# Aluminum Buss Bars for SPL!



## sundownz

* I have just a little bit of aluminum here.









* Front brackets to hold them in place will be aluminum angle just like the bars.









* Allen bolts + lock washer + brass washer (have one on both sides)









* This is where the wires will connect for the amps, grounds, flux caps, etc

Should be able to pull a few amps through that 

3" x 2" angle @ 1/4" thickness


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## [email protected]

I would think that should provide some juice


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## falkenbd

I don't think you have enough batteries. ...

Nice!


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## falkenbd

daily double


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## fredridge

just don't drop a wrench 

looks cool, but seems like too much exposed


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## sundownz

Amp rack will be covering the bars - don't worry


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## sundownz

falkenbd said:


> I don't think you have enough batteries. ...
> 
> Nice!


Funny thing - I honestly don't 

Ideally I need twice as many for the amount of amps I will be using but I cannot fit any more with my current configuration!


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## falkenbd

sundownz said:


> Funny thing - I honestly don't
> 
> Ideally I need twice as many for the amount of amps I will be using but I cannot fit any more with my current configuration!


stack em up...

I hope to see a build log of the entire thing...


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## sundownz

When I post the pics with everything installed you will see why I cannot fit any more 

I should have it at least playing by this weekend for an SPL competition.


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## dvsadvocate

Better paint it with some rubberized coating. That thing could surely cause some major sparks! Nice job though!


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## [email protected]

dvsadvocate said:


> Better paint it with some rubberized coating. That thing could surely cause some major sparks! Nice job though!


Thats a good idea for the top of it


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## sundownz

* Wires installed onto bars



























* Taped over the ends of the + bar near the chassis









* Flux Caps and SAX-50.4 on bottom amp rack









* Only the "-" bar is exposed


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

That's crazy Jake, but not for SPL I guess... 

You know, if there was any way of you raising your amp rack, the leinght of one battery, you could easily get 6 more in.. You could simply flip your + bus bar over, and put the other 6, standing on their ends right onto it.. Then you would have another negative bus, on the very top of everything.. 

Obviously, I don't know what the plan is overall, but it would be a easy way of getting more batteries in... If you are planning a box with a pair/quad of 15/18" drivers, I would think that adding the batteries like I mentioned, would bring the amp rack up to just below the top of the enclosure... ? 

Again, I donno what you are up to, so, i'm just spitballin..


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## sundownz

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> That's crazy Jake, but not for SPL I guess...
> 
> You know, if there was any way of you raising your amp rack, the leinght of one battery, you could easily get 6 more in.. You could simply flip your + bus bar over, and put the other 6, standing on their ends right onto it.. Then you would have another negative bus, on the very top of everything..
> 
> Obviously, I don't know what the plan is overall, but it would be a easy way of getting more batteries in... If you are planning a box with a pair/quad of 15/18" drivers, I would think that adding the batteries like I mentioned, would bring the amp rack up to just below the top of the enclosure... ?
> 
> Again, I donno what you are up to, so, i'm just spitballin..


With two layers of amps I'd be above the window line which is against the rules in my SPL classes.

If I re-do the setup with a forward firing box I can put a bunch behind the box - which I may do later if I can't get a 160 out of my new box!


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## 05_sprcrw

Great work, I can't imagine all this gear I see in some of the spl cars. It is some serious gear, don't get me wrong its sweet but it still blows my mind at how much stuff you guys can get in the vehicle.


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## Luke352

I like the way you've done it but like somelse said, I would seriously consider coating the bars in some type of rubberised coating, the potential for a catastrophic failure there is huge, I can't imagine how many dollars would go down the drain if something arced the two bars or even from your battery locating bars to the positive bus bar. It would be as simple as tapeing the spots where the contact is made to the batteries and terminals and then spraying the rest with car underbody coating, 10 minutes extra work could save alot of heartache latter down the track.


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## 2chGUY

I'll throw in two suggestions that might squeeze a touch more out of your buss system.

1)take off what oxidation you have on your buss at all the connection points with some light sanding. I didn't see anything in your pics suggesting that you did.

2)treat those same points with anti oxidant like this for example:

Utilco - Electrical connectors, compression, taps, splicers, grounding and more

It wouldn't hurt to put that same compound on your bolt threads that you're using for connections.

You probably wouldn't notice much of anything right off the hop, but aluminum untreated becomes aluminum oxide fairly quickly. Aluminum Oxide will create a resistance at your connection points. Resistance creates heat which helps produce Aluminum Oxide, not SPL...

Might as well nip it in the bud while you can.


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## ptannjr

Is it just me or am i seeing NO FUSING?


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## 2chGUY

The amps have their own from the look of them. 

Personally, I wouldn't bother with protection for 3ft of wire. That's all the fuse would be protecting anyway...


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## sundownz

ptannjr said:


> Is it just me or am i seeing NO FUSING?


Didn't post that - but here it is :










Giant brass object at the far side.

12v wire is also fused where it goes into the Flux Caps (silver boxes - they step up my 12v system to charge my 16v batteries).










Main power from front to back is also fused 

I'm not that crazy 

*PS:* The pictured setup did 153.4 dB with the 3000Ds wired at 1 ohm nominal (0.9 DCR) producing a combined total of 4960 watts after impedance rise @ 53 Hz.


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## sundownz

2chGUY said:


> I'll throw in two suggestions that might squeeze a touch more out of your buss system.
> 
> 1)take off what oxidation you have on your buss at all the connection points with some light sanding. I didn't see anything in your pics suggesting that you did.
> 
> 2)treat those same points with anti oxidant like this for example:
> 
> Utilco - Electrical connectors, compression, taps, splicers, grounding and more
> 
> It wouldn't hurt to put that same compound on your bolt threads that you're using for connections.
> 
> You probably wouldn't notice much of anything right off the hop, but aluminum untreated becomes aluminum oxide fairly quickly. Aluminum Oxide will create a resistance at your connection points. Resistance creates heat which helps produce Aluminum Oxide, not SPL...
> 
> Might as well nip it in the bud while you can.


That is a good idea - next time I have it apart (probably soon) I'll go ahead and do that.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

sundownz said:


> With two layers of amps I'd be above the window line which is against the rules in my SPL classes.
> 
> If I re-do the setup with a forward firing box I can put a bunch behind the box - which I may do later if I can't get a 160 out of my new box!



Fair enough, good luck...!!


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## chad

I buy from these guys because they sent me some for my impulse protection rig for my antenna farm. But this is a good article none the less.

Special Publications | Technical Publication #60


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## retroaudioinc

very nice... I like those..


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## ptannjr

sundownz said:


> Didn't post that - but here it is :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Giant brass object at the far side.
> 
> 12v wire is also fused where it goes into the Flux Caps (silver boxes - they step up my 12v system to charge my 16v batteries).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Main power from front to back is also fused
> 
> I'm not that crazy
> 
> *PS:* The pictured setup did 153.4 dB with the 3000Ds wired at 1 ohm nominal (0.9 DCR) producing a combined total of 4960 watts after impedance rise @ 53 Hz.


That is cool. I just get amazed at how many times people run big systems and dont add any external fusing and thing the fuses are for the amps. It just makes me cring seeing batteries in the back of a vehicle and not fusing the main power line going back to the front of the vehicle. lots of people seem to thing a single fuse under the hoood (if even that much) is good enough.


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## armed

ptannjr said:


> That is cool. I just get amazed at how many times people run big systems and dont add any external fusing and thing the fuses are for the amps. It just makes me cring seeing batteries in the back of a vehicle and not fusing the main power line going back to the front of the vehicle. lots of people seem to thing a single fuse under the hoood (if even that much) is good enough.


i ran 8 0/1 cables from the front of a car (stock battery location) to the rear..with no fuses....
fuses pop quick when you do a burp...thats why i stop using them.
300amp fuses burn quick, and when they do while your on the line, you cant do none about it... thats why most of the db Drag cars dont even use fuses.. (i say most of the guys)

oh yeah by the way, nice set up...
have you thought about using a copper bar?
what car is it? super street 1-2 (no wall)?

i have a street B explorer...want to buy it?


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## sundownz

Yep, SS 1-2 NW is correct.

I did not use copper due to cost - my excessively over-sized aluminum was still 1/2 the cost of equal resistance copper.


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## armed

if the resistance is about the same... i will definitely go for the cheaper ones LOL


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## 2chGUY

Silver 1.59×10-8 (ohm-m) at 20 degrees C
Copper 1.72×10-8 
Gold 2.44×10-8 
Aluminium 2.82×10-8 

Just for reference sake. Copper would be a solid improvement if size were a factor. As it is....go Al...!


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## da Vinci

I realize this post is a month old, but as was suggested, most definitely use an anti-oxidant compound on those connections and bolt threads. Noalox was recommended for use on the connections of my 500 Farad Maxwell Boostcap module. You can get it at home depot for under $5. Make sure to shake it very well.

IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. - Noalox® Anti-Oxidant Compound


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## chad

da Vinci said:


> I realize this post is a month old, but as was suggested, most definitely use an anti-oxidant compound on those connections and bolt threads. Noalox was recommended for use on the connections of my 500 Farad Maxwell Boostcap module. You can get it at home depot for under $5. Make sure to shake it very well.
> 
> IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. - Noalox® Anti-Oxidant Compound


^^^ that's good ****^^^


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## da Vinci

Yeah it is some good stuff...works as advertised. I had never heard about these types of anti-oxidant until I bought my capacitor... which has aluminum connection points with grade 8 bolts. Aluminum oxidizes very fast when in contact with other metals. I learned the hard way to shake it extremely well though. It was very watery at the top of the tube.


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