Electrics

To reduce voltage drop of 12v to the main cabin I an installing a 10mm² ring-main, that is cable going in both directions around a room, from the fuse box, giving a sum of 20mm² conductor for both negative and positive lines.

1. I've bought the cable and 24 off 10mm x 6mm crimp terminals from
   Torberry Connectors at cost of £102.55 inc P&P
   The pink and grey surrounding the copper are the actual covering. The darker red and black is the transparent overlay, which you can see by the join.
   

   

   
   I bought a Weller 40w soldering iron and although it can heat the crimps enough to melt solder it cools to quickly for the 10mm cable to settle in so i had to crimp too :(
   

   

2. As I am going to run spurs from the ring-main I am using stand-alone post terminals to which I can fix multiple wires each. I have bought 6 red and 6 black from 12voltplanet.co.uk, hence the 36 lugs mentioned above. I will make boxes to house the terminals as I progress. Cost £57.47 inc P&P
   

   

3. I am also replacing the main cables from the MPPT to the batteries and from the batteries to the fuse box with 16mm² cable and for which I will use 16|8 crimps for the battery connections (4 off) and 1 off 16|6 for the fuse box
4. To mange the heavy cable I have bought a wire cutter (£33.23) and cable stripper (£20.50) from Farnell
   

   

   
   Both arrived around midday 11th Nov but the Nipex stripper is all but useless.
5. Have ordered 16|8 and 16|5 crimp terminals and 2 each of 15A and 30A fuses from 12voltplanet, pity I didn't get it together for one order (P&P etc.)
6. Ordered 4m of red and 3m of black16mm² from Batteries and Solar, Plymouth

31st October : ML V=12.47   Y=240Wh
30th October : ML V=12.51⇖Y=50Wh
29th October : ML V=12.55⇖Y=50Wh
28th October : ML V=12.59⇖Y=140Wh
27th October : ML V=12.59⇖Y=220Wh
26th October : ML V=12.67⇖Y=470Wh   I 
25th October : ML V=12.51⇖Y=300Wh   I 
24th October : ML V=12.67⇖Y=30Wh
23rd October : ML V=12.67⇖Y=150Wh   I 
22nd October: ML V=12.56⇖Y=180Wh
21st October : ML V=12.63⇖Y=100Wh
20th October : ML V=12.76⇖Y=100Wh
19th October : ML V>12.36⇖Y=170Wh
18th October : ML V=12.67⇖Y=530Wh   I 
17th October : ML V=12.71⇖Y=260Wh   I 
16th October : ML V=12.67⇖Y=750Wh   I 
15th October : ML V=12.63⇖Y=610Wh   I 
14th October : ML V=12.55⇖Y=640Wh   I 
It seems the USBA to USBmicro cables i have do not transfer data and the converter is recognised by windows device manager ~ so all working :)

13th October :: OK have USB access, and have downloded details
12th October :: Still no USBA port access, so no access to data.
^
4th October ::: Still no USBA port access, so no access to data.
However battery electrolyte is fine.
3rd October ::: Toshiba computer not working so no access to data.
2nd October :: Toshiba computer not working so no access to data.
1st October ::: Toshiba computer not working so no access to data.

30th September Toshiba computer not working so no access to data.
29th September Toshiba computer not working so no access to data.
28th September : ML V=12.63⇖Y=140Wh
27th September : ML V=12.75⇖Y=1.19KWh   I 
26th September : ML V=12.59⇖Y=790Wh   I 
25th September : ML V=12.67⇖Y=1.03KWh   I 
24th September : ML V=12.63⇖Y=400Wh   I 
23rd September : ML V=12.75⇖Y=280Wh   I 
22nd September: ML V=12.52⇖Y=160Wh
21st September : ML V=12.78⇖Y=1.08KWh   I 
20th September : ML V=12.66⇖Y=770Wh   I 
19th September : ML V=12.79⇖Y=530Wh   I 
18th September : ML V=12.82⇖Y=1.08KWh   I 
17th September : ML V=12.66⇖Y=1.19KWh   I 
16th September : ML V=12.90⇖Y=810Wh   I 
15th September : ML V=12.71⇖Y=300Wh   I 
14th September : ML V=12.83⇖Y=1.17KWh   I 
13th September : ML V=12.78⇖Y=1.02KWh   I 
12th September : ML V=12.83⇖Y=560Wh   I 
11th September : ML V=12.76⇖Y=190Wh   I 
10th September : ML V=12.67⇖Y=780Wh   I 
9th September ::: ML V=12.86⇖Y=270Wh   I  12.86 Didn't use any electrics yesterday after dark.
8th September ::: ML V=12.74⇖Y=480Wh   I 
7th September ::: ML V=12.71⇖Y=400Wh   I 
6th September ::: ML V=12.70⇖Y=790Wh   I 
5th September ::: ML V=12.74⇖Y=510Wh   I 
4th September ::: ML V=12.40⇖Y=230Wh   I  12.40 Using until 2am and not up early enough to see ML so the reading is 'the morning low not my use of term as the voltage before activated by sunrise.
3rd September ::: ML V=12.71⇖Y=190Wh   I 
2nd September :: ML V=12.67⇖Y=160Wh   I 
1st September ::: ML V=12.78⇖Y=880Wh   I 

May 9th Initially the controller default programme is the lowest, so I have now set it to option 4. The nominal voltage then is 14.9v and tested at 15.1 probably due to temp compensation, which has to be set.

Sept 2020 I transferred Victron Direct USB cable to set up the S6 145s workshop batteries way back, probably in May, but I now have a second unit that will be fitted as and when

Javascript calculator for voltage drop through copper wiring/cable

• Cable length is the single distance from source to load not the sum of the pos. and neg. wires.
• Use a figure for maximum current as this calculates the maximum voltage drop.

AWG # Diameter
(mm) Diameter
(inch) Area
(mm2)
0000 (4/0) 11.6840 0.4600 107.2193
000 (3/0) 10.4049 0.4096 85.0288
00 (2/0) 9.2658 0.3648 67.4309
0 (1/0) 8.2515 0.3249 53.4751
1 7.3481 0.2893 42.4077
2 6.5437 0.2576 33.6308
3 5.8273 0.2294 26.6705
4 5.1894 0.2043 21.1506
5 4.6213 0.1819 16.7732
6 4.1154 0.1620 13.3018
7 3.6649 0.1443 10.5488
8 3.2636 0.1285 8.3656
9 2.9064 0.1144 6.6342
10 2.5882 0.1019 5.2612
11 2.3048 0.0907 4.1723
12 2.0525 0.0808 3.3088
13 1.8278 0.0720 2.6240
14 1.6277 0.0641 2.0809
15 1.4495 0.0571 1.6502
16 1.2908 0.0508 1.3087
17 1.1495 0.0453 1.0378
18 1.0237 0.0403 0.8230
19 0.9116 0.0359 0.6527