Make my own battery cables??

[Volt_Ampere]

I bought my cables from ScottyB! He made them to the lengths I needed for my Lithium pack. Yes I could have made them myself but I would have had to invest in the proper tools. I am very happy with the build quality and fast service.

[teecro]

Originally Posted by klubber

By the time I buy the proper crimping device, cable ends, welding cable, bolt for OBC, etc. How much do I save? I see the price of a full set up from a sponsor like Scotty B and I get sticker shock. But I will have a learning curve. Not afraid of doing this. But want to know it will be worth it. I have four carts and would do this for threee of them.

Do you not have a Propane Hand Torch? You can use a Hacksaw to cut the cable and if you solder the logs on with the pre-sized solder slugs you don't even need to guess how much solder is enough solder... I bought cable, lugs, solder-slugs and heat-shrink all from www.delcity.com I soldered all but one connector in the bench vise and test pulled them all after cooling, soldered the last one after passing through the OBC while under the cart...

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by Volt_Ampere

I bought my cables from ScottyB! He made them to the lengths I needed for my Lithium pack. Yes I could have made them myself but I would have had to invest in the proper tools. I am very happy with the build quality and fast service.

There is a learning curve for soldering. Just like welding or brazing. Proper components, tools, sequence and application are critical to getting a solid connection. I had 30 yrs of soldering and welding experience before I started making cables for sale.
I have had my process temperature monitored through a complete set. The working temp did not vary more than 10º from optimum on any process. (on that day) I have had my cables tested by our own JohnnieB, retired NASA electrical testing instructor. They passed.
You can do it too if you are experienced. If you are not experienced in this field, a crimp connection may be the best option for you. We have helped trouble shoot some botched homemade cables here in the past. Good Luck and have fun

[theboss20]

I have always crimped and soldered then used military grade shrink tube for the final measure of protection from corrosion. Never had a failure.

[jakesnake27]

I made my own 4 gauge cables for my cart. I picked up the wire, terminals, and heat shrink all at my local hardware and seed store. I used the Harbor Freight hydraulic crimper and it worked very well. I found the process to be fun and self satisfying.

[wards75]

+1000 @teecro. Exact same thing I did..worked perfectly. It's not rocket science and we're not building pianos...😆😆😆