Portable Solar Generator Diy
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- A portable solar generator built inside an ammo can which you can build at home to power your off grid ham radio station.
Hello Everyone.
In this video tutorial, we'll be building an off grid portable solar generator DIY. We will be using it for the ham radio station, for emergency power, and for our solar powered off grid adventures. The batteries are based on Lithium LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) cells for a 3000+ cycle, cycle life, compared to 500 cycles for AGM batteries. This gives us a long lasting an lightweight portable battery for field communications and preparedness.
This build includes solar battery storage, Bluetooth shunt, fuse block with LED blown fuse indicator, Anderson Powerpole pods, ground bus, Bestech BMS, Genasun MPPT charge controller, ammo can enclosure, ...
We'll use this LiFePO4 solar #generator with PowerFilm Solar panels, as an off grid or grid down emergency portable power system. At home we power the system with 2x 40 watt Renogy panels. In the field the system is powered by one 120W PowerFilm and/or 2x 28 watt rollable panels.
This 12 volt lithium generator project is an excellent way to learn self reliance for a blackout, shtf or basic grid down preparedness. Once built and put in to use, this dolar generator produces 100% free energy for emergency power, grid-down communications, amateur radio, boon docking, van or RV life, or to keep food or medicine refrigerated during grid down emergencies. Main features - 576 watt hours, 45amp hours - 2000 charge cycles - 30A ports - 2x USB ports - Internal Bluetooth battery monitor - 4x DC Powerpole ports - Every port is individually fused - MPPT charge controller - Dual Solar inputs - Total weight 18lbs (8.3kg) - Easy maintenance - Replaceable Components - Optional pure sinewave inverter - Easy to build The closest commercial product is the Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium. Our diy solar power generator will outperform the Yeti Lithium, (unless you need an inverter), the Yeti has one built in, but an onverter is optional in the DIY Solar Generator . Most people don't need AC power or the inverter with a solar generator. They just need tthe right connectors for their gear. An interesting feature on the solar generator is the wireless battery monitor from Thornwave labs. The battery monitor is a Bluetooth enabled shunt using Bluetooth SE to send information about the state of the system straight to our mobile phone. it's also got an API to get data out to something like a raspberry pi or arduino for data logging.
Episode and build notes.
oh8stn.org/blog...
Share this video: • Portable Solar Generat...
Parts List:
Headway LiFePO4 Cells: goo.gl/NencLf
Bestech BMS 4S LiFePO4: www.litechpowe...
Enclosure: amzn.to/2BGleMV
Genasun MPPT Charge controller: amzn.to/2DTDse7
Powerpole USB: amzn.to/2DPzHqc
Alt Powerpole USB: amzn.to/2XacPKY
Powerwerx Powerpole POD: amzn.to/2V76azr
45A Powerpoles: amzn.to/2Xad7RT
Powerwerx Powerpole crimper: amzn.to/2X852NA
Thornwave Bluetooth Shunt: amzn.to/2ElUhkH
Powerpole distribution board: www.k9jeb.com
Pedal generator seen in Video
K-TOR PowerBox 50
amzn.to/2BI9Mk0
Anderson Powerpole gear from ebay: goo.gl/5dvGEa
Need help?
Join my Patreon Community.
Want help in private? use the Tip-Jar link.
The Solar Generator build was also a featured Instructable on www.instructabl... There are lots of full HD images of the project there as well: www.instructab...
If you found this post useful, entertaining, inspiring, or educational, consider becoming a channel member, joining my patreon community, dropping a buck in the tip jar, or getting yourself some Anderson Powerpole gear on eBay. It also helps if you simply share this video with someone who will appreciate it.
Become a channel member: / @oh8stn
Patreon: / oh8stn
PayPal: www.paypal.me/...
Get your Anderson Powerpole gear from ebay: goo.gl/5dvGEa Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
What a beast!
The best reason for LiFePO4 chemistry, the cell voltages and discharge curve are more friendly for "12V" equipment. A 4S LFP is almost a perfect replacement for SLA/AGM, whereas LiIon/LiPo chemistries either give a 3S which result in a battery with a discharge curve with voltage going too low for many electronics (esp. transceivers), and a 4S LiPo having way to high starting voltages.
Thanks for stressing the safety. One "momentary lapse of reason" can be quite destructive with these things... (almost literally lightning in a bottle!) 73 de AF5MI
I definitely agree voltage wise it more closely matches Lead-Acid batteries which is rather handy, but I think the biggest problem stems from the haters not understanding building LiPO chemistry / discharge characteristics. The BMS can go along way toward keeping cells "in-tune" with each other (although in this installation some of that advantage is lost by "pairing up" the batteries (not a criticism, just an observation) and yes I know Tesla uses hundreds of small batteries and doesn't "BMS lead" every single one of them, but they also fuse each one). Also, it is important to know when a battery not pulling its weight either in reduced capacity or discharge rate - this can get worse over time and the BMS can go along way in preserving the useful life of the pack / cell group. Anyway, keep up the good work and trying things to improve field comms - 73 AC8PR.
I just need to get a diesel locomotive now. Great video. As usual.
OUTSTANDING!!!Both the project and presentation!
🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍
Thank you for this. My Wife and I have been looking into solar generators for some time now, and this really hit home. We were thinking about building one out of old 18650 batteries, but we both came to the conclusion that there are just so many points of failure there and the need to purchase a spot welder on top of everything else. This is such a simpler design yet much better design, as well as cost effective.
I am very grateful for your videos, you have educated me in many ways and today i ordered a FT-891 from HRO. It was an open box (Just a missing box, never installed or used) for under $550. Fully warrantable from Yaesu still. Someday it may all help save our lives.
Julian.....I finally got everything connected and I'm up and running perfectly. Got beautiful sun today in Oregon and took out the little 110w solar panel. The power meter said the panel was putting out over 22v and 6.7 amps. I connected to my battery box on a battery that was fully charged. The powermon showed voltage climb to 14.25v and the current gradually decrease to .38 amps where it went into a float charge at .38amps 14.25v! Thanks again for all your help and all the time you give to your channel! I will be leaving you something in the tip jar :-)
Well I'm glad if all of this was some help. 👍
Here's a tip. Even though your batteries is 14.25, leave it connected for an entire day. That'll ensure your batteries are in balance, and that everything is working perfectly.
Anyway, be proud of yourself. It may not be the most cost-effective, but you've definitely increased your skill-set while having a blast. That's the ham/preparedness spirit. 👍👍👍
73
Julian oh8stn
Grabs Lunch - Sits back - enjoys immensely! BTW, I am laughing @ the cutting board idea. It's Brilliant! At first, I thought it WAS 3D printed. I was like cool, Julian finally purchased a 3D printer. This encapsulates the inventiveness of our Ham creed. Kudos and great job. I've already built a Solar Generator with Bioenno 20Amp array. However, I think this will be my next 12 month long project as I save up for these parts!
For me, it was come home from the field, drop by the local fast food joint for a bit of supper, unload all the gear from the SUV, feed the dog, and then sit down with a bite of supper to watch another incredible chunk of excellent engineering.
Awesome thank you , and the parts list is a bonus 😊
BMS may be difficult to find but can be replaced with any 4S LiFePO4 BMS suitable for your load. 👍
@@OH8STN thank you for your knowledge and time sir. I really enjoy your mobile adventures ⚡️
I forgot to say, This is a great video and I am very glad you took all the time needed to present it.
N0ORK
this is really the best solar generator I have seen, congrats for your job!
thanks. We will see in a few weeks/months. So far so good though.
Awesome build Julian! You really took the battery box/solar generator to the next level with this. The only problem is I was drooling the whole time in awe of the greatness of this beast! I've been using the 10AH build for almost a year now and love it. I refer everyone who asks about it to your channel. Thanks for the inspiration and great videos. 73 de K8MRD.
You're too kind 🙏
There's an update coming for the 10 amp hour version as well. We really need to spread knowledge and help Inspire others.
Thanks for the comment, and reaching out. It's very much appreciated.
73
Julian oh8stn
@Nunya Dibness thanks I've seen those. I think the solar panels on those are great for trickle charging, but too small too small to use the system while charging. I would make the briefcase to hold the batteries, and use a PowerFilm for charging
You are quite modest, but your builds, and your videos kick butt. Excellent info.
This was a nice find. I came here for the field radio content, and it is great, but this battery pack is something I was looking for for a vehicle refrigerator I am needing to install. Much better than commercial options out there currently. Thanks for this and all the content!
You're very welcome. 👍
Awesome information! THANKS for sharing! This solves a weight problem for me on a popup camper addition for boondocking! Thank you very much! Old geezer 71 ( vietnam vet cmbt medic)
Monster of a project and a video ! Just awesome again Julian. Thank you
Thats what I was doing for two months :D
Thanks for the kindness. You guys who have been with my a long time, really bring it home with these types of comments. Thank you. It means the world.
Great work on this project Julian. You did a great job of explaining the process to build the generator as well as giving insight to the components used. 73' de KD8QWH
Thanks Anthony. I was a bit worried I was babbling too much. I'm pretty happy with this build oh, and I can't wait to get out in the field with it. Thanks for the kindness, and the comment. it's very much appreciated
Outstanding Julian and thank you.
Your channel is best source for this type of information on the net.
Regards - ZS2WP
Thank you Willem.
You're too kind, but I'm grateful.
73
Julian oh8stn
I use cutting boards for all sorts of things in amateur radio. Guy collar for my squid pole, as a false bottom in my pelican cases to mount radio's to and dipole centres. I have the XYL well trained to buy packs of them whenever they come on sale at the super market!!. Thanks for the video on this great project. 73's from VK3
I just told my wife what you wrote here and she's looking at me like I'm crazy. Have to put her in training again 😉 yeah the truth is without a 3D printer, cutting boards are quite useful. Thanks for the awesome comment, good laugh and for watching. It's very much appreciated.
73
Julian oh8stn
Haters are everywhere. I got 2 - 4s Lifepo4 60AH cells . I used them to put in a 24v UPS! I also got 4 - 25 AH cells. I want to get more of the 60 AH cells. They in 4 packs with straps holding them together with handles to make them easy to carry. I have fallen in love with Lifepo4 cells, they are lighter than glass mat and most batteries last longer than any other batteries!
You have piqued my interest in trying to build this generator myself. I'm looking at your blog post now.
I thought the battery boxes were more your thing.
@@OH8STN I like both. A new video will Premiere on my channel this week about a Renogy Solar Generator
You'll be sadly disappointed with Renogy for ham radio. I sent it all back.
@@OH8STN So far my experience has been good. My video on Thursday tests RFI using the IC-705 and I found none of it with this unit. I've also tested a couple of their batteries and had good results.
Enjoyed your video. Just an excellent build and instruction. Thanks
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching and for the kindness. It's very much appreciated.
Best damned instructional video I've ever seen on TH-cam.
Thanks Julian. Have to admit, I was a little skeptical going into this one - but this is great. Thinking strongly of building one myself; maybe putting my 3D printer and CNC machines to work on a case; but I'm liking it. I have a system on a boat that uses AGM fiberglass mat lead acid batteries - they work great, but they are so heavy. I could replace them, save weight, it looks like about same money, and get the benefits of lower discharge, and faster recharge. Lots to think about! Thanks! 73s.
I'm learning portable ops in the field. My portable radio is a Yaesu FT-897D. To get started, I bought a large (and heavy) AGM that can power the radio and support equipment. This was to get me started and field ops are about all I can do given the level of RFI here at my house.
Julien's channel inspires me to get out and work in the field. It's a long story, but this is something I really need in my life (the field ops).
@WG, build one and post your process. I'd love to see it.
@@nvrumi After posting this I started working on sourcing the parts, and found I could get twice the capacity with AGM - for about 1/3 of the money. Since my field ops are from a sailboat, the weight savings isn't a priority for me, so I bought a quality marine grade AGM that can discharge to 35%. It's been working great.
500 cycles. The price is probably only cheaper at the cash register, not you're the life of the battery
Clean build! I'm building a semi portable 4s24p battery using 8ah headway cells! It'll have custom bus bars and cell level fusing.
Outstanding Shannon. I like the cell level fusing, and considered it for this build. When I can figure out how to make it small enough, I may update this one. By the way, I really love those 8 amp hour headway cells. So far the 10 and 15 amp hour cells have been Rock Solid. I may order some of the 8 amp hour cells for a project I have coming up. Thanks for the comment and for the kindness. Reach out again if you're going to share your own project. It sounds awesome 👍👍👍
@@OH8STN Sent an email with images of a 4s4p, 8s6p and 4s24p. Off the shelf strip fuses can be used for cell level fusing. I've tested over 250 8ah headways, working on some big builds!
Nice video, thanks for sharing
How do you keep your battery packs warm? From what I’ve read they don’t do well if below freezing,… Thank you for your posts I really enjoy your attention to details that you share with us
Awesome question Jeffrey. Actually I have a hot tipi tent for my winter field station. It never gets below freezing in there. For transport, freezing is no problem since discharge of LiFePO4 is safe to -20. Only charging is the problem. The charge controller also generates some heat when charging. So it's quite easy to keep that small enclosure, above freezing. Finally, another hack is to use a chemical hand warmer, dropped inside the enclosure.
Anyway the worst case scenario is having to charge in freezing temperatures. But they're re result is simply a loss of capacity over time. Not desirable, but not the end of the world. Thanks for the question, and for watching my videos. It's very much appreciated. th-cam.com/play/PLKMrdrsNkFA56OJh6oWf3SdOT0z155D9z.html
Julian, You have captured the true soul of amateur radio my friend! When I was a young boy, I loved playing with vacuum tubes, transistors and building receivers and transmitters on literal breadboards. As time moved on and surface mount components became the norm, my interest waned in amateur radio. Your channel has sparked that excitement I had as a kid Sir! It combines digital communications, Linuxish computers, portable antenna configurations, DIY power projects, camping and emergency communications in a mix that makes me look forward to retirement and "playing" again with amateur radio and feeling that thrill that got me interested in it when I was young. Thanks Julian! 73, KF6IF
Love this idea. THANK YOU!
You're very welcome 👍
A amazing build my friend. Very informative. Please keep up the great work.
With comments like this it's hard not to keep moving forward. Thanks for the kindness, and the comment. It's very much appreciated
We can differently say," you threw everything and the kitchen cutting board at this project". 🤣🤣🤣
Great build -- lots of great safety steps.
Cheers
This is a jaw dropping build that has me feeling foolish about saving up for the Kodiak (To be fair, Canadian Prepper put me onto your channel).
But given that I was looking for the Kodiak, the only thing I would love to see is either a daisy chain capability (making multiples of this unit that I can cable up to make a Kilowatt/hour system or more) or an expandable system (hooking up Car batteries or the like) for a modular system that I can take on the go for specific lower energy demand needs or combine to to handle family specific needs in case we get another windstorm that blacks out the neighborhood.
How much more tinkering would it take to meet such needs? If you have no plans to build such a project, is it possible for you to share resources that you learned the most from so we can muddle our way through it?
Thanks in advance. Marvelous Build.
Hey thanks for the kindness, the questions and comments. Yeah the Kodiak is pretty amazing actually. As an inverter generator, it has some pretty amazing capabilities for the off grid cabin, RV and Overland scenario, emergency backup for partial home power during a grid down, ...
This generator being a DC generator is designed to power communications gear, lighting recharge power tools, power critical devices, a laptop, and do so as efficiently as possible So the inverter is avoided, choosing instead to stick with DC whenever possible. I think it's safe to say this generator actually compliments the Kodiak, but it doesn't replace it.
I like the idea of the DIY build for the Kodiak but, it's an entirely other level of skillset, when adding battery chaining. That's especially true when chaining different battery chemistries.
Vehicle charging is already working. We it plug into the DC cigarette lighter output of our Subaru Outback to charge up on the go. Then use solar when on site, off grid. It already works, but needs to be documented on the project page. There's lots of information on the project pages on my website. You can see the link in the description. There I talked about the Kodiak, building your own Kodiak, we're building this type of DC generator.
Anyway, thanks for reaching out and leaving such an awesome comment. It's very much appreciated.
Great video
Thanks Julian! Really impressive build.
Excellent job, Julian.
Thank you Gary
73
Julian ph8stn
Great build. Awesome tutorial.
Subscribed.
Maybe you could use heat pipes/ heatsinks to cool it while still being able to seal it against water?
For emergency systems being water tight might be quite useful.
Actually it doesn't generate that much heat because we've overbuilt the system. The cool thing is designed a smaller generator based on this model. It's mounted inside a Pelican case. On that smaller one all the DC outputs are sealed oh, so no water can Ingress. Awesome idea and thanks for the comment 👍
@@OH8STN cool. I was thinking of building something like this as a portable system for outdoors. Being watertight seems really useful if it's going in the woods.
Fantastic video. Good luck and 73 !
Let's say that a battery pack for long-term backpacking (3-4 days) should be no heavier than 3-4 lbs at the most (not including radio, antenna, keyer, mic, and other wiring). A 30 lb long-term backpacking weight is considered somewhere between average to getting on the heavier side. What would be the best battery pack that could be built therefore for long-term backpacking in terms of energy and charge capacity for the 3-4 lbs maximum guideline (also minimizing volume/space inside the pack)?
It totally depends on the equipment you want Power. How much current it consumes when you're powering it, and if it to radio how much current it consumes when it's just sitting there receiving. Generally speaking the most energy dense batteries are lithium ion. The next is lithium iron phosphate. We don't even consider lead acid or AGM or any of the nickel metal chemistry, because they're too heavy. So we want to know what you want to power, how much current does it consume when you're powering it, and based on that we can come up with the right battery configuration in the answer to question. Does that make sense?
@@OH8STN Thanks! Let's say it's the Yaesu FT-891, receiving about 80% of the time and transmitting at full power (100W CW and/or SSB) about 20% of the time. Just as a concrete scenario.
There are points when you're talking that I can't help but think of Casey Kasem. Maybe you should do a Top 40.
20 years in broadcasting.
Is he still alive?
OH8STN You're my QRP HERO plus you have a better voice then "Casey" Kasem! Thanks to your excellent videos and field testing, I'm using a ft-818 and many of the great accessories I learned about from you now... I think it's so awesome how you're really out in the field not to mention harsh conditions operating while surviving! I respect that being a backpacker myself... Thanks so much Bobby D. KN6IWN 73
Excellent build! 73 ~B
Thank you 👍👍👍😊
Once again Julian ... great job! Thanks for taking the time and energy to record and post. Oh ya, what where the relay and switch used for for? 73 Pat KD2PER
Julian, great information and another great video. This is really helpful info for anyone that wants to operate portable in the field.
73, W0ALA
Thanks Anthony 👍
73
Julian oh8stn
Don't know you before now, but you just earned my subscription 🙋
Your build has the power go from the battery to the fuse block, correct? I have seen some that go from the "load" output on the controller instead. Your way is the better way to do this isn't it?
It depends on the controller we are using. If you're meeting a charge controller, some charge controllers have a load port. Many of us incorrectly use them to Power Equipment rather than their real purpose which is to turn on or off a relay. I think the fuse block is a great way to protect the equipment from the battery and the battery from the equipment :-)
Very nice Project!! 73, DL8MMR.
Thank you 👍👍👍
great video . Do you need to bottom balance new batteries ?
My strategy is fully charging, measuring internal resistance and capacity, then match the cells to their closest partner in the set before installing the BMS. I only bottom balance if using used cells, without a BMS.
Screw the haters... I love your battery builds. Unless I missed it do you have a link for the battery holders and bus bars
Awesome job! Thank you.
Thanks Gerry👍
Awesome build. The links seem to not find the same parts used are there others places you found these parts
Check the build notes on the website. The one thing that is not available right now he's the BMS. I did find that from another place and I'll update the linked shortly
@@OH8STN I've been trying to find an alternate BMS to use since the Bestech is not available on ebay currently. I intend to grab one of the Bestech when they're available but do you have any second choice suggestions in BMS to get going in the meantime? I've not had much luck interpreting/trusting the low number of reviews on most of the ones I've found not to mention the very low prices and getting RFI quiet. I don't need much more than 30-40 amp draw at most since my FT-991A has a 25 amp fuse. 73 N1AFF
What is the benefits of using your battery pack vs. A deep cycle marine battery? And what are cost differences? And will your battery pack fit into a boating battery box?
1/4-1/3 of AGM weight. 2000-3000 charge cycles vs 300-500 for AGM. No peukert effect. initial cost is higher, but you'll have purchased 7-9 AGM batteries before the LiFePO4 even begins to degrade (but still useable). Size is based on your design choices. Just use my build as a template.
Cutting boards.....If it works, it's not stupid!
Exactly!
Julian, I love the work you do on all the different projects. This is one on my list to get done. I notice a few items on your list of parts is not available at this time. Do you have a place that has different items that are not available other then the links you have.
Bill de KE7NKF 73
Hey thanks for watching and for the comment. I need to update the parts lists. The individual components are not critical, until then you can substitute them with those of similar specs.
73
@@OH8STN Thank you for the reply. I enjoy your videos and have learned so much from them. As you, I want to build something that will last.
Bill 73 de KE7NKF
you get over a days runtime out of a 4S3P pack? wow I didn't know these headways were that good. I know I'll get about a weeks runtime out of my 180Ah CALBS, but that monster also weighs in at 24Kg. I should make one of these for park operations where I just want to travel light.
It really depends on how much amperage you're pulling from the pack. This is a 45 amp hour pack. Occasionally I'm putting a 20 amps load on it. There's a constant 1 to 2 amp load on it when I'm running my radios I'm computer. Even then I can get about a day and a half. Each of the Headway cells is 15 amp hours. Since I'm not losing anything by using an inverter, the system is quite efficient.
I had a Lithium motorcycle battery by Featherweight. However I accidentally ran the battery down and ruined it. What kind of safety switch do you know of that will cut off power when the battery runs low. (I was using it in my motorcycle, and had a parasitic drain that I didn't know of. So I wasn't monitoring it.)
Most riders only monitor the battery voltage during long periods without riding. In that case we would use some sort of battery tender to keep the voltage up up during storage. All quality LiFePO4 batteries have a BMS (battery management system) built-in. The BMS has a low voltage disconnect feature, which protects the battery when the voltage drops too low. Most of the time the battery is fine and simply needs to have a charge applied to get it back up above the disconnect voltage. Sounds like the featherweight lacked this basic feature.
Would love to know what this cost!
Ehhh. Probably wouldn’t. Maybe.
No one is using Lithium Titanate Oxide cells here in the US. I would love to see a video from you trying them out. They are manufactured by Yinlong in China and are rated for 30,000 cycles at a 1C charge/discharge rate.
I've been reading about them and they seem pretty awesome. I'm not sure about the volatility as with lithium-ion or lithium in NMO, the 20,000 Cycles is pretty impressive. Definitely willing to give these a go, but I'll need to wait for a compatible charge controllers before that happens.
@@OH8STN if you like genasun just call them they can set the chargers at whatever bulk/float charges you want. Ive called them before they will make one with your charge profile if you are using a different chemistry.
Love this! Looking to getting into Ham Radio but for now building a solar gen for my astronomy and camping. Just got a Renogy 50ah Lifepo4. Does that Bluetooth shunt system give state of charge info? I was foggy on that. I can do volts and amps with my DVM but need some kind of special thing for SOC. Victron is so darned expensive for that little meter they have.... Next time maybe I'll be brave enough to build my own battery bank:) Thanks for the great vid!
Yeah the shunt goes Way Beyond just being a meter :-) state of charge, real time incoming and outgoing amps & watts, battery runtime remaining, volts V1, V2 from two different points in the system eg battery and solar input, controls relays, high and low voltage protection, over current protection, and can send data to a computer for data logging.
Victron gear is awesome. You shouldn't look at it as expensive but in terms of how much it will save you I you by using it
Hey Julian, what an awesome work. im blessed about that pack, you build. thanks for that impressions. best greets from bavaria / germany, Jan.
Thanks for the kindness Jan. The quality improves with each new build. When I get the 3D printer here, we will make a very professional generator.
73
Julian oh8stn
good job buddy.
Thanks 👍
Great job! Very impressed; I've been looking for something like this for my own station. 73 Dave, WV5A
Thanks Dave. One thing I left out of this build which might be interesting to you is the ventilation. We don't have a problem with heat at 65 degrees north so it wasn't a critical feature. You may want to incorporate ventilation or even some silent fans if you build it. Thanks for the kindness and the comment, it's very much appreciated.
73
Julian oh8stn
Thanks for the video! Hello from Texas! I am curious if this BMS has a temperature sensor? I am considering the 100ah headway cells once I am confident of where I can purchase them. This will be my shack DC power supply. I am new to the hobby and trying to get my ham shack in shape after all the various distractions that have popped up this year. 73!
The BMS does have temp sensor. It will shut down if things get too hot. Good luck with your build. Remember to ho slow. Also, if it's not too much to ask, do I show and tell video after it's ready. It's inspiring to see how others have adapted this build to their own needs.
73
Julian oh8stn
@@OH8STN thanks. I am also considering the Fortune Cells. Have you seen them? And to answer your video question, I will consider it. Right now I am in the dreaming and pondering stage. I wasn’t going to build a ammo can power supply just yet but need a DC power supply for the shack. With battery power, I wonder if it needs a regulator to stay with INR the +\- range of DC voltage the radios will require.
Good morning Good Sir, I have been slowly buying all the components to build this battery pack, one thing I am having trouble with is the BMS board. The place you have listed requires you to buy 3 of them, and it wants $50 shipping to my home, do you have any other cheaper recommendations? I just don't want to buy 3 of these, when I only need 1.
Hi Julian, great video. I have a question about the battery monitoring system. In the beginning of the video you have the shunt portion of the battery monitoring unit with red positive leads, I'm assuming, and at the end of the video the unit has blue, negative leads hooked to one side of the BMS. On the Power Mon website the wiring diagram show terminal 10 connected to + side of battery and terminal 9 to load. Can you provide me an exact description of how you wired your shunt? Thanks Kirk N6LKI
Hi Kirk. It's documented in the notes. Check the link in the description. As far as the discrepancy in the video, I just found it easier to wire it the other way around halfway through the build. The documentation on their website said it didn't matter if the shunt was wired through the negative or the positive lead. Nevertheless, I did follow the instructions of the shunt manufacturer in regards to wiring.
Thanks Julian, this was very helpful. Plan to order the Power Mon unit next week. Just converted entire shack over to solar using a DIY solar generator, MPPT charger and panels on the roof.
Great but I needed the AC.
The only difference between this model and having AC is a pure sine wave inverter. You can connect the pure sine wave inverter rather than the DC outputs on this. You can also utilize a combination of DC outputs plus the outputs on your pure sine wave inverter. Perhaps I should do a project.
@@OH8STN this is what I came up with. th-cam.com/video/aTNk0sA5SpY/w-d-xo.html
I've got solar panels stored as well...
Since the "energy crisis" I've been buying 2-3 additional panels each month.
@@OH8STN My friend, I'd say you couldn't be wrong doing so. Wishing you all the best 👍.
I am wondering how you got 10ga wire into the BMS board holes.
Do you have an economy recommendation?
Hi Julian, great video!! I have one quick question - For the solar inputs you used a yellow and black Powerpole panel mount. Did you purchase it or somehow change the red for yellow? I have been unable to locate a yellow and black panel mount and am unfamiliar with swapping out the connectors. Thanks Chris N0PRO
Hi Chris. I actually purchased the yellow connectors separately. Then I swapped them out with the red on the powerpod panel mounts.
Hope this helps.
How are you getting 13.3v out of 4 sets of 3 batteries in series and in parallel? Or am I not understanding the build and you have 3 sets of 4 batteries in series and in parallel? But then you are using a 4s BMS??? Please advise. Thanks KF0ALT
Julian, I was wondering if you ever updated the SG with the balance cable as one comment suggested?
And how you would wire that cable into the pack?
what I will think of that I think you should have done because it does not seem that you can get information about BMS works as it should or is reached is wrong so I think you should have a cable for the battery so you can easily check with one multimeter that all the batteries are balanced and if they are not, you can connect it to your charger with the balancing connector and charge it without having to remove everything
Yes I did wire up the balanced cable to the pack. It's wired in parallel with a bms. I use a 4s battery monitor to check the state of each cells. The battery monitor is not connected constantly. I use it periodically to ensure the bms is working properly. So far so good, the solar generator is still working wonderfully.
73
Julian oh8stn
@@OH8STN Thank You Julian. I assume you are monitoring the 4, 3P series cell packs and it is wired to the onboard BMS, to the sense leads. What 4S monitor did you settle on?
I really like this thing, such a great design and implementation of components. I need another one...
Thank You Again.
Where did you order the headway 40152S batteries? All I seem to be able to find come from China...and I remember you stating that "purchasing a good battery will serve you well for a long time". Thanks really enjoyed the video.
This is the 1st video Ive found, of a solar generator using the 38120's. Great step by step video. Wondering if a similar set up with an inverter is planned for a future set up?
Thanks for the kindness. As radio operator I try to avoid using inverters and keep everything DC. Still it's very easy to add the inverter to this generator. It's just another DC power output. The generator can put out 60 amps continuous, so that will drive a pretty decent inverter.
@@OH8STN, thanks for your prompt reply. This is one set up i am looking to build in the near future. Although with some 120V outlets, thus why i was searching for a 38120 battery set up.
Sure glad to know that you keep in touch, in case of any future questions.
Nice work on the video
Hi Julian - as others have said - Outstanding ! I think we will all take it ! Have you considered LTO batteries ? They are made by Yinlong - 2.4v @40AH cells. (Edit - I see further down in the comments you mention you have looked at these cells quite a bit)
6x 2.4v LTO cells is a drop in replacement for a 12v lead acid battery - that has got to be a useful thing when using 12v. It's interesting that a 6 x 2.4v LTO cell pack can use standard lead acid chargers etc. That opens up the options considerably in terms of charge controllers (ie, not needing a Lithium chemistry charge controller)
Yeah thank you for the comment and kindness. We keep coming back to these. Perhaps I need to get a dozen or so and simply build a battery pack with them. We certainly don't know until we try right?
@@OH8STN Is there anyway to ship one of these generators built with LTO's? If so I will pay for all the stuff needed if you can ship it to me when done (+ something for your time) Saves your out of pocket to try it out.
@Jim Jones thanks but no. I do these builds do people can learn, not to make profit. The basic system is here, now anyo e can adapt it for other chemistries, other configurations, ... Please knock yourself out, just share your results when done
Julian..Thanks to you I have been successful building a 4S7P Headway pack. I have installed in a portable box along with the Powermon device. I have the Genasun 10 solar controller also. I do have one question regarding Solar charging using the Genasun 10 inside my box. I have the panel input of the controller wired directly to powerpole connectors when I want to attach the solar panel. The Batt + side of the solar controller is attached to the battery + post and the - side I have connected to the P- line of the BMS. Am I connecting this correctly? This would allow the BMS to protect the battery when using the solar controller and solar panel? Thank-you!
Hello Jeffrey. Put the charge controller in parallel with the main output. So it should be on the opposite side of the shunt as your BMS. Just in parallel with your DC outputs. The charge controller is not connected to the BMS directly.
Julian...My shunt is on the Positive output. I have the output of shunt attached to a positive binding post on my box and the P- of my bms attached to the negative binding post. All my loads (powerpoles etc.) are also tied to these binding posts. If I understand your reply to me I am to simply connect the BATT side of the solar controller to the binding posts..... B+ to red post and BATT - of solar controller to the black post....which the P- from BMS also connects to. Hope that makes sense :-) Everything is tied to the binding posts. Did I understand that correctly? I'm double checking because my powermon app showed a voltage on the battery go past the 14.2v and up to 16v before I removed the panel from the powerpole connector. I will try charging again today to see what happens.
I’ve been watching these videos for a while and I would like to work on my own battery pack. Question I have is the charge controller is rated for 140v. So if I use a 350v panel. Does that mean it will burn up the controller, or does the extra volts just go to waste ? Thanks! KI5PKP
It means it'll burn up your controller.
@@OH8STN Ahh. Thank you I will get a bigger controller or smaller panel!
Alternatively you can wire your panels in parallel rather than series. This will keep the voltage under your charge controllers maximum voltage, but increase the amperage coming from the solar panels
@@OH8STN Thank you kindly sir. It appears I have more research to do. KI5PKP
So this is a 12v45ah battery set up?
Ihana työystävä. Rakensin 15ampin paketin viimeisen videosi perusteella. Suunnittele nyt pieniä teholähteitä
Mahtava👍
Seuraava projekti on isompi. Noin ~1kw LiFePO4 akku, aurinkopanelit, ja radio huone remontti.
Kiitoksia kommentit.
73
Julle
Strong work! Bravo Zulu. 73 Charlie KM4ZZ
Phenomenal!
Seriously? You just made my day!
You know this all started with a disucssion about lithium batteries in our old community a could of years ago :D
@@OH8STN Hell yeah! I learn from every video you put up and they keep getting better. I couldn't think of a better way to say it!
@@OH8STN BTW, I have had the Genesun MPPT for my LiFePO4 (from Bioenno, not built.. sorry) and love it. Reliable and RF quiet.
Yeah it doesn't matter if we build or buy. We all do what we have to do. :-) I've got two new charge control is coming in from Genasun. I'm looking forward to doing some projects with those
1) Where is the US distributor for Bestech? 2) For private consultation, where is your tip jar?
Julian. What's up. question! Do you use a balance lead and a bms On the build up? Am going to do 3 of these. I had 5 pack of 4S 2 P. On two of the pack some of the batteries started to ooze. So I lost 5 batteries. Bms. Didn't protect them. So I have to remake the packs again. Walked out and the charge controller had slipped and set to 15 volts. Instead of 14.1 like I had it. Great video by the way and thanks. 👍
Not much airflow in there. Any idea how the temperatures will be during sustained usage with the lid closed?
Awesome question Bill. So far the system temperature sits between 67°-80°F, 19°-24°C. Even when running the Yaesu ft-891 @75w, the 817, and the D700 @ 50w simultaneously, the system temperature didn't rise above 80° Fahrenheit, 24° C.
I believe the reason for this is not texting this system as all with the loads were putting on it. This battery pack could provide a load of 450 amps with the right cables. The BMS is happy to comfortably sustain a 50 amp load. The highest load the system has seen was with the 891 (JS8) and D700 (APRS) transmitting at the same time. That was 28A. That was the 80°F reading.
It's a good point in fact it's an excellent point, so I'll keep an eye on it. It's a good thing we have the internal temperature sensor.
I put up an image on Instagram for you. instagram.com/p/BuLnqzeD_te/?igshid=15462zwpp4e35
I'm not actually sure why these cells are so expensive. The battery chemistry is not the reason as similar cells cost way less. In fact, this is the only factor holding me back from building out this project. The link in the video just takes me to ebay with a pre-filled search. It would be better if we had an actual trusted supplier of these as taking a chance on ebay can get mixed results. I mean, one listing is $750!
Too many different countries in the world for any single "buy link" to make everybody happy. The build is done in a modular way so that whatever cells you can source, can be used, peovided the battery chemistry is the same.
Thanks. I’ve every intention of following up on this. As you say, emergency preparedness begins with reliable off grid power and your video here is absolutely invaluable. Definitely worthy of continued support.
Hey OH8STN, I don't have all the equipment to construct this yet and I want to be properly prepared. Do you suggest a quality solder station, solder, flux, and any other related tools. I'm going to buy a Fluke Multimeter as well since I've been meaning to for years. Thank you so much for taking your time and building and filming this. Also thank you for your kind and quality teaching, I want to learn and understand my equipment not just buy everything and this kind of project helps tremendously. Self reliance. :-)
Honestly I'm lacking a good solder station at the moment and I need to invest in one, so I would say absolutely yes. The fluke was an excellent investment and I'm glad I made it. I've had it for nearly 10 years and it's never failed.
The only soldering was the BMS wires. Everything else was crimped connected.
OK, good to know. I will start looking.
Why not use XT60/XT90 on the battery box and your own stuff and make a couple of adapters in case you need to plug in someone else's stuff or your stuff in to others power sources?
That's definitely one way to do it. I just figured since I have the box on powerpoles, I would just keep everything consistent. I do have a smaller system with a similar design but 10 amp hours. That one uses xt90s.
Thanks for the comment. It's very much appreciated 👍👍👍
@@OH8STN I can totally understand why people use PowerPole, it got a pretty strong hold in amateur radio and that's great for sharing equipment. It's a really nice build no matter if it have PowerPole or XT connectors. :)
what I will think of that I think you should have done because it does not seem that you can get information about BMS works as it should or is reached is wrong so I think you should have a cable for the battery so you can easily check with one multimeter that all the batteries are balanced and if they are not, you can connect it to your charger with the balancing connector and charge it without having to remove everything
then i thought it is not safest to put shrink tubing around the negative on the balancing cable so you know which it is
you didn't mention how much it cost but just that it was less than the yeti
Actually that's an excellent comment. And I bet you thought I would delete it!? Seriously I think I will make that modification. It's nice to be able to check the sale balance, to verify everything is actually okay. I'll order the cables today an update in the build notes on my blog.
Excellent comment and thanks for sharing your opinion 👍👍👍
Julian, looks like a great base camp power system. How much is the all up weight of the overall system?
The solgen is total weight 18lbs (8.3kg). The 120 watt PF solar panel is ~6 lb or 2.5kg.
@@OH8STN I was curious about the weight of just the battery. Reference the other components, have you weighed and measured each system? I have made a spreadsheet of all my components at it gets revealing which configuration works best for man portable, bike portable or picnic table portable. Big difference between man portable and vehicle mobile as you well know. Bottom line, weight management is a function of capabability and endurance. The challenge is to determine the appropriate compromise for the given circumstance. 73s IU3JNT
@@TXLorenzo hello Lorenzo. 100% agree with you. I didn't know which video you were commenting on when I left the comment. Take a look at this video th-cam.com/video/Pm6Tvt58_8c/w-d-xo.html
In this video I'm operating bike portable, using the system in this build. I also have smaller more portable solgens, for weight management. Would be interesting to see a PDF of that spreadsheet
Great stuff! Will I see you at sral summer camp this year? de OH6BPL
I can't believe I just saw this message.
I am a little confused about some of you shunt wiring. In the early part of the video when you show the wiring of the shunt, you have the shunt in the positive side of the battery. when you are installing the bat. int the ammo can it is on the negative side. Then you show it again on the positive side.
Where are you hooking up terminals 1 and 8 with the power pols? Why did you not put them directly to the positive and negative terminals of the battery?
73
N0ORK
Hi Daniel. The shunt can go on either side, positive or negative since it's just measuring current flow. I changed my mind during the build and put it on the negative side. If you look at the notes, the documentation for the shunt has excellent schematic diagrams about wiring it.
Where is the tip jar link?
YOU stated in the video you are in Finland? how long have you lived there?
great video, what would you say about lithiums location in laptops about the heat they generate affecting something like the processing even as well as their heat is shielded, whatevers above batteries in sence should warm up like the pcb and co., with the processing from the stock exchange then the operator opens other apps ect lots of processing, storing , deleting autonomiclly there's a limit to that so then they have to upgrade maybe a better computer I've heard of freezes and they lose all their info without recovery sounds like a overload maybe in the power supply thats limited as well or having the laptops lithiums located with distance from the pcb, what would you say about mounting a ic chip on another would that increase storage and processing to retrieve the lost info?
I would say don't buy poorly designed Chinese laptops. Lithium battery packs should always be designed for the load. Should be able to sustain the load from the device they're powering, without generating too much heat. If they're generating a lot of heat, the lithium batteries or insufficient for the load they're trying to provide. For example in this video, my lithium iron phosphate batteries can supply 450 amps continuous, but they'll never see more than 30 or 40 amps load. This means the cells making up this pack will never heat up, since they're nowhere near their load capacity. I've ran this system now for nearly three months with a constant ridiculous load. It never gets above 23 Celsius.
@@OH8STN yes, I did catch that part on the voltage and amps, it's about the quick charge and capacity some topics I'm way behind on Utube
@@OH8STN with the super caps in parallel with your packs could they be aligned in series easily if they were charging directly from an alternator in a car? lots of quick amps
I've never tested that. What would be the point of the supercap in that setup? Bass driver?
@@OH8STN for a slow drain form Solar panels at sunset into lithiums or ledacid or bursts of amps into a EV motor(motors) from an alternator and slow drain into lithiums or on the EV, similar to how you oversized the capacitors, I think the manufacturers of the EV's are oversizing the lithiums and undersizing the super caps, a couple skidfull of super caps would be nice , drive to the convenient store and back with the 2 skids in the back of the van all charged up, getting back home then draining into the home
How much higher energy density for Lion and how much longer life for LiFePo? I understand that how far you charge/discharge Lion greatly affects their life. If LIon is good for a thousand or two cycles what's the chance that a ham is ever going to cycle the pack even a thousand times? That's a lot of evenings if QSOs!
Any way to get battery stats on the unit itself rather than depending on an app?
Hi Tracy.
Higher energy density gives you smaller size, more energy, but comes at the expense of cycle life. For Lithium NMC and Lithium Ion, that cycle life is generally 500 cycles. It's also 500 cycles for Lead-Acid, AGM, Deep cycle marine ... One can short charge for greater cycles, but it reduces the useable watt hours of lithium-ion/Lead-acid, so we end up building a bigger pack to compensate. LiFePO4 80-90% is ideal already averaging 2000+ cycles at 90%.
You can see a comparison of cost versus battery chemistry here: oh8stn.org/blog/2018/12/09/diy-solar-generator-576wh/
We should remember these systems are not only for ham radio. The dream of powering an entire field station, dxpedition, small cabin, camper, or an off-grid ham shack takes this to the next level in portable power. Its really a big step up.
For the bt shunt, there is the option of just seeing battery voltage with a meter. I'll update the build notes shortly to reflect that. The only component we change is the powerwerx usb ports, to the alternate usb ports in the build notes. It show battery voltage whenever the USB ports are switched on.
73
Julian OH8STN
Are the Headway battery cells only available from China? I’m not finding them online from any US companies.
Try batteryspace
What's the approximate cost on this build, please?
If you go through the parts list and choose or omit the parts you want to use (there are optional parts). That's the best way to get an idea of the costs. The parts list is in the description and the build notes link is in the description as well.
@@OH8STN Thank you very much. I will be building this, but I'll be watching the video several times and looking over all of your information first. I *WILL* purchase through your links, however. *INCREDIBLE WORK!*
3rd time watching this video Julian...quick question...did you dremel off the standoffs of the trays so you could use the solid 4-way buss bars? Looks like you went back and nipped them off.
That's right. You probably can't see it in the video or I forgot to mention it. But in the end I clipped off those taps where they came together, to allow for the 4 hole bus bars 👍
BTW...GREAT video! I want to build this system for my ft -817 and rs-918 mcHF radios. Thinking of your earlier build for SOTA and portable ops....and a manpack radio.
Thanks Richard. This one might be totally overkill for the 817 or the rs-918, but you could power a lot of things with it.
Please tell me, how do you like that rs-918?
@@OH8STN I love it!!! It is my first SDR (and I got a GREAT deal on it) The form factor is very small but the screen is easy to read and touch control. The menus are easy to navigate and set. The firmware update and version update were super easy (so easy I could do them...that's saying a lot) I added a heatsink to the top of the radio using the case screws and it does help cool the radio. For a QRP portable rig this is one of the smallest I've seen. Not as full featured as a KX3, but I got mine for less than $200 used. I can pack a tuner! I already do for the 817. Using a homebrew linked dipole I talked from North Carolina to Texas on 1 Watt on 40M last camping trip.
The scope is fantastic, that spoiled me instantly. I have not used it for digital modes (not quite there yet, still a lot of SSB for me) but it has USB, Micro USB, Phone, Mic, Line in and out, ACC, and key on either side. The built in spkr is plenty loud in the woods too.
Where did you get your busbars and screws?
The screws come with the cells. The busbars I ordered from the same place I got my cells. A cheap alternative is making them with copper pipe from the hardware store. Just smash it in a vise, then drill holes adequate for the distance between the screws.
What solar panel would you be mating up to this power pack?
Depends on my deployment. Usually the fm16-7200 from @Powerfilmsolar i do use their rollable waterproof panels when it's wet or in the swamp. I use Powerfilm panels because I usually have limited weight carrying possibilities and restricted space.
To add, when operating from home, two 40 watt rigid panels in parallel, keep it topped up year round.
@@OH8STN Cripes that's expensive! LOL. I'm working on my first "generator". 32ah 410 watt with built in BMS from Battery Hookup in a harbor freight ammo can. Typical USB, power, voltage display pack. I was planning on just charging it from an RC car charger at home, but for a couple hundred more adding solar makes sense. I'll be using it while camping to charge devices, lights, and especially for my power hungry Nikon while doing really long time lapse photography where the camera needs to run for 4-8 hours. I have that Genasun 140 watt charger in my Amazon cart...just trying to figure out the solar. I have trouble believing the specs on a lot of these foldable panels ~$200.
If you don't need the portability of the PF panels, and you do car camping for example why not check out the renogy konle's?
@@OH8STN Much thanks for sharing so much great info! Appreciated!
How do you use this without adding switch's if I don't put in a switch my battery just drains
I did add a switch to turn off the USB port. That's where the power drain came from.
@@OH8STN sorry must have missed that. Thanks for the speedy response
Don't be sorry. I'm not sure I mentioned it in the video. At least in the documentation. It's one of those things that you learn after you build something.
Anyone has a link to the 10AH 50A video?
Here you go.
th-cam.com/video/nDoQoVA0hAc/w-d-xo.html
@@OH8STN Thank you!
No problem :)