fine strand aluminum - copper coated strands

[iceworm]

Has anyone seen fine strand aluminum - copper coated strands, 2/0 - 250kcmil range?

I envision something similar to DLO

I have heard of it. Have never seen any. Have not heard of a supplier.

 

[ActionDave]

I've never heard of such a thing. Gobs of people mistake fine strand copper that's been tinned for aluminum.

 

[hbiss]

I don't know that you could coat copper with aluminum, at least easily.

-Hal

 

[GeorgeB]

Has anyone seen fine strand aluminum - copper coated strands ...

While definitely NOT a product for NEC applications, I've found that most automobile jumper cables are what is called "CCA", copper coated aluminum. CHEAP way to have 4 AWG that is really more like 6 AWG copper and have customers not understand.

 

[kwired]

NEC mentions copper clad aluminum. Don't recall ever seeing any or know what it may have commonly been used for.

 

[Fulthrotl]

While definitely NOT a product for NEC applications, I've found that most automobile jumper cables are what is called "CCA", copper coated aluminum. CHEAP way to have 4 AWG that is really more like 6 AWG copper and have customers not understand.

car stereo guys use it for touted "high end" installations.
my car stereo guy has samples of it, alongside fine stranded
copper, to demonstrate the difference. he doesn't use it.

when you pick it up, it's lighter than popcorn's flatulence.
good luck terminating it.

 

[iceworm]

I've never heard of such a thing. Gobs of people mistake fine strand copper that's been tinned for aluminum.

I think I'm ok on tis issue. The stuff I'm looking for is copper colored on the outside of the wire.

I don't know that you could coat copper with aluminum, at least easily.

-Hal

I don't know how easy it is, but yep

While definitely NOT a product for NEC applications, I've found that most automobile jumper cables are what is called "CCA", copper coated aluminum. CHEAP way to have 4 AWG that is really more like 6 AWG copper and have customers not understand.

I've heard of that. Probably seen them and didn't know it. What I'm looking for is a lot bigger cross section and far better insulation. I suspect it won't be any cheaper than copper.

NEC mentions copper clad aluminum. Don't recall ever seeing any or know what it may have commonly been used for.

Would have been early 1970s, copper prices went through the roof. Aluminum #10 wire came out, but they were using a different alloy than common today and there were issues with connections. Copper clad Al #10 came out and it worked rather well, quite a bit cheaper than copper #12. I roped a couple of houses during that time period. Pounding the #10 into the small steel boxes was a pain, but it worked.

I don't remember the copper price, but it was enough that there was a short time when I heard people were collecting pennies and selling for scrap.

Thanks for the responses.
Still looking for a supplier.

 

[iceworm]

car stereo guys use it for touted "high end" installations.
my car stereo guy has samples of it, alongside fine stranded
copper, to demonstrate the difference. he doesn't use it.

when you pick it up, it's lighter than popcorn's flatulence.
good luck terminating it.

Yes, the weight is the issue.
CU 250 .834 lbs/ft .515 ohms/1000 weight for 20 ft ~16#
AL 350 .417 lbs/ft .605 ohms/1000 weight for 20 ft ~8#

good luck terminating it

My current thinking is to use crimped lugs, suitable for fine strand copper, similar to what one would use on DLO. That would be the reason for the copper clad stranding, to avoid the issues with terminating fine strand AL. Although I have not seen that either.

What would be the issues with terminations?

 

[Jraef]

Decades ago I did work for a company that put together all of the stage shows for the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Starship; their only two clients. All of their audio cables were made from that wire because of the weight. The cables were 52 conductors, each of them #16 fine stranded CCAW (Copper Clad Aluminum Wire) with an SOW jacket. Some of them were 150' long so coiled up they would be too heavy for the average roadie to carry were they not aluminum wire inside.

What I worked on were making up the 52 pin Pyle National MIL Spec connectors for each end and the control panels they connected to. We soldered all of the connections. From what I've heard, it's all done with Ethernet now.

 

[ggunn]

Decades ago I did work for a company that put together all of the stage shows for the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Starship; their only two clients.

Ultra Sound, maybe?

 

[junkhound]

Rewired a house in 1969 with copper coated aluminum wire.
NM, 12 AWG aluminum, 15A breakers. NEC covered. Back in the days of smaller gage ground wire also. IIRC grond wire not copper coated.

Idea was to avoid high copper price, yet not have the aluminum corrosion under contacts nor need to use the nickel grease.

Gone by mid 70's.. Still had the problem of aluminum creep.