Have you been wondering if Anderson Power Products (APP) connectors should be mated with similar connectors from other manufacturers? Wouldn’t it be easier if you could mate all of the connectors that you have?
This would be an ideal situation but there are three main reasons why this can’t be true. Now, before we get started let’s understand the key component… flat-wiping contact.
This contact system has been so popular that other manufactures also copied Anderson’s original designs. The flat-wiping contact technology can be found in a lot of the APP connectors like SB and Powerpole.
Component Standardisation
The vast majority of component standardisation efforts are focused on AC power such as The National
Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) or The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) wall
outlets and plugs. AC power is primarily used to distribute electrical power in commercial and residential
facilities that require standards for fire prevention and building code standards. Standardisation is
necessary to ensure consistency among all manufacturers. Anderson connectors using flat-wiping contact
technology; (Powerpole, SB, SBS, SBE, SBX, etc.) are not manufactured to a dimensional or performance
normative standard. Other manufacturers have simply attempted to reverse engineer the original
Anderson design. The performance of these copies varies significantly in absence of the APP expertise from
invention of the flat-wiping technology.
Manufacturing Differences
Copies of APP original designs often do not use the same raw materials, manufacturing, or assembly
techniques. This directly results in performance differences and lack of compatibility. Every manufacturer
also makes ongoing adjustments to product design or manufacturing methods which are only tested for
reverse compatibility with their own products. As a result, any basis of compatibility established cannot be
assured going forward. Further, the quality control differences can vary significantly from one manufacturer
to the next.
Safety Agency Certifications
Non-standardised components from different manufacturers do not maintain their certifications when
mated with a product from another manufacturer. The certification is based on a mated set of product
from the same manufacturer. In contrast, certification of standardised components like IEC or NEMA
connectors are established based on compliance of only one half of the connection to allow mixing
between different manufacturers. This is because the standard defines the parameters of both sides of the
connection which all suppliers manufacture to.
The three above reasons highlight why Anderson connectors are not compatible with copies from other
manufacturers: Component Standardisation, Manufacturing Differences, and Safety Agency Certifications.
