littleharbor2
Solar Addict
The OEM's are metric and was getting a lot of wings.
Advice needed regarding crimping large Anderson SB175 connectors
- Thread starter smieglitz
- Start date
So, I bit the bullet and purchased the Temco TH005 crimper wth the 32-piece lug set. It immediately gave me better crimps than the cheaper crimper I initially purchased off Amazon. FWIW, the Temco dies are definitely not interchangeable with the smaller dies from that Chinese brand I purchased. The Chinese dies are much smaller, don't fit the channel in the Temco crimper, and fall out.
That said, my crimps improved with the Temco die set but I'm still not getting perfect crimps. I assume part of the problem is simply lack of experience. Also, I suspect the welding cable is just a bit undersized for the thicker Anderson connectors I'm now exclusively using. I've stopped trying to use some thinner-walled connectors that were included with the purchase of some off-brand SB175 housings. I also decided to purchase a hammer lug crimper and my initial result with it was good.
The crimper problem was very frustrating for me but I've run into other issues as I've begun to build the power bank. Like today I tried fitting a LiTime 6-circuit 100amp fuse block with a robust Selterm 4AWG lug to the #10 main terminal post of the fuse block. Since the block is rated for 100amp overall (and 30amp maximum per circuit), I chose the Windy Nation 4AWG welding cable for the conductor since 4AWG is rated to carry 100amps over a short distance while 6AWG is only rated to 70amp at the same distance. Well, the 4AWG lug doesn't physically fit the space around the #10 terminal because the housing gets in the way. It's only off by about 1mm, but that's enough to not let it seat properly. I suppose I can grind off a small amount of metal from the end without affecting the amperage capacity to any significant degree, but I imagine removing the metal and plating at that point would make the lug more susceptible to oxidation and corrosion at that point. Not a big deal, but one that shouldn't happen since the listing specifies the use of a 4-6AWG and 100amps.
Frustrated, I then put the fuse block aside and instead decided to wire some rocker switches, 12v sockets, and USB ports into panel mounts I had purchased for the build. I just happened to notice the positive and negative terminals were in different physical positions (left and right, or vertical vs horizontal) between a couple sockets/ports purchased from different vendors. Not only that, but on further inspection some terminals marked negative were bronze in color (and I had read this is the identifying color for the ground) and others were steel-colored and to top it off, the color scheme was reversed on other plugs from different vendors. I'm glad I discovered these discrepancies today since I don't want to reverse polarities or have poor connections. I guess I'll have to check the polarity of every component with a multimeter to be safe and sure.
I've been running into problems I never anticipated and spending much more money on replacing tools or components that turned out to be not so good. I'm certainly not averse to spending money on quality stuff, but starting with no electrical experience it is difficult to foresee problems with pairing components and tools even among quality brands. And my biggest concern has to do with safety issues, especially in regard to amp ratings and how some brands appear to be transparent and honest while others may omit or obfuscate information regarding materials and specifications.
Are there no international standards for these electrical components?
OK. Rant over. I do appreciate all the help I've received from members of the forum so far and I hope everyone will tolerate my asking more questions as I proceed with the build. Thanks again for all your help.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
There are many international standards, but they cost more to manufacture so there is a buck to be made by the unscrupulous vender selling knockoffs. The only protection is to stick to UL listed, reputable brand, and a source other than Amazon you trust.
Been using my Ebay Chinese hydraulic 12 ton crimper with all the dies and made plenty of crimps from 4 awg to 4/0 over and over and no problems. Any failures were my bad technique. And my cost was about $45. Whatever you do, get a hydraulic crimper with the dies and practice on a few cables first until you get the hand of it. A proper die crimp should close the dies completely and the copper crimped with a resulting cold weld of the wires. Slip over your heat shrink tubing and have at it.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
It is possible to get a good Chinese crimper no doubt. The problem is weeding out the junk verse properly marked.
On the anderson connectors pins - they make multiple pins for the sb350 and sb350. Same mating pins but different size wires. I noticed this when doing a sb350 with 2/0 wire it fit wasn't right. So I had to order pins to match my wire.
On the anderson connectors pins - they make multiple pins for the sb350 and sb350. Same mating pins but different size wires. I noticed this when doing a sb350 with 2/0 wire it fit wasn't right. So I had to order pins to match my wire.
Yes. I'm aware of this and ordered to pins to match the wire gauge from Powerwerx. One earlier problem was trying to use the thin-walled connectors that shipped with SB175 housing knock-offs (which I purchased for their mounting plates). The genuine Anderson connectors from Powerwerx sized to the wire gauge work fine with the Temco crimper you recommended, especially given the intermediate awg+ dies in the 32-piece set.
I'm sure there are quality Chinese materials and tools available, but with no previous experience it is difficult to sort the good from bad. Perhaps a list of reputable Chinese brands could be posted somewhere on the forum?
But in regard to that point, I purchased a LiTime LiFePO4 12v 230ah battery for my build based on Will's (and others') recommendation. I subsequently ordered their 6-circuit fuse block and 300amp busbars since I figured they were a reputable vendor (based on the battery recommendations) and if they made a quality battery, they probably would make other quality components intended to be used alongside their batteries. I've since read (unverified) comments indicating the composition of the busbars may be plated bronze rather than copper, but I'm not sure if there is any truth to that claim and without cutting up the busbars or performing some other type of metallurgical/electrical lab test (specific gravity, amperage, ???) I'm not sure how an individual starting out could tell what is under the surface. As a noob layperson, I certainly don't have the tools, equipment or background to verify such a claim. I'm left with relying on recommendations from trusted, experienced and helpful individuals like yourself and I do appreciate the input. I should mention that shipping and communication with LiTime has been excellent in contrast to feedback I've seen regarding customer service from other foreign brands.
But, after my experience with the Selterm lugs not fitting the terminals on the LiTime fuse block, I'll probably restrict any future purchases to brands such as Blue Sea, Bussman, Eaton, Ancor, etc. I'm not saying LiTime or Selterm aren't reputable brands because of the lug/terminal mismatch - perhaps the lug is oversized - I'm just reporting an issue I had with the combination. At least for me, these DIY projects aren't as simple or economical as some online resources make them out. It can be a rabbit hole starting from scratch with trial and error an expensive teacher.
I'm also starting to notice discrepancies between various online resources and wish I could find a reliable, local, in-person source for a basic electronics education. So far, no luck. I just made a geographic move from a city (Kalamazoo, Michigan) that had a Maker's Space that offered such instruction, but I've yet to find a similar resource in my new town. Hopefully, a local community college or guild may offer some possibilities.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
I don't think anyone has collected a list of good chineese distributors - most just poop on them all as junk which isn't the case, but it is hard to sort it out and what is good one week is bad the next.
I am a real big fan of the LiTime brand - everything I have gotten from them has been top quality and when I have contacted their support via email it is a 24hour turn-around.
Their bus bars are brass, but doing my independant calcuation of the size and from what the engineer said they are good to about 350amps. I filed off a corner to check and found them to be brass plated with copper plated with nickle. I ended up exchanging emails with one of their engineers about how they calculated the size of the bus bars they sell and what the quality of the brass they used is.
Very impressed with them.
You will find the same problem with blue sea/Eaton fuse blocks. If you go to a website that sells nothing but lugs you will see they sell wide/narrow/long/skinny lugs if you care to dig. What you can get off amazon is the most common sized lugs. Filing off a bit from the tip doesn't hurt a thing, all that matters is the contact patch where the two pieces touch each other. That is where the current is carried.
If you haven't got it, get a tub of no-ox-id special A. It is a contact grease you can put on all your touch points to prevent corrosion and give it better contact.
I have a background in electronics and have done pretty much everything at one time or another since I was a kid. I spend a lot of time reading and understanding what it is I am trying to do so don't get yourself down if you take a while and waste some $$ along the way.
Here is a book that goes over the basics of electronics - get that and a raspberry Pi kit with a breadboard and you can loose yourself for weeks.
I am a real big fan of the LiTime brand - everything I have gotten from them has been top quality and when I have contacted their support via email it is a 24hour turn-around.
Their bus bars are brass, but doing my independant calcuation of the size and from what the engineer said they are good to about 350amps. I filed off a corner to check and found them to be brass plated with copper plated with nickle. I ended up exchanging emails with one of their engineers about how they calculated the size of the bus bars they sell and what the quality of the brass they used is.
Very impressed with them.
You will find the same problem with blue sea/Eaton fuse blocks. If you go to a website that sells nothing but lugs you will see they sell wide/narrow/long/skinny lugs if you care to dig. What you can get off amazon is the most common sized lugs. Filing off a bit from the tip doesn't hurt a thing, all that matters is the contact patch where the two pieces touch each other. That is where the current is carried.
If you haven't got it, get a tub of no-ox-id special A. It is a contact grease you can put on all your touch points to prevent corrosion and give it better contact.
I have a background in electronics and have done pretty much everything at one time or another since I was a kid. I spend a lot of time reading and understanding what it is I am trying to do so don't get yourself down if you take a while and waste some $$ along the way.
Here is a book that goes over the basics of electronics - get that and a raspberry Pi kit with a breadboard and you can loose yourself for weeks.
Thanks for your response. I have already purchased the Charles Platt book and have started reading it though I haven't gotten very far. Next paycheck I will probably pick up the kit that follows along with the book. I also purchased some no-ox several weeks ago and have started using it as I began my build.
My experience so far with LiTime customer service also mirrors yours. They have been prompt with shipping and even proactive in their communication with me. Seems like they are a quality outfit both in terms of products and service. Good to know about your exchange with them regarding the busbars.
I do have a 12-circuit Blue Sea fuse block on hand and checked the fit of the 4awg lugs on that. They fit fine. FWIW, I decided to order a second smaller 6-circuit LiTime block because it will fit better in my build space. A few hours after ordering the second LiTime block, I discovered the issue of Selterm lugs not fitting them properly but again I don't know whether that was a simple mismatch between brands as I expect can happen once in awhile. I figured shaving a mm from the tip of the lug wouldn't have much if any impact and I'm glad you have confirmed that.
I originally decided to do this DIY power pack/solar build after picking up a couple Ecoflow Delta 2 units and a pair of their 220w bifacial solar panels with the intent of boondocking. My first excursion to test the practicality of that happens in a month. In the meantime, some practice trials left me intrigued with the possibilities and wondering if I could make something similar. Since I didn't want to just duplicate what I already had, I envisioned building a larger unit with more capacity geared to my personal situation. So, I didn't start this out of any practical need but rather with an eye for learning something new and challenging myself. Problems aside, I'm certainly learning a few things even though I'm having some issues with purchasing the materials and tools. And I just experienced another problem with ordering today. About an hour ago I received a package that was supposed to be replacement parts for an order I made about 9 days ago. I ordered some 12-10 Anderson lugs for SB50 housings but was sent 8awg lugs by mistake. So, after communicating with the company and being very specific and thorough in my description of the incorrect shipment, the company sent me a prepaid return label and I sent the incorrect parts back. I received the replacement parts an hour ago and guess what? They sent the exact same incorrectly sized lugs to me again. Frustrating....
I haven't mentioned this previously, but part of my frustration has its roots in a medical trauma I experienced years ago. In 2003 I had a massive heart attack and triple-bypass surgery. One of the consequences of that episode was a weird cognitive impairment related to memory, attention, language skills, and in particular, properly sequencing information. The lingering cognitive impairment having to do with sequencing is making it particularly challenging for me to keep everything in an electrical circuit straight and figure out amperages, matching fuses to wires to lugs coming from different electrical components, which circuits go where, and so on. Adding to that, I was blindsided when I discovered the terminal lug coloration for polarity wasn't consistent or that the cheaper crimper dies were mismarked. That's part of the reason I'm hoping to find an in-person local instructional resource since trying to follow written information can be difficult for me. Hands-on visual instruction is much better. (Another example of the sequencing problem is the nightmare of trying to file tax returns where I constantly run into if-then instructions that have me hopping back and forth between different forms.) Sequenced things get muddled very easily now. Cardiac surgeons refer to cause of the affliction as "pump head" in reference to being on a heart-lung machine and experiencing "showers of emboli" (multiple micro clots causing micro stokes) released after the clamps are pulled following cardiac surgeries. Not something they advertise and I assume it feels very similar to the "brain fog" experienced when recovering from long-term covid. So dealing with that impairment and having things not fit or work as expected is particularly frustrating. But I'm hanging in there and trying to learn some things.
That's another reason why I very much appreciate your detailed responses and sharing your experiences. Much easier to get from point A to point B with your insight and help.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
Anything I can help with is good.
We all learn in different ways. And I get the brain fog, after my second bout of covid I walked around is a daze for a month or so...then when it cleared I was in a constant state of amazement for a while. Clarity was to abrupt.
We all learn in different ways. And I get the brain fog, after my second bout of covid I walked around is a daze for a month or so...then when it cleared I was in a constant state of amazement for a while. Clarity was to abrupt.
ScropusGobbleBottom
Corn Pop was a bad dude.
Is great! I think most of us here use it.
ScropusGobbleBottom
Corn Pop was a bad dude.
That is the name of the game
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