# Anderson connector or fuses closest to battery



## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi David
I am using Anderson connectors at the (four) batteries and a similar device with a pull cable as an "Oh Shit" disconnector
I also have contactors on both the +ve and -ve lines

Have you got your fuses and Anderson connectors?
I got some fuses off TradeMe - some left over 
and I got some connectors off AliBaba - they sell them in pairs! so I have some extra ones
PM me if you are interested


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## davidmillin (Dec 14, 2013)

Hi Duncan. Thanks for the reply I will use both an anderson connector and fuses and contactors at both poles. I was keen to use the anderson connector closest to the battery and then fuses, shunts, and contactors in a control box immediately after that but wasn't sure whether I would be violating LVVTA guidelines by not having "fuses as close as possible to the battery but outside any venting battery box". Below shows the schematic for what I would like to do. Will it pass certification this way or do I need fuses first then anderson connector then other control box components.

Cheers
David


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi David

You would need to talk to your certifier BUT I see no problems with that layout,

My interpretation of
 _closely as possible to both poles of the power source_
Is - as close as is sensible - in the same "box" would be good - six feet away would be bad

In your system disconnecting the Anderson connector (and discharging the caps) makes it all safe to work on
If the fuses are on the other side then they are difficult to safely work on

IMHO fuses are there to stop the wires going on fire - they won't save anything else

Will your E Stop break 1000+ amps?
You will need something to show the vacuum pump is on (light)
and a light to show the system is live
and a light for the handbrake

I used a second brake light switch to short out the throttle pot - zero ohms when the brake pedal is pushed


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## davidmillin (Dec 14, 2013)

Thanks for that Duncan you make a good point about being able to safely work on the fuse with the anderson connector on the battery side. As far as my emergency stop is concerned this is what is written about it "They are rated to 250A continuous, but can handle much higher currents short term, so are fine for breaking the traction circuit directly in most EV systems. The contacts have a rated electrical life of 1000 live disconnects - but hopefully you'll never experience 1000 emergency situations!" So hopefully it does the job. The contactors are rated to break 2000A at 320volts so turning the key off should also work in an oh shit situation. I have a vacuum loss sensor which I should just be able to connect to the low brake fluid sensor line and the car already has a handbrake light. I guess I'll need to install additional lights somewhere on the dash for traction circuit live and also charging and precharge I haven't given it too much thought. There are some obsolete lights on the dash now that were for park, reverse, neutral, drive, and driveS from when the car had an automatic transmission do you think I could use these they are quite inconspicuous and maybe something more noticeable is required.

Cheers 
David


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

davidmillin said:


> I guess I'll need to install additional lights somewhere on the dash for traction circuit live and also charging and precharge I haven't given it too much thought. There are some obsolete lights on the dash now that were for park, reverse, neutral, drive, and driveS from when the car had an automatic transmission do you think I could use these they are quite inconspicuous and maybe something more noticeable is required.
> Cheers
> David


I don't have a precharge light anymore - now I just look at the voltage - when its close I switch the contactor

My lights are on the center console - not very noticeable!

You should be able to use the ones you have - but you may be asked to label them


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## evnz (Jul 24, 2010)

my Anderson's are in the battery pack as it is to drop the pack down below 60 vdc as said in the cert guide lines
"NOTE 1: Inspecting and maintaining an electric vehicle can be extremely hazardous due to the high voltages present. Within the context of this standard, ‘High Voltage’ is defined as exceeding 60V DC or 25V AC. All work must be carried out with a high regard for personal safety, using appropriate tools and all available safeguards."
and mine is legal 
the blog has more pictures and as for dash light mine was a diesel when i lost vacuum the hand brake light came on


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## evnz (Jul 24, 2010)

the dash lights are green for power red for the controller and red switch for powering the charge relays the orange is spare that i may put on the water pump later


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## lizamare (Apr 14, 2015)

I had thought of using a bicycle speedo and inputting the correct number for my tire size and diff ratio
I will more likely end up using one of the simple electronic dashboards that are available


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## kennybobby (Aug 10, 2012)

i wonder why a fuse is required on both poles--doesn't seem like you would ever want the return or low side to ever open up, especially with an inductive load.

Looking at teardown data by comparison, the tesla S pack has one internal fuse on the high side (see picture) and two internal contactors. The pack is routed directly to the inverter with no additional fuses. There is some sort of resettable thermal protection device on both poles in the high voltage junction box, but it has not been identified by anyone as yet.


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## mons2b (Nov 17, 2015)

Hi Duncan

Old thread I know but.. from what I remember of comms with a Dunedin Certifier no box is needed for Lithum chemistry batteries unless its to hold them in one piece? Our ex Chevy batteries hold themselves together plenty well enough they just need to be restrained. My front battery has a kind of thick steel strap that goes over the battery a number of times then screws tight. My rear battery reuses the original (part of it) chevy mounting plate. It just needs welding to the trunk.. I still need someone to do that welding for me..

Im pretty sure the certifier said I didnt need to have fuses on both poles of the battery? Just the one fuse per pack? Is that per pack then one for the total combined voltage as mine is 144v in parallel? I have 4 rather huge ex industrial fuses that are as big as coke cans.. yes price was a factor. I have plenty of anderson connectors and I plan to wire in the original Chevy main disconnect because.. I have it. I have no money to progress the project much as I am out of work and seperated but I hope to restart it when I get a new job and can save for the 600 worth of welding cable I need. 




Duncan said:


> Hi David
> 
> You would need to talk to your certifier BUT I see no problems with that layout,
> 
> ...


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi
My car is now changed - I'm using the Chevy Volt pack with the Chevy service plug thing as my fuse 

When I pull that the battery is split and the inside connections cannot be reached

You should not need $600 worth of cables! - I did not spend anywhere near that much - I would have remembered!

When it comes to current think about time as well as current - My controller is set to 1200 amps - but that is for a couple of seconds

My motor is rated at 200 amps - so long term as in 20 minutes that is as high as I am going to go - cables should be continuously rated at 300 ish amps - not 1200 - look at the cabling on the Chevy battery - in fact use as much as you can!


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## mons2b (Nov 17, 2015)

Hi Duncan. To get $600 I found the cheapest orange welding cable and measured from front pack to centre of car. Then back pack to centre. Then centre back to front and centre to charger. My understanding is if I didn't have that centre meeting point the unequal cable length will cause uneven drain and charge due to resistance of the cable. Ends up being a lot of cable.


Duncan said:


> Hi
> My car is now changed - I'm using the Chevy Volt pack with the Chevy service plug thing as my fuse
> 
> When I pull that the battery is split and the inside connections cannot be reached
> ...


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Use as much of the Chevy power cable as you can - I don't think you need to worry too much about equal lengths as when you are charging you will charge down to a nice low current so any voltage variation will be minute


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## swoozle (Nov 13, 2011)

Charging cable can be a lot smaller than the motor cable since it carries much less current. Look at the Volt charging leads; they are tiny. I used 2 gauge and even that is overkill. 
I agree, I don't think you need to use a center tap point. Even if there is a slight imbalance in current under heavy motor load, the sub-pack voltages will equalize when the load decreases. 

00 cable (what I use for motor leads) is 0.080 ohms per THOUSAND feet. V = IR. So when I pull 700 amps under heavy acceleration over 10 a foot cable, that's half a volt drop. Very small. Which of course goes to zero as the current drops to zero. 

What size cable did you price out?


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## domanton (May 21, 2021)

Our ex Chevy batteries hold themselves together plenty well enough they just need to be restrained. My front battery has a kind of thick steel strap that goes over the battery a number of times then screws tight. My rear battery reuses the original (part of it) chevy mounting plate. It just needs welding to the trunk.

Just the one fuse per pack? Is that per pack then one for the total combined voltage as mine is 144v in parallel? I have 4 rather huge ex industrial fuses that are as big as coke cans.. yes price was a factor. I have plenty of anderson connectors and I plan to wire in the original Chevy main disconnect because.. I have it. I have no money to progress the project .

I don't think you need to use a center tap point. Even if there is a slight imbalance in current under heavy motor load, the sub-pack voltages will equalize when the load decreases.


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