Help with banana jumper

[JayMan07]

Dave's recent video on crappy banana plugs could not have been more timely.  Long story short I have a meter that I use for HVAC.  Without going into too much detail, I need to use the exact leads that came with the meter.  The leads are very high quality and the probes disconnect.  BUT after taking the probes off you are left with a 4mm female.     I have a ton of multimeter accessories that are also 4mm female.  So I made some male to male adapters but they intermittently lose connection (just like in the video).  I need some high quality/dependable male to male jumpers.  I'd like them to be short like 10cm or something.  I've seen lots of mutimeter leads that are male to male but they are all about 1.5m long and would make a tangled mess if I used them.  I've spent a lot of time looking and just can't find what I'm looking for.  Can anyone suggest where I can find these.

PS I work with higher voltages (like 240 AC) so I prefer something that is fully shielded.  I'm not really looking for leads that are stackable or don't have a sheild over the male plug (like a normal multimeter lead does).

[Gregg]

Franky (99 cent Hobbies and also a member of this forum) sells some on eBay search for 201352281107
Franky tests the stuff he sells before listing it unlike some sellers.

[cowasaki]

I've had the same issue with very low quality 4mm banana plugs!  Some are a loose fit, some too tight, some very brittle, a few literally wouldn't be soldered!  I'll be watching this thread to see what they are like (we need a review).....  I want about 25 red, 25 black and maybe 6 of each of other colours.

[JayMan07]

Thank you for mentioning Franky...I took a look at his shop and added it to my favorites list.  It looks like he has better stuff than the average seller.  I didn't find anything that exactly matched what I'm looking for.

cowasaki...I completely agree that we need a reliable source for banana plugs.  I've made dozens and dozens of multimeter adapters for various things and now I'm questioning all of them.  It's miserable having test equipment that you can't fully trust.  I once had a multimeter that started reading exactly 1 volt lower than normal.  It took me on a troubleshooting wild goose chase until I finally realized the meter was bad. 

[BravoV]

Franky is well known among EEVBlog forum members here, Dave also his customer as he supplied some parts for the Dave's uCurrent. Franky also had appeared as a guess in one of Dave's video.

[JayMan07]

I may have finally found some plugs worth spending money on...

They are actually name brand (polymax) and are solid.  They look high quality but I'd need to see them in person to be sure.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/polymax-4mm-gold-connectors-10pairs-set.html

[JayMan07]

I just ordered a bunch of the polymax connectors and some silicone wire.  I'll try and report back about the quality once I have everything in hand.

[glarsson]

Are these connectors really compatible with 4mm banana plugs? I get the impression that they are a special connector not compatible with anything else.

[paulca]

I may have finally found some plugs worth spending money on...

Those look like 4mm "bullet" connectors for connecting high current LiPo batteries to speed controllers.

I imagine they will fit a 4mm banana socket, it does mention "banana" in the description.

Note they are solder only and you will need to buy plastic covers for them to avoid shorts, however the plastic covers usually come designed for a male/female bonded couple to prevent reverse polarity connections.

[JayMan07]

Are these connectors really compatible with 4mm banana plugs? I get the impression that they are a special connector not compatible with anything else.

I really think they are...I ordered a ton of them so I sure hope they are lol.  They say 4mm in the title and talk about being better than a standard banana.

Note they are solder only and you will need to buy plastic covers for them to avoid shorts, however the plastic covers usually come designed for a male/female bonded couple to prevent reverse polarity connections.

Yes I actually prefer the solder type.  They are lower profile and I trust a solder connection more than a terminal connection.  Once I solder on a wire I use really heavy duty adhesive lined heat shrink to cover the connector.  Certainly not CAT rated haha but it works.  For the male ends I shrink the heat shrink over a back-probe attachment in order to provide a "hood" like a standard multimeter lead has...once it is plugged in no metal is exposed.

 

[JayMan07]

Here's a pic to better explain what I'm talking about

[glarsson]

I really think they are...I ordered a ton of them so I sure hope they are lol.  They say 4mm in the title and talk about being better than a standard banana.

The Anderson Powerpole connector is also better than a standard banana...

You buy them in pairs, so you can still use them for something else if they aren't compatible.

[cdev]

Anchor Electronics in San Jose seems to sell better than average looking banana plugs.
http://anchor-electronics.com/shop

[JXL]

I use Pomona 1440-4 (4-inch) male to male banana cables, but it appears they are no longer made.  The shortest ones I found on Digikey are 12-inch.  You would have to heat-shrink over the horizontal hole to make them 204V safe.

[tooki]

Just buy some good sheathed banana plugs from Pomona, Cal-Test, Hirschmann, Multi-Contact/Stäubli, etc. (If your meter and probes are Fluke, then Pomona will be the ideal fit, since Pomona is a subsidiary of Fluke.)

Also, Probe Master (who makes awesome probes) makes custom test leads. Their online configurator might not go short enough, but I bet they could accommodate you if you give them a call.

[JayMan07]

I finally got everything in and the banana connectors are awesome!  They are in fact 4mm and perfectly interchange with any other banana plug.  They are much much higher quality.  They are solid with slits cuts down the sides that give them some flexibility.  They make probably 95% contact with the female socket and fit very snug so I'm sure they can carry very high current if needed.

I also really liked the silicone wire.  I ordered 18AWG like standard multimeter leads and it's extremely flexible but the insulation is no where near as thick as standard multimeter wire.  It'll be useful for making leads but I'll have to be more careful that the wire doesn't get damaged or nicked.

[tooki]

Test lead cable is indeed different from “regular” silicone wire. Digi-Key sells a bunch of test lead wire though. The stuff from Pomona is not the absolute softest they sell (that honor goes to the Mueller wire), but it’s very affordable and has the lovely dual-layer insulation that shows white when the wire is damaged. (The French-made wire from Cal Test has that as well, in all but the smallest gauges.)

Stäubli/Multi-Contact makes a full line of test lead wire, but I have yet to find a retail distributor of it.