- First Name
- Evan
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2021
- Threads
- 45
- Messages
- 707
- Reaction score
- 1,136
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Car(s)
- 21 Nitro Yellow A90 Supra, 10 Honda Fit Sport 5spd
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey all!
Lets be real, most of us who have swapped exhausts, coded out sensors, and etc never really knew what to do with the left-over dangling connectors. I for one didn't so uhhh....I just wrapped them in numerous layers of electrical tape, a few zipties, and if I was feeling particularly fruity, even some dielectric grease
Unfortunately, that isn't really the best way to handle a leftover connector just dangling. And even worse, there isn't a surefire industry standard as far as I'm aware.
So why not try and solve this problem?
Sure, tape and dielectric grease can help protect against splashes and dirt but its not quite sealed....then it hit me, essentially all of the external connectors found on the supra all belong to the same series of connectors manufactured by TE Connectivity (and custom keyed by Hitschmann automotive). These connectors are built to meet certain Ingress Protection (IP) standards (if you're curious, here's a link: Ingress Protection (IP) ratings https://share.google/xwvvXH2gTEpGDIXif). That means these connectors have sealing features like O-rings and such.
Why not just re-use those features???
Enter: 3D printing and too much time on my hands
After quite a bit of research and delving into the world of connectors, their manufacturers, the pin types, mounting features, and so on, I finally arrived to a treasure trove of CAD files thanks to a close friend. Using the files as a base, I was able to modify them to remove all features meant to securely hold pins for proper mating and only leave essentially the husks of the connectors themselves. A few revisions later and the addition of a ziptie loop, I arrived at the above connectors caps. These "caps" as I am calling them utilize the seals found in the mating connectors to properly seal out moisture, dust, dirt, etc. The best part is, some of these connectors (such as the Ride height sensor connector), are used in numerous different places around the vehicle. So they can be used for much more than simply the Ride Height Sensors!
Did I mention they print on basically any printer in a record amount of time? A set of 4 like the video above was <30 mins on my H2D at normal print speed!
Printing Recommendations:
Get the whole pack here!
A90 Supra Connector Cap Pack
Lets be real, most of us who have swapped exhausts, coded out sensors, and etc never really knew what to do with the left-over dangling connectors. I for one didn't so uhhh....I just wrapped them in numerous layers of electrical tape, a few zipties, and if I was feeling particularly fruity, even some dielectric grease
Unfortunately, that isn't really the best way to handle a leftover connector just dangling. And even worse, there isn't a surefire industry standard as far as I'm aware.
So why not try and solve this problem?
Sure, tape and dielectric grease can help protect against splashes and dirt but its not quite sealed....then it hit me, essentially all of the external connectors found on the supra all belong to the same series of connectors manufactured by TE Connectivity (and custom keyed by Hitschmann automotive). These connectors are built to meet certain Ingress Protection (IP) standards (if you're curious, here's a link: Ingress Protection (IP) ratings https://share.google/xwvvXH2gTEpGDIXif). That means these connectors have sealing features like O-rings and such.
Why not just re-use those features???
Enter: 3D printing and too much time on my hands
After quite a bit of research and delving into the world of connectors, their manufacturers, the pin types, mounting features, and so on, I finally arrived to a treasure trove of CAD files thanks to a close friend. Using the files as a base, I was able to modify them to remove all features meant to securely hold pins for proper mating and only leave essentially the husks of the connectors themselves. A few revisions later and the addition of a ziptie loop, I arrived at the above connectors caps. These "caps" as I am calling them utilize the seals found in the mating connectors to properly seal out moisture, dust, dirt, etc. The best part is, some of these connectors (such as the Ride height sensor connector), are used in numerous different places around the vehicle. So they can be used for much more than simply the Ride Height Sensors!
Did I mention they print on basically any printer in a record amount of time? A set of 4 like the video above was <30 mins on my H2D at normal print speed!
Printing Recommendations:
- Use any filament that can withstand being outdoors, particularly in adverse conditions.
- Use a non-conductive filament (i.e. those with Carbon Fiber). While I don't expect this to actually be an issue, it's probably best to print these with something electrically inert.
- Print at 100% infill
- Print at the smallest yet feasible layer height. The smaller the better as this will ensure the mating tabs are properly sized for the mating clips.
- Print in a cool color, cause....why not? (maybe even some transparent PETG for some extra cool points)
Get the whole pack here!
A90 Supra Connector Cap Pack
Sponsored
.
