I took a quick look at the MSDS for a couple copper pipe manufacturers. 99.9% copper. That's good!
I'm not willing to spend the time to flatten and drill copper pipe. If it was all I had available, that would be a different story.
Bare Vs Tinned Vs Silver Copper Bus Bars
- Thread starter teekay18
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I took a quick look at the MSDS for a couple copper pipe manufacturers. 99.9% copper. That's good!
I'm not willing to spend the time to flatten and drill copper pipe. If it was all I had available, that would be a different story.
Ampster
Renewable Energy Hobbyist
Because that stainless washer is probably serrated and cuts into the aluminum past the oxide layer. Also the voltage on a lightening strike is thousands of amps and volts. At that point you are not concerned about voltage drop or things heating up because you just want to get the lightening to ground quickly to disapate it. With a battery terminal you want it to work efficiently for a long time without heating up.
Ampster
Renewable Energy Hobbyist
Does it have different conductivity that the 97% pure copper sold as bars?
lmwilco1
New Member
I got some tin plating solution from Amazon, it cost ~ $25.00 and it took 10 minutes or so to plate the copper buss bars.
Aluminium terminals are found on almost every lithium cells
Shows how much I know about lithium cells. I've read a good book but there is so much data and variables out there it boggles the mind.
nosys70
Solar Enthusiast
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aluminium is great, cheap, good electric and thermal conductivity .
and battery post is aluminum, so you do not have bi-metal contact problem.
only drawback is aluminium oxide is an insulator, so it would not work for marine use or place near the shore.
but if your batteries are in a dry place, it is ok.
and battery post is aluminum, so you do not have bi-metal contact problem.
only drawback is aluminium oxide is an insulator, so it would not work for marine use or place near the shore.
but if your batteries are in a dry place, it is ok.
It is too difficult to get squished pipe flat. It is difficult to get a good contact surface between the not-flat pipe and the flat cell terminal surface. 3/4 pipe would squash to near 2 3/4 inch wide. 1/2 pipe to near 2 inch wide. Just is so much easier to get and work with flat copper bar.
Ok, I see. I plan to use pipe for my main busbars (between the batteries, inverters, SCC, ...) but I have an hydraulic press so I can have a very nice squished flat surface.
I wouldn't use this method if all I had was a hammer well, I guess you can always sand the surface flat after but it would be a lot of work.
I wouldn't use this method if all I had was a hammer
well, I guess you can always sand the surface flat after but it would be a lot of work.schmism
Solar Addict
i guess another advantage of AL bar is you can get AL hardware fairly easilly for bolts
Ampster
Renewable Energy Hobbyist
You can pry my squished copper pipe from my cold, dead hands
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How much less?
I don't remember the specific numbers. After studying them I decided it was worthwhile to make my own copper bars in spite of having a lot of 4/0 copper thin stranded wire. Sometimes I lean towards perfectionism.
Yes indeed. My quick-math mistake. Thanks Ampster. But still hard to get nice flat contact surface.
The one from Amazon was thin, under 1/16 but I did not need heavy. On Line Metal is 1/8 inch thick. It will make first class buss bar for under 250 amperes.
From On Line Metal; 0.125" x 1" Copper Rectangle Bar 110-H02 - Part #: 4263
pure copper anode; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PYNRYX3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
From On Line Metal; 0.125" x 1" Copper Rectangle Bar 110-H02 - Part #: 4263
pure copper anode; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PYNRYX3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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