)Step 3: Make cables meeting your requirements as you need them.

author: haveissues
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2016, 11:27:26 pm
content: I bought a bunch the plugs below plus a few meters of silicone cable and made my own leads. Be aware there are identical looking plugs on ebay that I bought first but I ended up throwing them out as they were complete unusable junk. I made reasonable quality cables for my uses for only a couple of bucks a pair.http://www.newark.com/multicomp/a-1-107-r/banana-plug-solder-red/dp/80P3581

author: vindoline
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 04:45:00 am
content: I bought a set a while back. I don't like them at all. The banana plugs are a very stiff, tight fit and they hav not loosened up over time.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 04:58:13 am
content: Same to few posts above, exception for the banana probes that came as standard accessories with the measurement devices, I love to build them my self.Knowing that the cable is right one and the right size (eg: diameter, right gauge etc), measure to make sure there are no bad cables (eg: higher resistance than it should), thoroughly clean the contact points at the connectors, cut and peel the "right length" of the cable's insulation, secure or solder with the "right" amount of solder, clean the residual flux, check cable orientation once soldered/secured to ensure its not stressed like twisted/overly bent, add more additional stress relief if needed ... and etc .. bla..bla..How bad is my OCD ?

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 02:44:15 pm
content: I bought a set of the pictured cables a while ago. Like vindoline, I also was not impressed.They are advertised as silicone, but are not. The insulation will readily melt with contact to a soldering iron, not something that will happen with silicone. Other than the heat resistance, they feel like silicone, soft and flexible. I really doubt that they are as resistant to abrasion and cuts as silicone. IIRC, the wire is advertised as 1 mm2(roughly 17 AWG) and according to my resistance measurements, it is spot on that figure. Not suited to anything beyond a few A of current.The banana plugs use a solid pin with a single steel spring wire on one side for contact pressure. They are too stiff to insert into many jacks (including each other), and loose in some others. The spring has very little give, so if the tolerance of the jack is a little on the big side, it's loose. I used pliers to squeeze the spring pin down to loosen the grip, and then they were better in most jacks, and completely loose in some others. In the end, I lobbed the terrible ends off and replaced then with these:http://www.ebay.com/itm/140968659808Those are cheap banana plugs but they work great, are stackable end-to-end, have nice grip in every jack I have, and I tested them at beyond 20 A without issue. Unlike much of the cheap stuff you can get (including the cables in question) these plugs are not complete junk.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 03:02:19 pm
content: Thanks macboy and vindoline, in that case I'll pass on those, I was concerned about the amount of spring as well.

author: FrankT
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2016, 02:14:05 am
content: Can anyone recommend good but not too expensive grabbers and alligator clips?I just bought another lot of these (http://www.altronics.com.au/p/p0415-heavy-duty-croc-to-croc-jumper-lead-set/) and, similar to others above, the wire is stiff, and some of the joints were bad.I'd like to build my own, but it is hard to identify quality. And finding colours (other than red and black) especially in silicon wires always stopped me.