bus bars

[mitzimad]

can i use ally plate to make a bus bar for my battery?

 

[peterc10]

According to this website "Aluminum forms an electrically resistant oxide surface in electrical connections, which can cause the connection to overheat." So maybe not.

 

[68c]

Are you using the bus bar to connect two or more batteries? Is it for a Moho?

Although OK for a set of batteries in a building I worry that the jolting around batteries get in a Moho may cause damage if rigidly joined with a bus bar. The end plates will try to move within the casing no matter how well the battery is secured. The only gain I see is the slightly reduced resistance within a good copper bus bar over a nice fat flexible cable. It may be that a thick pure copper cable with terminals may have a lower resistance than an aluminium alloy bus bar. As there is not likely to be much gain I would stick with cables.

But to answer your question, yes you can use alloy for a bus bar, make sure it is insulated if any likelyhood of something metal shorting them out. Make sure oxygen cannot get between the terminal and bus bar to reduce corrosion. Thankyou #peterc10#.

 

[Googlebot]

I got the 150 amp ones from 12volt planet. Seem well made and did the job great.

I have a thread where I am changing to lithium if you need to see them?

 

[mitzimad]

if and when i get the lithium battery its 8mm stud fixings i thought a plate drilled and tapped would be better than four rings on the bolt

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[Googlebot]

Ah. I would see how much thread you have left and how well they stack first.

I had 8 or 9 rings to go on so had to use a bus bar.

 

[Steve and Denise]

Sorry could not resist

 

[Stanbrook]

Aluminum has 61 percent of the conductivity of copper, but has only 30 percent of the weight of copper. That means that a bare wire of aluminum weighs half as much as a bare wire of copper that has the same electrical resistance. Aluminum is generally more inexpensive when compared to copper conductors.

Aluminium is the preferred metal in distribution cables, underground and overhead because of cost.

Any connections to dissimilar metals must be treated to prevent Galvanic corrosion.

Bicon X1 Electrical Joint Compound​

Designed to prevent galvanic corrosion and to enhance connection in electrical joints. Especially effective when used on copper to aluminum and aluminum to aluminum connections.

BICON BX1-225 should be used in all aluminium to aluminium and aliminium to copper joints. The contact surfaces of the elements to be joined should be thoroughly scratch brushed. The BICON BX1-225 should be liberally applied and any excess removed after securing the joint.

The base product is a natural or synthetic grease which prevents water and other contaminants from influencing the connection and prevents the formation of surface oxides

• Electrical joint compound
• Can be used for applications where insulation will not be applied to the joint such as substations and switchgears
• Consists of a liquid vase vehicle with suspended sinc particles
• Natural (petroleum) grease base
• Recommended for all bare outdoor applications
• Goodluck

 

[68c]

if and when i get the lithium battery its 8mm stud fixings i thought a plate drilled and tapped would be better than four rings on the bolt

I see you are not joining two batteries you just want to have more area to connect wires to at the terminal post.
Some people use easily obtainable copper water pipe, flattened and then drilled. You could use two layers of 22mm pipe to carry more current. Again make sure no shorts are likely. Are you using fuses at these connection points?