10mm2 Cable

[Golden Duck]

We are running in some 10mm2 DC cabling for a lighting circuit on another boat in the fleet and want to use some form of busbar, so that the 10mm cable passes through the busbar on to the next point and smaller cables can be taken off each busbar as spurs to power individual lighting circuits.

The problem is how to connect the 10mm2 cable to the busbar. Its obviously too large to crimp reliably, so should we solder a lug on to the cable and bolt it to the post on the busbar ??

 

I've looked through the Aquafax catalogue as that seems a good source of different connectors, but not sure which would be suitable ??

[Bones]

We are running in some 10mm2 DC cabling for a lighting circuit on another boat in the fleet and want to use some form of busbar, so that the 10mm cable passes through the busbar on to the next point and smaller cables can be taken off each busbar as spurs to power individual lighting circuits.

The problem is how to connect the 10mm2 cable to the busbar. Its obviously too large to crimp reliably, so should we solder a lug on to the cable and bolt it to the post on the busbar ??

 

I've looked through the Aquafax catalogue as that seems a good source of different connectors, but not sure which would be suitable ??

 

You can get big black connector blocks for it them - that is what I did.

 

I prefer to use Vehicle Wiring for wiring stuff. I got the big back connectors from a chum so they may have been for household cables (am I going to blow up?)

[chris w]

I'd also second Vehicle Wiring Products' range. They usually deliver next day too if you phone them by lunchtime.

 

Chris

[Gibbo]

The problem is how to connect the 10mm2 cable to the busbar. Its obviously too large to crimp reliably, so should we solder a lug on to the cable and bolt it to the post on the busbar ??

 

Eh? I have crimpers and connectors up to 120mm2

 

Gibbo

[chris w]

Eh? I have crimpers and connectors up to 120mm2

 

Gibbo

 

Me too, although my junior crimpers only go to about 65mm2. I bought mine from Vehicle Wiring Products for about £70.

 

Chris

[Gibbo]

Me too, although my junior crimpers only go to about 65mm2. I bought mine from Vehicle Wiring Products for about £70.

 

Chris

 

Hire shops have them. Probably more sensible than someone buying a pair just to use them once. Properly crimped connectors are *far* superior to *anything* else.

 

Gibbo

[Semitrad]

Soldering will work ok but you need a lot of heat! either a very large iron or plumbers blowlamp - if the cable is not properly supported the joint will be prone to vibration failure, soldering is never used on aircraft for this reason. As Gibbo says, crimp tools are available for all sizes of cable, larger ones are hydraulic, it is important to use the correct size crimp for the cable.

[CampinGazz]

In my motorhome i've used the distribution blocks car stereo nerds/buffs use where i need to go from a large main cable to smaller cables to the apliances.

 

Not sure if thay are allowed in boats tho, they are basicaly a big block of gold plated brass (can't help the gold plated stuff, these things are aimed at boy racers, some have flashing led's in them, little volt meter displays and other tatt that they seem to like

 

Anyhoo, the block of brass has holes drilled in it, a big un at one end for the main cable, then smaller ones at the other end, they have allen headed screws to clamp the cable in place, so no connectors needed, just bare the cable, push it in the hole, tighten the screw down,

 

I've been using them for 4 years in my current motorhome, not had owt bad happen yet, my main earth junction is on a wall in the wiring space between the control panel and the batteries, so the main large diamiter wire is pointing downwards, of course it's cliped to the wall as well, but just saying, over 4 years of driving over some pretty bad roads (italian ones shook my bike rack to bits, broke the metal around the welds) but none of the wires have loosened and come out of the connectors, as that's the only reason i can thing of that these things may not be liked... where as i've had factory crimp's come off the alternator connections,

[chris w]

Gold-plating is good on a boat as it is used to help prevent corrosion

 

Chris

[Tony Brooks]

We are running in some 10mm2 DC cabling for a lighting circuit on another boat in the fleet and want to use some form of busbar, so that the 10mm cable passes through the busbar on to the next point and smaller cables can be taken off each busbar as spurs to power individual lighting circuits.

The problem is how to connect the 10mm2 cable to the busbar. Its obviously too large to crimp reliably, so should we solder a lug on to the cable and bolt it to the post on the busbar ??

 

I've looked through the Aquafax catalogue as that seems a good source of different connectors, but not sure which would be suitable ??

 

 

Have you thought this through? I know "Little Brown Mouse" are/were pushing this type of system but unless you fuse/mcb each spur and end up with fuses scattered all over the boat the maximum size of fuse you should use for the thick cable will e governed by the capacity of the thinnest spur. If you fuse for the 10mm and a spur or appliance shorts out you may well end up with a fire when the spur overheats and the fuse is not loaded enough to blow. This will be made worse by being behind linings.

 

Sorry to throw spanners about!

 

Tony Brooks

[Golden Duck]

Thanks for the crimping advice.

What was confusing was that all the catalogues talk about the yellow crimps only being suitable up to 6.6mm I think it was.

As no larger insulated colour crimps were offered, this implies that nothing is available for larger cables.

I presume from what you have said, that I will need to use an un-insulated lug and crimp that on to the 10mm2 cable.

 

Thanks for the concern Tony, but yes it has been thought through. As is usual in these forums, I don't have the time or space

to post all the details of the intended wiring but suffice to say that each lighting output from the DC distribution panel is fused for the

smallest gauge cable used in the circuit.

 

 

 

Have you thought this through? I know "Little Brown Mouse" are/were pushing this type of system but unless you fuse/mcb each spur and end up with fuses scattered all over the boat the maximum size of fuse you should use for the thick cable will e governed by the capacity of the thinnest spur. If you fuse for the 10mm and a spur or appliance shorts out you may well end up with a fire when the spur overheats and the fuse is not loaded enough to blow. This will be made worse by being behind linings.

 

Sorry to throw spanners about!

 

Tony Brooks

Edited February 21, 2007 by Golden Duck

[Keeping Up]

Have you thought this through? I know "Little Brown Mouse" are/were pushing this type of system but unless you fuse/mcb each spur and end up with fuses scattered all over the boat the maximum size of fuse you should use for the thick cable will e governed by the capacity of the thinnest spur. If you fuse for the 10mm and a spur or appliance shorts out you may well end up with a fire when the spur overheats and the fuse is not loaded enough to blow. This will be made worse by being behind linings.

 

Sorry to throw spanners about!

 

Tony Brooks

This may not be as big a problem as it appears at first. The sizes of cables on most boats, are usually defined by the permissible voltage drop rather than the maximum current. So a whole series of spurs each of, say, 20 Amp cable, may run off a thick "bus" cable and yet be protected perfectly well by a single 20 amp fuse or MCB

 

Allan

[NB Willawaw]

The Yellow pre-insulated Crimp terminals are too small for a 10mm2 cable.

Use an un-insulated crimp loop terminal but makes sure you crimp it properly.

You can get these from Aquafax or VWP.

I normally use heat shrink sleeving to make a tidy job.

 

Aquafax sell a Blue Sea Busbar called DualBus which can handle positive and negative on the same base.

It has posts/studs at each end for the crimp loops for the in/out 10mm2 cables and a number of screws

for smaller cables to spur off it to run individual lights, etc.

Make sure you clip the cables so the joint are not stressed.

 

 

We are running in some 10mm2 DC cabling for a lighting circuit on another boat in the fleet and want to use some form of busbar, so that the 10mm cable passes through the busbar on to the next point and smaller cables can be taken off each busbar as spurs to power individual lighting circuits.

The problem is how to connect the 10mm2 cable to the busbar. Its obviously too large to crimp reliably, so should we solder a lug on to the cable and bolt it to the post on the busbar ??

 

I've looked through the Aquafax catalogue as that seems a good source of different connectors, but not sure which would be suitable ??

Edited February 21, 2007 by NB Willawaw

[magnetman]

The top few articles on this page might be of interest and they do the tool to crimp them as well:

 

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/cat.js...14&ts=79150

 

In fact the tool is on the same page...

[DHutch]

This may not be as big a problem as it appears at first. The sizes of cables on most boats, are usually defined by the permissible voltage drop rather than the maximum current. So a whole series of spurs each of, say, 20 Amp cable, may run off a thick "bus" cable and yet be protected perfectly well by a single 20 amp fuse or MCB

 

Allan

Yeah, its perfectly ok.

- However i do have to jsut repeat. The fuse supplying said cable MUST be of a small enough rating to cover ALL the cables down steam of it. Otherwise fuses could be placed at the juntions like a fused spur of a house.

 

 

Daniel

[chris w]

Yeah, its perfectly ok.

- However i do have to jsut repeat. The fuse supplying said cable MUST be of a small enough rating to cover ALL the cables down steam of it. Otherwise fuses could be placed at the juntions like a fused spur of a house.

 

 

Daniel

 

I think that's what Allan was saying in the post you quoted.

 

Chris

[DHutch]

I think that's what Allan was saying in the post you quoted.

Yes, so did i...

[Moley]

I've used these (which is possibly what CampingGazz was referring to. There's a big hole at each end which will take the 10mm cable and I've spurred 1x6mm or 2x4mm etc. out to automotive blade fuse holders from VWP.

 

My +ve busbar is screwed to a block of nylon which is in turn screwed to timber, well separated from any other wiring and covered. All wires are held by two screws.