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I have made a set of heavy battery Jump cables ( starter leads ), particularly suitable for the starting current of the Jeeps ( typically around 350 Amps )

The Material
# cables used are 50 Sq MM copper polycab, 2 meters each of red & black color ( for +Ve & -Ve poles ).

# four No of clamps ( local ms, not exactly happy with quality )

# 4 copper lugs to be soldered to cables ( no direct crimping to clamps as it would prevent the use of cable elsewhere )

# Costs- Cables total 4 mtr 1400, lugs 160,clamps 400, soldering 100

Crimping done by me at my place, solders done by the radiator guy .

Here are the pics







Sudarshan

Thank you Sudarshan Bhai. Wanted to do it for long time, but was stuck as I dont know which cables are to be used.

There are tables available on net to calculate cable size .

You can fill in the required Amps , the voltage, AC/DC & the length to be used . Its quite ok to follow that method . I have used it numerous times sorting out cable sizes right from pump-sets in field to machinery & in Automobiles for starter ,winch & other vehicular wiring .

This is what I know about the starter current of various classes of vehicles (Very Approximately )

Cars , 200 to 250 amps

Jeeps , 250 to 500 amps

Trucks , 400 to 700 amps

Cable length affects the sq mm rating, for the same amps

Sudarshan

Are these copper lugs and clamps commonly available say with the battery dealers or ICE guys ? Bangalore members any pointers where to buy them ?

In Pune it is available in the local electrical & electronics market ( near the Temple of Pasodya Vithoba ). It can be the same with other cities having one such particular market in particular locality, which is usual.

There is one particular shop there that sells automotive related electrical items in loose . These are commonly sold things nothing special . Only thing one needs is the urge to find the place, buy & execute . :)

Sudarshan

It works out more expensive for a DIY.
So many available on ebay.co.in ranging from Rs.500 to 1500. and 250 amps to 1000amps.

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Car-500-AMP-J...ht_5481wt_1139

:) You can always say that . But do not forget to check the gauge of the wires & the length & the current carrying capacity ( not claimed but actual ) .


just want to state that the top quality Finolex cable of the same size ( 50 sq mm ) costs some 100 Rs more ( per meter ) than the ones I have bought .

IMHO & AFAIK Its impossible to have the cables of same spec ( gauge & length that I have used ) at Rs 1000 also . unless the copper market has crashed :D

Sudarshan

P S edit; check this calculator http://www.energymatters.com.au/clim...calculator.php

Fill in 12 v dc, 400 amps, 2 meter length & check the size 58.56 sq mm. My leads are 50 sq mm.

Its a must have for all car owners. Recently realized the worth of a quality jump start cable.

My Xylo's battery went off and had to Jump start from Accent. I didnt had a good cable. Tried adjusting with some old UPS cables pulled out from garage. Cable just heated up with and had to pull out before I could start the car succesfully. Then had to wait till the new battery arrives.

So guage of the cable is very important and I heard the length should not exceed much.

I too had done it the DIY way some time back. Went to truck spare part shop and bought two set of extra long extra battery connection wires for tata 407 and bought 4 heavy duty crocodile clips and 4 glands.

Worked out somewhere around 900 total with a non branded cable and 5 feet length each. Now it is the most sought after thing among my friends. Always out on rent. I don't think I will have it if and when I need it.

btw polycab is as good as finolex if not more.

cheers
vishwas

I too used to buy cables from the spares shop, but then I realized the problems regarding its quality .Too often the gauge was not sufficient, the coating was BAD.

This along with my increased need for material for different purposes led me search for quality cables in the market. The moment I came across brands like Finolex I noticed the Quality thing.

The gauge I demanded & got was absolute & correct ( no thin cables coated with thick outer insulation ). Grade of the coating was good.It did not melt away or just burned, while soldering. As the coating was of correct thickness, routing of cables was made easy in tight spaces. The cables Never got hot or warm in full loads situations. Coating did not crack or deteriorate or hard, even after use of years.

Though Finolex (50 sq mm ) costed double than the local 'Heavy walla', It proved a right decision in terms of performance.


There is no way to ascertain the quality of both. But its said that the Finolex coating is superior wrt elements (that make it melt or crack or deteriorate). It lasts long. I have used both of them of various gauges for various purposes. I prefer Finolex where the conditions are harsh on cables.

Sudarshan

My brother got one from dubai for 15 dirhams. That comes to around 225 Rupees. Probably made in china. But have used it a couple of times and came with a very good transparent carrying bag.

Totally agree with you, quality is just about acceptable. But since it is designed for truck battery and I am using it in cars and at max in jeep (that too very occasionally) it will do.
Cracking will occur only when wire is undersized and gets regularly heated under use. This will make the wire brittle in due course of time and it will crack. This will happen to Finolex and Polycab wires as well.

But there is a way sudarshan ji. There are independent labs which will test the cables for you as per IS norms on gauge, quality of copper, insulation, fire rating etc etc. I get construction material testing done on a regular basis hence I put polycab at par with finolex. Finolex I think is the more popular choice. Your comments also indicate the same.

cheers
vishwas

Local/non branded/non certified cables are cheap as mostly they are not made of pure copper but some cheap alloy. A cable that is made of copper will alway cost much much more (almost double or more) than a local cable.

I have had experience of buying cables in bulk say 5-6 rolls from a distributor(for house wiring). The discounts are unbelievable almost 40-50% off MRP. This discounted price is available for one roll as well. But you need to buy it from wholesaler.

So guys team up & reduce the cost :D

I did a similar DIY last year and it totally cost me around 2300. I used the same gauge of cable as the battery cable. Cost me around Rs. 500 per metre. The leads cost Rs. 75 each. 4 leads comes to Rs. 300. I did not solder the cables. just wrapped some silver foil and pressed the metal around the leads. and voila... it was done. It looks good, weighs a lot but it still heats up sometimes while jumpstarting.

How did you crimp the cable sir?