where do you get it? Sourcing pure nickel strip is both expensive and difficult. I’ve basically given up and have been using 10mm 15mil nickel plated steel because that’s what’s available, and it can handle the abuse we put these big packs through just fine. But it takes a lot of heat to weld it. I’d rather be using a thinner metal that can carry the same or more current and doesn’t require me to crank my sunkko all the way up and melt through a set of copper tips every pack and a half.
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I got about 5kg worth earlier this year for my PowerWall build and ebike/esk8 builds. Since seeing the interest here I tried contacting the same supplier but haven’t gotten a response 
With most other suppliers that supposedly sell pure stuff the trick I found was to make your sample order pretty large…“sample” orders tend to be good stuff and you get screwed on consequent orders lol
I’m guessing that’s something you’ve encountered before 
Btw, downed power lines are a great source of copper for tips
it is. I’ve also experienced the old “send you a sample then disappear and never return your emails” routine. Meanwhile i can get fuckloads of the stuff i have been using on ebay reliably.
Ideally i would like a wide roll of it from which i can have stamped a particularly shaped strap to match the trapezoidal stacking pattern i use. Maybe what i should do is start back from the bottom and talk to metal stampers.
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Check out this video of a factory tour, I was thinking of contacting them to get some custom nickel stamps, cell holders.
Turn down your volume before hitting play…
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let me know how they receive your requests. IF they’re willing to work with you on custom nickel stamps, then i want in. I have a design that would allow us to use the same 5P stamp on an entire pack with tabs for overlays on series connections and for mains connections.
If i find something locally around here I’ll let you know.
You know the people you buy your bms’s from sell pure nickel strip, that’s what I’m using right now.
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I’ve had mixed luck there. That’s what i have on my bench right now but somehow i just don’t think its solid nickel. Its definitely got nickel on it and in it, and it definitely does the job, but i question the purity.
In case anyone was wondering how to tell from a sample, sand it down and put it in salty water.
EV Madrid delivers again. This is the guy that got me into pack building. Follow him if you like battery porn.
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The reason i chose this one was because another forum member (i forget who, maybe @lox897?) did the saltwater test and it came out like a champ.
The price is right for real nickel though. Maybe i just got a bad batch.
I need like 100meters of that shit. Maybe I’ll hit them up via email and see what they can do for me.
Wasn’t me, sorry!
You, sir, are a wealth of valuable information.
Clicking all the links now.
I by a lot from Pure Nickel from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Nickel-Pure-Nickel/1758634_501015141.html?spm=2114.12010615.0.0.5b314950bNtJJ I have never been cheated with the plated stuff.
Much higher resistance, also it corrodes after some time just because finger oils and contaminants you expose it to during a build. Can burn out and cause a break in the circuit. Plated is really only good for making protection circuits on cells (5mm), you put a strip of Kapton tape on the bottom and top to seal it off…
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during a hard, deliberate short, yes. Like flash paper.
WRONG!
Extremely stupid pack design… I see this mistake made everywhere, build after build, here, ES, ElectricBike … So common.
"Much higher resistance: … Ampacity Chart:
High Temperature Silicone Wire: … Ampacity Chart:
Nickel Plated Steel corrosion on a NEW battery pack, still under warranty:
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Extremely stupid (Custom) triangle pack design…
How is anyone supposed to swap out 1 or 2 bad cells in the middle of the pack? By their very own admission “A special epoxy based glue, very strong, almost impossible to break apart”.
Soooo, butcher the pack apart, damage 20% of the cells, rip the shrinkwrap on others and have to do MORE butchering and repairs?! Flat packs and hot glue is easily separated with Methyl Hydrate and a Q-Tip, EPOXY…%#@!&! ass difficult!
I really cant believe the stupidity of these so called “Professionals” that everybody accepts as the authority on building. The worst part of this is, stupid follows stupid and perpetuates the same stupid mistake. As a consequence it becomes the ‘Norm’ and accepted as the standard…WTF? Does anybody actually think for themselves anymore? As a society have we become so dumbed down that some of us should voluntarily take ourselves out of the gene pool so the species can survive?!
Am I the only one that has thought this thru?, I know there is 1 other commercially available product, from only 1 source that I have ever discovered, specifically for this type of build. This, on the other hand is available EVERYWHERE…
YES, I build my custom packs with this method.
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You have valid points, but they make packs for production vehicles, failure means replacement not repair. “if 1 cell goes bad” isn’t a consideration for companies making packs with no intention of ever repairing.
I am loving the activity we have going on in this thread here, some of this discussion was apparently very well needed around here. Thanks for all the info @RootedSuperuser, @scepterr, @longhairedboy, @Vanarian,and @Jinra
@RootedSuperuserI actually have the same welder(709), and have to admit, the hand probes are all but useless(very weak welds). I did see those cardboard insulators(I never thought of using the coin rolls though, nice idea), and will definitely be using them on ALL future builds. http://esk8content.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/uploads/db2454/optimized/3X/1/0/10636dc203ce66e00ff5dd93858ef775e8e38d68_1_690x360.jpg
@RootedSuperuser Can I ask what exactly is wrong with the pack design in this photo? Is it the layout that you think is bad, or just the fact that nothing is insulated? Also, would the steel in nickel plated steel stips be carbon steel, or the stainless steel?
I really wish I would have just purchased the adruino kit instead of the 709(https://malectrics.eu/). It seems so much for versatile, and not to mention it’s less money. I just wanted something I could plug in and have it work, but that was a mistake imo.
I agree with @longhairedboy 10000000 percent that using the machine mounted probes on the sunkko while trying to keep the cells aligned is like an acrobatics act. And, I also found it very difficult to source legit pure nickel strip.
All in all, there were SO MANY things that I learned along the way building my first two packs. I am currently in the process of making a custom pack for my Carbon GT board, and lets just say iv’e learned quite a few lessons. Biggest thing I learned? INSULATE EVERYTHING TWICE. I found out the hard way that my CGT deck actually conducts electricity fairly well(enough to short out my pack twice before I figured out what I was going on). Also, Those cardboard caps(https://goo.gl/EYwbyo) that go on top of the positive terminal are absolutely necessary if you are not using plastic spacers(ask me how i know).
tldr: use all the insulation you possibly can.
My personal tip for using the sunnko, bolt it down to the work surface, and use the pedal. This way you can put a LOT more pressure on the probe without killing yourself trying to hold it down, align and weld
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