Anderson Powerpole
The Anderson Powerpole is a family of electrical connectors by Anderson Power Products, although plug compatible connectors are now available from alternate sources. Specific variants of this series of connectors have become de facto standards for conveying "higher power" direct current electrical power, although these standards are inconsistent and sometimes ignored.
Overview
Powerpole connectors are physically and electrically hermaphroditic, thus avoiding the need to worry about which end is the plug and which the socket, or which end has the correct polarity. This is in contrast to the physically- but not electrically-hermaphroditic two-wire trailer plug.Powerpole connectors are available with current ratings up to 180 amperes. The size most commonly used is the 15/30/45 ampere-rated variety. These sizes all use the same plastic housing in multiple colors, differing only in the metal contact inserted into the housing. The colors can be used to signify signal types or differing voltages. Powerpole connectors can be attached side to side and also stacked on top of each other to make, for example, four connections with one plug insertion. The contacts are rated for 100,000 no-load insertions and 250 hot-plugs at full load.
Larger Powerpole connectors with two or three contacts in one molded housing are commonly used in various industrial settings, including as a battery connection for some uninterruptible power supplies, removable vehicle winches, many electric forklifts, and other electric vehicles.
Competitors
Some of Anderson's earlier patents have expired, thus other manufacturers have released plug-compatible connectors, such as "AMP Power Series" by Tyco / TE Connectivity, Sermos, Lightspeed.Patents
The Powerpole connector was designed and patented by "Albert & J M Anderson Mfg Comp", then more recently by "Anderson Power Products".| Patent Number | Patent Year | Filing Year | Patent Title | Notes |
| US2838739 A | Electrical connector | Earlier related concepts | ||
| US3091746 A | Electrical connector | |||
| US3259870 A | Electrical connector | Primary powerpole patent | ||
| US7153152 B1 | Electrical connector with planar contact engaging surface | PP75 connector | ||
| WO2004051681 A2 | Finger proof, keyed power connector and methods thereof | |||
| WO2005059969 A2 | A wire to board connector and methods thereof | |||
| USD604246 S1 | Electrical connector |
Color
For the larger multipole design, which is available in up to 700 A sizes, each color is physically keyed so as to mate only with a like colored connector, and Anderson published a list of recommended voltage for each color:| Anderson color | Anderson suggested voltage | Alternate non-Anderson-suggested uses |
| Some APC brand 24 V internal UPS battery packs. | ||
| See the note in the last paragraph of the Amateur Radio section below | ||
| Wide use in the Amateur radio community at +12 VDC for emergency power and mobile radio use. Used by Warn brand of automotive winches at +12 VDC power to the winch motor. Sometimes used by outdoor enthusiasts for +12 VDC battery charging, especially with photovoltaic panels. Some model railroads at +12 VDC. Some robots, such as FIRST Robotics Competition. Some Tripp Lite brand 24 VDC external UPS battery packs. | ||
| Some +12 VDC automotive use in Australia, such as caravan and camper battery charging, pumps, solar power systems. Frequently used by outdoor enthusiasts for 12 VDC battery systems. Some APC brand 24 VDC internal and external UPS battery packs. Some Tripp Lite brand 38 VDC external UPS battery packs. Some Lees brand 36 VDC forklift traction battery connections. | ||
| Some APC and Tripp Lite brand 48 VDC external UPS battery packs. +9 VDC in some audio equipment. | ||
| Green is the worldwide color for the frame ground, safety or "earth" / "earthing" ground. | ||
| Ground for amateur radio, automotive/RV/caravan, winches, model railroads, robotics. | ||
| -48 VDC in some telecommunications equipment. | ||
| +5 VDC in some computer equipment. | ||
- Model railroad uses all of the above colors for various purposes.
De facto standards
Amateur Astronomy
Many companies in the amateur astronomy space have adopted Powerpole connectors as a large number of astronomical devices use 12-volts and Powerpole connectors offer a low cost and easy solution to make adaptors, extensions, and distribution panels.Amateur radio
The Powerpole connector has been adopted by many segments of the Amateur Radio community as their standard 12-volt DC power connector for everything from radios to DC power sources to accessories. Two notable groups are Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. Standardization allows equipment owned by different hams to be used together without needing adapters in emergencies, at public service events, at field day, during contests, when borrowing equipment, etc.The Anderson Powerpole connector is more expensive than the older de facto standards of the two-wire trailer plug and the Molex connector, but provides a more reliable electrical connection, and is easier to adapt to a wider range of wire gauges. Another advantage over the older trailer or Molex connectors is the Powerpole's superior ratings to withstand 100,000 no-load insertions and 250 hot-plugs at full load. The specific hermaphroditic nature of the powerpoles is a significant advantage since batteries can be both a power source or a power sink, a power supply can be connected to a radio and/or a battery, and multiple batteries, radios, and/or redundant power sources can be connected in parallel using the same power distribution panels. Connectors in which non-hermaphroditic contacts are arranged in a hermaphroditic arrangement can be electrically incompatible and non-hermaphroditic connectors can be mechanically incompatible with each other.
Many pieces of amateur radio equipment run on 12-volt DC automotive voltage, which is also called 13.8-volt DC. The voltage delivered by a lead–acid battery with six-cells used as an automotive battery will vary depending on various electrical loads in a vehicle. Without loads the battery will float from 11.7 to 12.8 volts, and while charging from an alternator the voltage will increase to 13.8–14.4 volts DC.
For use in amateur radio, the community has adopted a standard color code, polarity, and specific physical arrangement for assembling pairs of Powerpole connectors. One red and one black powerpole housing can be physically arranged in 4 topologically different mechanical orientations, 2 of which are mechanically incompatible and 1 is electrically incompatible with the ARES standard; there are also additional unusual configurations in which one housing is rotated 90 degrees. The standard is red positive and black negative. When viewed from the contact side, a mnemonic for remembering the arrangement is: "Red Right — Tongue Top".
West Mountain Radio, a major amateur radio supplier, has had a few 24 V DC products in their catalog for over a decade. They incorporate a 24 volt standard that has the orange body as +24 volts. An orange and black pair would be +24 volts on the orange and ground on the black.