For those of you who roll your own power solutions, these connectors might be interesting. Ebay sellers are getting $10 to $12 for a bag of 10 red and 10 black ends.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Powerpole 
They can be configured various ways, and stacked using molded-in dovetails. The amateur radio community has pretty much settled on one configuration that I've also adopted. (Model railroaders have a more complicated set of standards, but I think the supply configuration is the same.) Here's a set of instructions for orienting and assembling them.
http://www.cherokee-ares.org/documents/Mercer_Co_DE_12VDC_Connector_standard.pdf
One neat thing about this configuration is it's hermaphroditic - any of them will plug into any other one. You can plug a battery into a charging source, the battery into the load device, or the charging source into the load device, assuming the currents that will flow are acceptable. If you put a 4-pole plug (2x2 wired in parallel) on one cord, you could run off the source with the battery being available for standby. You could plug two batteries together for more capacity (but only if they were charged to near the same voltage so the surge didn't blow an internal fuse or damage them). Very versatile.
The current rating of the contacts is 45 amps, or less with small wire sizes. It takes some care to crimp the contacts onto the wire, but you can also solder them. For smaller wire, fold it double to fill up the opening more before soldering.
I think they require a special pair of pliers to assemble the connection correctly.
There is an expensive crimper tool to do it by the book. However, the instructions linked above explain how to crimp with the $10 tool sold at home improvement and auto parts stores. I tried that because I was crimping the connectors for a battery, but then went to soldering the PowerPole connectors because it seemed less risk of damaging the contacts. No special tools are needed then.
Powerpole connectors are the bomb. Just about all things powerpoles can be found at powerwerx.com and on ebay. A ratcheting crimper makes crimping easy. I have the TriCrimp crimper and it's well worth the price. I also have a set of powerpole crimp jaws that came at no extra cost with the generic crimper I use to crimp coaxial cables. Combine powerpole connectors and shells with premade bare end DC power cable assemblies from Digikey and you can connect just about anything to anything.
No argument that Powerpole connectors are excellent and a near-standard in the amateur radio and RC communities, but I've found that two-prong SAE connectors work fine for my uses, and they're a lot less expensive. I buy these:
I cut off each pigtail and splice with other cabling accordingly. The internal wires are about 16-gauge, so plenty big enough for my needs.
This is the same connector used by Javad equipment. The polarity seems to be standard, or at least I've not found any deviations yet: for a source connector, the positive terminal is the shielded (female) one. (I use the mnemonic "protected plus" when assembling cables.)
I do the same as Jim Frame, but I found a source of 10 ga pigtails, and soldered them to a ring connector, so there are 3 plugs on a battery.
It's just convenient.
It used to be for
1.) GPS
2.) RADIO
3.) ELECTRIC FENCE
But, now a days, my gps has it's own internal batteries.
So, only 2 get used.
My javad used to have a cooling fan, for the radio to broadcast 5x a second.
I took it off, as I don't broadcast @ 5 hz, and the rover "upsamples", so it does 5hz off of a 1 hz broadcast.
My javad radio, still has aligator clips... Never did install flat connector yet.
Been too busy.
Introduced to PowerPoles as HAM, now converting all my survey stuff to PowerPoles in the survey wagon, I even mounted a PowerPole distribution block on my transmission hump for charging and powering stuff in the cab, have PowerPole/Lemo cables to power my Leica gear that mate to a battery pack with PowerPoles, great universal system with positive connectivity.
SHG
I had my mechanics at my old shop go one step further. Using the SAE connectors, I had them run a wire from my alternator to my truck box. This enabled me to put my external Battery on charge whenever it was back in the truck and I was driving. Never had to lug that heavy b**** to and from my office again.
MitchPTD, post: 416011, member: 10124 wrote: enabled me to put my external Battery on charge whenever it was back in the truck
Is there any circuitry between the vehicle power and the external battery? I'd expect a direct connection with a partially discharged battery to draw enough surge current to blow a fuse, and repeated cycles of this perhaps not be good for the battery.
Bill93, post: 416017, member: 87 wrote: Is there any circuitry between the vehicle power and the external battery? I'd expect a direct connection with a partially discharged battery to draw enough surge current to blow a fuse, and repeated cycles of this perhaps not be good for the battery.
I can't remember if they did that with the install. Anyways, it is the same current as being applied to the battery driving the truck, not sure if they installed a battery isolator or not. So, whatever precautions go from an alternator to the standard battery, applied here.
As for harming the battery, it was a marine use deep cycle battery that is typically always used for survey applications. It handles draining and recharging a lot better then a standard automotive battery.
MitchPTD, post: 416011, member: 10124 wrote: I had my mechanics at my old shop go one step further. Using the SAE connectors, I had them run a wire from my alternator to my truck box. This enabled me to put my external Battery on charge whenever it was back in the truck and I was driving. Never had to lug that heavy b**** to and from my office again.
I went a step further and added a 70w solar panel to the ladder rack and a charge controller and deep cycle agm battery to the back of the truck. Now I can charge anything including my power tools without drawing down the truck's main battery.
First, thanks Bill93, for your op.
Second, thanks everybody for all the info you shared.
3rd, we are getting smaller, and smaller batteries, with more and more power.
Someday, I think we will be able to survey with a motorcycle, due to minaturization.
1/2 ton truck, and motorcycle.
I'm still hoping for a straight 2 hr battery life, with a mini hammer, jackhammer, tpost pounder, that weighs less than 5 or 10 lbs.
And, all the tools we use, are improving.
I'm thinking a gas or diesel powered super hammer would be great.
My point is that batteries getting smaller, and holding more power, will continue... And surveyors will benefit.
Nate The Surveyor, post: 416062, member: 291 wrote: My point is that batteries getting smaller, and holding more power, will continue... And surveyors will benefit.
I always say the most important development for surveying isn't the latests EDM-Total Station-GNSS, etc, BUT instead the improvement and miniaturization and improved power density/life of batteries, for when the batteries die all that other gear is just a paperweight!
SHG
Nate The Surveyor, post: 416062, member: 291 wrote: First, thanks Bill93, for your op.
Second, thanks everybody for all the info you shared.
3rd, we are getting smaller, and smaller batteries, with more and more power.
Someday, I think we will be able to survey with a motorcycle, due to minaturization.
1/2 ton truck, and motorcycle.
I'm still hoping for a straight 2 hr battery life, with a mini hammer, jackhammer, tpost pounder, that weighs less than 5 or 10 lbs.
And, all the tools we use, are improving.
I'm thinking a gas or diesel powered super hammer would be great.
My point is that batteries getting smaller, and holding more power, will continue... And surveyors will benefit.
Nate ever try to haul a shovel on a motorcycle?
[USER=7286]@imaudigger[/USER] No, but we sat on the prism pole, sticking straight out the back, and did alot of work!
Some side boxes, on a KLR 650.... could work!
Just saying..pretty difficult to survey without a shovel.
Survey without a shovel? .... that's funny, folks roun heah, do it all the time!
I have big shovel, little shovel, large pick, small pick, and a SLAMMER tool.
I don't have a backhoe, in the truck.... wish I did.
We use SAE for everything, all the receiver power cables, battery lugs, chargers, RTK bridge, nice to have everything consistent.
