plywood control panel

[windspeed]

I was wondering if dry plywood is a good enough insulater to be used as a control panel to bolt on the buses and other connections without extra insulation

my system voltage is 24,

windspeed

[richhagen]

I have seen it done that way on old 12V setups with apparently no problems over the years.  I presume if the area was excessively humid or for higher voltages that might be problematic though.  I generally try to avoid it as wood is just one more flammable object nearby should something go terribly wrong.  Just an opinion, Rich

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

Just one of the potblems:

If the wood gets even a little moist on a DC setup you're going to get galvanic corrosion that will cause the positive wiring to utterly destroy itself.

Use insulators.  That's what they're for.  They're cheap.  Burning down your house is not cheap.

[alibro]

I have had my 24Vdc system screwed to a piece of 3" x 2" wood for around a year now with no problems so far. It is in a little shed at the base of my turbine so I guess it might get a bit damp so I will keep a close eye on it and will report back.

For pos and neg buses I used bits of copper pipe bashed flat, I drilled holes in them and secured the wires with wood screws and washers through the copper and into the wood.

I suspect the purists out there are screaming Noooooo but I love bodging things with the stuff I already have, and as I said already I have had no problems so far!

I would love to hear ideas from other folks with better ways to do this with every day junk.

Cheers all

Alibro

[windspeed]

I cant afford to be a purist at the moment so believing, necessity is the mother of invention here are a few inventions for me

for the buses I flatten  copper tube, drill a few extra holes bend down the ends and bolt through the ply it stands 1/2" of the ply I use bolts and nuts for the connections (I do intend to insulate the holding bolts)

I also used old three prong mains plug to make fuse holders by putting them in paralel

the most thing I found good is tag connectors for wiring once again the old copper tube of different diameters flatten some leave some unflattened insert wire and solder drill a hole for the bolt ( I use a plumbers torch for heavy copper)

It burns the insulation a bit use, plenty tape

windspeed

[fcfcfc]

Hi: Might want to first coat the wood with a good commercial grade epoxy first. It is moisture proof and a good non conductor...

[SteveCH]

My system is 12 v., so.... I have a board made back about 25 yr. ago, which I still use for part of my system. It was originally my total controls: relay, fuses, distribution center, diode, etc., and all-in-one thing. I have since broken my system into 3 sections, two run by MX60s and one the old board. Ok, the "board" I set into a steel elec. box, but the surface of the board is some kind of "hardboard" product, a pressed-wood stuff. All the components are bolted or screwed onto it. I have never had any problem or scares with it, and I think plain plywood would work just as well. I will say that over the years I've altered the thing many times, upgrading fuses and diodes and etc. Each time I did, I insulated the new component from the board, just seemed like the thing to do. As a previous poster said, the wood is flamable, a bit, and as time went on and I upgraded I took that into consideration.

[SteveCH]

By the way, I forgot to add before [and I don't find a way to edit a post...], my board was commercially made. I was a little surprised when it arrived back in the early 80s that it was on a "board" literally, but a physicist buddy looked it over and declared it perfectly safe. I still, though, like the idea of insulating components from the wood, which would be rather simple and easy to do.