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hammer408(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:55 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Bob:



I'm planning to use copper bar in lieu of "fat wire" in 2 areas:



1- from the Starter Contactor to Master Battery Contactor - 1/8" (.125)

thick



2- and from the Starter Contactor to the 60 amp Current Limiter - 1/16"

(.063)...



My question is:  Is the thickness of the copper bar appropriate?



Thanks



Hank

nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:47 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

At 08:58 AM 4/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  

<hammer408(at)comcast.net>



Bob:



I'm planning to use copper bar in lieu of "fat wire" in 2 areas:



1- from the Starter Contactor to Master Battery Contactor - 1/8" (.125)

thick



2- and from the Starter Contactor to the 60 amp Current Limiter - 1/16"

(.063)...



My question is:  Is the thickness of the copper bar appropriate?



Thanks



Hank


	


   Those are PLENTY thick . . . if it's stuff you already

   have laying around and don't mind working with copper

   (machines like peanut butter) it will be find. If you're

   of a mind to make the task a bit easier, .032" x 3/4"

   brass strips like #243 found at:



http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/inv/KS.HTM



   are much easier to work with.



   Bob . . .

hammer408(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:09 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Bob:



I already have the copper bars and, if fact, they are cut and ready to bend

and install......they were a lottle hard to work with !!!!



I'm somewhat surprised that you suggest .032: isn't that a little thin,

considering these bars are replacing 4awg wire ????

---

rgf(at)dcn.davis.ca.us
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:32 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

I assume your motive for using a bar instead of wire is higher current

capacity -> lower resistance -> lower voltage drop and power loss.



I'm a hydraulic engineer for the California Dept. of Water Resources...and

years ago took a tour of our biggest lift station at the base of the

Tehachapi Mtns.  A single lift of about 2,000 feet, 4,500 cfs pumping rate.

That requires a lot of power. I remember well the "wire" they use to carry

the current (which I think was about 1000 amps at 10-12kV): a tube a few

inches in diameter.  The electrical engineer said current is carried on the

surface and the tube gave them the surface they needed.



Not suggesting you use a tube, but maybe braided multi-strand wire is better

than a single bar?



--

rv-9a-online(at)telus.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:15 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Actually, what you are referring to is "skin effect" and it only comes into

play at high frequencies.  For DC loads in an aircraft, it's the total

cross-sectional area that determines the resistance.



For what it's worth, Brass has about 4 times the resistance of Copper (7 vs.

1.7 microhm-centimeters according the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics).



--

dhall(at)donka.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:29 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

I did the same thing. Van's recommends sandwiching (2) .063 strips, so

hopefully (1) .128 strip oughta be the same. I was using the same

thickness from master to starter to anl-60a to shunt, but it might be

worth a redo to change over to .063 between the starter, anl and shunt.



Here's my fwf wiring.  The odd angle of the anl install was chosen to

keep the bolts accessible around the engine mount.  Shaping the strip

was easy with a vice grip and hand seamer.



http://donka.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=rv7wiring&id=DSC07591



 Using the copper bar for these short runs was easier than fab'ing

cables at the time.  I'm interested in feedback as well.



Don

nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:27 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

At 12:12 PM 4/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  

<hammer408(at)comcast.net>



Bob:



I already have the copper bars and, if fact, they are cut and ready to bend

and install......they were a lottle hard to work with !!!!



I'm somewhat surprised that you suggest .032: isn't that a little thin,

considering these bars are replacing 4awg wire ????


	


   Yeah . . . I stuck my foot in it. I was tangled up

   in some numbers recalled from a different case

   and blew it.



   For COPPER thin sheet conductors, the resistance is



   Micro-ohms/inch = .69/(t * w)



   where t = thickness in inches and w = width in

   inches.



   So a copper bus bar .75" wide by .062" thick is on

   the order of 15 micro-ohms/inch and from the big bus

   bar tables in the sky at:



http://www.stormcopper.com/design/ampacity.htm



   will exhibit a 30C rise at 145 amps. A strap

   with 3" of length between studs would have a

   resistance of about 45 micro-ohms. A 250 average

   amps cranking current would drop 250 x 45 =

   11,250 microvolts or 11.2 millivolts. Power

   lost in this jumper would be .0112v * 250A =

   2.8 watts. If you had a 250 amp, 50mV shunt

   in series with the starter for the purpose of

   measuring its current draw, it would toss off

   4x the voltage at 12.5 watts!



   Note also that the same .062" x .75" strap

   has a cross section of 0.046 square inches.

   The minor diameter of a 5/16 stud is on the

   order of 0.25" for a cross section of 0.049

   square inches. So a 0.062 x .75 strap is

   equivalent to the contactor studs it

   attaches to.



   In practice, this short bus will benefit from

   heat-sinking by the mounting studs and

   from relatively short duty cycle so you won't

   experience the calculated 30C rise that can be

   expected in long conductors allowed to achieve

   a stabilized temperature.



   As another Lister pointed out, brass has a higher

   resistance than copper. A quick measurement of

   some stuff in my metals bin from K&S Engineering

   shows their brass alloy to be about 4x the

   resistance of equivalent copper sheet. So, the

   same stud-to-stud strap of .062 x .75 brass strip

   would drop about 45 millivolts . . . on the same

   order as a shunt  . . . but unnecessarily high.



   When I get the drive stand running, I'll be

   strapping some high current contactors in the same

   manner as those on your airplanes and I'll get some

   actual drops and temperature rises for the various

   materials available to us. In the mean time,

   the K&S metals 16142 0.060 copper sheet is the

   better material from which to fabricate stud

   jumpers than the brass strip cited earlier.



   Bob . . .

grjtucson

Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 7
Location: Tucson, AZ

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:23 am Post subject: Re: Copper Bar vs

 	  nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net wrote: 	
		  At 12:12 PM 4/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:



   Yeah . . . I stuck my foot in it. I was tangled up

   in some numbers recalled from a different case

   and blew it.



<snip>

   As another Lister pointed out, brass has a higher

   resistance than copper. A quick measurement of

   some stuff in my metals bin from K&S Engineering

   shows their brass alloy to be about 4x the

   resistance of equivalent copper sheet. So, the

   same stud-to-stud strap of .062 x .75 brass strip

   would drop about 45 millivolts . . . on the same

   order as a shunt  . . . but unnecessarily high.



   When I get the drive stand running, I'll be

   strapping some high current contactors in the same

   manner as those on your airplanes and I'll get some

   actual drops and temperature rises for the various

   materials available to us. In the mean time,

   the K&S metals 16142 0.060 copper sheet is the

   better material from which to fabricate stud

   jumpers than the brass strip cited earlier.



   Bob . . . 	




Ouch.



Bob,



Per your earlier recommendation to me, I standardized on 4 awg fat wires for my 60amp RV-7 and I went with .75 x .062 brass for the strap between master and starter contactor and between starter contactor and anl. You had actually suggested .032 but that seemed thin to me, particularly since Van's calls out .125 copper.



Now you're suggesting copper for these and I'm wondering if I should swap out my brass? It's not a huge amount of work but if the .062 brass will still work fine, I'm likely to leave it.



Also, is .032 brass still OK for the ground buses? I haven't installed those yet though the tabs are soldered on.



Thanks,



George Jenson

RV-7

Tucson, AZ

_________________
George Jenson - http://www.georgejenson.com
Tucson, AZ - RV-7 Standard Build
Empennage Completed 1/06
Wings Completed 11/06
Fuselage in Progress

n277dl

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 49
Location: Muscatine IA

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: Re: Copper Bar vs

 	  grjtucson wrote: 	
		   	  nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net wrote: 	
		  At 12:12 PM 4/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:



   Yeah . . . I stuck my foot in it. I was tangled up

   in some numbers recalled from a different case

   and blew it.



<snip>

   As another Lister pointed out, brass has a higher

   resistance than copper. A quick measurement of

   some stuff in my metals bin from K&S Engineering

   shows their brass alloy to be about 4x the

   resistance of equivalent copper sheet. So, the

   same stud-to-stud strap of .062 x .75 brass strip

   would drop about 45 millivolts . . . on the same

   order as a shunt  . . . but unnecessarily high.



   When I get the drive stand running, I'll be

   strapping some high current contactors in the same

   manner as those on your airplanes and I'll get some

   actual drops and temperature rises for the various

   materials available to us. In the mean time,

   the K&S metals 16142 0.060 copper sheet is the

   better material from which to fabricate stud

   jumpers than the brass strip cited earlier.



   Bob . . . 	




Ouch.



Bob,



Per your earlier recommendation to me, I standardized on 4 awg fat wires for my 60amp RV-7 and I went with .75 x .062 brass for the strap between master and starter contactor and between starter contactor and anl. You had actually suggested .032 but that seemed thin to me, particularly since Van's calls out .125 copper.



Now you're suggesting copper for these and I'm wondering if I should swap out my brass? It's not a huge amount of work but if the .062 brass will still work fine, I'm likely to leave it.



Also, is .032 brass still OK for the ground buses? I haven't installed those yet though the tabs are soldered on.



Thanks,



George Jenson

RV-7

Tucson, AZ 	




George,

  I was doing the annual on my 7A this past weekend.  It'd began to get difficult to start the prop spinning when cold.  The battery was only a couple years old but I decided to replace it.  Also, just for good measure I replaced the original starter contactor and battery contactor with new ones from B&C, original ones from Vans.  Rumor (un-proven by me) that the B&C were better quality.



Anyway, had to replace the copper bus bars as the original doesn't work anymore.  Couldn't find copper anywhere local so came back, found the post in early April where brass was recommended instead of copper.... purchased .063 x .5, installed on the 7A and it all worked fine.  Only a couple starts but didn't have any problems so the brass will work. Guess time will tell how well.



Doug

_________________
Doug
"Fools" are always more creative than process people and will always find ways to ruin a perfectly good set of processes.

nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:46 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

 	  Quote: 	
		  

 > Bob,

 >

 > Per your earlier recommendation to me, I standardized on 4 awg fat 

 wires for my 60amp RV-7 and I went with .75 x .062 brass for the strap 

 between master and starter contactor and between starter contactor and 

 anl. You had actually suggested .032 but that seemed thin to me, 

 particularly since Van's calls out .125 copper.

 >

 > Now you're suggesting copper for these and I'm wondering if I should 

 swap out my brass? It's not a huge amount of work but if the .062 brass 

 will still work fine, I'm likely to leave it.

 >

 > Also, is .032 brass still OK for the ground buses? I haven't installed 

 those yet though the tabs are soldered on.

 >

 > Thanks,

 >

 > George Jenson

 > RV-7

 > Tucson, AZ

George,

   I was doing the annual on my 7A this past weekend.  It'd began to get 

 difficult to start the prop spinning when cold.  The battery was only a 

 couple years old but I decided to replace it.  Also, just for good 

 measure I replaced the original starter contactor and battery contactor 

 with new ones from B&C, original ones from Vans.  Rumor (un-proven by me) 

 that the B&C were better quality.



Anyway, had to replace the copper bus bars as the original doesn't work 

anymore.  Couldn't find copper anywhere local so came back, found the post 

in early April where brass was recommended instead of copper.... purchased 

.063 x .5, installed on the 7A and it all worked fine.  Only a couple 

starts but didn't have any problems so the brass will work. Guess time 

will tell how well.


	


   I think you're going to be okay. It will warm up some

   during cranking. I'll know more about the details later

   this year. Weather is warming up - spent several good

   chunks of time in the shop cleaning up around the drive

   stand. My son is going to strip out all the old system

   wiring next weekend in anticipation of installing a mock-up

   of Z-11/13-8/14 electrical systems.



   Bob . . .

nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

At 05:30 PM 4/28/2008 -0700, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  

grjtucson wrote:

 >

 > nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net wrote:

 > > At 12:12 PM 4/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:

 > >

 > >    Yeah . . . I stuck my foot in it. I was tangled up

 > >    in some numbers recalled from a different case

 > >    and blew it.

 > >

 > >

 > >    As another Lister pointed out, brass has a higher

 > >    resistance than copper. A quick measurement of

 > >    some stuff in my metals bin from K&S Engineering

 > >    shows their brass alloy to be about 4x the

 > >    resistance of equivalent copper sheet. So, the

 > >    same stud-to-stud strap of .062 x .75 brass strip

 > >    would drop about 45 millivolts . . . on the same

 > >    order as a shunt  . . . but unnecessarily high.

 > >

 > >    When I get the drive stand running, I'll be

 > >    strapping some high current contactors in the same

 > >    manner as those on your airplanes and I'll get some

 > >    actual drops and temperature rises for the various

 > >    materials available to us. In the mean time,

 > >    the K&S metals 16142 0.060 copper sheet is the

 > >    better material from which to fabricate stud

 > >    jumpers than the brass strip cited earlier.

 > >

 > >    Bob . . .

 >

 >

 > Ouch.

 >

 > Bob,

 >

 > Per your earlier recommendation to me, I standardized on 4 awg fat 

 wires for my 60amp RV-7 and I went with .75 x .062 brass for the strap 

 between master and starter contactor and between starter contactor and 

 anl. You had actually suggested .032 but that seemed thin to me, 

 particularly since Van's calls out .125 copper.

 >

 > Now you're suggesting copper for these and I'm wondering if I should 

 swap out my brass? It's not a huge amount of work but if the .062 brass 

 will still work fine, I'm likely to leave it.

 >

 > Also, is .032 brass still OK for the ground buses? I haven't installed 

 those yet though the tabs are soldered on.

 >

 > Thanks,

 >

 > George Jenson

 > RV-7

 > Tucson, AZ

George,

   I was doing the annual on my 7A this past weekend.  It'd began to get 

 difficult to start the prop spinning when cold.  The battery was only a 

 couple years old but I decided to replace it.  Also, just for good 

 measure I replaced the original starter contactor and battery contactor 

 with new ones from B&C, original ones from Vans.  Rumor (un-proven by me) 

 that the B&C were better quality.


	


    Last time I had any specific information on Van's contactors

    he was selling Cole-Hersey battery contactors. I think his

    starter contactors were commercial-off-the-shelf devices too.

    These are in the same league as the devices offered by B&C.

    I'd be interested in hearing from any folks who are having

    difficulties with devices from either source.

 	  Quote: 	
		  Anyway, had to replace the copper bus bars as the original doesn't work 

anymore.  Couldn't find copper anywhere local so came back, found the post 

in early April where brass was recommended instead of copper.... purchased 

.063 x .5, installed on the 7A and it all worked fine.  Only a couple 

starts but didn't have any problems so the brass will work. Guess time 

will tell how well.


	


   Hmmm . . . .  0.5" wide? After you drill a 5/16" hole in

   this for attachment to contactor, you're short on edge

   margin. 0.75" wide is recommended both for mechanical

   and electrical considerations.



   I'll be looking into voltage drop and temperature

   rise issues for these short stud-to-stud jumpers

   later this year.



   Bob . . .

rshannon

Joined: 05 Sep 2007
Posts: 62

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

One reason I decided to use cable instead of bar is that when combined with terminal boots, the cable is insulated against a variety of accidental shorts (falling wires, tools, moisture, whatever) whether in operation or maintenance. 

 

Is there a good way to insulate bars?



Ron



  [quote][b]

Mark Phillips in TN

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 431
Location: Columbia, TN

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:43 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

In a message dated 04/29/2008 2:58:38 PM Central Daylight Time, rshannon(at)CRUZCOM.COM writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		  Is there a good way to insulate bars? 	


 Up north I hear R-22 of the pink stuff is popular.  Down here in Tennessee, the booze gen'rally warms us up right dandy in the winter, and in the summer, the screen door keeps out the skeeters purty good, a least 'til Bubba tossed Big John thru it last August after arguin' about a pickup truck.  John warn't hurt none and got the last laugh after he wrote "CHEVY RULES" with used beer in front of Bubba's F150...

  

 

  

 With apologies to the A-list, Mark 

 DO NOT ARCHIVE



Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.

  [quote][b]

_________________
From The PossumWorks...

nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

At 10:31 AM 4/29/2008 -0700, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  One reason I decided to use cable instead of bar is that when combined 

with terminal boots, the cable is insulated against a variety of 

accidental shorts (falling wires, tools, moisture, whatever) whether in 

operation or maintenance.



Is there a good way to insulate bars?


	


  Not that I know of. There are 'partial' fixes

  for being bare . . . but most folks don't worry

  about it. See pictures at:



http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Wiring_Technique/Contactor_Interconnect/



  Note these two in particular . . .



http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Wiring_Technique/Contactor_Interconnect/Contactor_Strap_3.jpg



http://www.aeroelectric.com/Pictures/Wiring_Technique/Contactor_Interconnect/Contactor_Strap_4.jpg



  which I took on the production line. There's

  lots of electrically hot stuff hanging out in

  the breeze . . . but each risk has been evaluated

  against probability of problems and deemed

  good to go.



  Bob . . .

n277dl

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 49
Location: Muscatine IA

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: Copper Bar vs

 	  nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net wrote: 	
		  At 05:30 PM 4/28/2008 -0700, you wrote:



 



 	  Quote: 	
		  



 



 



George,



   I was doing the annual on my 7A this past weekend.  It'd began to get

 difficult to start the prop spinning when cold.  The battery was only a couple years old but I decided to replace it.  Also, just for good  measure I replaced the original starter contactor and battery contactor  with new ones from B&C, original ones from Vans.  Rumor (un-proven by

me)  that the B&C were better quality.



 



	




 Last time I had any specific information on Van's contactors  he was selling Cole-Hersey battery contactors. I think his  starter contactors were commercial-off-the-shelf devices too.    These are in the same league as the devices offered by B&C.     I'd be interested in hearing from any folks who are having    difficulties with devices from either source.



 



 



 	  Quote: 	
		  Anyway, had to replace the copper bus bars as the original doesn't work anymore.  Couldn't find copper anywhere local so came back, found the post in early April where brass was recommended instead of copper....

purchased .063 x .5, installed on the 7A and it all worked fine.  Only a couple starts but didn't have any problems so the brass will work. Guess time will tell how well.



 



	




Hmmm . . . .  0.5" wide? After you drill a 5/16" hole in   this for attachment to contactor, you're short on edge    margin. 0.75" wide is recommended both for mechanical and electrical considerations.



 



   I'll be looking into voltage drop and temperature rise issues for these short stud-to-stud jumpers later this year.  



   Bob . . . 	




 



Bob, thanks for the correction with 3/4 inch wide.  I picked up the .5

from the original design using copper from Vans and your response on

4/7/08 to George.  I'll switch it out to 3/4 copper at some point.



 	  Quote: 	
		  



 



nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net wrote: 

At 01:36 PM 4/7/2008 -0700, you wrote: 



Quote: 



 

Summary - 5 questions: 



1. 2AWG welding cable OK for engine to firewall ground in lieu of braid?



2. 2AWG welding cable OK for 60amp PP alternator b-lead or should I downsize?  



Go 4AWG throughout . . . 

Quote: 



3. .125 x .5 brass bar OK for contactor to contactor run (Van's specs same size but Copper)? 



4. .063 x .5 brass bar OK for contactor to current limiter (no starter 



current)? 



5. .050 x .75 x 5 copper bars/straps on either side of firewall, each 



soldered with brass tabs, with 3/16 brass bolts as ground setup OK? 



 



 



 



Go .032 brass for all and at LEAST 5/16 or better 



yet 3/8" brass bolts for fat-wire terminals. Torque 



to 80+ percent of maximum for the materials and thread 



sizes. Check AC43.13 for values. 



 



 



Fantastic Bob, thanks for the help and for the work you continue to do.

Simply extraordinary. 



George



	




 



Also, let me be clear that I did not test the contactors but instead

took the shotgun approach.  The battery contactor is in fact a

Cole-Hersey so do not want to mis-represent it's quality.  



 



I replaced the starter contactor as well for good measure 



 



Got to quit reading so much.

Doug

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_________________
Doug
"Fools" are always more creative than process people and will always find ways to ruin a perfectly good set of processes.

n8zg(at)MCHSI.COM
Guest

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:26 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Mark, you ain't  right...

  

 neal

   

  	  Quote: 	
		  Is there a good way to insulate bars? 	


 Up north I hear R-22 of the pink stuff is popular.  Down here in  Tennessee, the booze gen'rally warms us up right dandy in the winter, and  in the summer, the screen door keeps out the skeeters purty good, a least 'til  Bubba tossed Big John thru it last August after arguin' about a pickup  truck.  John warn't hurt none and got the last laugh after he wrote "CHEVY  RULES" with used beer in front of Bubba's F150...

  

 

  

 With apologies to the A-list, Mark 

 DO NOT ARCHIVE

[quote] [b]

klehman(at)albedo.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:08 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Since heat dissapation is not an issue for me, I just wrapped them in 

silicone self sticking tape. It sticks to itself with no adhesive and 

unlike electrical tape, it seems to last forever unless you cut it off.

Ken



Ron Shannon wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   One reason I decided to use cable instead of bar is that when combined 

 with terminal boots, the cable is insulated against a variety of 

 accidental shorts (falling wires, tools, moisture, whatever) whether in 

 operation or maintenance.

 

 Is there a good way to insulate bars?

 

 Ron

Speedy11(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:28 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Ron,

 I put heat shrink on the portions of the bar that are not needed for  connections and used terminal boots at the connection points.  You have to  work the boots a bit, but they fit.

 Some guys put screws with nuts through the connection points on  the bar with a washer on each side and then dipped the whole bar in that  plastic coat stuff used on tool handles and then cut around the edge of the  washers and remove the screws and washers to reveal the bare connection  points.  I tried that technique, but didn't have good results.  You  could probably make it work if you spent some time perfecting it.

 Stan Sutterfield

 Do not archive

  

  	  Quote: 	
		  One    reason I decided to use cable instead of bar is that when combined    with

terminal boots, the cable is insulated against a variety of    accidental

shorts (falling wires, tools, moisture, whatever) whether in    operation or

maintenance.



Is there a good way to insulate    bars? 	


 

  



Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.

  [quote][b]

lm4(at)juno.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:35 am Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

Yes. A liquid semi-hard rubber called Plastisol.

  

 On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:31:32 -0700 "Ron Shannon" <rshannon(at)CRUZCOM.COM (rshannon(at)CRUZCOM.COM)> writes:

 [quote]   Is there a good way to insulate bars?



Ron

 	  Quote: 	
		  



List">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List

matronics.com

.matronics.com/contribution



	
    

[b]

mkimball(at)gci.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire

I split a piece of appropriately sized rubber hose lengthwise then pushed it over the bar with the connections to the bar coming out through the split.  Then I just used wire ties to keep the hose in place.  

   

Mike Kimball  

Murphy Super Rebel  

         

  

From: owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Speedy11(at)aol.com

 Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 5:24 AM

 To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: Re: Copper Bar vs "FAT" wire  

  

       

Ron,  

    

I put heat shrink on the portions of the bar that are not needed for connections and used terminal boots at the connection points.  You have to work the boots a bit, but they fit.  

    

Some guys put screws with nuts through the connection points on the bar with a washer on each side and then dipped the whole bar in that plastic coat stuff used on tool handles and then cut around the edge of the washers and remove the screws and washers to reveal the bare connection points.  I tried that technique, but didn't have good results.  You could probably make it work if you spent some time perfecting it.  

    

Stan Sutterfield  

    

Do not archive  

    

   

   	  Quote: 	
		    

One reason I decided to use cable instead of bar is that when combined with

 terminal boots, the cable is insulated against a variety of accidental

 shorts (falling wires, tools, moisture, whatever) whether in operation or

 maintenance.

 

 Is there a good way to insulate bars?  	
  

    

   

  

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