The Anderson connection is a great universal connection that hold firm and awesome transfer of voltage (as long as you are using heavy gauge wiring). Whilst we were away filming in the Flinders Ranges, SA (aussie outback) we had lost out trailer plug and Anderson connection to the back of the car. We had crossed a dry creek bed and it must have gotten snagged on some rocks/shrubs.
When we had pulled over for a break we noticed it had been dragged along the gravel roads for who know how many kms. Not to worry, we had a trusty spare trailer plug and Anderson connection. The pins to the Anderson connection was still there (left image below) but in pretty bad condition. We thought it was as simple as plugging in the replacement Anderson sleeve and off we go, but unfortunately this was not the case.
From Left: Damaged Anderson pins, New Anderson pin & Anderson repair equipment..
Some things we tried when troubleshooting:
- Check the charger on another device – working
- Checked the circuit breakers – ok
- Used a multimeter to confirm there was power on the Anderson connection – ok
We replaced the worn Anderson pins with new ones & gave it a new plastic cover. Plugged in the charger and we had a great connection and all was well.The Anderson pins were worn to a point where it wasn’t creating a stable connection & needed replacing.
It pays to check over things that were damaged after coming back from an awesome camping trip to make sure you will always be ready for the next one!
John
Lumberjack Guru