Battery Build Question – 10AWG vs 12AWG for Parallel Groups

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1

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a battery build for my street setup and could use some advice on wire gauge for connecting the parallel groups.The build will be a 12s5p with EVE 40PL cells.

On my first pack I used 2x 10AWG wires per group, but I had a lot of trouble pooling enough solder to make solid joints. This time around I’ve stocked up on a larger spool of heavier solder and plan to practice a bunch before committing.

What do you all think about using 12AWG for the groups this time?
Would that be sufficient, or should I stick with 10AWG?

Appreciate the tips!

As a side note, tabless cells for $3.50 seem like a real bargain!

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2

Can you fit 3 strands of 12AWG?

You can parallel as much copper as you need to get the ampacity needed.

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I thought it would work like that, but I wasn’t totally sure.

Would there be any downsides to going that route? Like, are those individual wires more likely to heat up compared to running heavier gauge?

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4

Total cross section is the same regardless and if anything more thinner wires instead of fewer thicker would be able to give off more heat.
I did 8awg using 2 soldering irons at once and cooling with a little water but it was not a method I would recommend.

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  • and depends how much power you want
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It all comes down to cross sectional area and length of the conductor(s).

Downsides of more/smaller wires is the additional time to assemble, and more potential points of failure.

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Got it, so (2) 10AWG cross section would be 10.5 mm^2 and (3) 12AWG would be 9.9 mm^2.

I would be a lot more likely to make a mistake with bigger wire, so the potential failure points probably even out. Sounds like I have my answer.

Thank you both!

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Cheers!

8

Five 14AWG is way easier to work with than two 10AWG.

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That makes sense.

I made sure to buy some test nickel tabs, so I can play around with different gauges. I’ll make sure to try 14 as well. :slight_smile: