Lithium battery bus connection

Do you need a bus bar for your DIY lithium batteries?

We are continuing our deep dive into bus bars for our DIY lithium batteries. Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. We are going to use some to connect the battery cells in our batteries. While the concept of a bus bar is simple, getting the right bus bar is nuanced.

How many lithium batteries can be connected?

All battery interconnects, busbar and device connections to resist vibration by using nylon insert lock nuts, thread locking fluid, or lock washers (split lock or external tooth). No more than four (4) lithium batteries can be connected. Connect Sun Cycle Lithium batteries in parallel. Lithium batteries must not be connected in series.

How do you connect battery cells?

There are two common ways to connect battery cells: very thick wires or bus bars. Our battery cells came with bus bars, but the flimsy sheet metal isn’t appropriate for our purposes. So we are building our bus bars. A bus bar (also known as busbar) is a strip or bar of conductive metal used for short-distance high current power distribution.

What is a bus bar?

So we are building our bus bars. A bus bar (also known as busbar) is a strip or bar of conductive metal used for short-distance high current power distribution. Bus bars efficiently handle high electrical current, dissipate heat, and allow multiple connections on a single bar. These bars can take many different forms for a variety of applications.

Are aluminum bus bars more conductive than copper?

An aluminum bus bar must be thicker than its copper counterpart to achieve the same amount of conductivity. Nevertheless, aluminum is significantly lighter than copper. So, when correcting for weight, aluminum is far more conductive than copper. Arguably its crowning feature is aluminum’s remarkable heat dissipation.

Are copper bus bars corrosive?

Copper bus bars come in a variety of forms. Copper quickly corrodes when exposed to air. Therefore, many bus bars have a thin layer of non-corrosive material around them, such as tin. Coating copper is particularly common in corrosive environments, such as the ocean. So you’ll often see tinned copper as a marine-grade connector.