Why are the screw terminals on the 2x7A so small?
Why are the screw terminals on the 2x7A so small?
I'm having a lot of difficulty fitting the wire I need for my battery into the terminals for the 2x7A (14 gage wire). Can anyone recommend some sort of terminal/adapter that can fit the screw terminals on the 2x7A? This is pretty frustrating, as the 2x7A is perfect for my needs but can't seem to accommodate the larger gage wire that is appropriate for the batteries that would be used with this controller.
Re: Why are the screw terminals on the 2x7A so small?
I have just received 3 x RoboClaw2x7A and I confirm the problem.
Neither 14 AWG nor 16 AWG cable fits.
The solutions I can think of now:
- splitting 14AWG to 3x 19AWG cables for separate RoboClaws
- removing part of 14AWG cables at the end (if it is multi-wire type), so that they fit
According to:
https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
19AWG should be enough for 14A in chassis wiring scenario.
In my case I don't even need that much.
Neither 14 AWG nor 16 AWG cable fits.
The solutions I can think of now:
- splitting 14AWG to 3x 19AWG cables for separate RoboClaws
- removing part of 14AWG cables at the end (if it is multi-wire type), so that they fit
According to:
https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
19AWG should be enough for 14A in chassis wiring scenario.
In my case I don't even need that much.
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Basicmicro Support
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Re: Why are the screw terminals on the 2x7A so small?
The 7a terminals can be a little painful if you dont know the trick.
Open the terminals all the way. Then use a small screw driver to push the flap inside the terminal hole up all the way. This flap tends to stay bent down even when the terminal is open all the way. This makes using high strand count wire difficult(eg really flexible wire).
Also if you have really flexible wire you may want to tin the end with solder to give it some stiffness so it can go in the hole easier. You may need to use pliers to form the tinned ends so they fit.
14awg is the largest wire you can fit(its tight depending on the strand count). Also higher strand count wire has a larger diameter than lower strand count wire of the same gauge, so some 14awg wire may not fit even with the trick above.
Yes. I would recommend either running 3 separate power lines or run a 14awg power bus wire and bring shunts off with 19awg to each roboclaw. If you want something really clean you may want to use a terminal block(you can find them at Home Depot).
Open the terminals all the way. Then use a small screw driver to push the flap inside the terminal hole up all the way. This flap tends to stay bent down even when the terminal is open all the way. This makes using high strand count wire difficult(eg really flexible wire).
Also if you have really flexible wire you may want to tin the end with solder to give it some stiffness so it can go in the hole easier. You may need to use pliers to form the tinned ends so they fit.
14awg is the largest wire you can fit(its tight depending on the strand count). Also higher strand count wire has a larger diameter than lower strand count wire of the same gauge, so some 14awg wire may not fit even with the trick above.
Yes. I would recommend either running 3 separate power lines or run a 14awg power bus wire and bring shunts off with 19awg to each roboclaw. If you want something really clean you may want to use a terminal block(you can find them at Home Depot).
Re: Why are the screw terminals on the 2x7A so small?
Thanks for your responses. I tried the trick mentioned above, and it didn't work, so I think I have some extra thicc 14gage wire because the wire itself had a lot of strands (around 30). I'm probably just going to downgrade the wire gage of the circuit to 18 gage, as the ampacity of the wire is 16 amps in chassis wiring. Some of the connections need to be redone anyway.