Raising a battery terminal

[bnhbraun]

When wiring (3) Litime 12V 230Ah Plus LiFePO4 batteries in parallel I found that I had to raise the terminals with brass extenders (Brass Post Adapter, Top Post thread Terminal Charging Post Extender Adaptor Taper Conversion Screw Nut purchased on Amazon). I went to tighten and the brass broke off. I was wondering if it would be better to use copper washers stacked to 3/4" thick with a longer bolt? If not, what is the best solution for this situation?

 

[42OhmsPA]

Keep everything level / flat. Don't use brass, high resistance...
Post a photo(s) of what you're working with.

 

[chrisski]

I've used different lugs crimped to the wires. For me, 45 degree or 90 degree legs worked. There's hundreds of different types of lugs; likely one will fir what ou need.

 

[bnhbraun]

I've used different lugs crimped to the wires. For me, 45 degree or 90 degree legs worked. There's hundreds of different types of lugs; likely one will fir what ou need.

Thank you for your response but that will make the wires travel too high and I don't have that kind of room. Do you see any problem with copper washers or should they be brass?

 

[yodamota]

what is the problem you are trying to fix?

 

[chrisski]

Thank you for your response but that will make the wires travel too high and I don't have that kind of room. Do you see any problem with copper washers or should they be brass?

I’d need to see pics.

I can’t picture using washers to extend a battery post. Copper corrodes easy and brass is a poor conductor, so I can’t see stacking for washers.

Without a pic,To me sounds as if the battery should be relocated, or the project stopped.

 

[timselectric]

No idea what you are trying to do.
But instead of raising the terminal. Could you just raise the whole battery?

 

[bnhbraun]

Here is a pic of what is installed. The brass terminal extender raised the battery terminal the proper height but broke off when I tried to tighten them down. The top of the bolt now is the maximum clearance that I have. What sits on top of this is non-conductive. Because brass is so soft I can not tighten properly. Should I tin the copper washers to prevent them from corroding? The wire lugs are copper - just tinned.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Here is a pic of what is installed. The brass terminal extender raised the battery terminal the proper height but broke off when I tried to tighten them down. The top of the bolt now is the maximum clearance that I have. What sits on top of this is non-conductive. Because brass is so soft I can not tighten properly. Should I tin the copper washers to prevent them from corroding? The wire lugs are copper - just tinned.

Stop! Don't use that as many have said.
Use angled lugs as @chrisski said. You could also bend your current lugs if you know what you're doing.
Use an anti oxidation compound on connections such as noalox.

Edit even better - use a proper buss bar

 

[timselectric]

Second vote for bus bars.

 

[CoolWill]

I'm sure there's other ways, but I had a terminal on some electrical equipment that was similar to the one you have and I needed to raise it. My solution was to use a piece of copper tubing through-bolted with a washer on top. I used a water pipe grounding clamp to make the connection with the wire.

 

[bnhbraun]

The 90 deg. lugs make the wires protrude to high and there is no room for a bus bar. Maybe some 5/8"solid copper drilled through with some an anti oxidation compound on connections.

 

[Robar]

I am in pretty much the exact same space-constrained situation with the same battery (https://www.litime.com/products/lit...4-battery-built-in-200a-bms-max-2944wh-energy). I initially thought to use the same brass extenders you tried, but read about how they were prone to snapping off at the required torque, and I was also not excited about using brass since it is a not a great conductor compared to copper. I have been trying to find some battery post stud extenders like this one: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B085LHPXF3, but they all seems to be 3/8" threads instead of M8 and are also usually still made of brass. I've been thinking of trying to use some copper pipe like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7RPJ5Z2, which would slide over an M8 bolt and make decent contact with the terminal pad on one side and the cable lug on the other (1.5mm wall thickness). I suppose I could also try to solder some copper washers on both sides as flanges to maximize the contact. Originally I was thinking of using flanged sleeve bearings like these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5XLG6K3, which looked promising, but most of them are made of bronze, which has even worse conductivity than brass. I was hoping to lay an MRBF fuse holder along the top of the battery case attached to the postive terminal, and my shunt in a similar fashion on the negative since I don't have room to go off the side or the front. I suppose if it came to it, I might be able to use right angle lugs and mount the fuse holder and shunt a short distance away, but would prefer to mount them directly to the binding posts if possible. (BTW, I assume it's not advisable to bend straight lugs, and to instead purchase pre-bent lugs, but I didn't find any discussion of this with a cursory search.)

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. @bnhbraun have you settled on an approach, or are you still trying to figure out the best solution for this?

 

[littleharbor2]

These Blue Seas fuse terminals would work, plus you get needed fusing.
Also you can begin to eliminate that terminal stacking issue.


as well.

 

[Robar]

That's the one I had been planning to use (the single fuse version). I was assuming it wouldn't fit sideways, but hadn't actually measured it in place. I just put the battery in the case I'm planning to use though (https://www.harborfreight.com/modular-rolling-toolbox-58512.html), and it looks like it should just barely fit! (It's 2.4" - see pic.) I'll just need to remove part of one of the internal case ribs. And the shunt should fit the same way on the other side as well. I guess that'll teach me to make assumptions (again). Thanks for prompting me to take another look at it. Maybe this will work for @bnhbraun as well.

 

[timselectric]

It looks like you are placing the battery on its side in the picture.
If so, have you verified that orientation is ok?

 

[Robar]

I did ask Litime specifically about this and they said it could lay on any side except the top or the front (the side that is facing up in the picture), but thanks for checking.

FYI, the reason I can't come up vertically from the terminals is because I'll be placing my inverter on a bracket right above the battery.

 

[TomC4306]

I'm sure there's other ways, but I had a terminal on some electrical equipment that was similar to the one you have and I needed to raise it. My solution was to use a piece of copper tubing through-bolted with a washer on top. I used a water pipe grounding clamp to make the connection with the wire.

Hmm.. sketchy.
IMO

 

[WindWizard]

A cheap and effective solution is what I strive for. For my 128 Cell pack, I was presented with many issues on connecting the Cells in a 4 parallel, 16 series configuration. I used 1/2 inch copper pipe. I can hear lots of laughter but the copper pipe is extremely pure copper. The only issue is that it is round and you need it flat for a busbar. It takes a bit of pounding to flatten it and then it is better to use a drill press to connect it and it needs to be nickel plated.

It not only works but it works fantastic. The busbars I have fashioned produce no heat when running 100 amps through them. Heat is a good indication of problems with a Cell pack. If you feel something that is hot then you have a bad connection.

When I am dumping 200 plus amps of power into my Cells I do not want any fires so I look for any hot connections. The connections that I have are very good. The good thing about this approach is that you can always get busbar at the local hardware store. You can put all the specialty bends and make them exactly as you would want at a very reasonable price. Make sure that you purchase the type L 1/2 inch copper pipe.

Just an alternative when you need a good bus bar and have lots of time and not much money.

 

[TomC4306]

A cheap and effective solution is what I strive for. For my 128 Cell pack, I was presented with many issues on connecting the Cells in a 4 parallel, 16 series configuration. I used 1/2 inch copper pipe. I can hear lots of laughter but the copper pipe is extremely pure copper. The only issue is that it is round and you need it flat for a busbar. It takes a bit of pounding to flatten it and then it is better to use a drill press to connect it and it needs to be nickel plated.

It not only works but it works fantastic. The busbars I have fashioned produce no heat when running 100 amps through them. Heat is a good indication of problems with a Cell pack. If you feel something that is hot then you have a bad connection.

When I am dumping 200 plus amps of power into my Cells I do not want any fires so I look for any hot connections. The connections that I have are very good. The good thing about this approach is that you can always get busbar at the local hardware store. You can put all the specialty bends and make them exactly as you would want at a very reasonable price. Make sure that you purchase the type L 1/2 inch copper pipe.

Just an alternative when you need a good bus bar and have lots of time and not much money.

Copper bar is REALLY not THAT expensive.
If you need custom 4p busbars.
Hammer as much as you want on that copper pipe you'll never get it as flat as a milled bar.
Never.

https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/copper/0-125-x-0-75-copper-rectangle-bar-110-h02/pid/4261