Stay Connected - It's All In The Details
Sometimes it's the simplest things that make a difference, like making a connection to a battery to charge or draw power. Generally an afterthought for most, but not for TecMate.
With every OptiMate battery charger a set of unique O-04 battery clips and an O-01 weatherproof battery lead (otherwise known as ringlets/eyelets/pigtail) is included to make the connection to the battery. This may seem like a "small thing" that most people take for granted, but OptiMate O-04 battery clips have been designed specifically to meet the needs of powersport battery applications - not all battery connections are created equal!
Most crocodile or alligator clips have a slightly oval open mouth with the 'eyeteeth' or edges of the mouth touching when closed. The OptiMate battery clip is more like a hybrid alligator/platypus mouth (!), flat and straight with sharp little teeth - great for gripping onto square/cubed battery posts (the most popular kind in powersports) or flat tab posts for the small batteries used on entry level motorcycles.
They also fit on the round posts that are being introduced in the newest sector (or we could say 'craze') in powersport, the 4-wheel UTV or Side by Side (SxS) that has seen tremendous growth in the USA and Canada. Good contact is important - never mind the shape of the post.
OptiMate's O-01 weatherproof battery lead was designed with the specifics of powersport vehicle use in mind. Water, dirt and grime shooting up from the road have a nasty habit of penetrating anything and electrical connections can corrode fast if not protected.
"A corroded connection is a poor connection," says Martin Human, TecMate's CEO/CTO. "The added electrical resistance can cause a hotspot and loss of voltage during charging. OptiMate's battery leads have a protective rubber shroud that encloses the open pin of the SAE connector, making it electrically safe, and the rubber sealing cap protects the connector when not in use. Now, if you forgot to put the cap in position, and that connector is full of dirt, don't worry, twist off the shroud, clean it out and re-assemble.
"We have added a few more innovations too - that connector flapping about in the wind has always bothered me. Zipties or strapping the cable to a strut never seemed to fully contain that heavy connector - then one day we thought, why not add ziptie/Velcro strap loops on the connector itself? Problem solved!
"Our latest innovation, the dual size ring system, came about because in the new powersport vehicle sector (UTV/SxS) there are a few batteries with M8 (5/16") screw terminals, deviating from the standard M6 1/4". A few different approaches were considered, and we eventually settled on the triangular removable adapter - when left in position, it's an M6 1/4" ring, when snipped off, it becomes a M8 5/16" ring. Simple but effective!"
TecMate has other battery connection accessories such as panel-mount sockets, the DIN connector accessories found on BMW, Triumph and Ducati Multistrada motorcycles and many others - with the designs always focusing on the best connection possible to that specific battery application. The latest idea is a magnetic system, making connection and disconnection very easy, and that will be starting to be seen on some of the new 2021 products.
TECMATE
www.tecmate.com
www.optimate1.com
