Does anyone know where I can get lengths of 30mmx10mm tinned copper busbar with no predrilled holes? 

You could try a company called Non-Ferrous Metals.

Hope you come right.

8 hours ago, Chris_S said:

Does anyone know where I can get lengths of 30mmx10mm tinned copper busbar with no predrilled holes? 

You will pay an absolute fortune.  I looked far and wide and you are going to pay R5k up for that.  But if you find a better source, don't hesitate to post here.  Would like to keep that in my back pocket.

10 hours ago, Chris_S said:

tinned copper busbar with no predrilled holes

why tinned?

If you in Durban can try Buscoplar I think there's a branch in JNB aswell that were I buy from. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13 hours ago, Kalahari Meerkat said:

why tinned?

Copper does get surface corrosion over time

3 hours ago, Chris_S said:

Copper does get surface corrosion over time

true, although that matters little, since the whole of the copper inner will get used as well, for transferring electrons, are you intending to solder wires onto this lot? or do your own drilling and potentially tapping?

4 hours ago, Kalahari Meerkat said:

true, although that matters little, since the whole of the copper inner will get used as well, for transferring electrons, are you intending to solder wires onto this lot? or do your own drilling and potentially tapping?

Drilling and tapping

8 hours ago, Chris_S said:

Copper does get surface corrosion over time

Perhaps why all lugs are tinned copper?

2 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

Perhaps why all lugs are tinned copper?

Yes. It protects the copper. 

11 hours ago, Raj35 said:

If you in Durban can try Buscoplar I think there's a branch in JNB aswell that were I buy from. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey could you confirm that business name. Can't find them on Google. Thanks

3 hours ago, Chris_S said:

Hey could you confirm that business name. Can't find them on Google. Thanks

 @Chris_S appologies  Copalcor 

Edited February 25, 20233 yr by Raj35

19 hours ago, Raj35 said:

 @Chris_S appologies  Copalcor 

Thanks Raj

What's the dimensions of that piece in the pic? 

1 hour ago, Chris_S said:

Thanks Raj

What's the dimensions of that piece in the pic? 

Hi it's 140x30x3

Good mornng

I'd find a supplier to cut these to size, (I recommend Non-Ferrous Metals or NFM earlier. Link to follow) and after cutting let someone electroplate these for me. This will probably be the cheapest way.

 

Alternatively to NDM you could also make use of Copalcor.

 

Regards

Sass

https://nfm.co.za or https://copalcor.co.za

3 hours ago, Sass said:

Good mornng

I'd find a supplier to cut these to size, (I recommend Non-Ferrous Metals or NFM earlier. Link to follow) and after cutting let someone electroplate these for me. This will probably be the cheapest way.

 

Alternatively to NDM you could also make use of Copalcor.

 

Regards

Sass

https://nfm.co.za or https://copalcor.co.za

Thanks. What material did you electroplate them in? 

I would suggest nikkel.

Once you have your busbar cut and drilled, I would tin them myself.  Just heat it with a mini-torch and apply flux and solder that the plumbers use.  Once cooled, wash the flux residue off with soapy warm water.  Plating would only make sense if you need to produce a large number of bus-bars.

As to obtaining the actual copper....  Mmm, ask your friendly contact working at an Eskom power station.  I am sure they need some reason for their next sabotage.

Flattened 15mm copper pipe works just as well

Or just use Aluminium.  It is about 60% the conductivity of copper, let's say 50% rounded.  But you can go basically 5x the amount of material for like R200 that would cost many thousands for the same conductivity in copper. (and that is at builders warehouse prices).  Most batteries have Aluminium terminals these days for a good reason.  For my battery I had equivalent of something crazy like 150mm² copper wire in aluminium busbar and it cost me around R200 if I recall correctly.  Probably would have cost much less if I hadn't just bought it from builders.

Oh also, the reason they plate the copper busbars is exactly because Lithium batteries have Aluminium terminals (lead for car batteries, so even better).  The two metals galvanically corrode with each other

So nickel is thrown in to reduce the rate of corrosion to near non-existent levels (subject to moisture and temperature)

Edited February 27, 20233 yr by Gnome

So I got the busbar from Copalcor. A lot cheaper than expected. Then I sent it to Alkara electroplating for the nickel plating. These guys are great and I highly recommend them. They finished the plating in a day and were so cheap. 

https://electroplatingsa.co.za/

2 hours ago, Chris_S said:

So I got the busbar from Copalcor. A lot cheaper than expected. Then I sent it to Alkara electroplating for the nickel plating. T

Hi @Chris_S Some pictures please. Would love to see those busbars (and get some idea of the cost)

The last busbars I made was a copper pipe clamped till it was completely flat and my large battery has some Aluminium busbars (that work well for the small currents I am using, about 90A)

33 minutes ago, iiznh said:

Hi @Chris_S Some pictures please. Would love to see those busbars (and get some idea of the cost)

The last busbars I made was a copper pipe clamped till it was completely flat and my large battery has some Aluminium busbars (that work well for the small currents I am using, about 90A)

Will give some pics later. This is large busbar not for individual cells. 

I got 2 metres of 30mmx10mm for about R1300

The plating was about R300

 

Before plating

On 2023/02/28 at 1:00 AM, Gnome said:

Or just use Aluminium. 

One thing I discovered with Aluminium - it is hard to get good connections.  First, it has an oxide layer that needs to be removed, and then coated with a conductive grease. Then you need at least one side to be 'soft' or the surfaces will not conform, and you get poor connections - so you need to get T0 stock (which is remarkably hard to find).

This was the biggest mistake I made in my DIY bank.  Every connection requires (1) sand down both surfaces and immediately apply nickel paste then (2) add an aluminium foil (soft aluminium) washer to provide surface conformance.  Results in much unnecessary tedium...