Quote:
Originally Posted by mechman600
Probably about 77 amps...lol. I would go bigger - even 10 AWG would make a significant difference.
Capacitors self-discharge much quicker than lead acid/lithium. Some sort of small four cell lithium backup pack with a low voltage cutoff (at 2.5 volts per cell to avoid lithium batricide if they discharge too far) would be the ticket. If you bottom balance four lithiums, a BMS will not be necessary either.
Nice work!
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Initially I had purchased 10AWG wire since it was the largest size carried by Norvac Electronics. It was $16 for 20ft though! I returned the wire after finding heaps of 12AWG wire in my Dad's garage. I figure I can run double strands of 12AWG if it isn't thick enough.
It seems that wire gauge isn't the only limiting factor with these capacitors. The terminals themselves are very small, much smaller diameter than the 12AWG wire attached to it. Not only that, but I assume they are aluminum and don't conduct as well as the copper wires. Perhaps these small terminals are at more risk of melting down than the short copper leads?
I'm hoping there is less chance of accidentally welding something since the thin gauge terminals and wires are used.
Next I will buy a LiFePo4 4.2AH battery and test it combined with the supercapacitors. I'm not in a hurry to replace batteries that haven't yet failed, so I don't expect to use it as a permanent replacement for a while.