Originally Posted by
Eric Bryant
My first thought is that maybe the wire has an enamel insulation coating. While I haven't come across that in battery leads, it's common in low-voltage audio cables (such as for headphones and microphones), and of course we see it all the time in motors.
My second thought is that the wire isn't copper.
I'd start by separating the wire into separate strands, and then gently scrape or sand the surface to remove any insulation or oxidization. If it has an insulation coating, you can also use heat to remove it (a solder pot is preferable, but I've used a small butane torch as a field-expedient methods); just be careful not to overheat the battery cell itself!
Yeah, the sandpaper is a good idea. Never heard of the enamel insulation coating before tho. Regardless of what material the wire was, since it was a battery lead, they had to have soldered it somehow before I cut it. No way I would've used a butane torch considering how short the leads are on those small lipos. Some things just aren't worth the risk.
