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Installing Ribu NEM Coupler Adapters

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The conversion process starts with the loop being removed. The loop pivots on two pins on the sides. It should be removed carefully as it has to be placed back in position as the final step in the conversion. Picture on left shows the loop separated from the coupler assembly.
 

Though the primary difference in the current conducting couplers is the presence of a metallic conductor, the other difference is the absence of the "drop-lock", as I prefer to call it, that covers the loop when coupler hooks on.


This has to be removed to allow the metallic contact strip to be inserted properly. The "red" arrow in the picture, with the coupler flipped upside down, on the left shows has been called the "drop-lock". Grip with a long nose pliers and pull while twisting it. The "lock" will come off. See picture below. The drop- lock now becomes useless. So if you do not want to continue, stop here and do not remove the drop lock.





The lock does not pivot on a pin. There is no pin. The loop that we removed earlier, to be replaced later, is pivoting/hinging on the two pins molded into the sides of plastic body of the coupler. The drop-lock is designed to pivot using the slit as a pivot.








Place the coupler upside down, and notch a small space in the face of the coupler but in the lower half. This will be of the same width as the rectangular slit at the back, from which the "drop-lock" was removed. This is for the metallic strip. Use a razor blade or a sharp knife to create this notch. Through this slit, the metallic strip will be threaded to the other side to secure it in place and for soldering the feed wire. See pictures below.








For the metallic strips I took the Ground Springs that I was planning to use in the passenger car and cut off two diagonal arms with a pair of scissors and snipped off the sharp edges of the cut parts.








Just to explain, this picture shows the coupler flipped with the bottom up. The metal strip that has been cut, placed in the middle over the coupler. At the coupling end, it projects out about the same length as the side guide arms of the coupler.

Bend from the end "A" as shown in the next picture.

There is no "bend" around position "B". Since the strip was not perfectly smooth, the light creates that illusion. Please ignore. Consider the strip to be straight and flat.

At the position "C", the strip needs to be filed on both sides to reduce the width. I used a Dremel tool and it took a split second as the width reduction is about 1.5mm  total. Basically to make the strip snugly slide through the slit left by the removal of the "drop-lock".

This picture is not sharp, but conveys the idea. The cut piece is bent at one end ( see position "A" above) to create the tongue that will be protruding from the coupler to make contact with the engaging coupler. Make sure it projects about half  the length of the side guide arms of the coupler.






This view shows the coupler flipped with the top side up. The metal strip showing the tongue coming from below through the notch. The rear end of the metal strip going through the slit and coming up.

Now the tail end of the strip can be either bent down in front or back to go in the socket. To make it secure, the strip was glued to the coupler on the other side, by "plastic-to-metal" adhesive.






Two views of the finished coupler before the rear of the metallic strip is folded flat down.



The loop is now to be reattached on the pins.