Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

Tradiscantia
Tradiscantia Solar Expert Posts: 35 ✭✭
DIY costs less, but without owning a crimper, is it cost and TIME efficient?
What's the consensus?

Comments

  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    I get them here and I have a big greenlee crimper. At $1.00 a crimp with heat shrink, it's hard to beat with free shipping. Copper isn't cheap these days.

    http://genuinedealz.com/
  • jaggedben
    jaggedben Solar Expert Posts: 230 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    What kind of cables? PV circuits or battery?

    For PV circuits, I think pre-cut with connectors is the way to go for DIY. It's not worth it to buy a crimper for $100-$300, train yourself to do the connectors, mess up a couple and have to buy more, etc. The crimpers for these connectors are very specialized and not typically available to rent or borrow.

    Now, for battery cables or other cables with standard crimped lugs for bolt on connections, you may have a much easier time renting or borrowing an appropriate crimper from a tool rental place or an electrical supply house. Then you might save some money doing it yourself, or save some time not waiting for premade cables to be shipped to you. Also these crimpers aren't quite as expensive. It just depends how important your time and money is to you.

    Either way, if you don't have much experience crimping cables, there may be some safety advantage in having it done for you to make sure the connections are proper and solid. Fine stranded wire requires special lugs, etc. A crimped lug coming loose on a battery cable could make an entire project not worth it in a heartbeat. You can be the judge of your own skill level.
  • Tradiscantia
    Tradiscantia Solar Expert Posts: 35 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons
    I get them here and I have a big greenlee crimper. At $1.00 a crimp with heat shrink, it's hard to beat with free shipping. Copper isn't cheap these days.

    http://genuinedealz.com/
    Thanks Blackcherry. We went to this site. nice to have the freedom to order any length you wish. Do you know how the marine wire compares to the MTW wire they sell as No AZ wind and solar? Our wire will be exposed to sun, wind, and rain as the batteries sit on the trailer tongue (although we plan to cover them)
  • Tradiscantia
    Tradiscantia Solar Expert Posts: 35 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Jaggedben, makes sense. Not worth the risk if we mess up expensive equipment.
    We had a bit of sticker shock at the price of wire and premade battery and inverter cables, but when we calculated the same lengths through genuinedealz for the marine cable, it was actually less expensive to buy the prefab inverter cable package. I guess it's going to depend on what wire gauge we end up deciding to use and what the exact lengths are

    For the panels we will go with the precut connectors.

    Thanks
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Pre made cables can be cheaper until you pay the shipping and then you look close and find out the ring terminals are the wrong size. The kind of batteries you have use 5/16, if you use 3/8 without 2 copper washers it can pull the lead and bolts out of the posts. Boat wire has the same type PVC jacket, I don't know if it's the best for any of them to sit out in the sun 24/7.
  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Does anyone know what size heat shrink tubing I need for 4/0 wire? Half inch? Also where would a guy get copper washers as I just ordered 35 3/8" connectors.
    Thanks
    gww
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons
    gww1 wrote: »
    Does anyone know what size heat shrink tubing I need for 4/0 wire? Half inch? Also where would a guy get copper washers as I just ordered 35 3/8" connectors.
    Thanks
    gww
    It takes 1 " inch heat shrink and you can get copper washers from McMaster.com , if you need 5/16 " the part number is 93744A140. Some batteries take 3/8 bolts through the posts, generally the ones with molded posts use to have two different sizes, now most have 5/16 ". None of the Inverters I deal with have 3/8's, most have 5/16 's or M8 studs. I am sure someone will have one with 3/8's and correct me.

    I like the Copper washers, I use them on most connections even if the lugs are the right size, it's a layer of protection, in the scheme of life one less hassle.

    Heat shrink, heavy duty and adhesive lined. Good stuff is hard to find and expensive.

    http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Marine%20Electrical%20Supply/Heat%20Shrink%20Tubing/
  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Blackcherry
    Thanks
    gww
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Copper Washers ? Argh. Trying to use copper to adapt bolt sizes, is a bad idea I think. I'd look at SS washers, with copper paste, if you have to transition sizes. Copper is so soft, it will just deform. And look through my link BIG LUGS in my .sig I had to make adapters to giant battery terminals. Cleaned & tinned heavy water pipe, flattened and then tinned again, and then regular lugs bolted into it with SS loc nuts.

    And my crimps, I used a 8 ton hydrualic crimper from ebay canada
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230847642864
    Hydraulic Crimping Tool Kit 8 Ton Electric Wire Crimper
    Much better than the horrible fright 6 ton crimper that nobody likes.

    Mike
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons
    mike95490 wrote: »
    Copper Washers ? Argh. Trying to use copper to adapt bolt sizes, is a bad idea I think. I'd look at SS washers, with copper paste, if you have to transition sizes. Copper is so soft, it will just deform. And look through my link BIG LUGS in my .sig I had to make adapters to giant battery terminals. Cleaned & tinned heavy water pipe, flattened and then tinned again, and then regular lugs bolted into it with SS loc nuts.

    And my crimps, I used a 8 ton hydrualic crimper from ebay canada
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230847642864
    Hydraulic Crimping Tool Kit 8 Ton Electric Wire Crimper
    Much better than the horrible fright 6 ton crimper that nobody likes.

    Mike
    Perhaps you should look at the thickness of the washers, then your comment might be justified.
  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    Mike
    I have used copper pipe for buss bar and ends to connect my turbine and my small batteries to it. I did not tin and just used metal screws to attach together. It is just two lawnmower batteries and a car battery. I did it so I could keep a load on the turbine and hook up my Ghurd divertion controller so the turbine would not run away.

    I was trying to make the 48 volt system a little more professionally but mostly I am just spending money and still having to do some jury rigging.
    Thanks for the suggestions
    gww
  • Tradiscantia
    Tradiscantia Solar Expert Posts: 35 ✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    This is sounding like Greek to me, but Goggle translator (aka the Trojan customer service line) confirmed that we need 5/16". So happy to know this before we mess up with the wrong size.
    Now, can someone explain about the heat shrink?

    BTW, Trojan battery site suggests copper washers create enough resistance to cause a meltdown, so why would they be protection?

    In need of education with 4 Trojan T105, Tristar MPPT 45, Trimetric 2025RV, 490 watts of panels --all waiting to be installed, and preinstalled Cobra 800 watt inverter
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Precut or DIY cables? pros and cons

    The best I can tell you is that is that I use two Copper washers of the correct size when the Lug is oversized. I sandwich the lug in between them and use a ss flat washer and then either a SS Lock washer & nut or a SS flat washer and a ss ny-lock nut. I also will use a ss Flange nut on the copper washer. I don't care what Trojan or any other opinion says. Any connection that not clean causes resistance, you take them apart once a year and wire brush or sand them and reinstall them to proper torque, then use a petroleum protectant on them.

    The best is to use the correct size lugs !!! The cables that NAWS have 3/8's lugs, as do most of the pre-made cables unless you get them custom made.

    Heat shrink is made to protect the lug wire connection. The kind for battery cables has adhesive that melts and seals the connection from intrusion of acid and water.

    http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Marine%20Electrical%20Supply/Heat%20Shrink%20Tubing/