Faulty lead connection

[MechNotElec]

Hoping for a bit of advice please...

The wiring has got damaged at the fig of 8 connection to the battery on the headlamp pictured. (If i wiggle the bit under the grey tape, the lamp will work intermittently )
As the connector is a very specific shape (& the manufacturers are no help at all...product discontinued), i was thinking i could maybe re-wire a couple of female banana plugs instead?
Would they be appropriate or are they solely for audio use??
Or am i better off cutting in to the flex and trying to repair?
Would really appreciate any advice/suggestions(speak to me like an idiot...i know nothing about electrics )
Would hate to have to just condemn it to landfill
Many thanks

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

The lead you have is female, so you do not want plugs. The socket, I note will only fit one way, anything "universal" will fit either way, which will be dangerous, it will also cost more in time and money trying to find something suitable, sorry to say it's better off in the bin, and don't buy one like that again.

 

[kerching]

I had Petzl.......
Changed to LED Lenser...gets used everyday with NO issues and a 7 year warranty

 

[King Arthur]

Hoping for a bit of advice please...

The wiring has got damaged at the fig of 8 connection to the battery on the headlamp pictured. (If i wiggle the bit under the grey tape, the lamp will work intermittently )
As the connector is a very specific shape (& the manufacturers are no help at all...product discontinued), i was thinking i could maybe re-wire a couple of female banana plugs instead?
Would they be appropriate or are they solely for audio use??
Or am i better off cutting in to the flex and trying to repair?
Would really appreciate any advice/suggestions(speak to me like an idiot...i know nothing about electrics )
Would hate to have to just condemn it to landfill
Many thanks



View attachment 13221View attachment 13222View attachment 13223View attachment 13224

I would not bin it without attempting a repair myself, as there's nothing to lose wirh a bit of careful trying.
First off i'd cut the cable about 1cm from the plug to leave enough wire to make another connection to the plug. I doubt this will work because the break is more like closer to the plug but its an easy thing to do first.
Second I would try cutting away the plastic moulding of the plug to finf the internal conductor and solder the wires to them (get the polarity correct!). This will range from fiddly to impossible.
Lastly I would try soldering wires directly to the battery pins and protecting them with some hestshrink. Again, fiddly but definitely possible. The downside to this is that another mod will likely be need to enable the battery to be charged.
If all this sounds like too much effort then the bin is probably to only other option. But what a waste and a reflection of the throwaway socieyy we've become. Good luck if you give it a try!

 

[MechNotElec]

The lead you have is female, so you do not want plugs. The socket, I note will only fit one way, anything "universal" will fit either way, which will be dangerous, it will also cost more in time and money trying to find something suitable, sorry to say it's better off in the bin, and don't buy one like that again.

...sorry, i wasn't v.clear. I meant to suggest the female banana socket rather than plug...something like this maybe?:


Just not sure if it would be poss to find correct size and even if it's suitable?

 

[MechNotElec]

I would not bin it without attempting a repair myself, as there's nothing to lose wirh a bit of careful trying.
First off i'd cut the cable about 1cm from the plug to leave enough wire to make another connection to the plug. I doubt this will work because the break is more like closer to the plug but its an easy thing to do first.
Second I would try cutting away the plastic moulding of the plug to finf the internal conductor and solder the wires to them (get the polarity correct!). This will range from fiddly to impossible.
Lastly I would try soldering wires directly to the battery pins and protecting them with some hestshrink. Again, fiddly but definitely possible. The downside to this is that another mod will likely be need to enable the battery to be charged.
If all this sounds like too much effort then the bin is probably to only other option. But what a waste and a reflection of the throwaway socieyy we've become. Good luck if you give it a try!

Thanks, as you say, nothing to lose
Will cut in to it and have a look if i find i've run out of options...does seem almost criminal to just bin!

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

​

MechNotElec, I feel I should point out the following.
Banana plugs (Female) might not fit, but if they do, they are NOT polarity conscious, even if you colour code them you can still plug them in the wrong way round.
If you opt to adapt (Butcher) the original plug how will you give the cables support so they don't snap or short out.

I know it is best to repair rather than bin an item, but sometimes it is not viable, and this is one of those times, and it was not me who said

i know nothing about electrics

Stay safe.

 

[MechNotElec]

​

MechNotElec, I feel I should point out the following.
Banana plugs (Female) might not fit, but if they do, they are NOT polarity conscious, even if you colour code them you can still plug them in the wrong way round.
If you opt to adapt (Butcher) the original plug how will you give the cables support so they don't snap or short out.

I know it is best to repair rather than bin an item, but sometimes it is not viable, and this is one of those times, and it was not me who said


Stay safe.

Thanks, that definitely rules out the banana plugs then....& some fair points made. Noted

 

[King Arthur]

If the banana sockets do fit the battery terminals hen they could perhaps be glued together when fitted to the battery to form a sort of new 'moulded' connector, possibly even ensuring the correct polarity. Definitely a mechanical issue so perhaps appropriate for your background skillset?

I agree with the point about strain relief of the wires but that could probably be improved with some heatshrink or perhaps self-amalgamating tape? After all, the original product design was not the great in this respect.

All depends on your attitude to trying repairs vs binning.