11 facts about battery terminal

1. What is battery terminal? What does it consist of?
2. How does battery terminal work?
3. Are all battery terminals the same? Does lithium ion battery have terminals?
4. What is the most common battery cable terminal?
5. What is standard battery terminal size?
6. What will happen when your battery terminal is loose?
7. Can corroded terminals drain battery? Why?
8. Is it easy to fix battery terminals?
9. How can we replace battery terminals?
10. Can battery terminals be cleaned?
11. Which is better brass or lead battery terminals?

If we closely observe the battery, it has two ends, positive and negative end which is called battery terminal.

Battery terminal acts as the connections or electrical contacts of the battery. They are used to connect the charger to the cell of battery. Battery can either have single or various cells depending on the realistic applications of battery. Battery has lots of applications and you can read our lithium ion battery applications article to know more about this.

What is battery terminal? What does it consist of?

Battery terminals are electrical contact to connect charger to the battery. They connect positive part of the battery to negative part. By this, they provide power to the battery.
These terminals come in various different sizes, features and designs. Many battery terminal consists of lead but nowadays they are even constructed of steel ends. Battery terminal carries charges and lead is a good conductor of electricity. This is the reason why lead is used in constructing battery terminal.

How does battery terminal work?

A battery has positive and negative terminals known as cathode and anode, respectively. If these both terminals are connected to each other through wire or a charger, a circuit is formed. This circuit allows the charge to move from one end to the other. Electron flow occurs in the wire and hence current is produced. Due to this, chemical reactions occur inside the battery. Electrons flow from negative terminal of battery to the positive terminal.

Are all battery terminals the same? Does lithium ion battery have terminals?

No, not all battery terminal as same because they come in differ features, size and shapes. Though, the principle on which they work is same in all batteries and terminals.
Lithium ion battery terminal:
Yes, lithium ion battery has terminals. Lithium ion battery terminal is the part where the battery is connected to the external conductor. The positive terminal refers to the terminal connected to the positive electrode of the battery. Negative terminal refers to the terminal connected to the negative electrode of the battery.

Some rechargeable lithium ion batteries even have three terminals. A positive terminal, a negative terminals and a third one is the thermistor that acts as a monitor to indicate temperature of the battery. This third terminal avoids overcharging of the battery.

What is the most common battery cable terminal?

There are many types of battery terminal such as JIS terminals, L terminals, SAE terminals, marine battery terminal etc. Out of these, SAE terminal is the most common battery cable terminal. In SAE terminals, positive part is always larger in diameter than the negative part. This avoids any sort of confusion between the terminals of battery.

What is standard battery terminal size?

10 millimetres ring size (10 mm) is the most common standard size of a battery terminal. There are different ranges of battery terminal size also such as 8mm, 11 mm, 12 mm and 13 mm.

Battery terminal also comes in M5 to M8 size. This refers to the diameter of the bolt thread needed. For M6 size, a bolt thread of 6 mm in diameter would be needed.

What will happen when your battery terminal is loose?

If the battery terminal is loose, it will create problem while charging and the flow of charges and the circuit formation is affected. Power produced as the result of charge conductance will also be affected. Due to this, the device in which battery is used, will not start.

Charge conductance is affected because resistance is built up because of loose terminals of battery and even worse, it may catch fire. Power is not transmitted to the device for it to work properly. In some cases, the battery does not charge completely. Loose battery terminal also makes a battery to charge at a slower rate and the electricity will decrease.

Can corroded terminals drain battery? Why?

No, corroded terminals do not drain battery. Corroded battery terminal can cause several other problems in the charging of battery and power transfer.

This is because corrosion remains at a specific and fixed point. For corrosion to move from one terminal to the other it needs a medium such as water. If battery is wet corrosion then we should find the cause of the leak, repair cracks and gaps, and tighten loose parts.

When battery terminal is corroded, battery has leakage and thus there is less charge capacity. Resistance also gets high due to corrosion and device faces problem while starting. Battery terminal can be cleaned to prevent rusting and corrosion.

Is it easy to fix battery terminals?

Yes, it is easy to fix a battery terminal as it can be repaired and replaced too.

• Damaged or broken terminal can be fixed using a foil of aluminium.
• If battery is corroded, rusting can be cleaned or brushed. Baking soda can also be added to neutralise the acidic affect of corrosion.
• And you can remove the battery and scald the terminals with boiling water until the lead sulfate dissolves and washes away. And then use fine sandpaper to polish the terminal to appear bright.
• Battery terminal can also be replaced. Battery terminal can be disconnected (negative terminal to be disconnected first). Then, after proper cleaning new terminals are inserted. Then, battery is tested with the new terminals.

How can we replace battery terminals?

Battery terminal can be replaced, through a series of steps.

1. Battery wires are pulled out and terminals are disconnected. Negative terminal is disconnected before positive.
2. Change the clamps of battery terminal after proper cleaning.
3. Cut out old terminals from the battery wires.
4. Inject pole glue.
5. Through heat shrink tubing, wires can be properly connected to the new terminals. And, after connecting any exposed wire is also shrinked.
6. Keep the battery terminal stand still.

Can battery terminals be cleaned?

Yes, battery terminal can be cleaned properly to avoid and clear any corrosion. It is easy to clean the battery terminal if battery is not old and there is not much corrosion.
Procedure:
Battery terminal is cleaned with a mixture of one tablespoon of baking soda and a single cup of water. Then, this mixture is applied to the affected area through brushes. Battery gets cleaned, with this. And then lubricate exposed metal parts of battery terminal, terminals, and clips.

Last, re-clamp the positive (+) cable to the correct terminal. Tighten the nut with a wrench. Also reattach the negative (-) cable clamp. Turn each terminal by hand to check for adequate tightening.

Which is better brass or lead battery terminals?

Amongst these two, brass battery terminal is a better option.

• Brass is a good conductor of electricity so it can carry charges to generate power.
• Brass terminals also do not corrode easily.
• Brass battery terminal also has high strength, high hardness and strong chemical corrosion resistance.

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