Durability of the J4 Connector

Sixfab Power HAT & Software
1

Hi, After only 2-3 insertions / removals of wires into the J4 inputs, today the release tab on the + pin snapped:

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IMG_51012808Ă—1691 849 KB

After a brief inspection, the whole cover came off, the very small tabs under the metal clips had broken:

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IMG_5104
IMG_51042379Ă—1665 1.26 MB
IMG_5102
IMG_51022329Ă—1667 605 KB

Any suggestions here? I am interested to understand what the designed lifetime for these connectors is - is this expected, or is this perhaps a Quality Control issue with components?

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IMG_51081438Ă—1123 363 KB

2

Hi @snrklotomus,

This is the first time this situation happens. Sorry for this.
Care should be taken when applying force to insert the wires.
For product exchange, please email to hello@sixfab.com and we will help you out ASAP.

3

Thanks… I have emailed hello@sixfab…

4

Hi unfortunately I had exactly the same problem. This was on first insert. The plastic housing seems to be VERY fragile and prone to breaking on pressing the release tab.

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IMG_0067.HEIC3024Ă—4032 1.68 MB

5

Hi @barryjump ,

I am very sorry for what happened.
It will be replaced by more durable screw terminal blocks in the future version.

6

@ensar that great thanks… In the future though. What are we to do about it now?

7

No worries, we can exchange the product easily in case of stock availability. Just write hello@sixfab.com and we forward you the instructions.

Thank you.

1 Like
8

Thanks @ensar. Meantime I did notice one thing on the docs that was missing - they don’t mention the recommended wire gauge for those terminals. I believe they are Wagos, perhaps it would be a good idea to include their specs in your docs.

9

Thank you for your feedback.

We recommend 24 AWG to 18 AWG(0.2mm -0.75 mm) for ease of use with the terminal. And remove the jacket 7-9 mm(0.28-0.35 inc) from the end of the cable.