Sevcon DC Converter

A Small Problem:

My bike has a 12 volt electric system for the lights, gauge cluster and horn. I used a 72V to 12V DC converter to supply power to that 12 volts system. I chose the Sevcon 300W converter and ordered it from ElectricMotorsport.com. My only complaint is that I was not provided a connector or a specifications sheet for the device.

The Solution:

Well, the spec sheet .pdf is easy to find at the manufacturer's website:

• Manufacturer Site
• Specification Sheet

The plug was not as easy to find, but I gathered enough clues until I nailed it down. The converter connector is a Mini-Fit, Sr. housing, made by Molex. There are technically three different kinds of housings, but there is only one receptacle that fits all three, so you can place an order with confidence. The only catch is that it may not come with the actual conductive terminals - depends on where you order it from. Luckily, I knew my would not come with terminals, and I was able to find them too.

• Manufacturer's Mini-Fit Sr. Site

Part Numbers:

I ordered my plug and terminals from Allied Electronics in Fort Worth.

The Molex part number for a plug is 42816. (need 1)

The Molex part number for a female terminal is 42815. (need 4)

The Allied Electronics part number for a plug is 863-1427.

The Allied Electronics part number for a female terminal is 863-1464.

Additional Info.:

Be aware, if you order from somewhere else, there is an entire series/family of Mini-Fit connectors which include single-row / dual-row and 2 through 8 circuit variations. Also, there is a clip which is molded onto single-row connectors which serves to stop the terminals from backing out. For the record, the receptacle I needed for the converter was a single row, 4 circuit connector. Since it didn't include terminals, I ordered 4 terminals for size 14 or 16 AWG wire. The whole thing goes together really easily and makes a reliable connection to the converter, which was great to see.

Here's the search string to find all members of the series in Allied Electronics' online interface.

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/searchresults.aspx?N=0&Ntk=Primary&Ntt=Mini-Fit+Sr.

Here's a .pdf which explains the parts with images, in case that helps clear up any confusion.

http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family?key=minifit_sr&channel=products&chanName=family&pageTitle=Introduction&parentKey=minifit_products

-Colby