Make your own busbar / distribution block

Today I am making a busbar or distribution block for my vehicle!
The main purpose of the busbar is to minimize the clutter of lugs and cables on the battery's terminal.
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Disclaimer.
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All of the videos on this channel are intended for entertainment purposes only.
Should you choose to make or do anything as depicted on this channel you would do so at your own risk.
DIY projects and the use of power tools can be extremely dangerous.
The equipment and methods I use may not work for you as it does for me and by no means do I suggest that my methods of working are correct.
Therefore you should always use your equipment and power tools as instructed by the owner's manual supplied by the manufacturer.
Always use protective gear where applicable and never attempt something you are not comfortable doing.
Your shop safety is YOUR responsibility, so therefore I accept NO responsibility or liability for any injuries or accidents you may have if you attempt to do the things that I do.
Please, stay safe and work smart.

[@sreekumarUSA]

080121/1543h PST 🇺🇸 Thank you for the video demonstrating how to make busbar. Good job. A lot of effort have been put into preparing the busbar base, the 4mm Cu busbar, the 6mm bolts, washers and nuts. The home made Al lugs look good too. Remember two dissimilar metals ( especially Cu/Al combination) may cause chemical reaction at the contact area ( with the aid of moisture ) and form oxides. This, in turn, will make the contact area more resistive and builds up heat etc etc. Therefore Pure Cu lugs are highly recommended. Also it’s preferred to use SS bolts and washers and nuts. SS is impervious to oxidation Once again, thank you for your demonstration. Stay safe and 73s…

[@DIYwithDeon]

👌

[@Charlemagne1367]

What about the resistivity of stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts ? It is 40 times higher than copper while carbon steel is only 8 times that of copper.

[@MikkaBozu]

I like how the non-linear pattern in the bus bar was transferred accurately to the wood.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thank you Chuck👍

[@rogjackson]

Yes, please make video on homemade lugs. Cool video!!

[@DIYwithDeon]

I will definitely put it on my ideas list, thanks for your support Roger! 👌

[@grande6075]

Good work.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Much appreciated, and thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@jamesmason7124]

Hello from the high desert of New Mexico USA 🇺🇸. I just found your channel and I liked and subscribed. Keep up the good work and stay safe and charged

[@DIYwithDeon]

Hi James! Thank you so much for your feedback and support! 👌

[@jeffdieringer1]

Thanks for the inspiration! I've been thinking of making my own bus bar. I was hoping to use a high density self extinguishing plastic base however. I think perhaps that the bolts could be further secured with a bolt at the base. I appreciate your video sir.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Absolutely, that sounds perfect! Thanks for your feedback and support! 👌🏻

[@BudgiesinfoPlanet]

Great work 👍

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@gumnahs]

Awesome 👏

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thanks 🤗

[@roddafromdaY]

A boer maak a plan!!! Mooi man!!

[@DIYwithDeon]

Dankie vir jou ondersteuning! 👌🏻

[@MikkaBozu]

What I don’t like is the fact that when you tighten your top nut, the process will have a very good chance of causing the threaded bolt to back out slightly. This will lead to a loose connection. Loose connections heat up. And it’s heating up on A PIECE OF WOOD! Of course I can’t see the fire from my house. Best solution is to mount the bus bar on insulated posts so you can get a wrench on the bottom bolt and prevent it from loosening.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thank you for the advice and support! 👌

[@Jayfighter08]

I hear you on this but it can be tightened with the wood removed while using a wrench on the backside. Just remove the mounting screws.

[@Zerpersande]

@@Jayfighter08 Agree completely. Except….was that done?

[@jamesmason7124]

Hello from the high desert of New Mexico USA 🇺🇸. You can also use copper bolts and nuts

[@DIYwithDeon]

Absolutely, they will work perfectly! 👍

[@ronniemeeks6881]

That's exactly what I was thinking of doing for m lights on my jeep.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Awesome Ronnie, I hope this gave you enough motivation to go through with it! Thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@earthenergyhex]

nice

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@sreekumarUSA]

Addendum to the previous comment, I wish to point out that the use of organic dielectric material (wood) may cause yet another issue, as wood will absorb moisture and cause issues to the high current. Like you said, Perspex or Phenolic fiber (15mm) my be used replacing the organic material. My thought…… Best wishes…

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thank you very much for your input! I appreciate it👌

[@justinmurphy2227]

HDPE aka cutting boards (the material has natural anti-microbial properties) make for an EXCELLENT all weather mounting material. In fact, it's widely used in the marine/boating industry and relabeled as "Star-board". Witty huh? The term starboard is a marine term and the material comes in a sheet or "board" form. LOL! It's salt, UV, and warpage resistant. It has an almost waxy feel so you're not going to be able to paint it. You can find it on ebay and suppliers in many different colors that are added when making the plastic. It's also very good for making speaker adapter rings for vehicles.

[@behemothinferno]

I would go one step further and tin plate the bar that way it will never corrode and increase the electrical resistance.

[@DIYwithDeon]

That will work perfectly! Thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@user-tt7fg4xf3w]

Nickel/vinaigre DIY electrolysis plating will reduce corrosion risk dramatically

[@pltspemula]

Its so strong busbar, 👍🇮🇩

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thanks for your support! 👌🏻

[@pltspemula]

@@DIYwithDeon brave

[@richdobbs6595]

I'm going to be out of luck when I need a bus bar during the zombie apocalypse, because I won't happen to have a copper bar of the right shape already.

[@DIYwithDeon]

😅 You had better prepare one right now then! Also aluminium works very well and does not rust like the copper. Thanks for watching the video and for your comment. Much appreciated! 👍

[@anthonypidgeon8080]

Yeah I have a length of copper bar but it is my current weapon so no buss bar for me until I level up

[@jamesalton1469]

Take copper pipe and smash it flat

[@zeez9053]

That looks very professional well done ! I made one similar a few months ago.Have you got a cover so you don’t get a short ?

[@DIYwithDeon]

Thank you very much! Yes, when I install it, I will cover it with a piece of perspex.👍

[@JouniKyyronen-nv1ep]

i have brass net cable holder, it gonna be good bus bars, is voltage drop only way measure is it good bus bar material

[@DIYwithDeon]

👌

[@surfreadjumpsleep]

Good idea. However when you go from copper wire to aluminum lug back to copper busbar are you creating heat loss?

[@DIYwithDeon]

Hi Matthew, in my setup it remains nice and cool. There is no extra heat generated from the lugs or the busbar. And from another point I feel that the connections are more stable than all of them put together on a battery terminal. Thank you so much for your feedback and support! 👌

[@robertdillon9989]

Show how you made lugs

[@DIYwithDeon]

Unfortunately I don't have more of the alu pipe that I used. But I mere took a piece of alu pipe and squeezed the one end flat in a vise and the drilled a hole in that part. I hope this helps?

[@brigbunseejivesh8565]

How do you recommend crimping these Lugs for a strong connection?

[@DIYwithDeon]

I used a sidecutter to crimp them before soldering the wire into them. If you have a crimping tool, it will work even better.

[@ricardofranco4114]

Where can i buy a coper block like that ?

[@DIYwithDeon]

I am not 100% sure, as I found this between scrap metal. But I'm sure a local hardware store should have something similar. 👌🏻

[@sonnyobrien]

Isnt the wood block a potential fire hazard? Heat from the copper bar could potentially light the wood.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Hi Sonny, thank you for your feedback and support! Luckily for me, the bar does not get nearly hot enough to set the wooden block on fire. It is also a hardwood and would require a greater temperature to catch fire. I do however reckon that this could be a hazard in a large setup, but for my smaller setup it works fine. 👌

[@jamesmason7124]

If I may add something here, if you have too much heat you have resistance, so make the buss bars for the amps you need, and don't forget that inverters draw a lot of amps , a 3000 watt inverter can draw up to 300 amps at 12 volts

[@jaffasoft8976]

That'd cost about 200-300$ in Australia for Victron. Total rip offs.

[@DIYwithDeon]

Wow, that is quite expensive. It probably is very good quality, but still very expensive. Thanks for your support! 👌

[@LokeshMeena-wz2mr]

Thikness of busbar ?

[@DIYwithDeon]

Hi Lokesh! This bar was 8mm thick👍

[@mikemiller9891]

Shouldn't those bolts be stainless?

[@DIYwithDeon]

They probably can be, but mine are still working fine. I have replaced the lugs with copper lugs when I changed the cables, but the bolts and copper bar are still good. 👌🏻

[@daniele9160]

Hi, some advice, I need to extend an equipotential bar, is it possible to join it with two 8 bolts instead of doing it all over again? or is it not recommended? Thank you

[@DIYwithDeon]

Hi, depending on the purpose and total current requirements that your entire system needs, I would reckon it should work if they are thick and big enough.

[@daniele9160]

@@DIYwithDeon the bars are 3mm thick and 2cm wide, I basically have to remove the fuse after the battery positive to connect them directly to the hunt, so as to put the fuse after the shunt, I have a 2p16s battery pack

[@DIYwithDeon]

It still depends what the total current draw of the system is. If the current is quite high, even those 3mm thick bars might start getting very hot.

[@daniele9160]

@@DIYwithDeon I always keep the bars under control and the maximum load temperature is 5kW is within 25 degrees centigrade, normally

[@DIYwithDeon]

Then I cannot see a reason why it won't work.

[@jacquesdutron9954]

Do you know wood catches fire? Buss bar heat up quick. Thx for trying

[@DIYwithDeon]

👌🏻

[@conradpaul6100]

What would you use then instead of wood?

[@AskRemy]

Where to get this copper bar

[@DIYwithDeon]

This find was pure luck. I at first thought that it was a sort of alloy, and only once I started sanding it, I saw that it was actually copper. I would suggest having a look at your local scrap or salvage yard for a piece of coated copper or aluminum as it does not rust as much as copper. That would most probably be the cheapest solution if you do not have a piece of this metal laying around. 👍

[@shawnblackmar7044]

Ebay

[@rocktech7144]

What iz with the ridiculous hair? Come on you know you were all thinking this.

[@DIYwithDeon]

😄Thanks for your feedback and support! I'm glad it grabbed your attention👌