T Connectors and Distribution Boards

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pyro2k

New member
Hello I purchased a few of the F8 power distribution boards and I would like to understand how others are wiring these up.

I currently have 1 male 2 core connector as the board input and 8 female 2 core connectors hooked up to each output. The odd thing that I see is that all the T connectors from Ray Wu seem to only have a female connector on the 2 core side. Based on the setup above I then end up with 2 male ended extension cords which seems odd.

Ray Wu did mention that he can make T connectors with a 2 core male connector to prevent this issue.

Am I the only one running into this issue or what are others doing? Should I not be concerned with 2 male ended extension cables? I think this would work but the premade extension cables and 2 core pigtails are sold in pairs of M-F.
 
I haven't used distro boards in that fashion, I use 1 dedicated line to each one. Bue, couldn't you put a female connector on the board input?
 
Yes that would also work but sort of reverses the issue. I am trying to keep this with standard practices of home electric wiring or what I think they are.

Am I completely off base with how power injection should be wired up?
 
The female ends also have the added benefit that if I'm not using an output then I can just screw on a cap and have it waterproof. I can't do that with the male ends due to lack of threads.
 
I always use male-out on my power lines. For one thing, it ensures there’s no confusion over what is power and what is data when you’re setting up studs in low light conditions (which it seems I do a lot).

All of Ray’s 2-core tees are F-F-M—at least the ones I have purchased. Note that the threaded ring and gasket groove to make them IP65 are on the male side of the plugs, and a male “power in” center tee would require addition of a short pigtail to the tee for it to work. I think that’s why power tees are male-out/female-in—reduce materials needed to produce them and make them cheaper. It’s the same way on the 3-2-3 data tees—in the power port is female: M-F-F.

You’re just costing yourself more money by adding male-male connectors. When I first started, I had this great idea how I could wire everything like you’re doing. It sucked. Just run male pigtails from your F8 distro. You’ll thank me later. ;)
 
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To some degree I wanted to keep the power distribution enclosures easy to take down and store in the off season without 10 feet of extension cables hanging off them full time. Ray did state that he could make power tees with a male connector for no extra cost. I think he may already sell something similar for x-connect but I would need to confirm.

I'll have to settle with myself on your advice. It does seem easier to manage outside of getting over the mental hump of backwards-ness.
 
Or you can just do like I do and not use screw type connectors. I use waterproof automotive connectors. I can purchase them from multiple vendors and they all fit, I can crimp them on a wide variety of AWG wire, and I can disconnect them 1 handed with gloves on which makes tear down a lot more pleasant in the cold. I purchase pixels with whatever connectors are available and just cut off the ends and add these, it also let me make extension cables any length I want to fit my needs. It is something to think about.
 
Plus 1 on the automotive connectors. I know it was not your original question but I have gone to these for all of my pixels. I purchase Red, Green and Black #18 AWG wire
and lots of 2 and 3 pin connectors. I can make any combo I want to do whatever the conditions call for and make the pigtails as long or as short as I want. Easy plug together
or take appart. You can make your pigtails Male or Female or as I do, Color coded. Keep green to green and red to red.

PI Pigtail.jpg
 
pyro2k said:
To some degree I wanted to keep the power distribution enclosures easy to take down and store in the off season without 10 feet of extension cables hanging off them full time.
Click to expand...

I don’t know why you’d need to have 10 feet of cable hanging off them. Anytime I place an order with Ray, I order extra 2- and 3-core pigtails. They’re cheap and versatile and you can always find some use for them. Connect the male pigtail to the distro board and use 10 foot extension cables (or whatever—I order them sized per prop as Ray will build to order). None of my power distro boxes has more than about a foot of cable exposed.
 
The male connectors coming out of a box just seems odd from a normal household wiring perspective. I do have 2 core pigtails for the extensions wires. I think the one person was suggesting to run the pigtails and extension cord straight into the box which led to the 10' of cables hanging off them issue. I definitely want to have the extension cables separate from the power distribution box.
 
I always use females for the output side of the cable and males for the input side. I don't want to make it too easy to short between connectors by placing males on the output side. I do make a short Male to Male dongle to Power Inject at the end of a string, but the main run from my distro board is a standard female out.

Since I am using Automotive connectors I use a different style when I am just running Data and V- in a two-conductor cable to make it idiot-proof for me.
 
I think i am just as confused as pyro2k, but i may have misread the issue.

These T connectors confuse me too, it seems so simple for power injection, but you only get to feed one time. In my head i see, power feed comes out of box (2 core 10' cable, for example). beside it comes the channel output (3 pin plug) into first set of 50 pixels. At the end of the first set of 50 pixels, i plug in one of these tees. Now i plug the other end of the 10' cable into the bottom of the T, and add a second set of 50 pixels. Now, power inject is done, next output. You can't add a second T to this string and feed a third set of pixels, you have to run a second power output. OR am i missing something.

I built my own T which plugs into the channel output of my controller, i plug 2 strings into one end, and the power branches off and back feeds into my second set of pixels (100 total). This seemed to work, i think, looked good to me. I am not loosing power by running it through the pixels strings, but it is the same 5v branching off to both ends. I don't have this anymore, as those props fell apart and became something else. I keep trying to recreate it using the premade T's though!
 
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I'm going to have Ray Wu create T connectors with a male connector in the 2-core part. Yes this would result in a few inches of 2 core cable for the male connector but I think this just makes the most sense and allows me to easily cap unused female connectors coming off the distribution box. Given that I get a fair amount of ice and snow I don't want exposed male connectors hanging out of the box and I don't want to pull pigtails out of the box if I decide not to use one.

I do plan to keep a good supply of 2-core pigtails (m and f) on hand if and when shipping to China goes down.
 
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