# Terminal Barrier Blocks received from China



## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Packing and shipping 
They came in 2 ziplock sandwich bags, 5 in each bag, loose and unprotected. Bubble wrap used, just protected the bags. It took over 2 weeks to arrive from China, I ordered them through Amazon 

Specs
These are rated at 25 Amps, 600 volts, they have 15A and over 30A versions.

First Issue
My first reaction when I got these, was to grab one and shake it, yes it rattled like a maraca  and it could be used as a percussion instrument. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, even with the terminals tighten up the noise was very noticeable. 

Fixing the problem
I put electrical tape behind the plates after I removed them, the gap between the plate and plastic once inserted is what causes the noise. Some took 2 pieces of tape to have a snug fit, cutting the holes on each one was the time consuming part, once finished, it solved the noise issue.

My application
I used these for speaker wiring and had no issues with tightening the gold color screws hard. The clear plastic cover snaps on tight, the cover was easy to remove and works fine. I did not use the sides mounting holes in my application, I would be gentle screwing them if mounted on wood or metal, since the plastic can break.

Overall result and thoughts
6 out of 10 appeared OK with no noticeable cosmetic issues. I have not taken apart all of them, one of the plates had some extra holes drilled as shown, it is still very functional,
I'd buy them again if minor cosmetics will not be an issue and someone wants to take the time to fix the noise issue. 
I like the cover and the numbered sections to keep other wires or grounds from touching those areas.

Other thoughts and purposes of this review 
These terminals are sold all over eBay and Amazon at different pricing, I thought I would post detailed pictures and some solution for the maraca rattling sound they make. I hope it helps.


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

I would be worried, especially if the your using them for high current.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

TrickyRicky said:


> I would be worried, especially if the your using them for high current.



Mmmm, 

Thanks,
How many amps will they need to be then?

I am just using them for my mid bass and tweeters. No with a sub.

From the amp to the terminals is like 16 feet of 16 gauge wire , then from the terminal near the dash to the door speakers maybe an extra 9 feet and another set of bullet connectors in between.

With the power I am using my mid bass, about 260 Watts/ch it comes to 20-22 amps? with 14 volts it goes down to 18 amps. Should I increase the barrier to 30, 35 or 40 amps?

What is the risk? the amp or the speakers?

Does the length of the wire and resistance change or increase the amperage? Many calculators on line, I could not find one that included the wire length. I will be increasing the gauge to 12 going from the amp to the terminals


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

It is actually just under 9 amps max with this calculator. I still wonder what the risks are, these terminals are limited to 10 gauge wire. I thought even 15A was enough, I went with 25A terminals just in case. 

Basic Car Audio Electronics


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## TrickyRicky (Apr 5, 2009)

Your right not a lot of current, but seeing how 4 came defective is not a good sign. You do know there's a bunch of UL listed blocks on digikey and mouser pretty cheap and MUCH BETTER quality.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Thanks!
They were defective with cosmetic issues and the rattling noise, I assume they are functional, I know, that is what I got for being cheap, I wanted one with a cover and numbers to make the install easier. 

Good to know deals from other vendors and UL approved parts. Rather than limiting options at HD and pay way more. I got these from China for under $1.00 each as a package. I doubt I will have issues for such a low current.

Edited added

I checked removed all screws on the other 8 terminals and none had extra holes drilled as the one pictured here, meaning all will be functional a set aside the corner broken plastic terminal and put that plate with extra holes with it, I will not be using that one.

The plastic areas on all the rest are near perfect, may 2 of them with just minor imperfections, small plastic parts broken. 10 of these for under $7.00 shipped is not a bad deal, maybe 9 since I may not use one for cosmetic issues.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Terminals were connected 4 days ago I have been using them with 250W to each mid bass, working as expected. I need to do more tuning since the purpose of these barriers was to remove the passive crossovers and connect the leads to the terminals.


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