Answered What gauge is the wire connecting to the starter battery - Carbon Cub FX-3?

[Neal]

Does anyone know the wire "size" used for the wires connecting to the terminals on the starter battery on a CubCrafters Carbon Cub FX-3? I may add an extension with my upcoming EarthX ETX-900 replacement install and make this a little easier to work with.

 

[Cactus Charlie]

According to the schematic I have on file the battery wires are designated P01A04W (battery + to master solenoid) and P06A04W ( battery - to airframe ground).

"04W" designates a 4 AWG white wire.

 

[ve6yeq]

To connect the AC Optimate Lithium battery charger (TM275v2) to the EarthX ETX-900 starter battery, I have the SAE connector "pigtail" with an inline 15A blade fuse that came with the charger hanging out under the front seat. This is convenient for connecting the AC charger (10 A max), but since the plane is often tied down out of reach of AC power, I am considering adding solar panels to the cabin cover. The solar charge controller is rated for up to 15 A (200W of panels), so the 16 AWG pigtail with the SAE connector does not appear sufficient.

In my search for high-current DC connectors, the Anderson Powerpole Connector Series PP15-45 appears to be a common solution, and there is a panel-mount option that may replace the cigarette lighter power connector on the back of the seat. So it sounds like 10 (or 12) AWG wire and suitable "mini" fuses between the connectors and the battery would work.

Has anyone tried the Anderson Powerpole connectors before? My only experience with them is with UPS expansion batteries, which worked well.

 

[Cactus Charlie]

Has anyone tried the Anderson Powerpole connectors before?

They are use by many amateur radio operators for power distribution. Some think they are wonderful others say don't touch them. I have not used them.

 

[TailwindsJJ]

Does anyone know the wire "size" used for the wires connecting to the terminals on the starter battery on a CubCrafters Carbon Cub FX-3? I may add an extension with my upcoming EarthX ETX-900 replacement install and make this a little easier to work with.

Neil hi
I think we talked about the Earth X in a previous post but just a reminder that a 1200 fits well and that’s what I used - gives you a bit more cranking power and higher amp hours as well.

 

[Neal]

Neil hi
I think we talked about the Earth X in a previous post but just a reminder that a 1200 fits well and that’s what I used - gives you a bit more cranking power and higher amp hours as well.

While the ETX-1200 will likely be fine, EarthX recommends against it. I suggest search this site for ETX-1200 to read the various posts as we once thought it was a good option, it turns out not to be the case. EarthX posted this on the CubCrafters Official Product Support Facebook group a month or two ago when someone asked about this.