Thread: Simple/robust dual-battery set-up?

Hi Samblers and an excellent write-up.

If you get a chance, let me know how much split tube you needed and I’ll add it to future Defender kits.

As I do not have ready access to a Defender, if you have any other suggestions, please post them up as well.

The large terminals can be a problem but unfortunately there are only two options, crimp then which is fine if you have a large terminal crimper or have access to one.

Or solder them, which is what I recommend if someone is not use to working with these large terminals, but as you found out, use need a large enough soldering iron.

Thanks Tim

I bought 20m of 16mm conduit from supercheap - I guess I used about 5m, that would be enough.

I have a crimp tool (not sure if it was a large one), which requireda lot of straining to get the terminals to collapse/bite... then did my best with the soldering iron so i hope they'll be ok. If not, i'll get a larger iron and try again.

A little more heatshrink would have been handy, to account for stuff-ups. Otherwise, happy.

Cheers, Sam

I should also mention that Tim gave me a discount for being an AULRO forum member

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Samblers and an excellent write-up.

If you get a chance, let me know how much split tube you needed and I’ll add it to future Defender kits.

As I do not have ready access to a Defender, if you have any other suggestions, please post them up as well.

The large terminals can be a problem but unfortunately there are only two options, crimp then which is fine if you have a large terminal crimper or have access to one.

Or solder them, which is what I recommend if someone is not use to working with these large terminals, but as you found out, use need a large enough soldering iron.

If you're meaning battery cable size terminals, I've had really good success with an alternative method using a vice, hammer, and center punch.

I open the jaws of a vice slightly (probably about half the diameter of the cable part of the crimp lug), rest the lug on the top, insert the stripped cable end, then use a hammer to drive a center punch into the lug to crimp it. Usually I just use a single indentation, but have sometimes used a second one on larger (70mm2) cables.
End result is similar to the Anderson plug crimping tools that have a single conical part to do the swaging.
In the absence of proper crimp tools, I've tried many methods of butchery over the years, but this one is by far the most successful.

The joints end up mechanically strong ie I haven't yet managed to pull one out by giving it a decent yank while clamped in the vice, and seem to perform well electrically. Beats the heck out of trying to solder them with not enough heat (and subsequent dry joints), or resorting to trying to squash them in a vice.

Steve

Originally Posted by steveG

If you're meaning battery cable size terminals, I've had really good success with an alternative method using a vice, hammer, and center punch.

Battery-sized terminals, and the slightly smaller diameter 50A ones for the anderson plug.

I considered the method you describe but had to add the terminals after threading the cable through the chassis, i.e. everything has to be done on the car, within confined space.

Originally Posted by Samblers

Thanks Tim

I bought 20m of 16mm conduit from supercheap - I guess I used about 5m, that would be enough.

I have a crimp tool (not sure if it was a large one), which requireda lot of straining to get the terminals to collapse/bite... then did my best with the soldering iron so i hope they'll be ok. If not, i'll get a larger iron and try again.

A little more heatshrink would have been handy, to account for stuff-ups. Otherwise, happy.

Cheers, Sam

What ever happened to measure twice cut once

Umm, Mr Drivesafe, (Tim), umm, could you please ensure you send me some extra
I'll be ordering my system this week

Originally Posted by Chops

What ever happened to measure twice cut once

"measure twice, cut once... bang three times, solder five times, heatshrink once, swear three times, remove heatshrink... repeat, etc"

Hey Sam, where abouts did you end up placing the main module? Have you mounted it on the dash somewhere or is it in the Bat compartment, although that doesn't seem like a good place for it (?).