3D Printer Electrical Connectors Guide 

Dupont master race.

I'd think that most electronics projects are more standardized than 3d printers, but I'd probably be wrong. But still!

Great to hear!

Good to hear, thanks 🙂

You watch all 260+ videos? 😯

@@Vector3DP No, you're right... I skip unboxing videos...

My my, you have been busy. Thanks for watching 🙂

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was useful

Blimey, isn't that quite the compliment. Thanks ☺️

@@Vector3DP I've wasted hours of my life trying to google the names of the connectors and terminals previously. Your video lays it all out in a nice easy to understand fashion for anyone whos looking to build/modify a 3D printer. So i say Top Job!

@@Vector3DP You have caused this Yank to dust off his use of Bits and Bobs from your videos, but I'm not sure I'll be able to pull out the Blimey, when I have so many other alternatives many of which have the expletives deleted already. Oh, yeah, thanks for Another even better well done video. p.s. I used to use many of these connectors professionally 27 yrs ago, and had NO clue why one was chosen for it's application over another. Seriously, thank you.

Yep, correct. It actually says 2.5mm on my notes too but in the excitement of recording I said 2.54. Darn. Well hopefully it's not too critical for anyone.

I was looking to see if someone had pointed this out :) Luckily you can usually get away with using 2.50mm-pitch JST-XH connectors in a 2.54mm-pitch PCB footprint where the connector has no more than a handful of pins - presumably depending mostly on the size of drilled holes on the board relative to the diameter of the connector's pins. The difference between 2.50mm and 2.54mm is only [ (n-1) * 0.04mm ], where 'n' is the number of "circuits" on the connector, so the outer-most pins of a 4-pin connector (e.g. stepper motor) would be just 0.12mm offset from where they should be, which can be "shared" between the two ends (I think!). Most boards will be able to accept pins being 0.06mm off. Most consumer 3D printers use connectors with 4 or 5 pins at most, so that won't be a big deal unless the board was designed with holes barely larger than the connector pins. I imagine more people would notice and be aware of the difference if it was more of a problem! (My printer uses a lot of hand-crimped connectors, even with a couple of my own custom PCBs, and the "largest" connector I have is 5 pins for the BL-Touch, for example.) But you're right, it absolutely can ruin your day if you're dealing with more pins per connector! I don't think my stock of JST-XH connectors goes beyond 6 circuits, but I have "KF2510" connectors in stock that go at least up to 10 circuits, which could definitely start being problematic at only 0.04mm per pin...

I tend to go for specific electrical suppliers such as Farnell, digikey, mouser. Trouble with links is different countries need different shops which becomes quite complex.

Those are something else. I am setting up a duet 3 on a CNC mill and they're pretty impressive. Also there is good reason because I had the older style melt multiple times at well below the amperage rating. Duet folks are aware that this is common with nema 23s and thats one of the reasons Duet 3 has these big boys.

I'll add timestamps when the video stops getting a boat load of views. If i change something now youtube will probably stop suggesting it.

I finally did it! Timestamps now in the description :)

I'm looking into options for this at the moment. There are so many to cover though it might be difficult to do it justice without $$$$

@alejandroaguirre2355, watch it again. I believe both questions were answered in video. IIRC, look for SL for the Print head/X carriage removal and Molex Fit Jr for the heater bed as they are both locking connectors good for those applications. Although most heater mats I've seen are stick on and may not lend themselves to removal from the plate, those connectors should allow easier removal of the bed plate with heater attached. Good luck. 🙂

The problem is, I'd never really recommend getting these kinds of things from amazon, or even anywhere that does affiliate marketing as you'll likely just get knock-offs (aks clones) which are generally not great. I'd suggest going to proper electronics places like Farnell, CPC, RS, Mouser etc. Now you got me thinking though, it might be a good idea for me to buy a large QTY from a reputable place and sell smaller sets on my own site, that might be useful.

Pc pci express you can just use 8 pin. 6+2 is just a thing power supply manufacturers do for flexibility amongst different setups.

Ye, I didn't miss them.

I get mine from Farnell

@@Vector3DP Many thanks!

Not sure what you're talking about here?

O rly? Not heard about that. Mine hasn't shipped yet...

@@Vector3DP tagged (on twitter) you in a post where the defective crimps are, also there are a bit more issues with the cr-6 :)

Molex list it on their own website as a wire trap connector. I guess different places call it different things.

on second thoughts, i think perhaps IDC is a type of WTC. it does sounds more generic and could apply to other similar methods

@@Vector3DP Yes. I believe “wire trap” refers to how it doubles-back on itself, but they make them where they fit in-line too. Other kids of IDC: Replacement plugs sold at hardware stores in North America which, when closed, clamp onto standard “lamp cord” to tap into the conductors. These let any mom or kid can replace a lamp plug. We also have “Quick Splice” connectors that clamp onto a wire and connect another wire merely by closing the latch. No stripping, taping, or soldering. If you look at most 4-pin power plugs on an old ATX power supply (the kind mostly used for IDE drives) you will often find that only the connector on the end is crimped while the others on the chain are IDC. Also, the IDE cables themselves are IDC as well as floppy cables and various header cables. You can even buy D-sub connectors with different ways to attach wires, like crimp, solder cup, and IDC (I use these a lot). Heck, even my PC Engine RAU-30 ROM² Adapter for NEC SuperGrafx has a huge through-hole IDC hidden inside… though it was poorly designed and the blades at the end lack support.