Battery cable help
 

Hi guys, I got a Zippy 2S2P 5900mah 60C battery from HobbyKing and it came with a 10AWG cable. Is 10AWG a must for a high discharge battery like this or can I get away with a 12AWG without frying it? Thanks

Depends on the application. Usually I go for 12 awg on most of my setups. However if you are running ultra high load then 10 awg wouldn't hurt...

Yes you can use 12 w/o it frying

Thanks for the responses guys.

10awg vs 12awg... the effective quality of the wire has to do with the overall surface area of the strands it has in it. The current does not flow in the strands of wire in it but along all the edges of each strand of wire it has available.

So a 12awg with hair thin strands in it will be better than a 10awg wire with thicker strands in it due to the effective surface area. This is why nobody buys their wire at Home Depot.

You can think of it like the difference between trying to burn a bail of hay or a block of wood the same size. The hay has more surface area to ignite and will burn much faster and easier.

IT depends a lot on the quality of the wire and how long your runs are. Short runs with good quality copper you can get away with smaller diameter. If your wires aren't getting hotter than ambient then you're fine. If you pull more than the wire can provide it turns into a filiment so it's pretty easy to tell when you've exceeded it. Unless you're using ridiculously bad cable, you're probably not going to notice much difference in punch either way especially when it's that close of a difference.