Dear Father Christmas, Julian has been very good this year. Please put a nice nut driver set in his stocking this year. Another excellent video! Thanks again Julian
You could get rid of the plastic frames, then you can choose the spacings and create a single, much larger pcb per side covering all the cells. The pair of pcbs will be more than strong enough once all the cells are bolted on. The primary pcb can also hold your arduino. As others have said fuses would be good, but how about temperature sensors.
This project kind of reminds me of similar projects from Jehugarcia. You might want to check his channel out because you're going a similar route by the looks of things. I'm enjoying this series 👍
Very neat. With the two "sticking out" end boards you could use a hacksaw or dremel to remove almost half of the board that isn't being used to make it look a bit neater.
Would have been good to include an exposed pad on the lower middle for soldering link wires to other junction boards. Easy enough to work around after the fact using some sandpaper or a small chisel.
Nice. For higher currents, you can stack multiple PCB's with an air gap between each, though the screws would need to be longer. I like this idea Julian....the old brain is ticking....I can hear it!
How quaint, Julian still has a landline at 11:43 - the ring is different but somehow I picture him with a beige "Viscount" (the one with the orange memory buttons) ;-)
Nice to see a PCBWay ad during the JLCPCB board video. look like they look for key words to place ads. No magic smoke! your getting too good Julian ;-)
Are you going to draw the current off this pack from each row of cells and combine the leads rather than one connection and have the combining done through the PCBs?
Cool stuff! I'm definitely going to use this idea in my own battery pack! But given how it takes a couple of weeks to receive stuff from JLCPCB, I think a less modular approach would be better at first (as in 4x2 instead of 2x2+wires) - then I would modularise as needed.
yay... PD charging I have a Microsoft Surface I would like to use it mobile but charge it via a PD usb c charger driven from a battery pack ! can you help ???? Please
Instead of 8s4p, what about two 8s2p cells in the same housing? You could use your existing design and parallel them to get the whole current draw. Could side-step the 40A limitation? 🤷♂
Are you sure the outer boards will be able to handle the current? I assume the middle boards will be cold, but the outer ones will carry entire current coming out of the whole pack as the currents from all cells will add up.
@@JulianIlett Ah yes, in serial the voltages add up, while in parallel the currents add up. Those boards/circuits are a combination of serial and parallel which only adds to confusion, but they are overwhelmingly serial connection, so the max board current will equal to a 2xCell current, because the boards put 2 cells in parallel in each series.
Do you pre pay VAT / Customs through JLC? If not did DHL try to charge you import or not catch it? Everytime I order from Chinese PCB manufacturers and get it delivered via DHL I always get hit with a £17+ fee, £10+ of that is DHL's "processing fee".
That DHL thing is a scam, as customs charge for many items is zero so they are processing nothing except their fee. Of course there is always import VAT, which DHL resolutely try to charge even if the shipper quotes your EORI on the label and you handle VAT yourself. Avoid DHL is my strategy.....
@@JulianIlett perhaps a sacrificial trace with a couple HASL pads at either end so you can service the battery and replace the "fuse" without tossing the board.
Maybe. The trace width calculator says temperature rise would be about 50C at 5A. If that active balancer ever gets to 5A, I don't think it will be there for long. We'll see :)
A four-long version with snap lines so it could be easily reduced to something smaller would be good. That would just leave the problem of making sure there was still sufficient copper to handle the current. Maybe a few big vias so 16SWG links could be soldered across the snap lines.
Dear Father Christmas, Julian has been very good this year. Please put a nice nut driver set in his stocking this year.
Another excellent video! Thanks again Julian
Ha ha, I found a 7mm nut driver - works well :)
An isolated one!
You could get rid of the plastic frames, then you can choose the spacings and create a single, much larger pcb per side covering all the cells. The pair of pcbs will be more than strong enough once all the cells are bolted on. The primary pcb can also hold your arduino.
As others have said fuses would be good, but how about temperature sensors.
Now that JLCPCB has assembly service, is there an option to have them grind off the numbers on the chips for that authentic look?
Now that made me lol :)
for an extra fee, of course.
This project kind of reminds me of similar projects from Jehugarcia. You might want to check his channel out because you're going a similar route by the looks of things.
I'm enjoying this series 👍
Very neat. With the two "sticking out" end boards you could use a hacksaw or dremel to remove almost half of the board that isn't being used to make it look a bit neater.
The words 'dremel' and 'neat' don't work together in my world ;)
Hello Julian, you might want to protect you spanner with some heatshrink? For safety.
🐐 BEHOLD! Prudence the safety goat 🐐
Would have been good to include an exposed pad on the lower middle for soldering link wires to other junction boards. Easy enough to work around after the fact using some sandpaper or a small chisel.
Thanks Julian
if you use a board to connect the bottom ones put a pcb on top of the bottom ones instead of the link wires
Well done Julian
Nice. For higher currents, you can stack multiple PCB's with an air gap between each, though the screws would need to be longer. I like this idea Julian....the old brain is ticking....I can hear it!
I think 4-layer PCBs are on offer at the moment - I could have gone with that :)
when I got some of those cells I got what looks like the original box with the manufacturers name and some information :)
For more current capability - what about copper plates on that PCB and a temperature sensors on that sometime? :-)
Dont forget your shake-proof washers will you, but the boards look good!
Agreed quite neat.
How quaint, Julian still has a landline at 11:43 - the ring is different but somehow I picture him with a beige "Viscount" (the one with the orange memory buttons) ;-)
It's a BT Decor 210 :)
@@JulianIlett Fancy! :-)
Nice to see a PCBWay ad during the JLCPCB board video. look like they look for key words to place ads.
No magic smoke! your getting too good Julian ;-)
That heart stopping moment ...will they fit?
fantastic!
Are you going to draw the current off this pack from each row of cells and combine the leads rather than one connection and have the combining done through the PCBs?
I realise these are quite modular, but did you calculate the cost to just make one big PCB to cover each side of your pack?
I was more concerned about getting the distance between holes correct.
you could have made the boards longer and have 8 holes to fit all the batteries?? so the cell connect would link then all??
Then I increase the pack size to 8S6P and end up with the same problem :)
Now you need some two post versions of the board so that they don't stick out the bottom of the pack.
Cool stuff! I'm definitely going to use this idea in my own battery pack! But given how it takes a couple of weeks to receive stuff from JLCPCB, I think a less modular approach would be better at first (as in 4x2 instead of 2x2+wires) - then I would modularise as needed.
Measure those hole spacings carefully :)
yay... PD charging I have a Microsoft Surface I would like to use it mobile but charge it via a PD usb c charger driven from a battery pack ! can you help ???? Please
Are tin plated copper nuts and washers available?
I'm surprised you didn't include fuse protection into these boards, but they look very clean nonetheless. :)
Instead of 8s4p, what about two 8s2p cells in the same housing? You could use your existing design and parallel them to get the whole current draw. Could side-step the 40A limitation? 🤷♂
I jumped when you touched the end cells and the phone rang
With all the technology we have today, why are phone scams still a thing?
I like it
Are you sure the outer boards will be able to handle the current? I assume the middle boards will be cold, but the outer ones will carry entire current coming out of the whole pack as the currents from all cells will add up.
Current is the same at every point in a circuit (unless there are branches).
@@JulianIlett Ah yes, in serial the voltages add up, while in parallel the currents add up. Those boards/circuits are a combination of serial and parallel which only adds to confusion, but they are overwhelmingly serial connection, so the max board current will equal to a 2xCell current, because the boards put 2 cells in parallel in each series.
Interesting dremal 2 holes from 2 PCBs to connect the ends
Do you pre pay VAT / Customs through JLC? If not did DHL try to charge you import or not catch it? Everytime I order from Chinese PCB manufacturers and get it delivered via DHL I always get hit with a £17+ fee, £10+ of that is DHL's "processing fee".
I think JLCPCB must add it all in when ordering - I've had 40 or so PCB orders delivered without anything more to pay.
@@JulianIlett Ah interesting, i've seen other suppliers give 2 options - 1. DHL or 2. DHL pre-paid customs.
That DHL thing is a scam, as customs charge for many items is zero so they are processing nothing except their fee. Of course there is always import VAT, which DHL resolutely try to charge even if the shipper quotes your EORI on the label and you handle VAT yourself. Avoid DHL is my strategy.....
Copper is far too soft to hold a thread. Those brazed posts will be an alloy like beryllium copper.
Good point :)
Most likely just steel and copper coated as most grounding posts on metal paneling
I like that, looks really good! Did you specific the copper thickness or was the default enough?
I used the default 1oz copper. 2oz is much more expensive.
These days I see the DIY powerwalls having a fuse on each cell, incase a single cell shorts.
I suppose fusible links could be designed onto the PCB.
@@JulianIlett perhaps a sacrificial trace with a couple HASL pads at either end so you can service the battery and replace the "fuse" without tossing the board.
Better add washers to avoid scratching the copper pads when tightening the nuts.
Better to watch to the end of any video before commenting
I think the trace going to the chip is way too thin even for 5Amps.
Maybe. The trace width calculator says temperature rise would be about 50C at 5A. If that active balancer ever gets to 5A, I don't think it will be there for long. We'll see :)
My 30A acs712 version pcb has 5mm wide traces, judging by that he should be fine 😁
@@JulianIlett Time will tell.
This video timestamp here should excite some of you, sorry it's just a battery th-cam.com/users/clipUgkxn1F1imiHcNYxJmv2WtwNSNF0OBfKav7K
hmm not using copper nuts, and as has been said buy some nut spinners :-)
Put cant u just use 2oz copper not 1
Of course, but it's more expensive.
yeah but if u not worry about the price then its not a problem 😁. But then if u use 2oz then it wold be double current??
Is this a sponsored video?
Shame you could not make 1 pcb to connect top to bottom without links.
I quite like the modular approach. It's possible I'll buy some more cells and make it a 6P pack.
One PCB to rule them all?
@@JulianIlett i would never have thought you like a modular approach lol FOTMS (fans of the modular shed)
A four-long version with snap lines so it could be easily reduced to something smaller would be good. That would just leave the problem of making sure there was still sufficient copper to handle the current. Maybe a few big vias so 16SWG links could be soldered across the snap lines.
It's dumb to use expensive PCB stack just to connect the cells.