Brass vs stainless steel for electrical bolts/nuts

[kilou]

Hi,

I'd like to use a second battery pack on my ebike and parallel it with the original battery using ideal diodes (http://re-voltage.eu/electronicsID80V2.html). Wires can be attached to these ideal diodes using crimp terminals (eyelet) with M3 bolts/nuts. Since these will be subject to some vibrations on the bike, I'd like to use nyloc nuts on these connections to secure them and prevent them getting loose over time. Initially I thought that brass bolts/nuts were the way to go to have the best electrical connection but I cannot find M3 nyloc nuts made in brass (online sellers that I can find only sell large industrial quantities whereas I only need 8-10 nuts...). It seems much easier to find nyloc nuts made in stainless steel or zinc platted. Do you think that bolts/nuts made of such materials would provide the same electrical connection as brass fittings? Note that I do not plan to mix brass bolts with steel nuts due to galvanic corrosion, everything should be either 100% brass or 100% steel. Or do you know a place (online) where I could buy small quantities of M3 nyloc nuts in brass? Or would you have any other solution to prevent the nuts to get loose with vibrations? (I'd like to avoid soldering and I'm also unsure that Loctite thread locker is electrically conductive...)

Thanks for your input!

 

[dnmun]

if you are using copper ring terminals clamped together to make the connection there is not gonna be much current going through the bolt. the current will go through the contact between the rings. you can use steel bolts. torque the bolt/nut tight and it will dig into the copper and be locked into place as well as with a lock washer.

 

[kilou]

I think the ring terminals are tin platted copper. However the two ideal diodes must be stacked in parallel using two bolts and spacers. In this case the current has to go through the bolt since only one of the ideal diode will make contact with the ring terminal. The other thing is that the ring terminal will face the bolt, not the nut so the nut can still come loose. Should I reverse the setup and make the ring terminal face the nut instead?

 

[ddk]

to fully answer your questions
Yes, there is a slight difference in the conductivity of brass and the various stainless steels, but for your situation it makes no difference what you use. Do not use plain steel, as it will quickly corrode under certain circumstances.

It makes -0- difference in how you place the ring terminal in a bolted connection, other than assembly/dis-assembly

 

[kilou]

Thanks for your answers!