QS8 soldering - fill the cup?

[ZooKeeper]

Since we are on the discussion, I've always wondered why all the RC wires are aluminum. I haven't been in the hobby as long as a lot of you have, but why are we using aluminum instead of copper? A smaller gauge copper wire can handle the same amperage of a larger gauge aluminum wire.

This chart is in reference to building wiring, but shows what I'm talking about:

Source

I'm not sure what the weight difference is between copper and aluminum, but there could [possibly] be a tiny weight savings switching from aluminum wire to copper. Even if the weight savings would be minuscule, I would assume racers and speed runners would want to shave weight in any way they could. On the flip side, if you used the same gauge wire in copper instead of aluminum, you could push more amps through the copper wire.

 

[dure16]

Since we are on the discussion, I've always wondered why all the RC wires are aluminum. I haven't been in the hobby as long as a lot of you have, but why are we using aluminum instead of copper? A smaller gauge copper wire can handle the same amperage of a larger gauge aluminum wire.

This chart is in reference to building wiring, but shows what I'm talking about:
View attachment 310569
Source

I'm not sure what the weight difference is between copper and aluminum, but there could [possibly] be a tiny weight savings switching from aluminum wire to copper. Even if the weight savings would be minuscule, I would assume racers and speed runners would want to shave weight in any way they could. On the flip side, if you used the same gauge wire in copper instead of aluminum, you could push more amps through the copper wire.

Is it cheaper?

 

[SrC]

It looks like this thread went off topic but wanted to throw my 2 cents in.
What I don't care for about how SMC did this.... is they didn't optimize the copper-to-solder cup surface area. I always expose the wire so that it reaches the end of the cup. Also if you use 7awg it will fill it in the sides as well leaving little room for the solder.

View attachment 310539

I am no expert on the subject but every run I make is over 600 amps and never had a solder joint fail me with the basic cheap Amazon solder.

+1
Absolutely.

Since we are on the discussion, I've always wondered why all the RC wires are aluminum. I haven't been in the hobby as long as a lot of you have, but why are we using aluminum instead of copper? A smaller gauge copper wire can handle the same amperage of a larger gauge aluminum wire.

This chart is in reference to building wiring, but shows what I'm talking about:
View attachment 310569
Source

I'm not sure what the weight difference is between copper and aluminum, but there could [possibly] be a tiny weight savings switching from aluminum wire to copper. Even if the weight savings would be minuscule, I would assume racers and speed runners would want to shave weight in any way they could. On the flip side, if you used the same gauge wire in copper instead of aluminum, you could push more amps through the copper wire.

It is Not Aluminum. Trust me.
Where did you see that it is????????????
It might just appear that it is. But Not. It's usually Copper coated Tin. Or bare tin in many cases.
Maybe with VERY cheap stuff, possibly.... a Very Slim chance however. A very rare occurance.
>>>If someone thinks I am wrong, let me know.
Copper conducts 61% better than Alu. Alu is alway the cheaper choice.
And I know that In Home wiring aluminum is very bad. And never meets code anymore.

 

[Just a hobby]

Bruckner Hobbies is ok. AKA Hobby Heros online.
Brooklyn Hobbies is also well known. Bought my very first TA Pan car there back in the 80's. But turned me off when I preordered a Hard to get V1 Limitless at the time. Strung me along for many months. I ended up getting mine from a YT guy here on AF., @bicketybam. He passed on his demo V1 Lim to me. Drove to him in CT. And we even bashed for hours. Nice guy.
AF allows you to social network in this Hobby.

Danny almost sold the hobby store to someone in Brooklyn, but nothing ever happened. In my nitro days. Every Friday night or Saturday morning I would be their minimum 2 hours. They keeped the contracts with the some vendors on line with Hobby Hero's. Danny went to work for whomever his dad worked for.Oh ya they had a lipo battery blow up.One of the workers left it plugged in overnight. When they reopened they changed the name to Hobby Heros.

 

[gotnitro]

Fine copper strands like the ones you’d find in an expensive speaker wire is very pricy. Motor winds are a bit cheaper because they are very stiff being thicker and need to be.

Some motors have the winds come all the way out of the motor. Soldering thicker copper is a PITA as some of you know and it doesn’t bend easy like tinned batt wire does. I’m not 100% sure on the metal chemistry but I do know what expensive 100% copper fine pulled wire is lol.

I’d be willing to bet, $ is the reason.

 

[Just a hobby]

+1
Absolutely.

It is Not Aluminum. Trust me.
Where did you see that it is????????????
It might just appear that it is. But Not. It's usually Copper coated Tin. Or bare tin in many cases.
Maybe with VERY cheap stuff, possibly.... a Very Slim chance however. A very rare occurance.
>>>If someone thinks I am wrong, let me know.
Copper conducts 61% better than Alu. Alu is alway the cheaper choice.
And I know that In Home wiring aluminum is very bad. And never meets code anymore.

I did some looking into wire. And wire is either copper,copper coated tin,or straight tin being the cheapest. Tin can be confused for aluminum wire.