Hi looking at building a new system and want input form the group if to solder the Terminal connection or not ?
asked
to Solder or not to solder
Hi @Stavarda, as a general rule (particularly in DC wiring) definitely do not solder. There's a reason why, were you to look under the hood of your car, 98% of all connections are crimped rather than soldered.
In the case of heavy-gauge finely stranded DC cabling such as battery cables and the like, if you have a proper crimp to begin with, there is nowhere for the solder to flow; furthermore the heat of the soldering can adversely affect the tinning of the copper stranding (assuming you're using marine-grade tinned copper wire, ignore this if you're not); and finally, the heat of the soldering will make the fine stranding of DC wiring brittle, which can lead to premature failure at connection points.
Make sure your lugs are closed-end, your crimps are solid (for heavy-gauge applications like battery cables, you should be able to pull on the crimped connector with all your strength and see no movement) and then use good double-wall adhesive-lined shrink tube to seal the end, and you're golden.
Automotive argument is rather week.
1. speed - crimping is much faster than soldering.
2. Vibration - soldered joint is more susceptible to fault due to vibration.
As for soldering adversly affecting tinning on the wire. I wonder how those wires got tinned in the first place? I am sure that the heat was involved.
Is there any other, more scientific reason, for not using soldering?
@MarekP thanks for the input, and for presenting additional points! I wasn't going for strength of argument, for there isn't an argument here. One way is correct, the other is not.
With regard to the tinning of wire, yes, assuredly heat is involved in wire tinning, but one must not presuppose that wire tinning and soldering are in the same heat range, so my statement of solder affecting the tinning stands.
There's a veritable ton of scientific evidence of the superiority of crimped connections over soldered, and I'm sure anyone can research that more fully if they choose to. In the meantime, however, the succinct answer is simply: Crimp, never solder.
@Justin Cook - Bay Marine Supply USA
Not every installation is in mobile home or speedboat.
Stationary installation would have no problem with soldered wires.
As for scientific explanation for not to solder, it must be quite hard to put down in plain English, if you are sending me to use Google.
Not every installation is in mobile home or speedboat.
Stationary installation would have no problem with soldered wires.
As for scientific explanation for not to solder, it must be quite hard to put down in plain English, if you are sending me to use Google.
@MarekP, this is primarily a discussion forum for Victron components, not a larger discussion forum of electrical theory - thus why this question has been answered: Crimp, never solder, if for no other reason than that a good crimp will result in far lower connector resistance than the best solder joint; and since resistance = heat, the last thing one could possibly want is heat building up in a soldered joint.
This is irrespective of a mobile installation or otherwise. The proper installation of any DC system, Victron or otherwise, will use properly crimped connections.
What device you are talking about?
You should use electric wire ferrules instead of solder.
Agreed, should not use solder as the primary means of attaching cabling for anything not on a printed circuit board. A crimper (controlled cycle ratchet type), used properly, will consistently deliver good quality connection between the cable and the lug/ferrule.
