[Jeep Man]

Who loves custom bus bars?

Hint: ME!

I'm at the point of my drop in plug-N-play Jeep CJ-7 EVC where I need to interconnect this and that (battery boxes, switches to inverters, inverters to contactors, etc., etc.).

After fooling around for way to long with lugs and moving from cheap ones to the best ones - I've come to the conclusion, the only option is custom bus bars for anything that isn't a straight, long run (cable only).

Anyway, once you completely loose you mind and start discussing C110 thickness vs width, punch v drill, how to trim, how to BEND!!!!, coating, bending strategies and design from the flat perspective (meaning you can't do lateral or torsional bends in your garage), and finally build strategies (what comes first, the bus bar or the stud....?), well, once you get here, you don't know how far you've gone till you discover you're starting to sport a little wood when the postman delivers your first 12x24 1/8" sheet of C110 plate.

Here's mine and a couple finished bends:

Show us yours and ANY insight you've gleaned from the process PLEASE.

- Patrick

 

[Swing]

So, how did you cut this plate to cut out the busbars?
In the past I have bought some copper strip and just bend it in an iron. That of course limits me to not make those kinds of corners you show, but it was pretty simple.
Also them being made from straight strips, means I just put on some black/red/orange shrink cover over them, making them look nice.

Picture below. Not completely finished yet (edges were made softer)

The red ones were not bend completely on a 90 degree corner, that was on purpose for the fitting.
This was for an 48v system.

 

[cricketo]

One tool that can be useful for these is SheetMetal workbench in FreeCAD (SheetMetal Workbench - FreeCAD Documentation). It has ability to take into account the material properties so you don't end up short after completing the bends

 

[CyberBill]

I used SendCutSend to laser cut and bend my bus bars. Then I used orange heat shrink tubing to wrap them. I went with 3mm thick x 20mm wide, roughly 2/0, which is about 2x the material used by the car the modules came out of (Chevy Bolt - 2awg bus bars). I used Fusion360 to make the bars in CAD. Price was $17/each (in quantities of 5), which included the bending.

 

[Jeep Man]

I'm old school, and lazy; jigsaw, a good jigsaw with a variable speed trigger. I use a Bosch.

A metal blade that ISN'T super fine, aluminum and copper cut easy but with fine tooth blades, the blade gets clogged and becomes smooth. Mostly with aluminum but you get it.

Then I just pry it won't catch and bend and make the entire cut a scrap. Sucky.

I've got an entire series of photos for my process if you guys want me to post them - again, don't want to over post so playing it cautiously - let me know.

Here's my jigsaw and the blade I use:

- Patrick

 

[Jeep Man]

So, how did you cut this plate to cut out the busbars?
In the past I have bought some copper strip and just bend it in an iron. That of course limits me to not make those kinds of corners you show, but it was pretty simple.
Also them being made from straight strips, means I just put on some black/red/orange shrink cover over them, making them look nice.

Picture below. Not completely finished yet (edges were made softer)

The red ones were not bend completely on a 90 degree corner, that was on purpose for the fitting.
This was for an 48v system.

View attachment 135406

NICE!

Yep, you can only do so much with pre-cut strips. Compound bends need full sheets.

My copper spec for cable serving 2/0, 600vdc at ~400amp is C110 copper, 1/8" thick, 1-3/16" wide. Here's a picture of my cut in the full plate:

Also, of note, I'm going to tin my parts then add the heat shrink BUT, in order to get the heat shrink around the bends, I have to use VERY wide heat shrink so, I can't just use a heat shrink gun to make it shrink because you can't heat it evenly enough to get the job done so I'm looking into a DIY oven solution.

Nothing's easy....

- Patrick

 

[floydr]

I've got an entire series of photos for my process if you guys want me to post them

Please post the photos. I have a sheet of 1/16" 1.5mm copper 300mm x 9xxmm I need to cut into busbars. Not sure it will be rigid enough for a saw might need to back the sheet with plywood.

Nickel plating is easy, I would go DIY nickel plating vs tin plating.
A toaster oven would work for heat shrinking.
Later floyd

 

[Jeep Man]

Please post the photos. I have a sheet of 1/16" 1.5mm copper 300mm x 9xxmm I need to cut into busbars. Not sure it will be rigid enough for a saw might need to back the sheet with plywood.

Nickel plating is easy, I would go DIY nickel plating vs tin plating.
A toaster oven would work for heat shrinking.
Later floyd

Sandwiched plywood seems like a solid idea to keep that from bending OR, cut on the edge of something so you are between the surface and the bottom of the jigsaw - BUT, yes, that can bend easy, been there, done that - sucky.

On the nickel; I'll look into that now, super happy you mentioned that, I'd be so happy if I could do my small runs of 'tinning' (nickeling...).

Thanks - Patrick

 

[floydr]

On the nickel; I'll look into that now, super happy you mentioned that, I'd be so happy if I could do my small runs of 'tinning' (nickeling...).

I used this method High Quality (and Safe) Nickel Plating
later floyd

 

[Jeep Man]

I used this method High Quality (and Safe) Nickel Plating
later floyd

WOW, step by step - THANKS!

 

[brian_]

I used this method High Quality (and Safe) Nickel Plating
later floyd

WOW, step by step - THANKS!

The description is interesting, but I wouldn't consider doing anything with hazardous (to human health or the environment) materials based on Instructables without a lot of independent research.

 

[floydr]

but I wouldn't consider doing anything with hazardous (to human health or the environment) materials based on Instructables without a lot of independent research.

brian_ must have missed this discliamer from bottom of page1
"A quick disclaimer - nickel acetate, the chemical we will be making, is poisonous. The title "High Quality (and Safe) Nickel Plating" is referring more to the fact that you don't need to play with insanely powerful acids that will burn your skin or ask you to open batteries. In the concentrations we will be working with, the process is fairly safe. However, do NOT drink the solution and be sure to wash your hands after plating and properly wipe down any surfaces that come near or into contact with your plating solution. Always supervise kids. That said, enjoy!"
As for left over nickel acetate place in sealed Glass container marked poisonous for use on next set of nickel plating, or place out of reach in a glass container marked poisonious with lid slightly open and let it evaporate forming nickel acetate crystals harvest and store.
Later floyd
ps. this was the least toxic method I found to plate copper, no insanely strong acids, high voltage are used. Just household vinager, nickel, a liittle salt, Low voltage wall wort.

 

[cricketo]

brian_ must have missed this discliamer from bottom of page1
"A quick disclaimer - nickel acetate, the chemical we will be making, is poisonous. The title "High Quality (and Safe) Nickel Plating" is referring more to the fact that you don't need to play with insanely powerful acids that will burn your skin or ask you to open batteries. In the concentrations we will be working with, the process is fairly safe. However, do NOT drink the solution and be sure to wash your hands after plating and properly wipe down any surfaces that come near or into contact with your plating solution. Always supervise kids. That said, enjoy!"
As for left over nickel acetate place in sealed Glass container marked poisonous for use on next set of nickel plating, or place out of reach in a glass container marked poisonious with lid slightly open and let it evaporate forming nickel acetate crystals harvest and store.
Later floyd
ps. this was the least toxic method I found to plate copper, no insanely strong acids, high voltage are used. Just household vinager, nickel, a liittle salt, Low voltage wall wort.

I agree with Brian, and your post doesn't fully counteract the concern. Gasoline is poisonous, but most people are accustomed to safe handling of gasoline. Acetone is poisonous, but there are warnings and directions printed on the container per government standards. Bleach is toxic, but the same applies to it. There is a difference between typical household/commercial chemicals and unusual sources of danger like in this case, thus caution and understanding is warranted. There is that guy on youtube whose channel I really like (Cody's Lab) - he refined uranium from oar... doesn't mean that the next guy should do it, at least not without seeking additional training and education besides that one video.

 

[brian_]

brian_ must have missed this discliamer from bottom of page1
"A quick disclaimer - nickel acetate, the chemical we will be making, is poisonous...

I didn't miss the disclaimer, and in fact the inclusion of that disclaimer supports the concern that there are hazards. The rest of the disclaimer and the process description illustrate that the person who made this has little understanding of the hazards, and has done essentially nothing - other than not drinking the solution - to manage them. Just because he isn't concerned does not mean that you should not be.

 

[floydr]

Just because he isn't concerned does not mean that you should not be.

Agreed
Which is why I researched nickel plating and found this DIY method to be safer than any of the other DIY methods I had come across. Most any plating done diy is far more hazardous than it is to have it done which is where most of the health concerns are from (plating plants, ore processing plants, mining.) Cheap nickel plated jewelry.
later floyd

 

[Jeep Man]

Enough chat-shat about tin and nickel and death, regardless of bodily harm, SHOW US YOUR CUSTOM BUS BARS.

- Patrick

 

[Jeep Man]

The bottom part of the battery box bus bar.

Came out great.

If you notice, I elongated one end only. I've found, with a compound bend WITH perpendicular plane punches (holes), you only need to do one end to give you decent wiggle room.