Master Buss Bar?

Conductivity for a hunk of metal 62 mils thick by quarter inch wide by a
foot long where you measure resistance in the micro-ohms means absolutely
nothing -- copper, brass, or aluminum. On the other hand, corrosion means a
lot -- like steel hardware on aluminum, no matter how good the plating on
the steel.

Jim


"ELIPPSE" wrote in message
oups.com...
Brass has substantially less conductivity than copper. Aluminum has
less conductivity than copper, but has twice the conductivity per pound.

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...
Conductivity for a hunk of metal 62 mils thick by quarter inch wide by a
foot long where you measure resistance in the micro-ohms means absolutely
nothing -- copper, brass, or aluminum. On the other hand, corrosion means
a lot -- like steel hardware on aluminum, no matter how good the plating
on the steel.
\
All good points. So, what is it that you are trying to say , in regards to
which material should be used, and which to stay away from?
--
Jim in NC

I said that I much prefer what is called a barrier strip terminal block, and
whether you get it at The Shack, Mouser, Digikey, etc. is immaterial.

However, if you are going to roll your own, I prefer brass, as it corrodes a
lot less than either copper or aluminum.

Jim


"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...
Conductivity for a hunk of metal 62 mils thick by quarter inch wide by a
foot long where you measure resistance in the micro-ohms means absolutely
nothing -- copper, brass, or aluminum. On the other hand, corrosion
means a lot -- like steel hardware on aluminum, no matter how good the
plating on the steel.
\
All good points. So, what is it that you are trying to say , in regards
to which material should be used, and which to stay away from?
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...

Conductivity for a hunk of metal 62 mils thick by quarter inch wide by
a foot long where you measure resistance in the micro-ohms means
absolutely nothing -- copper, brass, or aluminum. On the other hand,
corrosion means a lot -- like steel hardware on aluminum, no matter
how good the plating on the steel.

\
All good points. So, what is it that you are trying to say , in regards
to which material should be used, and which to stay away from?

I took what he was saying to be that the difference in conductivity
between the materials mentioned for the size piece in question isn't a
factor worth worrying about. Compatibility with the connectors is much
more important as any galvanic corrosion between the connector and the
buss bar will cause substantially more resistance than will the
difference in buss bar material.

So pick the buss bar material which is most compatible with your
connector material.


Matt

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
.. .
I said that I much prefer what is called a barrier strip terminal block,
and whether you get it at The Shack, Mouser, Digikey, etc. is immaterial.

However, if you are going to roll your own, I prefer brass, as it corrodes
a lot less than either copper or aluminum.


I take, then, the terminal block (if it is what I am thinking of) will
require individual wires with terminals crimped onto them, to make the
connection with the individual breakers, or fuses?
--
Jim in NC

RST Engineering wrote:
Conductivity for a hunk of metal 62 mils thick by quarter inch wide by a
foot long where you measure resistance in the micro-ohms means absolutely
nothing -- copper, brass, or aluminum. On the other hand, corrosion means a
lot -- like steel hardware on aluminum, no matter how good the plating on
the steel.

Jim


"ELIPPSE" wrote in message
oups.com...
Brass has substantially less conductivity than copper. Aluminum has
less conductivity than copper, but has twice the conductivity per pound.

All power substations use aluminum bar conductors. The trick with
aluminum conductors is that you must apply something like NO-OXID or
Vaseline to the conductor, abraid it with steel wool or crocus cloth,
then, leaving the grease in place, fasten the conductors together using
Belleville washers. Aluminum starts to oxidize immediately when
cleaned, so the grease seals the surface from air. The spring washers
apply the 1500 psi contact force that assures very low resistance, and
also allows for the difference in thermal expansion rates between the
steel fasteners and the aluminum. For instance, 1/8" X 1" 6063-T5
aluminum, such as in the Macklinburg-Duncan display at your hardware
store, has the same conductivity as AWG 0-1 OFHC copper but at half the
weight and much less cost. That's how I made my two 8' battery
conductors in my Lancair that go from the battery in the baggage
compartment to the engine. This method was given us by Alcoa in putting
in the ground grid for our radar and computers in the Atlas Guidance
system. Rocket Science!

"ELIPPSE" wrote

For instance, 1/8" X 1" 6063-T5
aluminum, such as in the Macklinburg-Duncan display at your hardware
store, has the same conductivity as AWG 0-1 OFHC copper but at half the
weight and much less cost. That's how I made my two 8' battery
conductors in my Lancair that go from the battery in the baggage
compartment to the engine.

What did you use for insulation, on the positive bar?
--
Jim in NC

Hi, Jim! First off, remember its a fiberglass plane. I ran one bar down
each side of the fuselage and put one layer of fiberglass over each.
Another way would be to put in one bar, fiberglass over it, put the
second conductor over top of the first, then fiberglass over that. That
construction yields a good-quality distributed-capacitance for
transient suppression, and the two close-together conductors give good
EMI cancellation. Paul

"ELIPPSE" wrote

Hi, Jim! First off, remember its a fiberglass plane. I ran one bar down
each side of the fuselage and put one layer of fiberglass over each.
\\
Good idea. I'm not a glass kind of guy, so I might not have thought of
that.
--
Jim in NC