Well this happened! What is happening? Help!
- Thread starter Nef003
- Start date
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
There are so many areas in this DIY that have hazards that would be unacceptable in consumer electronic world. Like most things education, especially when learned from previous failures, is the easiest solution.
Changing the terminals, flatter screws, having a annular insulating bushing between the mounting screws and the terminal.
You can't buy a vacuum without 10 tags and labels all over the cords telling you not to put your schlong into end of the vacuum
I bought two new rolles of solder the other day, first time in 30 years, and they had a warning label on the box to say do not inhale the fumes and do not eat the solder.
Great to see it was solved! This was my first guess based on the video.
Think it won't be bad to mention this in a video, since its not uncommon to make a 'nicer' stack by putting 1 lug upside down so 2 wires can have the same orientation. But the downside is the bottom lug comes closer (or too close) to the front, with, in this case, some serious issues.
Brett V
Solar Wizard
I still have a couple rolls of Kester solder from the 80’s. Used to hold it in my teeth with the iron in one hand and half of what was being soldered in the other.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
I should mention my last roll of solder that is down to the last few wraps came from "Radio Shack a Tandy Corporation " . I visited there as a kid - train from the parking lot, indoor ice rink between the building.
SomethingAppropriate
Cannibalism starts with a kiss.
That is beautiful. I would guess that many of us loved that place. I loved it at 10 years old!
Brett V
Solar Wizard
Radio Shack and Lafayette!
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
Plasti-dip comes in Red and Black - Put a coating over the screw heads before installing the cables ?
jeff.lankford
Solar Enthusiast
Or replace all with nylon screws?
ricardocello
Watching and Learning
Like this?
The big print Tandy label on the back of the spool unglued years ago, but the fine print is there.Love that leaded rosin solder.
Honestly, as a career design and manufacturing engineer, you design a system ideally so that it is Poke Yoke, meaning, you can't screw it up either way. There are many ways to do this, but the best one is to either make symmetrical so orientation doesn't matter, or if that is not possible, you make it so that it is insanely obvious that something will not fit correctly (square peg in a round hole for example), or maybe, you make it so that it is a safe condition either way it is assembled. In this case, the terminals would benefit from a rear mounted screw head (from the inside), but this would require a threaded insert (either pressed, molded in or ultrasonically welded in), making sure no metal part exposed on the terminal can possibly make contact with the cable lug. If that is not possible, then use flat head screws or maybe even short head cap screw. Put the damn lock washer on the inside! And the last and less desirable way to mitigate an incorrect assembly by the end use its to label it, put colors, big fonts in the instructions etc... But that certainly does not always work!
And yes, I watched folks manipulating and testing a new prototype that I designed on many occasions and was shocked at all the unintended and unanticipated ways someone would assemble and use the device! You can't blame them!
And yes, I watched folks manipulating and testing a new prototype that I designed on many occasions and was shocked at all the unintended and unanticipated ways someone would assemble and use the device! You can't blame them!
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
As @upnorthandpersonal says in his signature block:
“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
― Douglas Adams
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
Tell the AI to keep us safe and the result is to lock us all up. Theme of so many Sci-Fi.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
Under product liability law, generally, a manufacturer is not liable for injuries caused by using a product for an unintended purpose, unless the misuse was "reasonably foreseeable" by the manufacturer.
Add this to the list. Never saw this one coming.
"Only qualified persons are allowed to install, operate and maintain the system, otherwise it may cause product damage or personal safety risks."
I think there is room here for a DIY Qualification quiz where we can all offer questions and answers.
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Good call on finding the issue from a quick video.
I have these terminals on a couple batteries, I’ll be plastidipping the screw heads.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
Unless the plastic coating is pretty thick it will get scratched. I like the idea of a big plastic washer that goes over the terminal behind the lug. But in fairness if put on correctly how many times will it be taken off and re attached?
I see thin Teflon washers being used to separate high current busbars. They never fail once put in but make one hell of a show when they first though the switch after a new install.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
Looking around at other battery terminals I see screws on the V2 LifePower4. There are ribs on the plastic that will help from it touching but if you are in a corner it will still touch.
Brucey
Velcro Man
I think that's just a rendering, real ones used these on v1 and then double style for v2s.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
The Vatrer rack battery has a double version of that type. You have to admit it would be hard to short out. I am thinking from a future manufacturing point of view. What is the best but safest for the DIY market.
I am not about to change anything I have already done. I will re-inspect it.
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Brucey
Velcro Man
I have that style on my gokwh 5kwh rack mount. I hate them because I can't put a decent 1/0 lugs on them I think biggest maybe 4awg?
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
I agree about connector size and everything must be vertical with longer wires to make the right angle bend.
I'm back to the big washer idea. This isn't a problem that I have ever seen in 40 years but here we are. When tower sites had the large exposed 2.6V cells and open conductors all over the place we treated it with great respect. Installing conductors in a open frame high current buss where you can't take the site down.
Batteries being purchased by consumers without proper experience opens up an entirely new set of problems.
Here is your INSULATING WASHER with a picture of how the terminal should look.
I'm loving having ai in the house. It has ALL kinds of benefits.
1. It nags the wife when she leaves stuff on, leaves the door open on the fridge or freezer etc.
2. It will argue with the wife for hours on end and never gets tired. Thus the wife doesn't hunt me down to argue with me if she is in a bad mood
3. It corrects the kids when they don't close something back after being told not to for the bazillionth time. It also sends them messages when they don't return an item they borrowed that I had id tagged.
4. It reminds the mail person to put the packages on the front porch when she goes to the wrong door. LOVE that one. Scared the crap out of the mail lady the first time! Priceless.
5. It will let the wife in the house or the workshop when her fingerprints won't work the lock keeping me from having to go do it. Never have figured out why I have to re-add her fingerprints to the scanners.
6. It automates all of the solar loads depending on current weather, forecasts and state of charge.
7. It just landed me a HUGE project by accident when a friend heard me interacting with it about my solar setup and monitoring that I will post about after I get the contract signed
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
I'm loving having ai in the house. It has ALL kinds of benefits.
1. It nags the wife when she leaves stuff on, leaves the door open on the fridge or freezer etc.
2. It will argue with the wife for hours on end and never gets tired. Thus the wife doesn't hunt me down to argue with me if she is in a bad mood
3. It corrects the kids when they don't close something back after being told not to for the bazillionth time. It also sends them messages when they don't return an item they borrowed that I had id tagged.
4. It reminds the mail person to put the packages on the front porch when she goes to the wrong door. LOVE that one. Scared the crap out of the mail lady the first time! Priceless.
5. It will let the wife in the house or the workshop when her fingerprints won't work the lock keeping me from having to go do it. Never have figured out why I have to re-add her fingerprints to the scanners.
6. It automates all of the solar loads depending on current weather, forecasts and state of charge.
7. It just landed me a HUGE project by accident when a friend heard me interacting with it about my solar setup and monitoring that I will post about after I get the contract signed
You sir are a legend in your own mind.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
"I'm sorry Crowz, I'm afraid I can't do that"
- DeepSeek
- DeepSeek
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