rayra
Expedition Leader
So I was shopping around for connector bargains, looking to gather parts to complete my front- and rear-mounted power connections to facilitate a receiver-hitch-mounted winch setup. I've already started using gray SB175 connectors inside the vehicle for my heavy duty electrical bus, to connect my homebrew 'power conversion module'. I've run 1/0 cables from my under-hood Aux battery, thru PVC flex conduit along the passenger side frame rail and across the cargo floor and up thru some j-box bulkhead fittings in that floor, terminating in an SB175 in the cargo area sidewall. The rear power module plugs into that. The plug in the box terminates at a common negative lug and rotary cutoff for the positive.
The long-range plan was to pass power back out the box and thru the floor and to a back bumper penetration alongside my relocated 7-pin, left of my license plate. With the rotary switch in the module cutting power to the external plug unless it is needed.
And likewise, mounting a similar plug setup inset in the bottom passenger corner of my front grill.
The carrier-mounted winch's leads would be long enough to plug into either location when in a receiver on either end of the vehicle. ~4' ish. So I was loking at various colors of plugs and weather boots and I don't want these plugs to really stand out. So I was looking to get some black plugs and boots, for mounting on my black Suburban.
And as I was looking at the color options, I noticed this at the bottom of the page -
powerwerx.com
SB Powerpole connectors are Color Keyed
A unique feature of the SB Series Powerpole housings are that they are keyed to only mate with the same color housing. For example, a gray color will only connect with the same gray color SB housing. The Red color will only connect to a red colored connector, etc. For SB350 there are no color mating exceptions.
This feature can be used to color code different voltages or systems and prevent accidental connection.
I'd always thought it was the SIZE/CLASS of the Anderson connectors that was a safety determinant re electrical load connections, that you couldn't connect say an SB50 connector to a SB175 connector. But now I realize that the different colors are not just color coding but physically different. That you can't mix colors randomly or for 'style'.
You can see the physical variations in this picture, too -
The long-range plan was to pass power back out the box and thru the floor and to a back bumper penetration alongside my relocated 7-pin, left of my license plate. With the rotary switch in the module cutting power to the external plug unless it is needed.
And likewise, mounting a similar plug setup inset in the bottom passenger corner of my front grill.
The carrier-mounted winch's leads would be long enough to plug into either location when in a receiver on either end of the vehicle. ~4' ish. So I was loking at various colors of plugs and weather boots and I don't want these plugs to really stand out. So I was looking to get some black plugs and boots, for mounting on my black Suburban.
And as I was looking at the color options, I noticed this at the bottom of the page -
Anderson Power Products SB175 SB Series 175 Amp Connector Kit
Available in Blue, Gray, Orange Yellow, Red & Black. Recommended for use with 1/0, 1, 2, 4, or 6 gauge wire. Kit includes the housing and contacts needed for a single connector.
powerwerx.com
SB Powerpole connectors are Color Keyed
A unique feature of the SB Series Powerpole housings are that they are keyed to only mate with the same color housing. For example, a gray color will only connect with the same gray color SB housing. The Red color will only connect to a red colored connector, etc. For SB350 there are no color mating exceptions.
This feature can be used to color code different voltages or systems and prevent accidental connection.
I'd always thought it was the SIZE/CLASS of the Anderson connectors that was a safety determinant re electrical load connections, that you couldn't connect say an SB50 connector to a SB175 connector. But now I realize that the different colors are not just color coding but physically different. That you can't mix colors randomly or for 'style'.
You can see the physical variations in this picture, too -
