3M Airstream System

My new air stream system works great however it's amazing how difficult it is to unplug it from the helmet and from the charger. Has anyone else found that to be the case and if so have you found a way to loosen it a bit? I hate to pull too hard on the wires and using a pliers on the plug seems somewhat overkill.

Dave Fritz

Dave... I guess I miss what you are doing. My Airstream has a power cord that is attached to the helmet and that plugs into a battery that I clip on my belt. Never had a problem inserting or removing the plug from the battery. Also never had a problem with plugging the battery into the charger. Where exactly are you experiencing the problem? Any photos?

Steve,

The plug is simply too tight to remove easily. It takes a great deal of effort to remove the plug from the battery pack and the charging unit. I guess I could try and bend the prongs a little and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your feedback.

Dave Fritz

Dave, without actually seeing the plug and what is causing the issue, I would suggest looking into sanding some of the molded plug away. I must be rubbing in one particular area. Just me, but I would also rub the side of the plug with just a bit of candle wax (wax is non-conductive) to act as a lube.

Let us know if that helps at all.

Thanks Steve, I'll give that a try tomorrow.

Dave Fritz

I think that Steve has your solution, Dave. When I was still using 3M batteries, I had to sand off a bit on the male plugs to get them to plug in easily.

Before you do any sanding, first check the plug pins. They are bifurcated (in other words, "split lengthwise") brass and something may have happened to cause one of them to become splayed. The other possibility is that one of them is bent slightly. These are very easy things to check. Sanding the pins is an extreme measure and I can't envision any circumstance where that would be advisable.

It is desirable to have a tight fit, but if it is too tight, you can bend the pins while inserting or removing the connector. While you are at it, geet a magnifier and strong light to look into the sockets to see if there is anything there causing a problem.

Bill- I agree - no reason to ever sand the pins. Sanding the outside of the actual plug (the housing) however might... and I did say might - allow the connector to insert into the battery or charger easier. Bent pins was never mentioned and I had hoped/assumed that was ruled out in the very beginning.

Thanks Steve, you're solution was the fix I needed. Now the plug is secure, and easier to remove. The plug plastic had a ring that was proud of the rest of the plug. I suspect it was to insure a tight fit. Once it was gone things were much easier.

Thanks again,

Dave fritz