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Old 08-15-2012, 09:39 PM   #1
tyhuck
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Default Homemade battery cable

I had some old 4g welding cable laying around so I figured Ide replace some of my old worn and corroded cables. Im wondering if crimping the terminal rings on the cables is sufficient or do they HAVE to be soldered?
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Old 08-15-2012, 09:45 PM   #2
gornoman
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

They come from the factory crimped. I solder mine.
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Old 08-16-2012, 07:01 AM   #3
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

I solder all mine and the sets that I build for other folks.
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Old 08-16-2012, 08:45 AM   #4
simple man
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

Silver soldering is best! Any soldering, though, will give you a much lower resistance connection, more durability, and less chance of corrosion.
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Old 08-21-2012, 11:41 AM   #5
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

Interesting. I hadn't thought about that. I crimped my home made 2awg cables with one of the harbor freight hydraulic crimpers. If I need to do any repairs I may go with silver solder.
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Old 08-21-2012, 01:42 PM   #6
Scooter Cushman
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

Find some thick copper heavy duty eyes last longer and make a big difference.
I bought mine from a welding shop then soldered,
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Old 08-21-2012, 01:59 PM   #7
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

Crimp it. Much simpler and will hold better
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Old 08-21-2012, 05:19 PM   #8
rlw
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

I made mine out of 4ga jumper cables. It was cheaper to buy a 20' set of jumper cables for $40 than to buy a 40' spool of 4ga wire. Used 4ga copper lugs and standard 60/40 solder - I didn't crimp them at all. I clamped the lug in a pair of vice grips, tinned the wire, filled the lug with molten solder, then pushed in the tinned end of the cable. I held it until the solder set (or my fingertips smoked, whichever came first). I tinned all of the lugs that would be connected to a battery terminal, under the theory that there would be less corrosion between a lead terminal on the battery and the lead in the solder. I also used standard (not the fancy goo-filled) 1/2" heat shrink to seal up the lugs.

When I installed the cables, I slathered on a product called Ilsco DE-OX - that's the same grease you use when you're connecting aluminum wire into a household breaker box. I've been driving my cart for about a month and a half now, and there's no sign of corrosion on any of the cables connected to the batteries, or any of the other cables, for that matter.





RLW
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Old 08-21-2012, 06:42 PM   #9
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

Quote:
Originally Posted by 53jimc View Post
Interesting. I hadn't thought about that. I crimped my home made 2awg cables with one of the harbor freight hydraulic crimpers. If I need to do any repairs I may go with silver solder.
Nothing wrong with soldering a crimped connection, other than the fact that it's dirty soon after using.

These are what came with my buggy when I bought it.
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Old 09-07-2012, 10:39 PM   #10
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Default Re: Homemade battery cable

In the aerospace industry, we either solder, or crimp, but not both. One specific issue is crimping a soldered wire. Unsoldered wire has some "spring" to it. It's compressed during crimping, then springs back a bit to fit the connector tightly. A soldered wire doesn't respond the same way. Crimping after soldering is against our regs.

I have soldered AFTER crimping. But from all the MIL Spec testing that's been done, it's really not necessary. A "proper" crimp is as good as a solder joint - electrically, so says the testing.

You should not rely on soldering alone. When a power cable gets a bad connection, it gets hot. Hot connectors melt solder. You might suddenly have a wire with no connector on the end, swinging around inside the battery compartment. Might end up shorting out a battery.

And for those who do insist on soldering, please try this test. Solder a lug onto 2 gauge (or larger) cable, let it cool, then cut the lug in half (bandsaw works well) to take a look at the wire strands in the middle of the cable. Don't be surprised if you find solder did not wick up inside all the strands. The only effective way I was able to do this was by using a solder pot, and pre-tinning all the cables.



Here are a few methods I've used on 2 ga and larger cables:

Clamp style connectors, found at Home Depot.





Anvil style crimper, found at Ace Hardware (welding section).



Works great on 2 ga, but also on this 4/0!



And the Harbor Freight hydraulic crimper works well, but is limited on the gauge of cable it can compress.





Ever notice you don't see soldered AC or DC heavy gauge connectors? Solder is good for low current, but can't handle the potential heat of high current.
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