Q about sae to m4 adapter cable

[Ravella and X]

I left my nice long cable behind and am not going back for it. It’s safe, and I’ll pick it up in April when I have to go back for other stuff.
Meanwhile, I can choose to give up a short, longed-for boondocking week and plug in at a park, or replace my long cable with a short one. My Q is that they all seem to come with a reverse polarity adapter, and the words say to be sure to check polarity before using/not using it. How, please? And please, use words that are in the common vocabulary— not a bunch of acronyms and cryptic electrician lingo.

 

[JDub]

I left my nice long cable behind and am not going back for it. It’s safe, and I’ll pick it up in April when I have to go back for other stuff.
Meanwhile, I can choose to give up a short, longed-for boondocking week and plug in at a park, or replace my long cable with a short one. My Q is that they all seem to come with a reverse polarity adapter, and the words say to be sure to check polarity before using/not using it. How, please? And please, use words that are in the common vocabulary— not a bunch of acronyms and cryptic electrician lingo.

Reverse polarity is when you've got a cable that's opposite from what's it's supposed to be plugged into. Think Red to Black and vice versa. Just make sure that you don't have a cable that will be plugged in wrong as if you'd reversed the clamps on a battery jumper cable.


Cheers!

 

[JDub]

The adapter just reverses the male and female connector so you can plug it in right... It's just a little bitty thing. I can post a pic of one if you'd like...

 

[Ravella and X]

There is a port on my rig. I cannot see behind it to tell which color the wires are to which part of the sae port. I could heave up my bed, open the access panel, shine I light into the deep dark corner, squint hard with my head jammed in there with the batteries as far as I can, but doubt even then that I would be able to identify for sure the left and right of it.

Is there an easy test that won’t hurt anything?

 

[kklowell]

How would you know how what you're plugging into is wired, as well as how your inlet port is?

 

[Ravella and X]

The adapter just reverses the male and female connector so you can plug it in right... It's just a little bitty thing. I can post a pic of one if you'd like...

I have a pic of the adapter, thank you. It comes with the sae to m4 connector. I just don’t know how to test polarity

 

[Ravella and X]

Heh. Already I’m thinking it’ll just be so much easier to skip that boondocking week. Wah. I sure don’t have much tolerance for puzzles these days. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[JDub]

Heh. Already I’m thinking it’ll just be so much easier to skip that boondocking week. Wah. I sure don’t have much tolerance for puzzles these days. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honestly - It's just when the red and black wires don't plug into the opposites as they should because the connectors are switched around (I've got a cable like that - made wrong). The little plug just reverses it so the plug fits together the right way.

 

[JDub]

Hold on, I'm going to take a couple pix.

 

[Ravella and X]

Hmmm. I do have a multimeter. Just no experience to speak of.

 

[Ravella and X]

Oh! So you’re saying it’s like cats in boxes! “If i fits, I sits”, ya?

 

[Ravella and X]

And if my long cable doesn’t have an adapter, I won’t need an adapter. Right??

Sorry. Don’t mean to be making this harder than it has to be

 

[tx2sturgis]

Tell us if the adapter port on your rig is a 'ZAMP'...because those are all reversed from the 'standard' SAE polarity.

 

[JDub]

Here's an example (pic 1) of a regular SAE cable and an adapter. Normally you don't need it because the cable colors line up fine - red to red and black to black. Pic 2 - My bad cable (bottom) has the colors and plug reversed so it won't match up w the correct cable (it would plug in B to R and vice versa.. The little adapter just reverses that so you can plug it in right. SUPER cheap on Amazon if you need one.

 

[Ravella and X]

Tell us if the adapter port on your rig is a 'ZAMP'...because those are all reversed from the 'standard' SAE polarity.

How would I know if it’s ZAMP?

Here's an example (pic 1) of a regular SAE cable and an adapter. Normally you don't need it because the cable colors line up fine - red to red and black to black. Pic 2 - My bad cable (bottom) has the colors and plug reversed so it won't match up w the correct cable (it would plug in B to R and vice versa.. The little adapter just reverses that so you can plug it in right. SUPER cheap on Amazon if you need one.

Ya JDub, I saw the parts on Amazon, know what I need, but the short sae to m4 cables all come with that adapter, in case of reverse polarity. I’m just asking how to test for that, since I cannot easily identify what goes where after it disappears into the deep dark place after it enters the trailer.

I think there is way to test with the multimeter. I guess it’s time I learned how to use that. I saw a short clip of a guy getting polarity wrong and then fixing it and the world didn’t explode, so I guess I’m safe. Off to YouTube. (I’d rather be watching the great British baking show)

 

[tx2sturgis]

If you see 'ZAMP' printed anywhere on the rig...or the weather cover, inside, anywhere.

If you dont see that, we might assume it's the 'normal' standard, meaning, the exposed pin on the '12v battery source' is ground.

Another question for ya: is your solar charge controller mounted inside the rig, or is it on the portable solar panel?

 

[Ravella and X]

YES! YES!! Idk exactly what bulkhead means here, but you’re right that I cannot see colors on the other side

 

[JDub]

Oh! So you’re saying it’s like cats in boxes! “If i fits, I sits”, ya?

Yes!

 

[JDub]

Doesn't seem to be a Zamp...

 

[JDub]

Doesn't seem to be a Zamp...Have any paperwork on the system R?