I'm sure Andy is doing great (I sure hope so), but we are all missing out on some great potential collaborations. I would so much like a coop between Clive, Andy, Mehdi and lets throw in Techmoan and 8-Bit-Guy for the memes.
Iron is very poorly soluble in both the alpha and beta phases of brass, so it precipitates as a ferromagnetic secondary phase, which could explain the slight attraction to a magnet. As for the naming, the Chinese term for brass is literally yellow copper, so it often gets mistranslated as just copper (or more likely "mistranslated", if you catch my drift).
tin is paramagnetic, so it'll be slightly attracted to a magnet. a nickel plating would make it more attractive... and more expensive. As for the "brass"... 954 aluminium bronze "looks" like brass and has about 5% iron, which will make it slightly magnetic. It's a common alloy for plumbing fittings. It's considerably cheaper than brass. it's also has like 4x as much electrical resistance. Best way to tell the difference is to drill it. Brass drills easily 954 is harder to drill and is very "grabby".
With such a quality connection this would make, at 80A you may also find it doubles as a space heater. I can imagine the fun, melty goodness that could come from something like this when running at 80A!
My home lightning arrestor claims to handle 100,000 amps. Funny there don't seem to be any cables large enough connected to it. Maybe they count the bolts that pass it by.
If the plating is nickel it would explain the slight magnetic effect. I wonder of it is still magnetic when all the screws are removed and the plating ground off.
I removed the plating and screws and it still had a very slight attraction. I also tested the magnet on a couple of brass plumbing fittings and it had a similar light attraction.
That's almost certainly nickel-plated brass. In regards to the 80A rating, I reckon it could probably take 80A fairly well - It looks thick enough. I'm surprised that a Temu product is actually fairly legitimate.
its not like Temu actually manufacture anything. This is just like any other chinese product, sold without any accountability through a large company. To me the question often is, would it actually make financial sense to produce a really bad version of a product? The market of people you can essentially scam with niche industrial parts is probably not worth it, so you're probably better off producing something actually usable.
I agree - here in Aus, a Weidmuller block is $95 vs plenty of variations of the Temu item at $10-15. Many of the cheapo ones have certifications stamped on them, but who knows if they're genuine. Anyhow, I'd happily use this block for projects, just not in my house electrical box where a fire started by such a thing would void insurance.
Dunno if I'd trust _anything_ from Temu for CPC purposes, especially after seeing some of the fault currents you can get flowing through PME links as demonstrated in other videos on this platform... ⚡🔌🌍😳
I've seen that silvery "brass" alloy in many cheap electrical devices, it's always super brittle with huge grains in the metal. I always figured it was basically pot metal from whatever scrap they had on hand, as they don't seem to be too picky about meeting specifications.
Chinesium can be pretty hit and miss, they have a saying that basically goes "you get what you pay for" and if you try buying for cheap without proper connections you'll definitely get scammed.
White brass like this is pretty common in other places, like taps and the likes. It is absolutely the wrong kind of brass to use for electrical connections. White brass is not intended or remotely a good idea for situations where any plastic deformation is required.
The main thing I would be concerned about is if they always send the same item when ordering from the listing. No guarantee that they don't swap out what they're selling at some point for something much sketchier.
Exactly what I thought. Temu could easily throw out _Good enough_ product up to the point several high-profile RU-vidrs review it, and *then* start shipping out the _real_ Chinesium... ⚠
@@dieseldragon6756 I was thinking more likely that they would open up shop running at a loss to build a customer base and reputation before cutting costs right down to the bone, but accumulating RU-vid reviews is definitely a possibility as well
Yeah, that’s the problem with TEMU and the like. You might get something perfectly adequate, but you just don’t know. That’s what reputation is for: to have confidence that you can trust the product.
I've used them for battery systems. - work well and don't heat up at the rated load. I've mostly screwed them to the enclosure backplate but have put them on DIN rail in the past. Just make sure you properly tighten the hex screws.
Finding the density of the block would help. Take out the screws first, weigh it and then use a measuring cup to see how much water it displaces. Worst case with something like that block, measure it accurately and make allowances for the holes to figure out its volume. I use density this way to separate out Zamak scrap from aluminium for melting and casting.
It seems good enough for hobby projects, but for actual installations I would not risk it and get components from a reputable seller. Just to make sure.
@@stevetobias4890 Well the clamping system to begin with. It is garbage at making great conduct with the wire (not bad for like 6A applications), which at 80A is crucial. It is the same single screw you find on the cheap terminal strips, it should be at least 2 screws per wire at 32+A and preferaby with a clamp, not just a screw, so the wire is making contact through its entire surface. And at these current ratings, i better see plated copper, both for heat and for conductivity. Plus it is temu, this one is brass, the next is inox steel, the other is made from scrap metal with chrome spray paint.
Yeah, my concern is also less with the block itself and more with the quality of clamping - If your block starts to melt, it won't be because not enough copper, it will be because your contact resistance is shit.
I've just started to embrace DIN-rail stuff at the observatory. Not for power distribution, but organizing our motion-controller cabinet. I had previously thought that DIN-rail stuff was expensive, but in general, that's not the case. Soooo, coming up with ways of mounting "weird things" to the DIN rails we're putting inside the enclosure. Mostly based on generic circuit-board mounting brackets for DIN rails--they can be adapted for other uses with the addition of off-the-shelf angle brackets and the like.
for mounting PCBs on a DIN-Rail we use brackets from Phoenix Contact or Weidmüller... they sell a plastic profile that can be cut to the desired length and end/mid brackets for mounting
indeed - go rusty - bad news, but stainless 304 ok. Note armchair experts, that most of the current path is thru the wire compressed onto the bottom of the hole. The block would be fine for solar panels - much better than MC4s
Maybe not for 80 A permanently in a hidden spot. 30 to 40 A where you can look once in a while or have easy access: yes. I like the fact that they clearly marked the cable sizes for in and out! About the material: the "brass" is very pale. So I tend to say it's something between brass and "Neusilber" (new or fake silver). They probably reduced the copper percentage of the alloy and replaced it with nickel. Advantage: firmer material. Disadvantage: more brittle and higher electrical resistance. So: under certain circumstances usable.
@@marcogenovesi8570 How do you know? Did you visit clive, took the connector from him and made an analysis? Maybe you can present us the exact composition as you claim to know it.
The brass alloy is probably an alloy with a low (50% or slightly less) copper content. Saves them on materials costs. Bulk conductivity wouldn't be as good as alloys with more copper in them, also somewhat more brittle than a higher-copper brass alloy.
The slight magnetism was probably the steel screws. Zinc will vaporise well below the melting point of iron so a zinc, copper, iron alloy would be very difficult to make. I suppose the silver coating could be Nickel which would make it slightly magnetic. If it's Nickel coated brass then it is pretty scookem.
Before deciding to trust this device by looking at it: Look up the lug torque specification of a similar device of a reputable seller. Tighten the lugs of the Temu device to the reputable device's specified torque specification. Now you're ready to decide whether or not to trust that Temu device.
This is a copy of a TE Entrelec DBL80 distributor. Considering they are about $10 each for the genuine UL listed EU made part I don't know why you would risk anywhere near 80 amps through the Chinese knock off.
Check hardness.... just a quick test with a springloaded centerpunch will probably show this to be cartridge brass, which is gummy and kind of horrible to work with but very popular among the Chinese manufacturers. Likely fine for the application where you're not screwing those screws in and out all the time but not a good plan if there is a lot of reconfiguring going on.
Considering you can run about 80 amps continuously down 8ga wire, I'd say there's probably enough material there for 80 amps to flow through. Gotta get a TIG/Stick welder to generate 80 amps for testing purposes. lol.
I agree, there is enough material there. It is the quality of the connections that is probably the biggest issue. You need a very high quality connection to put 80A through it safely. This looked like it should be capable of forming good connections, but that is what I would have tested.
would 25mm^ (73A) or 35mm^ (90A) actually fit in the holes ? You might just about get the 25 in there, though i wouldn't trust it for 80A, i would like to see double screwed connections.
I designed an earthquake simulation lab apparatus that used 460VAC power to pump massive amounts of water thru a very small and cramped lab. I kept asking for water ingress-protected enclosures and controls but they're expensive... so eventually when the dean, dept chair, and two visiting grant program managers came to witness a demonstration I had our usual safety brief and said, "and as always I cannot stress how dangerous this side of the room is; please just do not come over here, look at, and especially do not touch anything. These circuit breakers are here to protect the building from fire and will not activate if you become part of the circuit." The next day I had my capital expense approval for a whole new electrical cabinet. With name-brand parts!
looks surprisingly decent for £3, would probably be ok for 40 maybe even 60Amps, although i am immediately drawn to the case trying to think of another use for it.
When PEX water pipes came in, the Chinese brass had 15% zinc in it that caused problems. Then mixer taps (brass) had some lead content over the permissible levels. Don't know if UK enforces import standards, but different countries seem to get different product. Perhaps it would be a hoot to have a UK metal machinist too up a drop in , identical magnesium connector block.
You can get brass alloys that have a touch of iron and other metals in the recipe, most brass is 70 copper and 30 zinc, for acetylene gas components I think they use more zinc in the mix to prevent copper acetylide forming which can be explosive. Gaz Yorkshire.
No, the rule of thumb is 1 mm for 10 amp is safe that is why people use 1,5 mm for 10 amp, 2mm for 16 amp and 2,5 mm for 20 amps. The max I would put into this connector is 50 or 55 amps more than that is just pushing your chances.
I'm guessing it's only rated at 80A to imply a limit of 20A on each of the "outlets". Probably the first thing to break down with higher currents, which the block could easily handle, would be the cheap plastic melting. I used a similarly cheap knockoff DIN mount double pole isolator on my small solar input circuit, maximum 20A at 45V is never going to worry it. The branded item Schneider is ~$130 Aussie bucks and the knockoff was $8 shipped.
80Amp is what grid gives houses these days. I do decommission lot of specialist plant growing premises. After original 88-3 fuse declines service, occupiers tend to go for alternative supply solution. I am happy to say, that In south Yourkhire most of these seem to use CHINT C60 breakers. (sometimes 7 or 8 supplied from alternative single phase route and used fully) I do not see the idea of ever doing high current connection without putting handy breaker (again less then a tenner) in between. Maybe in a medical field. So this Should be strong enough to sustain full usage of normal house... I still find this safer option then Idea of consumer unit From Ebay/Amazon. In case of LVE which used to be combined with LVE official website containing completely real user reviews saying stuff like "I just saved on buying consumer unit"
I can't be alone in the "Buy three of them, test one to failure, and then use the other two at half the rating" mental thinking? Especially for prototype stuff where I just want some isolation/organization, and not really going to push it to the absolute limit.
Testing just a single item to failure doesn’t inform one of very much. It’s possible to have an outlier as the test item (either as a poor quality junk or an example of how good the product may be). A small test sample with an odd number of items, starting with at least three, would be better. Using two samples one is not able to identify the outlier if the results of one are significantly out of line with the other. (Having an even number of samples in general allows for a situation in which all results fall within two groups evenly.) Ideally, if one is concerned about the quality of a product such as this, it would be wise to test every component at the promised maximum performance guarantee for at least a short time period and perform a longer test a value that is a bit higher than the expected load it will be under in daily use. This way if the item is unable to meet the job requirements one should find out early on. (I did say should find and I’m not promising parts won’t fail later on.)
Well BCDC Ive ordered one £4.30 and will give it a surgical deconstruct - was the metal Nickel plated Zamac (Mazac)? You could tell that just by weight? What no one has questioned (inc you) is how sturdy and reliable are the screw threads to maintain consistent pressure on the cable strands. Remember its one of the problems with Aluminium cable, that creeps over time and loses grip force, leading to micro arcing and eventual failure. Will report here soonest.
The shiny plating looks great, but nothing like copper. Brass has a relatively higher resistance. When it comes to ohms, it is little, but even that little has major effects, like too much heating when it comes to high currents like the 80 amps mentioned and especially using AC. My answer is no, I would not use it.
Well, its a solid metal block so obviously it can handle 80A. As long as it is plated the brass is fine. The question is primarily one of screw retention / the wire interface. It looks quite reasonable as long as the screws aren't easily stripped out. I would definitely use ferrules for any wiring (yes, those would be some huge ferrules), but it will improve the copper/tin interface, the retention, and provide a bit of protection as well as reduce excessive bending of strands as they leave the holes. A good litmus test, actually, is to determine the largest ferrule that fits into those holes, that it reaches across the screw cross-hole, with the ferrule's plastic shield fitted into the hole, partially fitted, or outside the hole (three different sized ferrules for each size hole). If you get a good fit there is basically zero chance of having electrical issues. -Matt
Those UKK Terminals exist already far longer then Temu. I am using them for years and as they fit on DIN-Rails, they are very practical. The bigger brothers like the 125A versions I do use as Main Busses in a Powerwall where currents go up to 95A regularly. Much bigger issues are for example the Chines breakers. Those fail on me frequently.
UKK... Urho Kalevi Kekkonen. Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen. There would also be a "red brass" alloy that has a very coppery hue to it, but I wouldn't trust the stuff with threading screw holes into it or at least significantly torquing said screws. It is common in trinketry and belt buckles etc, usually plated with a dull silvery coating that may be further stained. The coating will wear off and reveal the coppery color when brushing against clothing long enough, and the stuff will also sometimes develop greenish-greyish tarnish when exposed to skin secretions.
Help me out here, what are you looking for with the magnet? Is magnetism a good sign for electrical conductors or would you prefer something non-magnetic? I also enjoyed how you demonstrated three separate ways to use a pair of calipers, I just learned it is a depth gauge as well 👍
A lot of materials at low cost uses metal that has been recycled and may not be pure. Unsurprising that a brass which should be just copper and zinc is magnetic. That indicates that iron has contaminated the mix. Pure copper is just getting more and more expensive. I find the same contamination issue with solder that won't flow as well as high quality versions.
In a panel running for long periods with the cover closed and no supervision: hell no not even for personal use. In the open for a quick test setup while I’m watching it: I’m feeling more comfortable going past the rating with this than with the UL listed name brand ones. If it fails it’s not expensive to replace.
Weigh it, do an Archimedes to determine the volume (without the screws, natch) and you could compute the density. That might let you figure out what kind of brass it is. It's probably one of the standard alloys.
I have the same one, from aliexpress, no issues whatsoever at 80amp (and beyond). Though I have a 63A DC breaker from the same store that can't even handle 40A without smoking. EDIT: This is not an endorsement, mine could be copper, the next order could be steel, you never know with these products and stores.
Considering that a 20A rated WAGO 221 using only a small piece of metal holds 120A before destroying itself , I suspect that this 80A chunk piece of metal would actually handle 250A with ease.
@@marcogenovesi8570 i "only" put about 4 amps thrpugh it, but i as a novice i didnt know about inrush current. Welp now i know what to look for in relays.
80 amps is 80 amps. The heat generated is the same, regardless of the voltage. (In practice, of course, you would never get 80 amps to flow with only 12.5mV pushing it unless you had a superconductor.)
@@maxhammick948 The heat generation is current multiplied by the voltage drop across the component, not current multiplied by the total voltage of the system. Voltage drop is current times resistance (V=IR), so heat generated is current squared times resistance (P=I²R). You will note that the voltage being applied doesn't appear. That's why I said 80A is 80A. The heat dissipation required is determined by the current flowing through the component and the resistance of the component, not the voltage.
I actually have some similar looking units in service at work but the front plastic cover is a baby blue. Maybe if i remember i will report back what brand those are. I wonder if they're made in the same place or if this is a clone made by temu based off the original. Not sure why this has 3 inputs in the top though. As i recall the ones we use at work have a single large input at the top and 6 outputs from the bottom.
Looks okay. The bottom plate looks a little narrow. It looks like a din Henley. Pop it in the oven at 65 degrees for an hour and see how well the shell holds up
Speaking of electrical panel fires, and I know this is more aimed at domestic CUs, but any thoughts on the EnviroBurst Automatic Fire Suppression System tubes??
Assuming the body is brass, is that an acceptable material in this application, given that more than three times the cross section is required compared to copper.
Could it be an aluminium-brass alloy? I think the light colour made it hard to tell, it looked like plain old aluminium to me. A simple test of the weight and volume (take the screws out and dunk it in a graduated cylinder of water) will enable one to calculate the average density, that might yield some more clues to the composition. Copper is pretty dense so if it feels heavy that's a good sign. Sure they could have smuggled some lead in but I'm guessing that's unlikely.
The nickel plating will be very slightly magnetic.... More of me worried about the flame resistance of the plastics .. its not just about the item itself but what happens if a nearby component goes on fire ... Will the plastic in this temu item catch fire quickly.?
Ideal test object for an Omicron CPC-100 and FLIR C3-X. Test at 80A for 1 hour, then 160A for 30 minutes...... Not sure if the 200A test leads will fit on both sides of the connector (large holes).
Clive, are you squirmy about dremels ? I mean with grit paper I'm not that afraid of it, but with saws, them going at 12000 rpm is kinda scary... While I cut some stuff in the past some blades flew past me shattering on every wall, luckly I was not in their way... maybe they were cheap blades, they were the ones that came in the same set as the ones I bought from LIDL.
have something in front of the eyes. you can get like saw/router bits that are just like a router bit though they tend to not snap like cutting wheels. really with the drum sandpaper things you can cut a bunch of plastic too it really eats through stuff(and doesn't shrapnel same way).
Guessing it's a custom manufacturer like Jinghong that will slap any logo on there you want. Or none at all. And I'm guessing whoever is selling these on Temu requested the screws to be steel instead of brass, for added thriftiness.
