One of the best demo's I have seen! 10/10 and cant thank you enough. Production, editing, lighting, sound and presentation is well beyond perfect! Love your workshop and attention to all the details. Time to bulid mine!
Some battery experts say that compressing bloated cells to make them flat is damaging them. I'm not a battery expert. I hope to be soon because I have 70,604.8 Wh of LiFePo4 cells coming from China within the next few weeks. I'm glad to hear you say that they are movable when fully discharged. I'm thinking that a snug fit rather than a tight fit is the way for my batteries to be built. I'll be using TDT smart BMS rather than anything as bulky as a Daly. I might reconsider if I find one that is suited to external mounting. I hope you're doing new videos with newer equipment and cells. The prices have gone way down now that the market is flooded.
just wanted to thank you guys for this video. due to your videos i build my own battery for my camper conversion and i used this box design. i only used the JK smart bms instead. greetings from the netherlands
Good job we had this vid, we made sure the bms icon was right next to the TH-cam one, we went dizzy switching between the two but couldn't have done it without it
Nice vid. Thanks. I was under the impression it was a good idea to separate the cells with an insulator: some use fish paper; some use acrylic sheet; others use kapton tape, to individually wrap the cells.
If your battery is in a high vibration/movement situation (like a boat) then that is definitely advisable. IMO, in most van/RV scenarios it's not necessary. I don't know a single person who's had a problem where the blue plastic has worn through and the cells have shorted.
@@offgrid_power You state yourself that fully discharged the cells will be able to move, so I can't agree that they shouldn't have something in between to resist wear of the shrinkwrap. The roads and potholes I've driven in my van conversion would definitely see those cells rubbing when discharged. Seems like an ounce of prevention for a pound of cure.
@@offgrid_power i have a qestion i am running a 8s lipo with daly 200A bms , and are now in the process of building another 8s with a daly bms , is it true that one can not run packs like that in parallel??? the packs are both the same size 280ah one is a daly 100A smart the other is a daly 200A
Astonishingly good video. I've ordered my cells and BMS, and cannot wait to build my own battery. Thank you so much for providing this content. It's incredibly useful 👌
Hello Great video, i have a question, i have DALY 12v , 4s, 150Ah with bluetooth, do I need an extra Active Equalizer Balancer (i see many use both of them at the same time) knowing that DALY act as Active Balancer? Thank you
Very nice video, will make it easy for people to build their own batteries. I would suggest mentioning that jewelry should be removed and using shrink tubing on metal tools to insulate. Experienced people know how to be careful and still have accidental arc sometimes, so beginners should be extra cautious wherever possible.
Just watched this video because I´m looking for ideas to build my own DIY Battery. Thanks for talking calm and using an easy understandable englisch. Nevertheless there is on critic. You using not isolated tools, when you tightened the nuts at the Cells. In very bad case this could create a short circuit with all the bad consequences. Greetings from Germany
I have EXACTLY the same Yellow flat Crimper that I've had since the 80's as well - and looks Identical in general wear marks, etc. It's the Go to, because it was Built just perfect back then
Great video! I’m planning to build something similar but for prepping purpose as backup power. Love your compression box design even though I would cover the sides for various reasons. What about the charging interface? I’m planning to add a dedicated XLR connector in the box for easy charging. And maybe an Anderson connector for external loads. I would also add a manually circuit breaker for additional safety.
Thumbs up new subcriver of your from the philippines sir you taught me how to make a battery pack and i have no training in a electrical techical school tnx for your video for a detailed tutorial
What about something in between cells just for isolation? i might be missing something, but i am 100% sure that they get warm when using at 1C or even 2C
Why no insulation between the cells, the blue wrap on cells has been said to split allowing cells to short out and burn. I used 3mm foam between the cells.
Thank you very much this was very useful information. I started building my box this afternoon. Not going to go that big I only have 120AH cells. My box will be just a bit smaller. But the basic design is exactly the same,
@@offgrid_power thanking YOU for a great helpful video. P.S. l living on a low budget so can't afford to save money by buying and using a method like these. I wish I could.
The case inspired me to build my own 48V 100ah battery. The only question is: if i have 16x 100Ah cells a 1A active balancer substitute the top balancing at all, if the cell voltage near to each other? Greetings from Germany.
@@bobmckenzie946 links are always deleted from my posts, so i cannot share any details, sorry but YT sucks in that case. i paid $592 105Ah life4po 16ea
Nice detailed walk through on the build. There are two things that make me cringe, being: 1. The main negative wire from battery to BMS touches (or nearly touches) the positive post of the next cell. With time and vibration this may cause the cable insulation to wear through and short. That would be catastrophic. 2. My understanding of best practices is to place your main fuse as close to your main positive battery terminal as possible in order to minimize the length of wire that is not protected with a fuse. Your build puts the main fuse outside the battery box and potentially multiple feet beyond the main positive battery connector.
Thanks for the feedback, Joseph. :) I think it would be extremely unlikely that the cable insulation would wear through, but it is a good point and given that it would be minimal effort, would be worth changing. When we install batteries, we would normally attach a fuse on the outside of the case of the battery so it's within a few inches of the positive terminal and also accessible if it needed to be replaced.
@@offgrid_power If it was me, I would also design/3D print some plastic battery terminal nut caps, to prevent any possibility of short-circuit, when building the battery.
Hello from the high desert of New Mexico USA 🇺🇸. I have a tip for hydraulic crimper users, please don't use the C-frame type crimper because the C-frame can shatter that is why I use a H-frame type of crimper. Don't use a 8 or 12 ton hydraulic crimper on 4/0 awg or larger cables use a 16 ton H-frame hydraulic crimper please. I paid like 60 dollars for mine. Keep up the good work and stay safe and God bless you and your family
I want to thank you from my heart for the wonderful work that you have done. I want a way to charge the energy that you have built through solar energy. I am from the Middle East.
I am in the process of designing and building a "portable" 280 AH LiFePo4 battery. "Potable" in that I will be moving it between our popup camper and large (41') Marinette Marquis cabin cruiser boat. We can't be in 2 places at one time so it seemed reasonable (and economical!) to have the ability to have a battery that could move between the two with us. We don't use the camper that often so the movement between the two will be minimal. The construction will use a large tool box as the housing of the components. All below components will fit (some already acquired) inside of housing) - 4 - 280AH LiFePo4 cells (acquired), - the 280AH cells are to have a 1/16" to 1/8" separator between them, - 1/4" foam medium density foam cushion (think 'walk/stand on "fatigue reducing mat") on the bottom of the box to absorb jarring during vehicle movement (highly likely pulling camper on road trip), - a single 20A Victron DC - DC charger, (acquired) - a Daly 200A BMS (acquired) - Heavy gauge battery thru wall battery connectors for hookup to the vehicle's feed from the house battery, (acquired) - #1 (#2 or ???) gauge cables to battery side of 2000watt inverters (1 each in each vehicle - camper already has 1 as I used 2 - 6V golf cart batteries initially but their several years old. Boat' never had an inverter system) - (not part of 'portable battery' but just FYI) 2000w inverter. My primary question: The 280 AH cells I bought (from 18650 battery store) utilize dual buss bar welded on terminals. They came with solid straight nickel coated copper buss bars. My concern is with jostling and possible movement/shifting and the buss bars potential for movement/loss of solid connectivity. To mitigate this, I'm considering making up my own buss bars using welding cable & crimp on lugs. I have a hydraulic crimper to ensure a solid fit/connection. --> what gauge copper cable would you recommend for the intended buss bars? .... or do you recommend anything, buss bar-wise, else?
What do you set for the active balance parameters? Great guide, I followed your instructions and have set up my battery with the exact same daly bms. Thank you!
Great video, this is just what I was looking for, thank you very much for taking the time to put it all together. Are there any considerations I would need to make if I wanted to connect two of these battery packs in parallel to double my Amperage capabilities?
Hello from Tennessee, USA. Thank you for sharing this awesome video. I followed your instructions to the best of my abilities and understanding and now I have a battery pack on an insert similar to yours. Have a question about connecting to solar. I have 2 100 watts Renogy panels connected in parallel and a Renogy Wanderer 30 amps PWM charge controller . The positive connection added to the positive side and the negative side on the battery pack. I see the battery draining (using Daly BMS app) when connected connected to 2000 watts Giandell inverter. Not sure if the battery is charging with the panels. Have watched several of your videos but none explain how to connect to solar and how to monitor using the Daly BMS app. Do I need to connect it in a different way?
Ratchet cutters are a little expensive unless you're cutting a lot of big wires. If you have a sawsall a 18 teeth blade will work. I was thinking polycarbonate would be a great material to make box out of
Like the video, am just getting ready to build my first batteries and this was a great step by step. Do you happen to have a pdf of case plans / dimensions? I really like how simple yet complete it seems to be.
Great video! Question, I’ve seen other videos where they do a capacity test? And some don’t. Do I need to do a capacity test? Or will the BMS pretty much tell me if there’s a problem.
In theory yes, but the battery should be able to cool sufficiently especially at high amperage discharge. But if you’re not drawing a high amperage from the battery, then no problem. The chemistry does not require ventilation. The ventilation is really for heat management more than anything.
Hello..... I have a question about a 48v bank of cylindrical lifepo4 batteries... Most of the time they charge up to 54.2V, they never reach 54.4V. Does it affect the batteries at all not taking them up to 100% charge? or is it healthier for the life of the battery that they do not reach that %? ... thanks
I was under the impression you must charge through the BMS to prevent over charging of a cell , like you mention they may all be at different levels and overcharging can be quite bad ? Thanks for the great video nonetheless! Much appreciated
Yes, for normal operation you need to have the protection of a BMS to prevent over charge over discharge over current etc. when charging from an unregulated source or load! ( solar, Wind, etc)The alternative is to use a Constant Volage CV/Constant Current(CC) source eliminating the need for a BMS especially when all the cells are connected in parallel, when the important factor is to stop charging when 3.65/3.7V is reached . The BMS is for every day use but it is not required when you can control the voltage/ current provided form the external source. This is how most domestic battery operated equipment is charged, it is cheaper to put the charge intelligence/control/cut-off in the charger than the battery!
Thank you from Ukraine! Very useful video now in our country. Very competently and beautifully done, I will do the same myself, I also have 304A battery EVE but 8 cells.
@@rkirienkothanks. Ive been doing Electronics for last 4 years. Ill be fine :):) crazy whats happening by orcs in Ukraine. I have friends in Sume and Kyiv. Hope your good though
@@SunSin91 thank you very much for support! we are fine, but the orcs are already 100 kilometers away from us, they are advancing, we hope for a miracle and that our army will stop them
Great video, the best I watched and there are 100s of them now. Thank you very much. 2 questions please: 1. When topping up with 3.6v charger - if there are no amps showed, how can you be sure it is full and that your cell is not overcharging? 2. The BMS power relates to max load going, not to the battery size? So even with massive battery, if your need is modest, eg. 80A max is it enough to buy cheaper model? All the best, Jo
Hey Jo! I'm glad the video was helpful! Any suggestions on anything we missed or would be helpful for us to cover, please let us know. In answer to your questions: 1. As long as your charger doesn't exceed 3.6v, then you should be fine. I would be cautious of Power Supply Units (like this one: geni.us/iAk3) as sometimes they can be a bit strange and change voltage, etc.. I've had times where their voltage changes a bit so keep an eye on them. We tend to use a charger like this to finish top balancing: geni.us/Wate365vCharger 2. Yes, the BMS should be sized according to your draw or charge requirements. Most Daly BMS have half the charge capacity as their draw capacity (e.g. 150A BMS can be charged at a max of 75A and draw at a max of 150A). Some of the BMS have slightly different balance voltages. Generally the higher the amperage of a BMS, the faster it'll balance the cells. That said, if you have a 560Ah battery but only require a draw of 80A, there's so reason to buy a 200A BMS. Just go for a 100A BMS. The only reason you might want a "big BMS" for a "big battery" is if you intend to charge it at a very high amperage. One other consideration though is that if you buy cheaper/less quality cells, getting a higher amperage BMS to balance "faster" might be worth considering. If your cells are not well matched and the delta between them is significant, then consider a higher amperage BMS as it'll balance your cells faster. Hope this is helpful! :)
Thanks Roger great video. I'm going to start on my own battery soon, could you please advise on what size of daly bms you are using and also can I use a 12v car charger to top balance the batteries. Thanks for your great work.
awesome video, i just have a question no one seems to explain, the cycle rules apply only when the charging/discharging is complete, how does using them during the day attached to an inverter while being charged by solar affect the cycles, how are they calculated? i really can't wrap my head around that
We'd tend to use a fuse like this: geni.us/200AFuse in a holder like this: geni.us/FuseBox Obviously sizing the fuse to ensure that your wiring & BMS are protected.
Bravo, et merci de prendre le temps de nous initier à comment fabriquer cette batterie. Pour ma part je préfère, vous la commander complètement finie dans très peu de temps et peut être deux. Je vous souhaite une bonne fin d'année à vous et toute votre famille, mais surtout beaucoup de santé. JLDP
We haven't seen the need to put additional insulation between the cells for the applications we're using these batteries. If they were going into a boat, it would probably be worthwhile. I think it depends on your application. :)
We do in cases where there would be reasonable vibration or movement of the cells. We tried to pack so much into this video - had to pull some stuff out just to cut down to 80mins.
Thank you for your video. Just a query. I have a Bison Battery box. (they are forsale on ebay from a seller called fishingmad) I used the box this year to house my heavy 110ah Numax lead acid leisure battery for my off grid campervan. Question is - is it possible to build a 100ah+ lifepo4/lithium battery/cells to house/fit inside the Bison battery box? I'm quite practical and willing to give it try. Thank you.
excellent video, congratulations. It inspired me to build mine. But I have a question, if in charging the bms receives a load above the maximum, what happens? for example it can charge 100a and receive 150a. Does it charge the 100a and ignore the remaining 50, or does it shut off and charge nothing or does it burn out?
Hi Alan! Hope the video was helpful! :) We've used both the welded and non-welded studs extensively and always lean towards the welded studs. Because the terminals are generally aluminium, the threads in the non-welded studs cannot take the same torque as the welded studs can. We usually would not torque non-welding studs more than about 6Nm whereas the welded studs we're torquing to 10Nm.
@@offgrid_power Thank You for your reply! I have a source for some cells but all the welded post cells are out of stock but they have plenty non welded cells.
28:20 Threading the pvc tube onto the thread bars becomes easier if you heat the tubes up. I put them in the water cooker to warm them up when my wife does not watch. 30:00 I torque the tension nuts with my cordless screwdriver. I made a setup out of a bathroom scales and some wood bars to find the torque that represents a certain amount of pull. Manufacturer's recommendation divided by 4 = 75kg divided by 2 due to the lever I made out of the bar. I use the thread bars and nuts that go eventually on the battery box. So I am sure the torque translates into the tension I need. Then I mark the setting that on the variable torque control ring 1:11:11 I put separating sheets between the cells. In the middle (between ceel 2 and 3) I put in two. These have a slot that takes the temperature probe and wire. I cut the slot so that it has the probe rest in the middle of the cells. For the separation sheets I use PCB boards with one side covered with copper I had lying around. The double layer is just enough for the probe.
Thank you for this Video....I found it very informative....yet I do have one Question.... Approximately how much did the Battery Weigh in Pounds after it was completed.....? =)
hi offgrid power s Where can I get instructions or Do you have instructions on how to build 84V 50Ah lithium iron phosphate battery pack for my E-Bike?
Hi Roger, I just finished putting 230Ah battery together as you did this one in the video. Can you please advise what would be low current protection setting in your experience? Maybe 11.20v? Thanks Mick
Hi Mick. We made this video recently which shows the settings that we use on the Daly BMS: th-cam.com/video/coiI2aPjTxU/w-d-xo.html If you need anything else, let us know. :)
How much swelling can one expect on these cells? I just got 4 and have been charging them at 8 amps(auto shit off) and one of the 4 swelled out on the sides. They are not squeezed together yet. Thinking abt fully discharging before I build a case like yours to see if the swelling goes away. I’m thinking it wont
Very good tutorial, I'm learning a lot from your video's, keep up the good work its very much appreciated. I'm about to build my first battery and I'm looking for a charger. I have a Halfords smart charger with lithium charging function but I'm not sure if I can use this once I've done the top balancing. So, please can you advise if I need to buy two chargers or just the one? Thanks
Glad the video was help! I probably wouldn’t use the Halfords charger, personally. I would buy a name brand that’s known for being reliable and good, for example Victron, Renogy or Votronics.
I bought 8 12 v 200 AH Lithium batteries. My inverter (Schneider 4048) in it setting is asking for BATT CAPACITY) , How to I determine that? I have 8 batteries interconnect.
My BMS Bluetooth turns of after a while. Does it mean, that the BMS is also turned off? I don't need to check the battery all the time and i am fine just pressing the bluetooth button to be able to connect, but i am just worried that it doesn't work properly in standby.
when i googled for a hydraulic crimping tool they were all around €4000 wich would be more than the installation im planning, thank god the ones on amazon are only around 40
Hey! Maybe someone can help me. I am a complete beginner with electrical stuff and I am setting up a 4s 12v LiFePO battery for my van build. I bought a BMS that has a B- and a P- wire coming out of it. I know to put the B- wire on the battery total negative. What is the P- wire for? What does it connect to? The manufacturer instructions don't say, and I can't find a video that shows it either. Thank you!
What I do not understand is how much or how large of a bank would I need to run my whole home during the day in the summer months with air conditioning. I want to build a bank for this because here in Canada we have off peak hours that is fairly cheap electricity. I want to build the bank so I can charge it in off peak times and use the battery bank alone during peak times.
Looks pretty amazing. Would you recommend to close the sides also to protect the battery a bit more? i guess there is enough airflow through the handles right?
Yes, we'll often put sides on the case. We would usually just leave the tops of the sides open enough to allow airflow. So basically put the sides up to the point where they cover the tops of the cells/terminals but with the top 2"-3" open for airflow. :)
Thanks! I watched so many videos, where people build this batteries, but this is hands down my favourite one. I will build it exactly like this. Also pretty nice that you saved me some time including all the measurements. Just amazing!
I’m totally new and just learning. 1) maybe I missed it but what is the capacity of this battery volts/watts and 2) what is the approximate cost of building (minus the tools) vs purchase of equivalent? Thank you!
Thank you for all the LifePO4 videos on your channel! Quick question: the thin wire is really enough to top balance? I miss 2 bus bars so that could be a solution. Just not sure if it's recommended for all cells . Mine measure all 3.3V up on arrival. But the SOC could be quiet different so higher current could be flowing between cells, or not??
Generally speaking, when you top balance you're doing so at such low amperage that it will work fine using small wire like we did in this video. Unless your 3.65v charger is capable of charging at a rate of 100A, small gauge wire to connect the cells in parallel will be fine. We generally top balance at no more than 30A-40A at a maximum.
Thanks Johnny! You'd need a DC to DC charger for this. Maybe something like this: geni.us/VictronDCDC or geni.us/VotronicDCDC It's not recommended to charge LiFePO4 with a split charge relay as the charge profiles of Lead Acid & LiFePO4 are so different. Plus the DC to DC charger adds a layer of protection for your alternator and LiFePO4 battery. :)
@@YorkshireCampers Renogy do a great dc to dc charger with mppt combined 50amp it’s on offer at the moment for £199. I have one and lots of friends have it aswell with no problems.
One of the best demo's I have seen! 10/10 and cant thank you enough.
Production, editing, lighting, sound and presentation is well beyond perfect!
Love your workshop and attention to all the details.
Time to bulid mine!
Thanks for the feedback, Nathan! Glad the video was helpful for you!! ☺️☺️
all good but you should put yellow sheets to separate cells too
You always cover the small details that make the big difference, appreciate 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Some battery experts say that compressing bloated cells to make them flat is damaging them. I'm not a battery expert. I hope to be soon because I have 70,604.8 Wh of LiFePo4 cells coming from China within the next few weeks. I'm glad to hear you say that they are movable when fully discharged. I'm thinking that a snug fit rather than a tight fit is the way for my batteries to be built. I'll be using TDT smart BMS rather than anything as bulky as a Daly. I might reconsider if I find one that is suited to external mounting. I hope you're doing new videos with newer equipment and cells. The prices have gone way down now that the market is flooded.
just wanted to thank you guys for this video. due to your videos i build my own battery for my camper conversion and i used this box design. i only used the JK smart bms instead. greetings from the netherlands
Good job we had this vid, we made sure the bms icon was right next to the TH-cam one, we went dizzy switching between the two but couldn't have done it without it
Nice vid. Thanks.
I was under the impression it was a good idea to separate the cells with an insulator: some use fish paper; some use acrylic sheet; others use kapton tape, to individually wrap the cells.
If your battery is in a high vibration/movement situation (like a boat) then that is definitely advisable. IMO, in most van/RV scenarios it's not necessary. I don't know a single person who's had a problem where the blue plastic has worn through and the cells have shorted.
@@offgrid_power You state yourself that fully discharged the cells will be able to move, so I can't agree that they shouldn't have something in between to resist wear of the shrinkwrap. The roads and potholes I've driven in my van conversion would definitely see those cells rubbing when discharged. Seems like an ounce of prevention for a pound of cure.
@@brianmi40I'm glad someone of superior intelligence is here to set him straight 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
@@offgrid_power i have a qestion i am running a 8s lipo with daly 200A bms , and are now in the process of building another 8s with a daly bms , is it true that one can not run packs like that in parallel??? the packs are both the same size 280ah one is a daly 100A smart the other is a daly 200A
Astonishingly good video. I've ordered my cells and BMS, and cannot wait to build my own battery. Thank you so much for providing this content. It's incredibly useful 👌
Most comprehensive and well presented video. Many many thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Hello Great video, i have a question, i have DALY 12v , 4s, 150Ah with bluetooth, do I need an extra Active Equalizer Balancer (i see many use both of them at the same time) knowing that DALY act as Active Balancer? Thank you
Very nice video, will make it easy for people to build their own batteries. I would suggest mentioning that jewelry should be removed and using shrink tubing on metal tools to insulate. Experienced people know how to be careful and still have accidental arc sometimes, so beginners should be extra cautious wherever possible.
Good video. I'm not sure I like stressing the negative connection the way you bent it in. Cut some half hole saw cuts for the handles. Just a thought.
Thanks for the suggestion.
thank you very much for this video, I am currently using it to make a 36v battery for my cargo tricycle ! Greetings from the Netherlands!
I also want to assemble my own battery recently. Thank you for this video, which explains it in detail.
hi after watching this I had to have a go top man. well I did it which could show you love all your videos and the info you supply keep them going.
Hey Philip, I saw your post on Facebook. That’s a good looking battery! Glad you enjoy the videos!
Just watched this video because I´m looking for ideas to build my own DIY Battery.
Thanks for talking calm and using an easy understandable englisch.
Nevertheless there is on critic. You using not isolated tools, when you tightened the nuts at the Cells.
In very bad case this could create a short circuit with all the bad consequences.
Greetings from Germany
Hi, thank you for your videos, can I skip top balancing if I will use JK BMS?
I have EXACTLY the same Yellow flat Crimper that I've had since the 80's as well - and looks Identical in general wear marks, etc. It's the Go to, because it was Built just perfect back then
They don't make them like they used to. ;)
Love these guys, a pleasure to deal with and extremely helpful answering all my noob off grid queries. Highly recommend! 👌👍🤓
Thanks Ben! Good to see you yesterday! :)
Great video! I’m planning to build something similar but for prepping purpose as backup power. Love your compression box design even though I would cover the sides for various reasons. What about the charging interface? I’m planning to add a dedicated XLR connector in the box for easy charging. And maybe an Anderson connector for external loads. I would also add a manually circuit breaker for additional safety.
Cheers Roger, another great video! You've really helped me understand how to put my own battery packs together
Glad it was helpful! :)
Thumbs up new subcriver of your from the philippines sir you taught me how to make a battery pack and i have no training in a electrical techical school tnx for your video for a detailed tutorial
Hope it was helpful for you!!
What about something in between cells just for isolation? i might be missing something, but i am 100% sure that they get warm when using at 1C or even 2C
Why no insulation between the cells, the blue wrap on cells has been said to split allowing cells to short out and burn. I used 3mm foam between the cells.
It’s extremely rare to have the blue wrap split on these cells. But we use the epoxy insulation sheets anyway.
Nice just what I needed, I think my cells will be arriving from China next week, so this is very useful.
That’s great! Hope it’s helpful for you!
What cells did you go for?
Thank you very much this was very useful information. I started building my box this afternoon. Not going to go that big I only have 120AH cells. My box will be just a bit smaller. But the basic design is exactly the same,
Glad that the video was helpful!
Highly detailed video; add to my Energy reduction playlist, and liked of course :)
Thanks for the support! Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@offgrid_power thanking YOU for a great helpful video. P.S. l living on a low budget so can't afford to save money by buying and using a method like these. I wish I could.
The case inspired me to build my own 48V 100ah battery. The only question is: if i have 16x 100Ah cells a 1A active balancer substitute the top balancing at all, if the cell voltage near to each other? Greetings from Germany.
What price did you get your batteries from china and can you share the company details
@@bobmckenzie946 links are always deleted from my posts, so i cannot share any details, sorry but YT sucks in that case. i paid $592 105Ah life4po 16ea
Nice detailed walk through on the build. There are two things that make me cringe, being:
1. The main negative wire from battery to BMS touches (or nearly touches) the positive post of the next cell. With time and vibration this may cause the cable insulation to wear through and short. That would be catastrophic.
2. My understanding of best practices is to place your main fuse as close to your main positive battery terminal as possible in order to minimize the length of wire that is not protected with a fuse. Your build puts the main fuse outside the battery box and potentially multiple feet beyond the main positive battery connector.
Thanks for the feedback, Joseph. :) I think it would be extremely unlikely that the cable insulation would wear through, but it is a good point and given that it would be minimal effort, would be worth changing.
When we install batteries, we would normally attach a fuse on the outside of the case of the battery so it's within a few inches of the positive terminal and also accessible if it needed to be replaced.
@@offgrid_power If it was me, I would also design/3D print some plastic battery terminal nut caps, to prevent any possibility of short-circuit, when building the battery.
Exactly my thoughts too Joseph!
Hello from the high desert of New Mexico USA 🇺🇸. I have a tip for hydraulic crimper users, please don't use the C-frame type crimper because the C-frame can shatter that is why I use a H-frame type of crimper. Don't use a 8 or 12 ton hydraulic crimper on 4/0 awg or larger cables use a 16 ton H-frame hydraulic crimper please. I paid like 60 dollars for mine. Keep up the good work and stay safe and God bless you and your family
Thanks for the recommendations, James!
Awesome video, and this was really helpful and full of valuable tips. Cheers.
Glad it was helpful!
I want to thank you from my heart for the wonderful work that you have done. I want a way to charge the energy that you have built through solar energy. I am from the Middle East.
I hope that's everything sorted for ya now mate. Keep on keeping on..... Nice job 👏 👍 👌
Awesome build. I've got 8 EVE 280ah batts. Maybe I can squeeze them into two old Trojan J305 cases.
I am in the process of designing and building a "portable" 280 AH LiFePo4 battery. "Potable" in that I will be moving it between our popup camper and large (41') Marinette Marquis cabin cruiser boat. We can't be in 2 places at one time so it seemed reasonable (and economical!) to have the ability to have a battery that could move between the two with us. We don't use the camper that often so the movement between the two will be minimal.
The construction will use a large tool box as the housing of the components. All below components will fit (some already acquired) inside of housing)
- 4 - 280AH LiFePo4 cells (acquired),
- the 280AH cells are to have a 1/16" to 1/8" separator between them,
- 1/4" foam medium density foam cushion (think 'walk/stand on "fatigue reducing mat") on the bottom of the box to absorb jarring during vehicle movement (highly likely pulling camper on road trip),
- a single 20A Victron DC - DC charger, (acquired)
- a Daly 200A BMS (acquired)
- Heavy gauge battery thru wall battery connectors for hookup to the vehicle's feed from the house battery, (acquired)
- #1 (#2 or ???) gauge cables to battery side of 2000watt inverters (1 each in each vehicle - camper already has 1 as I used 2 - 6V golf cart batteries initially but their several years old. Boat' never had an inverter system)
- (not part of 'portable battery' but just FYI) 2000w inverter.
My primary question:
The 280 AH cells I bought (from 18650 battery store) utilize dual buss bar welded on terminals. They came with solid straight nickel coated copper buss bars. My concern is with jostling and possible movement/shifting and the buss bars potential for movement/loss of solid connectivity. To mitigate this, I'm considering making up my own buss bars using welding cable & crimp on lugs. I have a hydraulic crimper to ensure a solid fit/connection.
--> what gauge copper cable would you recommend for the intended buss bars?
.... or do you recommend anything, buss bar-wise, else?
What do you set for the active balance parameters?
Great guide, I followed your instructions and have set up my battery with the exact same daly bms. Thank you!
Great video, this is just what I was looking for, thank you very much for taking the time to put it all together. Are there any considerations I would need to make if I wanted to connect two of these battery packs in parallel to double my Amperage capabilities?
Hello from Tennessee, USA. Thank you for sharing this awesome video. I followed your instructions to the best of my abilities and understanding and now I have a battery pack on an insert similar to yours. Have a question about connecting to solar. I have 2 100 watts Renogy panels connected in parallel and a Renogy Wanderer 30 amps PWM charge controller . The positive connection added to the positive side and the negative side on the battery pack. I see the battery draining (using Daly BMS app) when connected connected to 2000 watts Giandell inverter. Not sure if the battery is charging with the panels. Have watched several of your videos but none explain how to connect to solar and how to monitor using the Daly BMS app. Do I need to connect it in a different way?
Ratchet cutters are a little expensive unless you're cutting a lot of big wires. If you have a sawsall a 18 teeth blade will work. I was thinking polycarbonate would be a great material to make box out of
Like the video, am just getting ready to build my first batteries and this was a great step by step. Do you happen to have a pdf of case plans / dimensions? I really like how simple yet complete it seems to be.
We don't have one yet, but we were thinking of putting one together, so we definitely will do that!
Instead of top/bottom balance you can use an active battery balance, right?
Thank you for the very thorough explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Who knew Peter Gabriel was so good with batteries?
Great video! Question, I’ve seen other videos where they do a capacity test? And some don’t. Do I need to do a capacity test? Or will the BMS pretty much tell me if there’s a problem.
If you are not sure if the seller is trustworthy, you should do a capacity test!
I am wanting to use the battery in a marine environment. Can you seal the battery box airtight. A great video.
In theory yes, but the battery should be able to cool sufficiently especially at high amperage discharge. But if you’re not drawing a high amperage from the battery, then no problem. The chemistry does not require ventilation. The ventilation is really for heat management more than anything.
Great. I will just make a slightly larger box.
Subscribed! Thank you for sharing! We have similar battery projects here in Idaho on our Lucky Dog Farms channel.
Thanks! We'll check it out! :)
Hello..... I have a question about a 48v bank of cylindrical lifepo4 batteries... Most of the time they charge up to 54.2V, they never reach 54.4V. Does it affect the batteries at all not taking them up to 100% charge? or is it healthier for the life of the battery that they do not reach that %? ... thanks
It won’t really negatively affect them if you don’t charge them to 100%. If anything, it’ll prolong their life [somewhat] and give you more cycles.
Hi Roger, tanks, I wish to see the video before I made my horrible compression box 🤣
Glad you enjoyed it!
you can fit all of that in that battery box. i've done it. the overkill solar bms fits a lot easier tho
Yeah, we’re looking at putting the Daly 200A BMS into it. 🙂
it was explained very well now i relly want to tru this but put it on solarpanel 😀
Glad you enjoyed it!
I would !one to build a 36 Volt DC battery pack for my EZGO Golf cart if you have any ideas of what would work best. Thanks !
Thanks for shearing your knowledge.
Much appreciated!
Cheers Mick
Hope it was helpful!
Enhorabuena es la mejor opción paquetes de 4 celdas hacen que se puedan mover muy bien sin que tu espalda sufra demasiado
I was under the impression you must charge through the BMS to prevent over charging of a cell , like you mention they may all be at different levels and overcharging can be quite bad ?
Thanks for the great video nonetheless! Much appreciated
Yes, you must charge through the BMS. That's very important.
Yes, for normal operation you need to have the protection of a BMS to prevent over charge over discharge over current etc. when charging from an unregulated source or load! ( solar, Wind, etc)The alternative is to use a Constant Volage CV/Constant Current(CC) source eliminating the need for a BMS especially when all the cells are connected in parallel, when the important factor is to stop charging when 3.65/3.7V is reached . The BMS is for every day use but it is not required when you can control the voltage/ current provided form the external source. This is how most domestic battery operated equipment is charged, it is cheaper to put the charge intelligence/control/cut-off in the charger than the battery!
Thank you from Ukraine! Very useful video now in our country. Very competently and beautifully done, I will do the same myself, I also have 304A battery EVE but 8 cells.
Same here in norway. Doing 4s 2p configuration for my van. Hope to drive to Ukraine soon :):)
Always welcome! If you will need some help, you can ask me. I'm from Donbass, part of it that is not occupied by nazi russia for this moment
@@rkirienkothanks. Ive been doing Electronics for last 4 years. Ill be fine :):) crazy whats happening by orcs in Ukraine. I have friends in Sume and Kyiv. Hope your good though
@@SunSin91 thank you very much for support! we are fine, but the orcs are already 100 kilometers away from us, they are advancing, we hope for a miracle and that our army will stop them
Great video, the best I watched and there are 100s of them now. Thank you very much.
2 questions please:
1. When topping up with 3.6v charger - if there are no amps showed, how can you be sure it is full and that your cell is not overcharging?
2. The BMS power relates to max load going, not to the battery size? So even with massive battery, if your need is modest, eg. 80A max is it enough to buy cheaper model?
All the best,
Jo
Hey Jo! I'm glad the video was helpful! Any suggestions on anything we missed or would be helpful for us to cover, please let us know.
In answer to your questions:
1. As long as your charger doesn't exceed 3.6v, then you should be fine. I would be cautious of Power Supply Units (like this one: geni.us/iAk3) as sometimes they can be a bit strange and change voltage, etc.. I've had times where their voltage changes a bit so keep an eye on them. We tend to use a charger like this to finish top balancing: geni.us/Wate365vCharger
2. Yes, the BMS should be sized according to your draw or charge requirements. Most Daly BMS have half the charge capacity as their draw capacity (e.g. 150A BMS can be charged at a max of 75A and draw at a max of 150A). Some of the BMS have slightly different balance voltages. Generally the higher the amperage of a BMS, the faster it'll balance the cells. That said, if you have a 560Ah battery but only require a draw of 80A, there's so reason to buy a 200A BMS. Just go for a 100A BMS. The only reason you might want a "big BMS" for a "big battery" is if you intend to charge it at a very high amperage. One other consideration though is that if you buy cheaper/less quality cells, getting a higher amperage BMS to balance "faster" might be worth considering. If your cells are not well matched and the delta between them is significant, then consider a higher amperage BMS as it'll balance your cells faster.
Hope this is helpful! :)
@@offgrid_power thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us ♥
I see the blue wire and might it have been turned inward and loop under he red wire back to the terminal?
Thanks Roger great video. I'm going to start on my own battery soon, could you please advise on what size of daly bms you are using and also can I use a 12v car charger to top balance the batteries. Thanks for your great work.
Why not a extra layer off neopreen bitween every cel ?
is it possible to build these battery banks long ways to make the battery super slim?
awesome video, i just have a question no one seems to explain,
the cycle rules apply only when the charging/discharging is complete, how does using them during the day attached to an inverter while being charged by solar affect the cycles, how are they calculated? i really can't wrap my head around that
Very interesting video! Thank You very much for informative presentation!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use the same bus bars to connect the cells for top balancing that I use to connect for long-term use? Or do I need a new/separate set?
The leads sticking out are the final product?
Any suggestions for a 36 volt golf cart battery ?
Nice vidéo, bravo '
How many time to top balancing ?
All the best
It depends on your charger and the size of your battery cells. For 280Ah cells charged at 20A, you'd be looking at a few days to top balance.
Hi Roger what size fuse would you put in main live lead please
We'd tend to use a fuse like this: geni.us/200AFuse in a holder like this: geni.us/FuseBox
Obviously sizing the fuse to ensure that your wiring & BMS are protected.
Bravo, et merci de prendre le temps de nous initier à comment fabriquer cette batterie.
Pour ma part je préfère, vous la commander complètement finie dans très peu de temps et peut être deux.
Je vous souhaite une bonne fin d'année à vous et toute votre famille, mais surtout beaucoup de santé.
JLDP
Thank you! I hope you've had a good Christmas holiday! :)
Hi, very nice video.
Question, you see a lot people who puts extra isolation plates between the cels is there a reason why you don't?
We haven't seen the need to put additional insulation between the cells for the applications we're using these batteries. If they were going into a boat, it would probably be worthwhile. I think it depends on your application. :)
We do in cases where there would be reasonable vibration or movement of the cells. We tried to pack so much into this video - had to pull some stuff out just to cut down to 80mins.
Why is my discharge still showing off on the status screen when it is on in settings?
Thank you for this video. Looks like a great project.
Hope it’s helpful! 🙂
Thank you for your video.
Just a query.
I have a Bison Battery box.
(they are forsale on ebay from a seller called fishingmad)
I used the box this year to house my heavy 110ah Numax lead acid leisure battery for my off grid campervan.
Question is - is it possible to build a 100ah+ lifepo4/lithium battery/cells to house/fit inside the Bison battery box?
I'm quite practical and willing to give it try.
Thank you.
Yes very good presentation thanks heaps for the effort
excellent video, congratulations. It inspired me to build mine. But I have a question, if in charging the bms receives a load above the maximum, what happens? for example it can charge 100a and receive 150a. Does it charge the 100a and ignore the remaining 50, or does it shut off and charge nothing or does it burn out?
See my response on the other video. :)
Excellent tutorial! I do have one question are the cells with welded stud better than non-welded studs?
Hi Alan! Hope the video was helpful! :)
We've used both the welded and non-welded studs extensively and always lean towards the welded studs. Because the terminals are generally aluminium, the threads in the non-welded studs cannot take the same torque as the welded studs can. We usually would not torque non-welding studs more than about 6Nm whereas the welded studs we're torquing to 10Nm.
@@offgrid_power Thank You for your reply! I have a source for some cells but all the welded post cells are out of stock but they have plenty non welded cells.
28:20 Threading the pvc tube onto the thread bars becomes easier if you heat the tubes up. I put them in the water cooker to warm them up when my wife does not watch.
30:00 I torque the tension nuts with my cordless screwdriver. I made a setup out of a bathroom scales and some wood bars to find the torque that represents a certain amount of pull. Manufacturer's recommendation divided by 4 = 75kg divided by 2 due to the lever I made out of the bar. I use the thread bars and nuts that go eventually on the battery box. So I am sure the torque translates into the tension I need. Then I mark the setting that on the variable torque control ring
1:11:11 I put separating sheets between the cells. In the middle (between ceel 2 and 3) I put in two. These have a slot that takes the temperature probe and wire. I cut the slot so that it has the probe rest in the middle of the cells. For the separation sheets I use PCB boards with one side covered with copper I had lying around. The double layer is just enough for the probe.
Thank you for this Video....I found it very informative....yet I do have one Question.... Approximately how much did the Battery Weigh in Pounds after it was completed.....? =)
Glad you found the video helpful! :)
It weighs around 50lbs. Maybe slightly less.
Instills confidence for us beginners :)
hi offgrid power s Where can I get instructions or Do you have instructions on how to build
84V 50Ah lithium iron phosphate battery pack for my E-Bike?
Hi Roger,
I just finished putting 230Ah battery together as you did this one in the video.
Can you please advise what would be low current protection setting in your experience?
Maybe 11.20v?
Thanks Mick
Hi Mick. We made this video recently which shows the settings that we use on the Daly BMS: th-cam.com/video/coiI2aPjTxU/w-d-xo.html
If you need anything else, let us know. :)
@@offgrid_power
Thanks!
How much swelling can one expect on these cells? I just got 4 and have been charging them at 8 amps(auto shit off) and one of the 4 swelled out on the sides. They are not squeezed together yet. Thinking abt fully discharging before I build a case like yours to see if the swelling goes away. I’m thinking it wont
Outstanding video! Thank you very much!
Very good tutorial, I'm learning a lot from your video's, keep up the good work its very much appreciated. I'm about to build my first battery and I'm looking for a charger. I have a Halfords smart charger with lithium charging function but I'm not sure if I can use this once I've done the top balancing. So, please can you advise if I need to buy two chargers or just the one? Thanks
Glad the video was help! I probably wouldn’t use the Halfords charger, personally. I would buy a name brand that’s known for being reliable and good, for example Victron, Renogy or Votronics.
@@offgrid_power Thanks👍
I bought 8 12 v 200 AH Lithium batteries. My inverter (Schneider 4048) in it setting is asking for BATT CAPACITY) , How to I determine that? I have 8 batteries interconnect.
Are your 8 cells connected in parallel to keep it at 12v? If so, you just multiple them out to work out the total capacity (e.g. 8 x 200Ah = 1600Ah).
My BMS Bluetooth turns of after a while. Does it mean, that the BMS is also turned off? I don't need to check the battery all the time and i am fine just pressing the bluetooth button to be able to connect, but i am just worried that it doesn't work properly in standby.
The BMS shouldn't ever turn off unless you disconnect it from the cells but the Bluetooth can turn off from time to time to conserve power.
when i googled for a hydraulic crimping tool they were all around €4000 wich would be more than the installation im planning, thank god the ones on amazon are only around 40
How can I get BMS . and how much is the BMS.i am in Nigeria.
Check Alibaba, I’m sure they ship to Nigeria.
Hey! Maybe someone can help me. I am a complete beginner with electrical stuff and I am setting up a 4s 12v LiFePO battery for my van build. I bought a BMS that has a B- and a P- wire coming out of it. I know to put the B- wire on the battery total negative. What is the P- wire for? What does it connect to? The manufacturer instructions don't say, and I can't find a video that shows it either. Thank you!
What I do not understand is how much or how large of a bank would I need to run my whole home during the day in the summer months with air conditioning. I want to build a bank for this because here in Canada we have off peak hours that is fairly cheap electricity. I want to build the bank so I can charge it in off peak times and use the battery bank alone during peak times.
Google this man. You need to know how many KWH you use and then start from there.
Looks pretty amazing. Would you recommend to close the sides also to protect the battery a bit more? i guess there is enough airflow through the handles right?
Yes, we'll often put sides on the case. We would usually just leave the tops of the sides open enough to allow airflow. So basically put the sides up to the point where they cover the tops of the cells/terminals but with the top 2"-3" open for airflow. :)
Thanks! I watched so many videos, where people build this batteries, but this is hands down my favourite one. I will build it exactly like this. Also pretty nice that you saved me some time including all the measurements. Just amazing!
Very well done, and very helpful.
I’m totally new and just learning. 1) maybe I missed it but what is the capacity of this battery volts/watts and 2) what is the approximate cost of building (minus the tools) vs purchase of equivalent? Thank you!
280Ah 3.2V each. In serial of 4 pcs it's 280Ah 12.8V nominal (14,4V full).
Now that, folks, is one great video :) :) :)
How much do these 12c LIP packs weight in total
what are these for? can it powered up a whole house?
Thank you for all the LifePO4 videos on your channel! Quick question: the thin wire is really enough to top balance? I miss 2 bus bars so that could be a solution. Just not sure if it's recommended for all cells . Mine measure all 3.3V up on arrival. But the SOC could be quiet different so higher current could be flowing between cells, or not??
For me it worked just fine! :)
Generally speaking, when you top balance you're doing so at such low amperage that it will work fine using small wire like we did in this video. Unless your 3.65v charger is capable of charging at a rate of 100A, small gauge wire to connect the cells in parallel will be fine. We generally top balance at no more than 30A-40A at a maximum.
What is the pulse discharge rate on these cells?
Have you tried expanding the design to make a 48V battery?
Yes, we have built both 24v and 48v batteries in similar designs!
Great Video again Roger! would the battery work with a split charge relay on a van? or do you need some kind of DC to DC converter?
Thanks Johnny! You'd need a DC to DC charger for this. Maybe something like this: geni.us/VictronDCDC or geni.us/VotronicDCDC
It's not recommended to charge LiFePO4 with a split charge relay as the charge profiles of Lead Acid & LiFePO4 are so different. Plus the DC to DC charger adds a layer of protection for your alternator and LiFePO4 battery. :)
@@offgrid_power that's great thank you :) will need to get a good battery & inverter setup to run a induction hob currently saving the pennies :)
@@YorkshireCampers Renogy do a great dc to dc charger with mppt combined 50amp it’s on offer at the moment for £199. I have one and lots of friends have it aswell with no problems.
In the new year we must tie up and we can look at some options for a battery for you guys. 🙂
That’s a good price for a 50A DC to DC.
Do you have a link?