DCC Question

"Tony's Train Exchange" sells plugs and sockets that also work.   They may be a little easier to solder than the ones Dave uses, however.

Last batch I bought were 50 cents per pin.   IE a 3 pin socket and plug was 1.50, a 4 pin was 2.00 etc.    They basically cut them from long strips so you can buy a whole strip and cut your own.

For power connections (track power and motor leads), I use Deans connectors. The pins are approx .03 square. These are used by the RC car and plane people. The last place I got some is Tower Hobbies

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/c...;FVSEARCH=W+S+DEANS+

They do require soldering to attach the wires. They come in 2, 3, and 4 pin versions and are available in red or black.

They handle the motor current for Pittman 9000 series motors with no problem.

Edit - misread the size of pins, should be .03 square, not .003 square.  JMD

For my 6 amp QSI Titan Magnum decoders in the tender I use a Cordless Renovations 4-Pin Aristo Style JST Quick Connector for track power (1 wire), motor (2 wires) and +5 VDC common to engine for lights 1 wire). The latter is to cut down on wiring between engine and tender.  All of the lights in the engine are tied to this common.

 Then I use a combination of Miniatronics 2,3 or 4 pin mini micro connector(s) for the other part of the light circuits and speaker(s) in the boiler.  

The Cordless Renovations connector is kinda clunky but certainly will handle lots of amperage.  I trim off the locking tabs and file down the sharp edges, etc. On one engine where I had to cut a hole in the front of the tender anyway for the tether(s)  I made it big enough to partially push the CR connector into the tender. 

With these connectors I get pretty darn good close coupling between engine and tender.  Tight enough to just negotiate my 64 inch min radii curves.  The connectors are not the determining factor.  The tender front and engine cab and piping are the determining factor.

MicroMark recently advertised mini connectors with 7 " wire leads (Part #83858).  They are a little large for some applications, but work just fine for connections inside locomotive shells.

Wes