Nice build, thx for sharing.. Up until the very last 30 seconds I was telling myself the dude is not going to plug the solar panels directly to the battery.... then I saw the MPPT attached to the panel.. 😅🤣
It has been 11 months since this video aired, I am working on this same build but would love an update on what you might do differently now. I am going to start with this before moving on to building the trailer camper! This will be handy on an upcoming camping trip.
It depends on your need but I would look at some of the new power stations on the market. I had a special need of wanting the biggest battery for the $$ to power our cooler as long as possible. Since I didn't need an inverter or any fancy outputs this was the best choice. It is still working great although I think i may add a few more USB-C connections.
Thanks for the video, it was clear and calm :) I would recommend fusing the solar panel positive too. It is directly connected to the battery positive so a short on that cable would be very exciting yeah?
Another clueless armchair comment section electrician. The solar is connected to a charge control hanging from the back of the panel, not direct. And you dont fuse single panels or panels wired in series. I would recommend you stop giving advice on topics you know nothing about.
put some sealant around the connector housing to make it really water proof. Would have just gone with a mc4 receiver connector instead of cutting up all those wires. good build.
Very nice video. I watched both parts one and two I am going to use a lot of your build suggestions. I'm going to include a 1500 W inverter, and even though these batteries include BMS protection, I prefer to have a solar charge controller monitoring the battery charging. Very nice Solar charger you have there.
Well guess your not Aussie lol. Anderson plugs are the only thing we really use here. Proven to be tough enough for our conditions. Nice build tho, i have the 50ah for running a bilge pump for prospecting. I might still some of these ideas, would be good to build a box for it.
The only thing i would suggest is adding a read out of the battery on the box.. that way you can see what the info on the box is.. also the interior might get warm, and you may want to add a fan to cool the battery a bit..
Thank you for saying this. This reminds me I need to add one for my buck converter to my camera. I think the 2 pin has one with the big round circle between the lines but imma add one of my own for double protection
I'm in the middle of a cargo camper build and while the AIO power stations are nice I don't need all of the extra items they come with, don't care for the 12v “cigarette lighter" plug to integrate it into my trailer power system, and don’t want to send it in if something breaks. If done correctly a DIY power box can grow with you and your power needs. Thank you for the videos! Questions: -have you had any issues with the wires getting hot? -Have you put anything in so you can charge the battery while also using the USB and power ports?
Both Part 1 and 2 were helpful for me as I am working back up power for blackouts. Oh and has anyone ever told you that you could almost pass for younger Lars Ulrich of Metallica?? haha thanks for the great videos
While this connector is definitely sturdy, it might be a bit too tough, especially for a solar connection that you’ll be plugging and unplugging often.
Those large Anderson connectors are for 50 amps. They are overkill for this application and you have to buy tools, pins, connectors to make them. Pain.
❤❤nice build i have two of those tool box one 800watts inverter and next with 48 volt inverter with two 110 AC out put but i have 20A breaker for my out them so my inverter is protected if any it my breaker will only flip
I would use the XT60 or XT30 for my charge cable since they are as cheap as SAE cables are are able to handle rather overkill currents (60 amps and 30 amps respectively).
The charge rate for 100Ah battery is 20 amps. The ABYC code for 20 amps under 10 feet is 12GA wire and most come with 10GA. Those SAE connectors can easily handle 20 amps. Fuses are designed to take care of over current, not the connectors. No reason on earth those connectors should be seeing 60 amps. No he does not need to use XT60 connectors. Another clueless armchair electrician.....
@@SOLDOZER For the same cost or maybe less than an SAE, we have a 60 amp rated connector with better panel mounting options, some water tight options, and the XT90 has antispark variants. I also like that each side is physically different so there is no risk of a backwards wired connector (I learned this the hard way when I found my SAE connectors were wired backwards to each other.... blew some fuses). So if the SAE and XT60 are the same price, I would rather have the XT60 which is physically better built, harder to screw up, visually different between battery and load side... and it CAN handle 60 amps if you want it to... not that you have to. And I am no armchair electrician... I chose to use XT60 over SAE for my battery after I spot welded each Lithium ion cell together due to both it being cheaper than the available SAE options (they're the same price now), physically having a male and female... physically hermaphroditic connectors are dangerous if they're not also electrically hermaphroditic like the Anderson power pole. And I avoided the Power Pole simply due to cost since my battery does not require a 300 amp rated connector when its BMS blows an E fuse at 50 amps (the cells can't do much more than 20 anyhow, they're junk and also the wrong Lithium ion type for high power). I carefully weighed using an SAE and was going to do so until I found that approx half the SAE devices I have around me are wired backwards from the factory. They should be wired so that on the battery side, the negative terminal is the naked one so it doesn't short to ground if it touches a vehicle body since they're for automotive, half of mine are wired so they would short to ground... which means they're both backwards polarity and a short risk (most of which are not fused either... cheap gizmos don't always have fuses). I chose the XT60 when I saw they were easy to solder, cheaper than SAE at the time (though they can be the same price if you look longer and wait for shipping from china), the XT60 is designed for super high currents for its size class, is often fire retardant, has the XT60i variant which I plan to use when I make a 48 volt Lithium Ion pack so it can autodetect and lower itself to 12 volts as needed... need I go on? The ONLY advantage SAE has is ubiquity, it ties in cost (and often costs more than XT60), has slightly higher internal resistance, is really hard to solder (I hate crimps, they're easy but I like better solder joints), and is often wired wrong meaning I would have to check each new SAE device with a meter before connecting things or else magic smoke comes out... remember most devices that are not super costly do not have fuses... yeah. I would have gone XT90 but the cost was as high as SAE and I think a 60 amp connector is overkill so a 90 amp connector would be stupid overkill. I would have suggested the XT30 at its 30 amp rating which is more comparable while being physically smaller than the SAE, but if the XT60 is cheaper and has better panel mount options, just use it.
@@asificam1 No, your SAE connectors were not wired backwards. Depending on what you hook it to they will have reverse polarity. Thats why you have reverse polarity connectors.
@@SOLDOZER I am aware if the polarity reversers. However, there is zero reason for a battery clip (like from a charger or solar maintainer) to be wired any other way than black (negative) being the unprotected side and the positive being protected by plastic because 99% of cars are are negative body ground. If all the SAE connectors had the cables polarity marked rather than the cables in a single black sleeve as they all do in commercially produced devices, then I would be less against the SAE connector seeing it as a waste of resources rather than a danger. If I need to double check with a meter on every connection, then the connector is worthless. XT60 is usually cheaper than SAE, carries more current, handles more insertions, less prone to burning, often made of fire resistant plastic, can be soldered for super good connections, and mine are designed for 10 AWG wires (though the older style without the protective backing could probably take slightly thicker wires if you get creative with soldering). XT60 has better panel mounting options, more water tight options, and the XT60i has an extra wire which can be used for something else like a sense wire, a communication wire for future expansion, maybe a simple resistive divider for setting voltages, etc. I plan to use the XT60i for my future Lithium ion packs so that they can sense when a device can take more than 12 volts and expose their full voltage, or step it down to 12 by default to match all my other gear. When the objectively better option is cheaper, why not go with it? Even if the SAE is good enough, the XT60 allows for future expansion and you could use it for discharging as well since it can supply 60 amps either direction. OR a third option is to put in an SAE with an ideal diode module (They exist, they're a MOSFET driven by a special chip), use the SAE for charging only, and have an XT60 panel mount for power going either direction. Fourth option if you have a bucket of ideal diode modules (real diode will get rather warm here), 60 amp fused, or ideally regulated connection via XT60, 10-15 amp fused or regulated SAE output, and then have them both go backwards to a DC-DC charger, use the ideal diodes so that power in always goes to the charge controller or a smaller fuse, but power output when going via the XT60 is fused to 60 amps.
How difficult would it be to add one 15 amp outlet to this set up? I have sleep apnea and am looking to build something similar so that I can run my CPAP on camping trips
Really love this video, I was overwhelmed by builds on the net and was nearly ready to give up. My build is going to be based on yours. Its so simple.without the need for a dc/dc charger and mppt to be put inside. Would you add or changebanything since youve been using it? Batttery size okay for your needs? Well done fella. Awesome vid
This battery gives us 3 to 4 days of use with our Setpower fridge and has been working well so far. I may put more USB ports on as you never seem to have enough.
looks good but I've seen that the controller should be near the battery and not the solar panel. something to do with loss of voltage or better flow of current.
You could but would have to make sure and add a vent the box. There are some very inexpensive lithium batteries on the market now which would we worth checking out.
There is a charge controller built into the solar suitcase. You can check out this video which we go over the battery/monitor & solar suitcase in details. th-cam.com/video/OXDFdGeS_lw/w-d-xo.html
I would rather have the grey connector at least they are better than lighter plugs. Also you should see the charge rate with the 30 foot cable because there will be loss in longer cables. Overall this is good I may do a few things different but the idea is the same. Most people have the panels mounted on the roofs of the RV so just a connection would work. The box can be mounted on the tongue if you don't have propane tanks or single tank. I sure don't want to lug a battery around. 73
The battery was $500 and is 100ah or 1200wh. You can compare that with Jackery or Bluetti. They both make great units it just depends on your need. We just wanted the most battery for the $$ to power a cooler fridge & lights.
Nice job👌👌. Personally like the Anderson plug, it may need that lil bit more oomph to click in but flip-side is rock solid on any corrugated road we've come across, never worry about stopping at camp and discovering fridge came unplugged 👍😁
As for cost, I’m in the process of purchasing parts for my build, a 12v 100Ah system. It’s looking like I can get about double the watt hours of an premade unit for the same price. I can also start with a box, battery, battery charger, some fuses and wire, and outlets and have a working system. I can then add outlets, solar controller, DC to DC alternator controller, dedicated Ham Radio circuit, lights, meter’s, Bluetooth, Chinese diesel heater circuit, camera battery chargers, or whatever as in need and not have to put out the full cost all at once. Plus I know the system and can fix it myself with parts I can get overnight or 2 days from Amazon. To send your malfunctioning premade units in takes time and effort. I can basically order replacement parts and do the repairs in less time than it takes to get authorization to send it in for repair. When the Zombies attack I plan on being prepared. The name of my company will be ZE Equip (Zombie Eliminator). Watch your back !
Nice build, thx for sharing.. Up until the very last 30 seconds I was telling myself the dude is not going to plug the solar panels directly to the battery.... then I saw the MPPT attached to the panel.. 😅🤣
Oh we have heard that many times. “No charge controller?” 😂 I must not have explained that part clearly enough.
It has been 11 months since this video aired, I am working on this same build but would love an update on what you might do differently now. I am going to start with this before moving on to building the trailer camper! This will be handy on an upcoming camping trip.
It depends on your need but I would look at some of the new power stations on the market. I had a special need of wanting the biggest battery for the $$ to power our cooler as long as possible. Since I didn't need an inverter or any fancy outputs this was the best choice. It is still working great although I think i may add a few more USB-C connections.
Thanks for the video, it was clear and calm :) I would recommend fusing the solar panel positive too. It is directly connected to the battery positive so a short on that cable would be very exciting yeah?
Great idea. I see Renogy offers an inline fuse now that will plug right in.
Another clueless armchair comment section electrician. The solar is connected to a charge control hanging from the back of the panel, not direct. And you dont fuse single panels or panels wired in series. I would recommend you stop giving advice on topics you know nothing about.
Brillant design!
put some sealant around the connector housing to make it really water proof. Would have just gone with a mc4 receiver connector instead of cutting up all those wires. good build.
Very nice video. I watched both parts one and two I am going to use a lot of your build suggestions. I'm going to include a 1500 W inverter, and even though these batteries include BMS protection, I prefer to have a solar charge controller monitoring the battery charging. Very nice Solar charger you have there.
Well guess your not Aussie lol. Anderson plugs are the only thing we really use here. Proven to be tough enough for our conditions.
Nice build tho, i have the 50ah for running a bilge pump for prospecting. I might still some of these ideas, would be good to build a box for it.
The only thing i would suggest is adding a read out of the battery on the box.. that way you can see what the info on the box is.. also the interior might get warm, and you may want to add a fan to cool the battery a bit..
You obviously have 0 experience. I would suggest you sit down.
You may want to put a diode in line with the charging port so you don't have a hot plug. Just in case.
Thank you for saying this. This reminds me I need to add one for my buck converter to my camera. I think the 2 pin has one with the big round circle between the lines but imma add one of my own for double protection
id pay a reasonable amount of money for this!
thanks for the part 2, i did not get the part where you can monitor the charging using you phone, can you give more details on that, thank you
We chose that specific battery as it has a Bluetooth battery monitor built in. You just download the app and connect to the battery.
I'm in the middle of a cargo camper build and while the AIO power stations are nice I don't need all of the extra items they come with, don't care for the 12v “cigarette lighter" plug to integrate it into my trailer power system, and don’t want to send it in if something breaks. If done correctly a DIY power box can grow with you and your power needs. Thank you for the videos!
Questions:
-have you had any issues with the wires getting hot?
-Have you put anything in so you can charge the battery while also using the USB and power ports?
Both Part 1 and 2 were helpful for me as I am working back up power for blackouts. Oh and has anyone ever told you that you could almost pass for younger Lars Ulrich of Metallica?? haha thanks for the great videos
You're not running the solar thru the controller but straight to the battery along with the AC charger?
No the solar suitcase has a solar charge controller built in.
Links are much appreciated
What did you not like about the big Anderson Style Connector??? They are pretty widely accepted as the "Best" DC connectors!
While this connector is definitely sturdy, it might be a bit too tough, especially for a solar connection that you’ll be plugging and unplugging often.
Those large Anderson connectors are for 50 amps. They are overkill for this application and you have to buy tools, pins, connectors to make them. Pain.
Seriously great set of videos! Thank you
Thank you for the feedback! 😀
Thanks for sharing this videos bro 🙏
🤓
❤❤nice build i have two of those tool box one 800watts inverter and next with 48 volt inverter with two 110 AC out put but i have 20A breaker for my out them so my inverter is protected if any it my breaker will only flip
I would use the XT60 or XT30 for my charge cable since they are as cheap as SAE cables are are able to handle rather overkill currents (60 amps and 30 amps respectively).
The charge rate for 100Ah battery is 20 amps. The ABYC code for 20 amps under 10 feet is 12GA wire and most come with 10GA. Those SAE connectors can easily handle 20 amps. Fuses are designed to take care of over current, not the connectors. No reason on earth those connectors should be seeing 60 amps. No he does not need to use XT60 connectors. Another clueless armchair electrician.....
@@SOLDOZER For the same cost or maybe less than an SAE, we have a 60 amp rated connector with better panel mounting options, some water tight options, and the XT90 has antispark variants. I also like that each side is physically different so there is no risk of a backwards wired connector (I learned this the hard way when I found my SAE connectors were wired backwards to each other.... blew some fuses).
So if the SAE and XT60 are the same price, I would rather have the XT60 which is physically better built, harder to screw up, visually different between battery and load side... and it CAN handle 60 amps if you want it to... not that you have to.
And I am no armchair electrician... I chose to use XT60 over SAE for my battery after I spot welded each Lithium ion cell together due to both it being cheaper than the available SAE options (they're the same price now), physically having a male and female... physically hermaphroditic connectors are dangerous if they're not also electrically hermaphroditic like the Anderson power pole. And I avoided the Power Pole simply due to cost since my battery does not require a 300 amp rated connector when its BMS blows an E fuse at 50 amps (the cells can't do much more than 20 anyhow, they're junk and also the wrong Lithium ion type for high power).
I carefully weighed using an SAE and was going to do so until I found that approx half the SAE devices I have around me are wired backwards from the factory. They should be wired so that on the battery side, the negative terminal is the naked one so it doesn't short to ground if it touches a vehicle body since they're for automotive, half of mine are wired so they would short to ground... which means they're both backwards polarity and a short risk (most of which are not fused either... cheap gizmos don't always have fuses). I chose the XT60 when I saw they were easy to solder, cheaper than SAE at the time (though they can be the same price if you look longer and wait for shipping from china), the XT60 is designed for super high currents for its size class, is often fire retardant, has the XT60i variant which I plan to use when I make a 48 volt Lithium Ion pack so it can autodetect and lower itself to 12 volts as needed... need I go on?
The ONLY advantage SAE has is ubiquity, it ties in cost (and often costs more than XT60), has slightly higher internal resistance, is really hard to solder (I hate crimps, they're easy but I like better solder joints), and is often wired wrong meaning I would have to check each new SAE device with a meter before connecting things or else magic smoke comes out... remember most devices that are not super costly do not have fuses... yeah.
I would have gone XT90 but the cost was as high as SAE and I think a 60 amp connector is overkill so a 90 amp connector would be stupid overkill.
I would have suggested the XT30 at its 30 amp rating which is more comparable while being physically smaller than the SAE, but if the XT60 is cheaper and has better panel mount options, just use it.
@@asificam1 No, your SAE connectors were not wired backwards. Depending on what you hook it to they will have reverse polarity. Thats why you have reverse polarity connectors.
@@SOLDOZER I am aware if the polarity reversers. However, there is zero reason for a battery clip (like from a charger or solar maintainer) to be wired any other way than black (negative) being the unprotected side and the positive being protected by plastic because 99% of cars are are negative body ground. If all the SAE connectors had the cables polarity marked rather than the cables in a single black sleeve as they all do in commercially produced devices, then I would be less against the SAE connector seeing it as a waste of resources rather than a danger. If I need to double check with a meter on every connection, then the connector is worthless. XT60 is usually cheaper than SAE, carries more current, handles more insertions, less prone to burning, often made of fire resistant plastic, can be soldered for super good connections, and mine are designed for 10 AWG wires (though the older style without the protective backing could probably take slightly thicker wires if you get creative with soldering). XT60 has better panel mounting options, more water tight options, and the XT60i has an extra wire which can be used for something else like a sense wire, a communication wire for future expansion, maybe a simple resistive divider for setting voltages, etc. I plan to use the XT60i for my future Lithium ion packs so that they can sense when a device can take more than 12 volts and expose their full voltage, or step it down to 12 by default to match all my other gear.
When the objectively better option is cheaper, why not go with it? Even if the SAE is good enough, the XT60 allows for future expansion and you could use it for discharging as well since it can supply 60 amps either direction. OR a third option is to put in an SAE with an ideal diode module (They exist, they're a MOSFET driven by a special chip), use the SAE for charging only, and have an XT60 panel mount for power going either direction. Fourth option if you have a bucket of ideal diode modules (real diode will get rather warm here), 60 amp fused, or ideally regulated connection via XT60, 10-15 amp fused or regulated SAE output, and then have them both go backwards to a DC-DC charger, use the ideal diodes so that power in always goes to the charge controller or a smaller fuse, but power output when going via the XT60 is fused to 60 amps.
How difficult would it be to add one 15 amp outlet to this set up? I have sleep apnea and am looking to build something similar so that I can run my CPAP on camping trips
You may look into getting a 12v adapter for your cpap machine. Not having to run an inverter will save power.
Excellent series, thank you! I may have missed it, but did you provide an estimate of what it cost you overall?
We didn’t tally up the total but have all the parts listed in the description.
Just curious….how did you secure the battery..? I am actually interested in that part. Thanks
We used a 2” nylon strap around the battery and small bolts to hold it to the side of the case.
Nice video. Thanks for sharing. With the battery mounted off-center, how is carrying the toolbox around with more weight on one end than the other?
The handle is wide enough so it stabilizes the load pretty good.
Very fun watching this build. Would you be able to charge this battery from your vehicle using the 12v ports?
Really love this video, I was overwhelmed by builds on the net and was nearly ready to give up. My build is going to be based on yours. Its so simple.without the need for a dc/dc charger and mppt to be put inside. Would you add or changebanything since youve been using it? Batttery size okay for your needs? Well done fella. Awesome vid
This battery gives us 3 to 4 days of use with our Setpower fridge and has been working well so far. I may put more USB ports on as you never seem to have enough.
@@ExploreTrekAdventure awesome 😎, by the way what was the name of the connectors you used for the solar panel and charger leads?
Can you give me a diagram about this? I am planning to do such a project for 12v 200ah battery and 5000w inverter.
looks good but I've seen that the controller should be near the battery and not the solar panel. something to do with loss of voltage or better flow of current.
We like the benefit of having the all in one solar suitcase. You can use it to for other things like charging car batteries.
How about car batteries u can use also? Thanks for sharing this videos bro❤👍🙏
You could but would have to make sure and add a vent the box. There are some very inexpensive lithium batteries on the market now which would we worth checking out.
Think I'll buy the ecoflow big boy.
Ecoflow makes great stuff. Send a Delta Pro our way! 🤓
Thanks for sharing
You bet!
Correct me if im wrong but wouldnt it be safer to add some kind of ventilation to the case?
Lithium batteries do not need to be vented but it would be good to add if heat was an issue.
Is there no need for a charge controller between the battery and solar panel or is that built into that interface on the back of the solar panel?
There is a charge controller built into the solar suitcase. You can check out this video which we go over the battery/monitor & solar suitcase in details.
th-cam.com/video/OXDFdGeS_lw/w-d-xo.html
I wonder, could you link more than 1 battery and have volt/charge meter on it as well
You could have 2 batteries in parallel but then you have to beef up everything and you would need a lot more solar.
I would rather have the grey connector at least they are better than lighter plugs. Also you should see the charge rate with the 30 foot cable because there will be loss in longer cables. Overall this is good I may do a few things different but the idea is the same. Most people have the panels mounted on the roofs of the RV so just a connection would work. The box can be mounted on the tongue if you don't have propane tanks or single tank. I sure don't want to lug a battery around. 73
Good ideas if using with an RV.
What was your cost without solar panels? Thanks
You can find info on everything we used in the build in the video description.
What's cost savings vs the premade power stations like a Bluetti or jackery?
The battery was $500 and is 100ah or 1200wh. You can compare that with Jackery or Bluetti. They both make great units it just depends on your need. We just wanted the most battery for the $$ to power a cooler fridge & lights.
You need a 110 power supply to make more complete just in case is need it
What app/battery monitor are you using. I didn't see that installed in the first or second video. Forgive me I am new and just learning. Thank you.
We used a Renogy battery which has a built-in monitor. You just download the app and connect it via Bluetooth. 😀
This case needs a DC/AC converter
How do you decide what gage wire to use where?
Google "wirebarn wire calculator". You punch in the details of your circuit and it will give you wire options that will work.
Where did you get the parts at, did you order on line?
We have all the parts listed in the description of the video. Most of it was from Amazon.
Nice job👌👌. Personally like the Anderson plug, it may need that lil bit more oomph to click in but flip-side is rock solid on any corrugated road we've come across, never worry about stopping at camp and discovering fridge came unplugged 👍😁
Yes those Anderson plugs are very very sturdy. 😀
Nice.
Cost?
can you do this with a car battery instead
You could but would want to make sure the box is vented.
One thing you never discussed.... HOW LONG DOES A SINGLE CHARGE LAST?
We purpose built this to power the fridge in our rooftop tent set up. We get around 3 to 4 days depending on the temperatures.
As for cost, I’m in the process of purchasing parts for my build, a 12v 100Ah system. It’s looking like I can get about double the watt hours of an premade unit for the same price. I can also start with a box, battery, battery charger, some fuses and wire, and outlets and have a working system. I can then add outlets, solar controller, DC to DC alternator controller, dedicated Ham Radio circuit, lights, meter’s, Bluetooth, Chinese diesel heater circuit, camera battery chargers, or whatever as in need and not have to put out the full cost all at once. Plus I know the system and can fix it myself with parts I can get overnight or 2 days from Amazon. To send your malfunctioning premade units in takes time and effort. I can basically order replacement parts and do the repairs in less time than it takes to get authorization to send it in for repair. When the Zombies attack I plan on being prepared. The name of my company will be ZE Equip (Zombie Eliminator). Watch your back !
Nice work! Total cost of materials?
We don’t have a total cost calculated but the individual pieces are linked in the description.
What! All this and you don’t have a cost!!!!
@@madisoncrawford2483 😂 could of made a ballpark estimation. For sure my guess is somewhere around $1300
Once you start adding it all up an Ecoflow or Jackery start to sound like a hell of a deal.
Slotted screws?! 🤦♂️ Have you been watching too much Fisher's Shop?!
I know...😂. It was a struggle but we found them on the workbench and they were the perfect size.
Very expensive setup 🤔
What changes would you make?