- The power connector (upbeat music)
is getting a little janky on my FT-891.
I think this would be a good time to replace it.
So let's get started.
There's a lot of things that I love about my Yaesu, FT-891.
Unfortunately the power connector isn't one of them.
Yaesu uses a 4-pin Molex connector on the back of the rig.
And while that in itself isn't a bad thing,
if you use the radio portable for any length of time,
this will happen.
The connector loosens up and becomes a pain a butt.
A few months back Jason Wang, N0BOY,
came up with a great little mod
to convert the Molex connector on the FT-891
over to a more friendly Anderson Powerpole connector
. Powerpoles have become a standard
in amateur radio emergency communications.
And while I use Powerpoles on almost
all of my batteries and power supplies,
I just neglected to make the conversion on my rig itself.
Fast forward to today,
and Jason just released an upgraded design
to the Powerpole adapter.
He strengthened a weak point on the back plane
so it should be even more robust.
With the announcement of this upgraded piece,
I thought now is the perfect time to upgrade my FT-891.
If you have access to a 3D printer,
you can make the pieces yourself.
The STL files are freely available on Thingiverse.
Or you can purchase a kit with just the parts
directly from Jason.
I'll put links to the files and the kits
in the video description below.
Before we begin, please be aware that modifying your radio
may void the warranty.
Mine's long past that point,
so let's get started by printing the plastic pieces
and converting my FT-891
over to an Anderson Powerpole connector.
(energetic upbeat music)
Now that I got the parts printed,
lets assemble the rest of the items we'll need
for the Powerpole modification.
If you didn't purchase the kit,
you will need one set of Anderson Powerpoles
with the 30 amp or 14-16 gauge wire inserts,
two number 8 crimp on ring terminals for 14-16 gauge wire,
a 45 mm or 1.8 inch length of two conductor wire.
I'm using some 14 gauge silicon that I had on hand,
but 16 gauge will work fine.
And finally an M3 x 12 mm bolt and nut.
Mine has a hex socket head.
For tools, other than the wire cutter and stripper
and the Powerpole crimper,
I'm using the iFixit Mako 64 piece
precision screwdriver set.
This is essential if you want to do repairs
without buggering up those little screw heads.
Remove the bottom cover of the FT-891.
There are four small screws bottom and two on each side.
The cover will lift off.
Locate the power connector,
unscrew the leads from the board, and remove it.
Next, assemble the new connector.
Take 45 mm or 1.8 inches of wire,
and strip a small portion on each end,
about a 5 mm or 1/4 inch.
Crimp a Powerpole insert on one end
and crimp the ring terminal on the other.
Insert the Powerpole insert into the shells,
making sure the black wire goes into the black shell
and the red into the red shell.
Mate the two pieces together, remembering the phrase
"Red right, tip top."
Hey, we're half way done.
I'm just gonna jump in and say
that If you find this video interesting
and want to see more like it, hit like and subscribe.
That's my indicator to produce more
of these types of videos.
Thank you for your support.
Next take the printed parts
and insert the Powerpoles into the inside piece,
taking care that the screw opening
is at the top of our working position.
Now for the hard part, but its really not that hard.
See the little cutout on the side of the Powerpole?
The edge of the radio's chassis needs to go in there
so that the whole assembly
is held into place by the radio's chassis.
It'll take a bit of dexterity, but when done,
the whole thing should kinda look like this.
After that, the outside piece will just fit into place.
Screw the two pieces together with the bolt.
There is a little spot on the back for the nut to sit
to hold it all together.
Finally, screw the ring terminals back onto the board.
The board is marked red for the positive lead
and black for the negative.
Don't over tighten it.
Do an inspection to make sure
everything is hooked up correctly
and that there are no loose connections or stray wires.
If all is good, replace the bottom cover.
The project is complete.
You can now hook up a battery or power supply
and power up your rig.
The whole project should take about 20 minutes.
But if it takes longer, that's OK.
It's not really a race.
So what do you think?
Does this conversion look easy?
If you don't have a 3D printer,
you can order the parts directly from Jason.
There is a link in the video description.
The conversion looks nice, and it wasn't too difficult.
I'll check in later on how it holds up long term.
But that's it for this time.
I'm Michael, KB9VBR.
Have a great day, and 73.
(printer whirring)