RV FEATURE

CRIMP OR SOLDER ?

It was not that long ago when we ’ d hitch up our caravan and camper ’ s electrics using a simple seven-pin plug to control the lights at the rear . It ’ s also quite likely that one of those seven pins might have been used as a charge wire to supply 12V and low amps to an on-board house battery .

Fast forward eight or 10 years and RVs today can have much larger battery banks to run a host of 12V appliances . These battery banks need recharging , requiring high current to do that job . The humble seven-pin plug isn ’ t going to cut it . In fact , they ’ re more likely to melt over time due to excessive current draw .

It ’ s common practice these days to make the connection between a vehicle ’ s electrics and those of a caravan or camper via an Anderson plug . This style of plug can also be used to connect solar panels or run a range of accessories in and around vehicles and RVs . While they might look complicated , adding an Anderson plug for an extension lead or other 12V power inlet / outlet isn ’ t difficult .

Let ’ s look at Anderson plugs in a bit more detail and then show you how to wire one up .

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