Making packs, why not use wire instead of bars?

[redhatman]

Hey, I think im going to make some packs after i get some cells for christmas and would like to get the stuff needed. I noticed there are battery bars like the deans probars. I realize that they conduct the electricty better, but why not just use some thicker wire, and maybe even a couple strands of wire for better flow instead of just one. Thanks
-Pat

[Grizzbob]

Well, it depends a bit on what your car is like, but in some cases, there isn't much room outside the ends of the cells for much of anything, & many bars are flat enough that they don't cause any problems, while others that stick out(or anything even thicker, like the wire you're interested in) would rub or simply not fit in the battery compartment(tub chassis cars in particular are an issue with this). Also, you tend to get a stronger physical connection with bars, simply because they don't flex much at all, while wire most certainly does(believe me, it's best to have the cells hold their "shape" after they're assembled, otherwie it gets harder & harder to fit them in the battery slots, & bars definitely hold the cells in place best). But as for the electrical connection, actually the difference isn't enough to even mention, you'd get just as low resistance with the right wire as you would with good battery bars(& in fact, before bars became the thing to get, we used to use silver/copper braid, which is flat but behaves just like good wire, however, it's even more flexible than wire, so it was a hassle to work with)..... :cool:

[SquirrelNutz]

the wire bars have less resistance to current flow where as thicker wire takes more current to push the wire through it. it will actually work against performance to do your pack this way. wire might be cheaper but the bars are THE way to go.

[redhatman]

ok, so what bars should I use? would those deans probars work or would they be to long and all? Thanks
-Pat

[Grizzbob]

Most of them are just fine, really, though I've been leaning toward Trinity's Watt Bars, because they're very flat(so they can fit well in tight spaces), do the job just fine, & are as affordable as any of the others. Plus, I like those little holes that lets solder flow through them easily when you're assembling the pack.... :cool:

[4W Guy]

ok, so what bars should I use? would those deans probars work or would they be to long and all? Thanks
-Pat


SMC all the way. Packs I have made with Deans bars didn't fit in the tray. I had to have someone else fix them for me. With SMC bars even my poor soldering job fit in the tray. XXX-T MF1 by the way.