The Deans Connector: Is the Original Ultra Plug Still the Best?

A Female (source) and Male (device) Deans Ultra Connector Set

The Deans Connector (also called the Ultra Plug or T-Connector) were one of the first LiPo connectors on the block, and remain to be a popular RC connector type with a very loyal following.  

The Deans Ultra Plug connectors are rated for 60 Amps of continuous load, up to 75 Amp & higher bursts. I have pushed mine to 100 Amp for short spikes without issue.

One of their best attributes is they are small in size and light weight for their comparatively high current rating. If you have very tight spacing in your RC model or other application, Deans Ultra connectors are often your best option for fitment reasons alone.  

I used Deans connectors for several years when I first got into electric powered flight and liked them; but converted over to AMASS XT60's since, and have never looked back. You know, just a personal preference thing.

The Good

Deans connectors use sprung flat tabs for the connector pins which is a departure from most other connectors that use "bullet" style pins. This in my experience makes the Deans one of the best plugs for consistent connectivity pressure. The sprung tabs don't lose their contact pressure over time after many cycles like bullet connectors often do, which ensures a large and stable contact surface for current flow.

Like almost every RC LiPo battery connector out there, there are a good deal of fake / copied / clones / counterfeit Deans Ultra connectors on the market. A couple I actually like better than the original because they have textured ribbing making them easier to grasp. Many on the other hand are complete garbage!

Due to the tight tolerances of the Ultra / T-plug style connector, many copied or cloned Deans connectors will not fit well with other copies or even the originals, so if you do opt for copied Deans connectors, best to stick with only that type to avoid fake Deans cross compatibility issues. In short, if you have genuine Deans Ultra connectors on your LiPo packs, stick with genuine on your ESC. 

The Bad

No RC connector is perfect of course, and while Dean's connectors are among the best in their current rating, there is one thing I personally dislike about them and it's due due to the critical alignment tolerances of the pins.

I find they can be difficult to connect if you don't have the male and female plugs held in almost perfect alignment to each other when connecting; more so than any other high current RC connector type I have personally used over the decades. Disconnecting Deans' Ultra plugs on the other hand is very easy and better than most in that respect.  

While on the topic of pin tolerance, I should point out the plastic body on Deans plugs is fairly heat sensitive so you have to be careful while soldering to avoid softening the plastic too much, resulting in a misalignment of the connector tabs, which even by the slightest amount will make them very difficult if not impossible to plug together.

To help with this, I like to solder the male plugs while they are inserted into a female plug to help keep the pin tabs aligned and this has worked very well, always making sure to apply soldering heat for as brief a time as possible (soldering demo video shown below). 

Wires are soldered onto the back side tabs of both the male and female plugs which requires the additional step of remembering to add heat shrink to your wires before soldering to insulate the tab.

This also makes removal of the wire & connector for reuse easy while also providing some wire strain relief so this can be a positive or negative feature depending on your own specific preferences.  

Deans Connector Soldering Video

Male Deans Short Potential

There is one caution I should mention about male Deans/T connectors, and that is the shorting potential.

Deans Connector Parallel Charging Board

As seen in this image, all the male pins on this parallel charging board are exposed and have a short potential with something conductive (like a screwdriver shaft or other tool) accidentally touched to the exposed pins.

It's not a deal breaker by any stretch and most commercially available Deans parallel charging boards like this one come with insulating caps to cover the exposed pins, but it's something to be careful with whenever using a Deans parallel charging board or harness.

• Genuine Deans Ultra Connectors @ Buddy RC
• Deans Style / T Connector Deals @ Amazon
• Deans Style Parallel Charging Boards @ Amazon
• Deans Style Connectors @ Buddy RC
• Deans Style Parallel Charging Board @ Buddy RC

For more helpful RC connector information & soldering tips, please see my RC Battery Connector Page.

---

Are You Looking For RC Helicopter Help?  

You Might Like These:

My Helpful RC Helicopter eBooks

---