XT to parts

You will attach XT30 Male connectors to the 4 quad ESCs, and to the 2 BECs. General steps:

  • Cut the heat shrink. Slide the pieces over the red/power/+ and black/ground/- wires on the component (ESC or BEC). Slide them far from the ends so that they will not be too close to the hot soldering iron.
  • The wires should be already prepped. If not, strip about 2-3mm of insulation (~16 AWG) and tin them per the soldering links below.
  • Connect the female and male XT30 connectors together in order to prevent deformation during soldering. Put tape over the female end so you don't solder the wrong side.
  • Tin the male end of the XT30 connector, both the + and - pins.
  • Solder the red wire to the male + pin, and solder the black ground wire to the male - (minus) pin.
  • Once cool, slide the heatshrink over the soldered joints. Before sealing the heatshrink onto the wires, you can gently touch around one end of it (the end closest to the XT connector) with a soldering iron to slightly pre-shrink that end. Then it can slide into the end of the XT connector for a better seal. Finally, use a heat gun to shrink the entire tube.
Part Qty Connector Heat shrink per wire
quad ESC 4 XT30 Male 3/32" dia, 15mm
BEC 2 XT30 Male 3/32" dia, 15mm

Here are two slightly different approaches for soldering XT connectors: If the wire does not really fit into the holes and if the wire easily fits into the holes.