Replacing DC Power Jack

[eeguy]

Hi, I have a circuit that includes a PJ-047AH DC Power Jack with four legs. According to the specs, this jack has a rated input current of 5.0max. What will happen if I supply more current (e.g. 10-50,60A)? In case I want to supply the circuit more current (10-50/60 the more the better) amp, am I correct that I need to replace the PJ-047AH with something else? What component do you recommend?

[Siwastaja]

It will melt.

DC power jacks are not available much beyond 5A.

I'd recommend an XT-90 connector for this. It's a Chinese, low-cost product but quite good. Clones exist and might not perform equally well, but should be still good up to some 50-60A.

For a known brand product, Anderson Powerpole, but they are large.

However, this sounds like an http://xyproblem.info/ . What are you really doing? Why do you think your existing circuit with a 5A connector would be dealing with up to 50-60A?

[eeguy]

It will melt.

DC power jacks are not available much beyond 5A.

I'd recommend an XT-90 connector for this. It's a Chinese, low-cost product but quite good. Clones exist and might not perform equally well, but should be still good up to some 50-60A.

For a known brand product, Anderson Powerpole, but they are large.

However, this sounds like an http://xyproblem.info/ . What are you really doing? Why do you think your existing circuit with a 5A connector would be dealing with up to 50-60A?

Thanks. The circuit is a hub to connect to motors that could draw up to 6A in the worse case. So several motors can  easily pass the 5A limit in the connector. In this case, shall I just replace the DC power jack with a XT90 connector? Shall I also check the current rating of the circuit board? I think the center of the DC power Jack is plus while the surrounding is minus. How come the it has four legs?

[Siwastaja]

What is the "circuit board" doing?

Just passively distributing power? If this is the case, replace it with your own wiring rated for the full current.

[Cubdriver]

Looking at the data sheet for the jack you mention, two of the five pins are for mechanical mounting, one is for the center contact, one is for the sleeve contact, and the last is a switched contact that completes a circuit to the sleeve contact when no plug is in place, and disconnects it when there is a plug - this arrangement is often used in devices that can operate on batteries or external power - the batteries connect through the moveable contact and provide power if there is no external supply plugged in.  As soon as you insert the power supply plug, the batteries are disconnected and the external supply feeds the power in.

https://www.cuidevices.com/product/resource/pj-047ah.pdf

As far as putting the kind of current you're talking about through such a connector, forget about it - not going to happen, at least not with any sort of reliability.  And if it's on a board, you'll likely damage if not outright destroy the traces to said jack, too, as I doubt they're designed to handle that sort of current.

Unless the circuit board has unusually heavy copper intended to carry multiple tens of amps of current, hardwiring appropriately rated connectors is the way to go if you want it to work reliably over the long term.

-Pat

<edit to add date sheet link>