Building Custom RV Battery/Inverter Cables - Tips & Advice
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2020
- In this video, my good friend Eddie from Mobile Homestead Solar Services was kind enough to give us a few tips on how to make up your own custom heavy gauge RV battery or Inverter cables.
I caught him while he was installing a battery bank consisting of 6 new Battle Born lithium batteries. They will be powering a large wattage inverter, so thick gauge 4/0 cabling is required to minimize power losses in the wiring.
We watch as he applies a Noalox anti-corrosion paste to improve the connection/crimp conductivity, crimps on 4/0 cable lugs then adds protective heat shrink tubing. Along the way, he provides several expert tips.
Eddie's Solar Business Website - mobilehomesteading.com/
Mobile Homesteading TH-cam Channel - / @mobilehomesteading
Noalox - amzn.to/2OT4dGf
Hydraulic Crimper - amzn.to/2ODw4tU
Hammer Crimper - amzn.to/3bjdIb3
4/0 Welding Cable, Lugs and Shrink Tubing - amzn.to/3bngYSU
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Thanks so much for this video. Been combing the internet looking for answers. Found all in this one video.
As a retired Caterpillar engine mechanic I love seeing a guy do quality work.
Top notch work. I can personally vouch that Eddie does a heck of a job. This is my rig in the video he is working on and I’m completely satisfied with work he has done. Eddie is your guy if you are thinking about installing a solar system on a RV.
You have a very big investment in batteries my friend. Glad that you found someone that you can trust with setting up your system. Cheers.
I use the cheap little butane torches from gas stations. The eagle brand ones. Nice low temp flame and easy to control. They’ll last long enough to get your moneys worth if you take care of them, as they are refillable.
Omaha Nebraska. Mostly running power from front of trucks to rear bumper and Andersen connectors to run winches and auxiliary equipment i mounted in trailer receiver
Well done done video on how to properly make battery cables. I also have a hydraulic cable crimper and they make yourself look like a pro on bigger cables. After working over 35 years in an industrial plant designing electrical systems, a properly done crimp is worth its weight in gold.
I got one just like yours and it works great and looks like professional did the work. The better your work shows you care !😊
Ray, great video! Eddie definitely takes a lot of pride in his work!
When I redesigned my battery box to add a disconnect, I bought the 18 ton hydraulic crimper from Amazon. The dies are marked in mm2, rather than AWG, but a conversion chart is easily found. It was actually fun to make cables. The hardest part was buying the terminals, since I didn't need 500, and they're sized by AWG and hole size. I also used some 90 degree terminals so the cables exited the switch out the bottom. Two layers of adhesive heat shrink and they look professional!
That's fantastic. I am delighted to see the proper way to do those. Thanks!
When I had my solar system installed four years ago, I repeatedly told them to use larger wire than they thought I needed just to be sure I didn't have to redo it.
Best to use a hammer crimper in a vise or a press. I like to match my ring terminal bolt holes to the bolt diameter. Your work is very good. No wings. 😎👍
Thanks Ray, Eddie G is the best there is.
11:37 Those mud flaps are cool!
Cool, i do repairs on trailers,plows looking for a wholesale supplyer welding cable,marine cable and conectors
Nice job
Awesome video!
Just the advice what I was looking for! Thank you!
Great stuff!!! Thanks for sharing, Ray and Eddie!
Great vid Ray, I think a lot of people out there need to see this vid.
Thanks
Thanks for sharing Eddy‘S workflow, Ray. As always, another great video.
Very informative..thank you
Thank you for this clip mate Nice educational program it was Keep them coming Sir
Thanks for the informative vid. Havagudun guys!
Always a pleasure to see a pros at work thanks for the vid I have a tremco crimper works great nice job
Great info! Cheers!
Another awesome video Ray! I really appreciate Eddie’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. I subscribed to his channel after your last video that featured Eddie. Thanks for all the great content. Big fan of your channel. Cheers!!
You're welcome. :) Thanks for watching, appreciated, Ray
Noalox... never heard it, but I will be buying some soon.
Love this, I am missing some good stuff in the desert :-0) I wish I could find good craftsmanship for my trailer updates.
Thanks you! This is a fantastic video that helped me learn a lot.
Glad it was helpful!
Seems like a stand up guy. 🙂
What a team
Most of the 5 th wheels out west off the grid for weeks and they all Battleborn batteries or other brands but yes they had 6 of them 1000 batteries apiece.
I would recommend Eddie gets a ratchet wire cutter, I have one from old days & it sure comes in handy
Ray checked my ratchet cutter in garage, it’s a Klein 63060, used it for 500 MCM mut
Multi strand
Nice!
I would like to know what tool he used to cut that 4/0 wire? Thanks
I solder mine with a torch, which is dirt cheap and very effective, and can be redone if you make a mistake, lol. That hydraulic crimper certainly looks great and would be nice for sure. I used 2/0 cables, if I had to run cables any further than a couple of feet I would have gone with 4/0. It’s surprising how flexible that stranded wire is even when it’s thick. Thanks for the video.
Soldering big amp cables is not recommended. When those cables are in use, heat can melt the solder and loosen the connections. Cheap 12 or 20 ton hydraulic crimpers (< $40 on eBay & Amazon) permanently fuse the cable “hairs” by compressing them. That eliminates all air and helps stop later internal corrosion. “Mistakes” cannot be redone because hydraulic crimped connections will NEVER come apart.
NoGas makes sense, but if your connections are hot enough to melt solder, well, you’ve probably got issues crimping isn’t going to solve;)
Solder is okay on the small wires. Not so on the big stuff. I've never seen any electrician use solder on 480V, 220V etc. 4/0 is comparable for V capacity. All I have ever seen anyone do as a professional are crimps for everything 1/0 and larger.
Private Resident wow, that’s some crazy power requirements to need that big of a conductor for 480 volts!
@Jumping off the cliff irrigation pumps we use for these center pivots run power right off the poles through a main disconnect and 100amp breakers. Big wires to move lots of amperage. Some systems are 1/2 mile wire runs.
Probably a silly question, but at that cost for cable, and in short lengths like that would it not be cheaper to just bend solid copper rod to shape? You could even just heat shrink it.
I've seen some people use copper bars I imagine they work fine for power transfer. But being that the battery bank is located in an RV the cables offer a little more flex than rigid copper. Going down the road there can be a lot of vibration and movement of the trailer. If you use rigid copper I would think that would put more stress on the battery terminals. Another reason is the battery lugs for the cable are already nickel-plated to reduce corrosion.
Excellent. :-)))) :-))))
Temco still makes a hammer crimper. USA made. I got it since I’m just crimping 4/0 cables for this lithium project. Didn’t want to invest in a hydraulic crimper for just this project. I’m hoping it works well. Funny, I’d hear about Noalox just the other day. Would Dialectic grease do the same?? Thanks for the video!
The Noalox helps protect the connection from corrosion just like dielectric grease, but it also improves the connection by having small bits of zinc and aluminum oxide suspended in the paste. Provides additional inner-strand and inner-conductor current paths for improved conductivity and cooler connections. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV Yep, I heard the same. Yet another item to buy! 🤣. Thank you for sharing!
And I always use a heat gun it looks a lot better and not get the burn look .
Those 4/0 gauge cables are a strong argument for going with a 48 volt system, instead of 12 volts - because, the cost of the cables and connectors are so much cheaper for smaller gauge cables and 48 volt systems can use cables that are 1/4 the size needed for 12 volt systems. Solar charge controllers for 48 volt systems are a lot cheaper, as well. For example, a Victron 150/35 controller can support about 500 watts of solar panels for a 12 volt system, but it can support 2000 watts of solar panels for a 48 volt system - for about $325, versus $700+ for a 100 amp version of the same controller. 48 volt inverters are more efficient, too.
Higher voltages definitely have efficiency advantages in cabling and converting. The closer the voltages are the less loss of efficiency for both the solar charger and the inverter. A few issues though. First you need to have high enough voltage panels or enough panels to run in series to put a 48v charge on the batteries. In an RV application you also need to account for powering the 12v devices on the RV such as the lights, water pump, fridge circuit board etc. Victron makes a nice 24 to 12v dc-dc step down converter but 48v-12v isn't something I have seen. Is there one you recommend?
@@harleyd500 Yes, I found a 48 volt to 13.8 volt DC-DC converter for $53.90 on ebay that provides 414 watts at 13.8 volts, or 30 amps. The brand name is Daygreen. I purchased two of those to work with a 450 amp-hour @ 51.2 volt LiFePO4 battery pack in a 16s3p configuration (48 - 150 amp-hour 3.2 volt prismatic cells, 23,040 watt-hours capacity). 60 amps at 13.8 volts is plenty to run any RV appliance or device. Here's a link to the exact model:
www.daygreen.com/collections/48v-60v-72v-to-12v-13-8v/products/48v-to-12v-13-8v-30a-414w-dc-dc-step-down-converter-voltage-regulator-w-acc-switch-3-years-warranty-newest
Richard Owens yes, you nailed it. I seriously debated going to at least 24 volt on mine. I decided on 12 mainly because I already had a 12v 3kw inverter/charger that had lifepo4 setting for my batteries. If I ever go bigger on the inverter, I'll definitely up the voltage and add a dc to dc converter to get to 12vdc.
Its an attractive option for sure, but I would imagine 48 volts with greater arcing potential demands more safety considerations as far as wire runs, lead dress, special fusing, etc especially in a mobile application like an RV, upping the labor costs. I also wonder about insurance considerations, being your are changing the original vehicles voltage.
@@richardowens9061 Thanks for the link. Looks like what I would need and also available in a 50amp model. We are currently limited by our 12v inverter/charger. On a future larger RV I will definitely be going at least 24v panels and 24v/36v battery, possibly 48v.
Noalox? On the ideal website it looks like the main use is for aluminum to aluminum wire connections? Is there a version of Noalox for copper to tinned lug pressure crimping?
I haven't heard of a product designed exclusively for the DC terminal lugs but Noalox does a good job. It was used mostly in the old days for aluminum house wiring to coat aluminum to aluminum and aluminum to copper connections.
Is cutting 4/0 cable with a hacksaw feasible? The crimper at Northern tools is affordable, $30, if you only have one project and are on the road full time and have limited space to store large tools. I would like to install lithiums in my Tiffin diesel pusher, it’s getting the connecting cables made that keeps me from pulling the plug on the purchase. I could get the batteries, then line them up in the configuration I need, measure, and find a company that can custom make them for me. My current cables are 3/0 which doesn’t seem a common side from companies that make custom cables. Need to be station for a couple of months in good weather so I can get equipment shipped to me easily.
Not sure about a hacksaw. Some RV service centers can build custom cables, likely they could cut them or maybe a hardware store , I remember having a pair done for me.
Hey Ray. Great video.
Naolox is $30🇨🇦 at Lowe's for 4 oz & on Amazon.com $16US for 8 oz. Amazon.ca is more yet.
Is it good for Copper to Copper? The product description says aluminum to aluminum or aluminium to Copper.
Thanks. as far as I know, Noalox was designed for the electrical industry to deal with aluminum wiring, but seems to work well on all metals to improve the conductivity of the connection and reduce any oxidation of the joint. A little goes a long way, a small tube will likely last a person for decades. Also, it's conductive so a person doesn't want to be using it where a dielectric grease is called for like trailer plugs or light sockets, that sort of thing. Myself I have used a similar product called OX-GARD on my 12-volt battery and wiring connections and it worked well, too. www.gardnerbender.com/en/p/OX-100B/Ox-Gard-Anti-Oxidant-Compound# Cheers, Ray
Great video Ray. I am thinking of changing out my 2 lead acid batteries with two Battle Borns in my Class C. I have an 1800 watt invertor in place. Do you know if I can simply replace my batteries without changing any wiring or invertor? I have no idea about anything electrical, so any advise you have would be grateful. Thanks. In the meantime, Be Safe and Be Well.
The Battle Born batteries are an excellent drop-in replacement for lead-acid batteries. As for your cables, that is a question I cannot answer because I don't know what kind of terminal posts you have on your lead-acid batteries. If they're round posts, the Battle Born batteries won't work with the cables you're using now. The inverter should work fine, though.
I would need to see a picture of the existing cables and connectors. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV ...,Ray, ok will do. I can tell you I have a 2016 Thor quantum 31ws, with a residential refrigerator, but will get you a photo asap. Thanks.
big money
Rv expertz ive got a question
I would personally attached the heavy cable going out in the middle terminal of the the three batteries. This allows equal draw from all three batteries at equal rates.
When I installed my 3 Lion lithium batteries their engineer recommended having the negative and positive leads at either end of the bank for best balance without doing some elaborate cable arrangement.
Love Your RV I agree if you have a long string of batteries. The one in the video was three batteries in parallel . The cables from those three should either be tied to the posts of the middle battery to balance charging and discharging.
Maybe I misunderstand but the configuration would make the middle battery work harder than the outside two. Can you link to a diagram that shows what you mean.
Love Your RV the way the bank was wired . The end battery would work harder then the other two . If he had wired he cables on the diagonal from each other. There wouldn’t be a problem.
They are on the diagonal - th-cam.com/video/9-AxK59w6zo/w-d-xo.html
how do i get a hold of him . I'm about a 1/4 mile away from you guys. i need my new lion energy batteries plumbed,and some other things.
i found him, thanks.
First terminal on the battery you have your hand on hasn’t been tightened!
Good eye. That would be because the system installation is still in progress. There are still more cables to be built and attached. I guess you didn't watch the whole video. :) See here where he makes the connections th-cam.com/video/9-AxK59w6zo/w-d-xo.html
I bit the bullet and bought a hydraulic crumpet and the price has got a lot cheaper.
great video. always informative.I have learned a lot , so my RV experience is better ...BTW "Orientate" is not a word..."orient" is . So is "oriented"....just FYI....
Could be that I'm Canadian so we speak more British words www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orientate Cheers, Ray
"Orientate is a synonym of "orient," and it has attracted criticism as a consequence. "Orient," which dates from the mid-18th century, is in fact the older of the two verbs - "orientate" joined the language in the mid-19th century. Both can mean "to cause to face toward the east" (and, not surprisingly, they are related to the noun Orient, meaning "the East"). Both also have broader meanings that relate to setting or determining direction or position, either literally or figuratively. Some critics dislike "orientate" because it is one syllable longer than "orient," but you can decide for yourself how important that consideration is to you. Personal choice is the primary deciding factor, although "orientate" tends to be used more often in British English than it is in American English."
fyi that no oxide you are using is for aluminum conductors, they do make one for copper conductors
Seems to work well on many dissimilar metals though. I've used Ox-Gard on my battery connections for years with good results. Never have heating, galling or corrosion problems.
With battery lugs, connectors nuts and bots you run into all sorts of metals from nickel, tin, stainless steel, copper, lead etc. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV just saying, i am an electrician and they make better stuff for what your doing
@@conradbarthel54 Great, please share then, always up for a better way to do something
@@LoveYourRV pitty didn't share..
The first ground cable is really loose because the terminal wasn't installed flush.
Try watching the whole video. :)
Better to use something like "Burndy PENETROX E (PEN E)" for copper to copper connections. I believe Noalox is formulated for aluminum wire connections. And they are both non-conductive (th-cam.com/video/Yo8e6YD7iNI/w-d-xo.html). Their primary job is to keep air and moister from corroding the connection.
I don't believe the test shown in the video link is conclusive. As far as I've read Noalox grease as tiny zinc particles suspended in the anti oxide grease. It is designed to work under high pressure when metal surfaces are mated together penetrating the metal at a microscopic level. The guy just jammed multimeter leads into the grease blobs. ;)
Noalox was designed for aluminum house wiring I think but works well on other metals like the copper wire and nickel or tin-coated bolts/nuts and lugs. It's not a requirement on a crimp or bolt but many have found it helps with long term reliability of a connection. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV - Here is a really good post about "conductive" grease:
www.ecigssa.co.za/dielectric-grease-vs-conductive-grease.t4983/
Turns out that the term conductive grease only means that it contains fine particles of some form of metals. However, it is a dialectic grease and does not improve conductivity!
www.idealindustries.ca/products/noalox.html
"Provides additional inner-strand and inner-conductor current paths for improved conductivity and cooler connections"
www.gardnerbender.com/en/p/OX-100B/Ox-Gard-Anti-Oxidant-Compound#
Ox-Gard Anti-Oxidant Compound contains prime grade zinc and is formulated with metallic zinc to create a compound that enhances electrical and thermal conductivity which is used on high power crimp connections and stud bolt mountings. When the connection is tightened, the grease is displaced, leaving a layer of zinc filling in the surface imperfections of the interface. This has a twofold effect; it improves electrical conductivity and it improves thermal conductivity. This reduces the connection temperature under high power conditions by a reduced voltage drop and by providing a heat conductivity path to the connection's substrate.
What do yall do for money? I saw in the tour video that she was working on pictures in photo shop. Can you make a video explaining how you make money with pictures if you do?
Tour video?
@@LoveYourRV It's called 500 watts of RV solar. The video where you showed your power setup and showed your wife working on pictures on the Mac desktop, and showed your area where you sit and work on your laptop.
Ahh, I see. Basically she makes minimal money with selling picture prints, not a great business these days. She makes an income by producing and selling educational products like eBooks and video courses, or referring software products via affiliate links. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV Oh Ok I see. That's cool. Thanks!
Can you post a link to her ebooks plz?
The cables attached to the lugs inside the battery are probably #6. This makes no sense.
They use multiple 6 gauge wires in parallel, likely so they can bend them in the tight confines of the battery and attach them to the BMS board. See here in this battery teardown video th-cam.com/video/G5E30u-66VI/w-d-xo.html Wiring in parallel increases the effective wire gauge.
You should not be putting anything inside that crimp. Bad advice.