Anderson Plug Wiring

Submitted: Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 11:48
ThreadID: 105377 Views:5223 Replies:5 FollowUps:7
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Hi,
I'm about to wire a Anderson plug to the rear of my vehicle and I know you should use at least 6 mm2 wire, as I have not yet purchased the wire I see on Flea Bay you can buy 6, 8, 10 or even 13 mm wire. My question is there a big difference in using the thicker wire. The Anderson plug will be used to top up the T-Van battery and occasionally use my compressor.
Also what does the 8B&S mean before the wire size.
Thanks in anticipation
Cheers
Graham
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Reply By: Shaker - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 11:54

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 11:54
B&S stands for Brown & Sharpe, it is the same as AWG (American Wire Gauge)
Don't forget to fuse it at the battery!
AnswerID: 522587

Follow Up By: Member - Graham N (SA) - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 06:43

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 06:43
Thanks for that Shaker I had forgotten about fusing it what Wattage fuse would you suggest?
Cheers
Graham
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham N (SA) - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 08:30

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 08:30
Oops should have been amps sorry
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Reply By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 12:00

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 12:00
Look here Graham
http://andersonpower.com.au/
Living is a journey,it depends on where you go !
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AnswerID: 522588

Reply By: Member - Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 12:12

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 12:12
G'day Graham,

B&S is a wire gauge system. It is virtually identical to AWG, which you may see from time to time. Both are commonly spoken of simply as "gauge", eg 8 gauge. The smaller the number the larger the conductor size.

Here is a link to a table that lists wire gauge and conductor size in other measurements, including mm2.

Beware of wires described in mm, as distinct from mm2. In automotive terms, a 6mm wire is the diameter of the wire, including insulation. The amount of copper in it is a moveable feast. Buy cheap Chinese (eBay?) and you risk getting lots of plastic for your money and little copper.

Wire sizes described in terms of square mm (mm2) or gauge are much more meaningful.

The 6 mm2 cable you mention is somewhere between 10 and 9 gauge, IMO not suitable for a long cable run that may carry considerable current. IMO the absolute minimum wire size for your cable run back in your vehicle to the Anderson is 8 gauge. 6 is much better.

Is the alternator on your vehicle temperature compensating, or the charging system controlled by the ECU? If so in either case your Tvan's battery is unlikely to get a decent charge unless you install a DC-DC charger. And if you need to do that, then definitely go for 6 gauge cable to the Anderson.

Cheers

Frank
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Follow Up By: Racey - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 15:01

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 15:01
2nd the DC- DC charger
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham N (SA) - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 06:53

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 06:53
Thanks for that, the Anderson plug to the T-Van is only a back up as it has its own 50w solar system charging it and there is only LED lights and an occasional use of a water pump running off of it.

Cheers
Graham
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Follow Up By: Member - Frank P (NSW) - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 11:01

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 11:01
The backup has to work, otherwise it's not a backup :-)

So you need to consider the temp-compensating/ECU controlled charging system issue. Those systems typically settle down to about 13.0 to 13.2V output, which, after cable losses is not enough to charge a "house" battery. If your tug has one of those you NEED a DC-DC charger. Without it there will be no back-up charging.

A typical DC-DC charger will pull up to about 30 amps, hence my recommendation of 6 gauge (B&S) cabling.

If your tug does not have such a charging system you MAY get enough juice through to consider it as a back-up.

Also, your compressor will be pulling currents in that region of 20 to 30 amps, so again, 6 B&S cabling is appropriate, though 8 would do at a pinch. Voltage is important for your compressor, too. Skinny cable will cause the voltage to drop under load and the compressor will run hot. Probably OK for one tyre, but not so good for 6, so again I lean toward 6 gauge cabling to reduce voltage drop.

In another follow-up you asked about fusing. If you're looking at 30 amps in the circuit, a 40 amp fuse would be appropriate.

Cheers
FrankP

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Reply By: Andrew D. - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 14:49

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 14:49
Use 6B&S which is 13.71mm2 cable.
On the TVan you can use 8B&S 7.91mm2 cable.
Use Ctek D250S Dual to correctly charge the battery.
The Ctek D250S Dual also has inbuilt solar regulator.

Make sure you buy GENUINE Anderson plugs. The fake Anderson plugs are atrocious in every way.
AnswerID: 522603

Follow Up By: KevinE - Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 21:08

Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 at 21:08
+1 on making sure they're genuine Anderson plugs!

I bought 2 supposedly genuine ones from a well known 12V shop - they were useless! They fell apart on dirt roads in remote areas - not good! They were branded as genuine too!

The genuine ones are as hard as hell to pull apart.
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham N (SA) - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 07:02

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 07:02
Thanks for that, I have some Anderson plugs I purchased in bulk they have UCHEIT printed on them and appear genuine, I have had them uncouple but so did the original one that was about $18 here.
Cheers
Graham
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Reply By: The Bantam - Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 22:40

Friday, Dec 06, 2013 at 22:40
If you are going to wire from one end of the vehicl to the other AND you want to run your compressor.
The minimum I would entertain is 10mm2 solar twin......which is pretty good bang for bucks.
The best potion for circuit protection would be one of those 60 amp water resistant circuit breakers.

cheers
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