What do you mean by bms wires sir? The balance wires? Do you know why it is recommended to connect the battery negative first? Any consequence if done the other way around? I sincerely want to learn more.
You Are Right! I just rechecked the connection instructions. 1)battery negative, 2)BMS wires, 3)battery positive. Thank you. I will make sure that is what I do on the next 12 batteries.
That may explain why I haven't had a problem. I'm not in a high static time of year. It would seem that some conditions would be worse than others if that is the reason for the protocol but in any case it is an easy protocol to follow.
Many BMS manuals are totally silent or don't have up to date manuals (looking at you Daly). A well designed BMS should not be harmed by this, but some are poorly designed and poorly documented (looking at you Daly).
I'm impressed with your bus bars with the screw connections for the balance leads. Much better than the last video I watched where the guy was just putting the lugs over the studs. So much cleaner. This is the way I will do my next setups.
You’re such a cool person! I really love how easy you explain it and that there’s no annoying background or flashing images, just like watching your dad teach you stuff in the garage in the summer. Great video!
You really should build at least one box with a plexiglass top to show off your beautiful creations. I have done this to one of mine and it is so cool to show it off. It’s like art.
I just purchased a couple Lithium Iron batteries to replace my Lead Acid I have in my pole barn that I play with (Amateur Radio) you are giving me ideas! I would have to figure out a way to get it up in the air my knees hurt just watching you on yours for so long haha. You have some great woodworking skills! Those boxes are a thing of beauty! Thank you for sharing with me.
Yesterday I watched a vid on You Tube on a channel called Vertasium and titled, The Big Misconception About Electricity, and it made me wonder if the way the batteries are configured could be a bit more important than just a personal or eazier configuration. I ' thinking that each battery turned maybe best, but that's only a guess and it might not even matter, but there a is a field around them something like with a magnets. Your camera operater does a great job, almost would think your alone, but then camera ange changes. Well done. Thanks for the time and work to share with us.
Excelent mention on losening those bus bars as if there is any pressure from expansion in those cells, it would be compounded in them which could for sure cause issues with the integrity of them.
I have No Idea why, But I feel we could hang out for hours together. And Talk about nerdy stuff. This Solar and battery stuff has always been a big interest to me. Great Job on the battery build. Wish I had to motivation and energy you have .
I hear you about trusting the grid companies. I'm trying to go fully off gird as well, because I was getting monthly bills and paying over the billing I used. The overdue balance continued to go up till I had no way to pay it off near a $1000s. I was off gird for several years before and had to go back on in a location I couldn't put up wind turbines, and the turbines all eventually went bad with no replacement parts available to repair them anymore.
I can watch at double speed and everything is very understandable, so a one hour video is valuable to me as someone more experienced, yet probably perfect for newbies to the sport. I find your experienced commentary very valuable also, and your relaxed presentation, even x2, is a welcome rest in my research. Glad to have found your channel Ray. Much appreciated.
Hey Ray you are my goto battery Guru. You shoe how to do it right. First video I saw was the one about bus bars and connections how to make good crimps etc. I've been binge watching since and am saving your videos for reference 😊 good job 👍
Those portable battery boxes are really cool. I built the same 48V system using EVE 280Ah Grade A cells that I charge with solar. In turn, I use that energy to charge all my Battery powered tools including a Ryobi Zero Turn mower.
Hey Ray, I’m a big fan. I’ve got 4 Weize 100ah lifepo4’s and they work great. Then I saw your video on cells from china. I went ahead and purchased 4 lf280k cells from Ellie @ Docan back on September 7. I just got them today and they look great. I’m top balancing them as we speak. Thank you for finding a reputable company to deal with.
I was a computer automation technician at the world's largest freezer plant. I estimate that the bagging machines were rebuilt about 4 times per year. When going 24-7 brand new machines are worn out in about 3 months all the nylon bushing is gone. It wasn't always a glamorous job swapping out buffer chips on I/O boards I was in food debris in fda grease rebuilding machines and wrenching on them all the time. Besides wrenching learning to weld helps too. You don't want someone welding on something connected to the computer. If you have smelled the smoke. FIX EVERYTHING! It's fun. LOL
"Boss, it worked well until I worked on it." I have enough Bluetooth devices I don't want BMS with Bluetooth. I think 4 cells will keep me powered while camping.
Thanks Ray, very helpful. I am also working my way towards a 48 v sysistem, stand alone from a 12v here in the s/w of Ireland, but it is much more expensive here unfortunately. All these videos are so very helpful. An I am very grateful to you all for your time an effort. Stay well an Good luck. M
I liked your comment about your parents. I'm a lot like you, my parents were adults during the Depression. I grew up on stories of hunger and hardship, most people in the Western world can't imagine what it was like and I'm afraid most now have the idea that peace and prosperity are the natural course of the world and I'm afraid they're about to get a big dose of reality, That explains why I have a 20KW solar system to run my home, 3 greenhouses, orchards, big gardens, etc. Like you I like to understand and have some control over the essentials in my life.
Absolutely this. I don't like to dwell on the possibilities because we can solve problems and avoid disaster but will we? Will we blindly fall into another black hole of disaster or will we reason our way out with steely resolve. WW1 or the cuban missile crisis? We have dodged many bullets but we have really botched a few too. If the lights go out things may become the worst the world has ever known. Time will tell and all I can do is be reasonably prepared and enjoy every day.
I really enjoy your videos, I appreciate all the knowledge and a little wisdom to boot man. Wasn't a fan of vinyl siding, but upon watching that video I have found some new respect for it. Thanks Ray
I have the same mindset. I'm a member of our local Repair Cafe here in Switzerland. I used to rebuild old cars in the UK years ago as a hobby. Now I'm getting into solar and battery storage DIY. I've been working with 18650 cells but these LiFePo4 cells look a lot easier to work with. The only thing I'm really jealous of though is your hair ;-) Thanks for the great videos, I only discovered your channel today.
i love your videos u remember me of Bob Ross. I love your passion and admire you apply the teachings of your father. in this days we take all ready mades 4 granted at the cost of nature and the wellfare of our children, without understanding our habitat, working against it, trying to get the last dropp out of it without lifting a finger. ty.
Thank you for the great video. I live in South Africa and our grid is becoming very unreliable. This gives me the confidence to start planning my own power bank. I love the wooden mobile idea. When I eventually get around to building my expedition truck I can merely transfer the system from my home to it and be completely independent.
That sounds like a great idea but keep in mind that the weight of a 16s 280AH battery with its enclosure and other parts will weigh around 100Kg or 220 lbs or a bit more. This old man will hydraulic help to lift up and down. There are a number of inexpensive ways to do that. I'm blessed to have a tractor here on the farm. I'll use the forks to move from here to there and then roll it around once it is on solid ground.
" I need control into my life " I love it ! I try to build my autonomous home in huge land and I try hard with one salary to buy all that where I called an "Expensive hobby", although my dream getting true step by step , panel by panel , battery by battery ( even If I am still using 200Ah truck batteries Acid. ( Dont lauph) :) . Thank you, I learned so many from your videos. I am still dreaming ...
You can not only build it cheaper but better using DIY. You understand it, and can spot problems and repair them. If you need it, waiting on customer support and shipping is not good. Keeping some spare parts, I hear you say that as I type this.
Tremendous Ray. I am right now taking a break from wiring my JK BMS but later this evening I will be attaching the 16S LiFePo4 cells on my system. Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸
I like the wood battery boxes you made. I have 3 LiFePO4 batteries assembled and cycling. the 4th set of cells is almost here (waiting on 4 more cells to arrive via FedEx) took 79 to 82 days for the rest of this 32 cell EVE LF280K cells with double busbars to arrive via the slow boat ride etc from China via Alibaba(grade A as far as I can tell in perfect condition). I got solid copper tin-plated. but your video makes me want to test the bus bar ohms. tons of similar things I have encountered. mine are all 24volt builds 2P8S (two of those) and one 4P8S using the Lishen 272AH cells. the new build will be a 32 cell build 4P8S 24volt. keep up the great video documentation! cheers from South Dakota 😎
very enjoyable i like the story of your power grid.I am in United Kingdom and have a solar array and homebuilt battery from laptop batteries.I am changing to LFP cells 33kw/H Keep it going i like your perfection in the build
Loved your attitude and excitement. This slow paced real time format of the video was very relaxing and informative. I was working on one monitor and had the video on the second and 1 hour passed like nothing, and i also learned many things about diy Lifepo4 battery banks. Thank you.
In Wisconsin the co-ops don't have to offer net metering but the public utilities do not. And regardless there is a fee you pay just to have the service hooked up whether you use anything or not. In your example not only would you need to produce way more during the day to offset the nighttime rate back, but you'd need to generate $25-30 worth extra to cover your service fee.
To save your fingers, you should take a piece of belting or some insulation material with cords in it, make some little lug type pieces that will fit over those studs and rivet or bolt them to that belting so you have a nice handle to lift the cells with. It would be so much easier.
Had another idea to clean up all those small leads for the BMS, use some convolute tubing or what ever to keep all the spaghettie organized and away from the bars and not.
Hello, Nice channel and explaining things. I have built a look a like battery with the same Seplos bms 6 months ago. Nice to see that more people do it. I have those connected to Victron and it works fine. I like those bms a lot.
Hi mate! Your video is awesome! Literally this night I was reading the first time about balancing the batteries with schemes and have found your video! Thank YOU man for making such a great content! I'm from Ukraine and trying to learn how exactly this all works because of blackouts. God bless you man!
Something about watching this battery come together calms me down and helps my head to stop spinning. The only thing better would be to be the one assembling it.
If you do this enough times, it might be adventageous to get some JST type terminal pieces and a little proto boad and solder the pins and make it so you can plug in some proper leads to connect the meter so you have all hands available.
Thanks Ray, I hung in there all the way. Good job, I'm new to learning so I have a lot of videos to watch. I think between you and Will I will be ready to build my own.
You can buy crimps for the BMS side as well. This way you do not need to extend existing wires to reach all the way across and create another likely point of failure, and then you are even more easily able to fix things in future. Having the pre-crimped shorter wires around for future is also never a loss.
When I first started looking at solar I wanted to make a remote charger for tractor batteries. After watching a few videos by Ray I now realize the potential of making a solar energy station to improve my independence and continue to enjoy the luxuries of the 21wt century without dependence on someone I do not know. Therefore, my plans are now greatly expanded and I have several videos to view so I will be able to understand how much my plans will expand.
I started in as a precaution for a Hurricane that was coming. 2 Deep Cycle 12V batteries and a 2000 Watt modified square wave inverter. Charging them off of the truck alternator as needed. Then solar panels. Then 24V Pure Sine wave inverter, then bigger ones. Then a bigger one. Then now with two 6000Watt inverters ( one as backup ) and the rest of the items. Slowly switching from Lead/Acid to LIPO and LiFePo4 batteries. Was all set for power failures from Ian but didn't have more than flickers here and 10" of rain.
In Ontario they already charge for every kwh the meter measures and then I can bank the rest for winter or another time but it has to be used within a year or they take it for free.
I stayed with you, but must admit there was a little alcohol involved; It was late on a Saturday night. All kidding aside, this was awesome, you rock..
Watching the section at 7” where lifting alternate batteries up to swap from parallel to series - requires finger strength to avoid dropping. The newer larger capacity 300+A.hr cells are ~ 6kg (12 pounds). I’m thinking a handle that bolts on the studs will make it much safer to lift. I’m seeing much lower prices for cells and bms now.
Heya! I’ve been looking for some months now learning what I can about how to remain off grid. Sad to say , I’ve been running off a small generator and it’s noisy and expensive. I’ve looked at getting rack mounts which have low temp sensors, screens , etc built in, but for what I need, I won’t be able to afford as much as I can achieve as I can dyi. I know you don’t want to promote certain products, but you’ve run the gauntlet of various products and settled on what you use for these 48v systems/ batteries. We can all appreciate this! I’m hoping you could point me to a supply list I may have missed, or create one so I can order all the necc parts to complete a build. I do live in the northeast and wondered if you know of heaters that can be used and hooked up to work in colder climates. I also plan on helping a friend who’s planning on buying property upstate who desires to be off grid. Ty, and keep up the good work !
I have an idea you might want to try for those final output connections. Get some coupling nuts that fit the studs and put them on those, then install a short piece of stud in those, that way once you make a connection on the outs, you won't have to remove the nuts to put any other connections there.
Hi Ray again a fabulous video, sorry you had problems with cell one (first cell positive) BMS Lead, try and get a set of all the connectors as soldered into the BMS etc and make a test jig to assist the testing, especially as you have a small production line going. Stay safe
Subscribing. I´m not in to solar yet, but your mindset is enough for following. You´ve got a very pleasant tone in your videos, as well as a lot of interesting info.
So nice to see you use Class T fuse. All other builds I've seen has been with Mega or ANL... You should talk about that some day, or maybe I've missed the video where you do.👍
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff You mean that rack battery packs (like eg4) use fuses with insufficient interrupt current rating? I don't think I've seen a spec sheet where the fuse is even mentioned.
Yep, you did miss something. I placed a unique number on each cell and when I test them I use that number in the spreadsheet to keep track of the test data for each cell. God allows me to track the cells historically in the future.
Nice and clean builds and a very decent amount of energy (I have one 14 kWh battery). Only 2 remarks: Please don't talk about "Putting 80 amps of energy in" (cause that's current) and you shouldn't touch your busbars or anything else with your hands/fingers - it will result in bad contact if they are not perfectly clean.
The RUclips algorithm sent me to this video and I loved it, watched every minute and admired a beautiful build. Thank you for taking the time to share your learning curve with us. On a side note, how in the world do you manage to sit on the floor like that for that length of time? My knees would be revolting long before I got the last connection made 👍
Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you will watch the others. The early videos about building the boxes and why I’m doing this are perhaps best watched at 1.25 or 1.5 speed. I try to be careful not to misspeak because I do these in one take with no editing. That leads me to talk a bit slow and careful and it was worse early on. I have been sitting on my ankles to work for many decades. When I was approaching 50 I was feeling very old and was on 8 medications. I lost 60 Lbs by counting calories which was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but I feel like it gave me back 20 years. If I had kept gaining instead I would be 300 Lbs now. My knees and ankles thank me by letting me abuse them in other ways. lol Now I’m 60 and I just keep after it.
I added this to my saved videos, as I am planning on building a battery pack for my house, and I am looking at every option I can. Is there a way you can let us know ehere you picked up the cells? That would b3 a big help. Thanks
your builds all look very professional, my friend. Im watching what you do ,and will try to do what you do, at some point. I have built 220 vdc lead acid battery back up for several remote transfer stations that went to Florida Power and Light, but this is a different ball game, IMO. TY for sharing . :-)
Thanks Ray, very very informative. You mentioned a cost comparison between your solution and a tesla powerwall but you got distracted and never finished off your point. If you get the chance to discuss DIY v Powerwall I'd really appreciate it.
I believe in this video that I got around to saying that my friend installed for Tesla Powerwalls add an installed cost of $50,000. The batteries that I’m building cost $2800 for materials parts and cells including the cost of someone spraying lacquer on them. That does not count my time. It also does not include the cost of installation and integration with the rest of the system. The $50,000 that he paid included immigration with his solar panels.
The PSU ground is the black terminal. This PSU has two positive terminals. The green positive terminal is for use with batteries. It includes a diode in the circuit.
OK, I know this is a year old and thank you for the video. I noticed you extended some of the BMS monitor leads to reach the further batteries. Wouldn't the longer wires have more resistance than the shorter ones and start to give a false cell voltage reading for the remaining batteries?
I was concerned about that myself and so I used larger gauge wire for the extensions. I haven’t noticed any ill effects. The batteries seem to work just fine.
@Ray Builds Cool Stuff Watching your videos has now gotten me interested in building my own and possibly more. I'm an off grid solar supplier/helper installer in Hawaii and the cost of LifePo4 batteries are not cheap.
CRIKEY!! Ive been in the repair/fix/build business all my life but still amazed at the quality of your mind! Oh ya your build Also! Amazing quality! Looks way over my head though. Ill watch a couple more of your vids but thus far I might be in to a cpl of Ampere Time 24V 200Ah 5.12kWh Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery But the price will likely break the bank! Ill give you that much to build me one, or two?
I really in joy your videos. Sometimes a little long. Lol but the fact you take time and tell us everything along the way is great. I buy a lot of server rack battery for Ukraine. Last order was 34 of the 5.12kwh. But I’m looking to build a diy for my new home. I see a lot of people using the seplos bms. There used in Al my batteries I buy now. But I have read about a few people that had problems with them. I have used JBD bms. And i think there one of the best. I see they offer a bms for these battery packs. Just like what I have now. And way cheaper. I ordered 2 of the JBD 200amp bms with everything. Rs485 can even offers heated plug. Power plug in for turning battery on. Everything my server battery has. $145 each. Have you used JBD bms?
Lower voltage like 12 V requires much higher amperage. The sweet spot seems to be 48 V. 36 V leads through much smaller set of choices when it comes to inverters.
The Seplos BMS does a great job of keeping in spite of the claims from Andy. He uses an odd use case to claim the need for active balancing but my batteries are always in balance because though the balancing is only at 150 ma, it continues until balanced.
Here is one for you I was always told never plug the bms wires into the plug until the main negative is connected.
What do you mean by bms wires sir? The balance wires? Do you know why it is recommended to connect the battery negative first? Any consequence if done the other way around? I sincerely want to learn more.
You Are Right! I just rechecked the connection instructions. 1)battery negative, 2)BMS wires, 3)battery positive. Thank you. I will make sure that is what I do on the next 12 batteries.
@@adon8672 I can only guess it needs a path to release any static energy , yes balance wires.
That may explain why I haven't had a problem. I'm not in a high static time of year. It would seem that some conditions would be worse than others if that is the reason for the protocol but in any case it is an easy protocol to follow.
Many BMS manuals are totally silent or don't have up to date manuals (looking at you Daly). A well designed BMS should not be harmed by this, but some are poorly designed and poorly documented (looking at you Daly).
You're like the Bob Ross of battery building. Enjoy the enthusiasm, slow pace of your build and your good explanations. Kudos.
I'm impressed with your bus bars with the screw connections for the balance leads. Much better than the last video I watched where the guy was just putting the lugs over the studs. So much cleaner. This is the way I will do my next setups.
Mr Roger's Neighborhood meets energy independence! Love it!
+1 on your comment. Super educational, spiritual, and relaxing!
You’re such a cool person! I really love how easy you explain it and that there’s no annoying background or flashing images, just like watching your dad teach you stuff in the garage in the summer. Great video!
You really should build at least one box with a plexiglass top to show off your beautiful creations. I have done this to one of mine and it is so cool to show it off. It’s like art.
Ray your humanity, practicality is refreshing.
@@nitrox58 thanks so much for the props
Like a kid in a candy store!!
Your enthusiasm is contagious...... Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for posting. Nice delivery and easy listening
I just purchased a couple Lithium Iron batteries to replace my Lead Acid I have in my pole barn that I play with (Amateur Radio) you are giving me ideas! I would have to figure out a way to get it up in the air my knees hurt just watching you on yours for so long haha.
You have some great woodworking skills! Those boxes are a thing of beauty!
Thank you for sharing with me.
Ray: "I want control over all of the things in my life that are critically important for our survival" 27:46 Me to buddy.
Yesterday I watched a vid on You Tube on a channel called Vertasium and titled, The Big Misconception About Electricity, and it made me wonder if the way the batteries are configured could be a bit more important than just a personal or eazier configuration. I ' thinking that each battery turned maybe best, but that's only a guess and it might not even matter, but there a is a field around them something like with a magnets. Your camera operater does a great job, almost would think your alone, but then camera ange changes. Well done. Thanks for the time and work to share with us.
Thank you for this wonderful video. Your father is so right, lets build everything we can!
Excelent mention on losening those bus bars as if there is any pressure from expansion in those cells, it would be compounded in them which could for sure cause issues with the integrity of them.
Hi, I am from South Africa , super excited to have stumbled upon your channel, thank you , much appreciated.
Best of luck with your project.
I have No Idea why, But I feel we could hang out for hours together. And Talk about nerdy stuff. This Solar and battery stuff has always been a big interest to me. Great Job on the battery build. Wish I had to motivation and energy you have .
I hear you about trusting the grid companies. I'm trying to go fully off gird as well, because I was getting monthly bills and paying over the billing I used. The overdue balance continued to go up till I had no way to pay it off near a $1000s. I was off gird for several years before and had to go back on in a location I couldn't put up wind turbines, and the turbines all eventually went bad with no replacement parts available to repair them anymore.
I can watch at double speed and everything is very understandable, so a one hour video is valuable to me as someone more experienced, yet probably perfect for newbies to the sport. I find your experienced commentary very valuable also, and your relaxed presentation, even x2, is a welcome rest in my research. Glad to have found your channel Ray. Much appreciated.
It gives me time to take notes before I forget the good information.
Hey Ray you are my goto battery Guru. You shoe how to do it right. First video I saw was the one about bus bars and connections how to make good crimps etc. I've been binge watching since and am saving your videos for reference 😊 good job 👍
Thanks very much. Best of luck with your project.
Those portable battery boxes are really cool. I built the same 48V system using EVE 280Ah Grade A cells that I charge with solar. In turn, I use that energy to charge all my Battery powered tools including a Ryobi Zero Turn mower.
Hey Ray, I’m a big fan. I’ve got 4 Weize 100ah lifepo4’s and they work great. Then I saw your video on cells from china. I went ahead and purchased 4 lf280k cells from Ellie @ Docan back on September 7. I just got them today and they look great. I’m top balancing them as we speak. Thank you for finding a reputable company to deal with.
I’m in Au. Do you know if they supply to Australia?
I was a computer automation technician at the world's largest freezer plant. I estimate that the bagging machines were rebuilt about 4 times per year. When going 24-7 brand new machines are worn out in about 3 months all the nylon bushing is gone. It wasn't always a glamorous job swapping out buffer chips on I/O boards I was in food debris in fda grease rebuilding machines and wrenching on them all the time. Besides wrenching learning to weld helps too. You don't want someone welding on something connected to the computer. If you have smelled the smoke. FIX EVERYTHING! It's fun. LOL
"Boss, it worked well until I worked on it." I have enough Bluetooth devices I don't want BMS with Bluetooth. I think 4 cells will keep me powered while camping.
Thanks Ray, very helpful. I am also working my way towards a 48 v sysistem, stand alone from a 12v here in the s/w of Ireland, but it is much more expensive here unfortunately. All these videos are so very helpful. An I am very grateful to you all for your time an effort. Stay well an Good luck. M
Thanks so much for your comment.
I admire your infectious enthusiastic energy.
I liked your comment about your parents. I'm a lot like you, my parents were adults during the Depression. I grew up on stories of hunger and hardship, most people in the Western world can't imagine what it was like and I'm afraid most now have the idea that peace and prosperity are the natural course of the world and I'm afraid they're about to get a big dose of reality, That explains why I have a 20KW solar system to run my home, 3 greenhouses, orchards, big gardens, etc. Like you I like to understand and have some control over the essentials in my life.
Absolutely this. I don't like to dwell on the possibilities because we can solve problems and avoid disaster but will we? Will we blindly fall into another black hole of disaster or will we reason our way out with steely resolve. WW1 or the cuban missile crisis? We have dodged many bullets but we have really botched a few too. If the lights go out things may become the worst the world has ever known. Time will tell and all I can do is be reasonably prepared and enjoy every day.
I appreciate the information and how thorough you are about presenting it. Thank you very much.
Woohoo! Congrats on No.4 !
I really enjoy your videos, I appreciate all the knowledge and a little wisdom to boot man. Wasn't a fan of vinyl siding, but upon watching that video I have found some new respect for it. Thanks Ray
I have the same mindset. I'm a member of our local Repair Cafe here in Switzerland. I used to rebuild old cars in the UK years ago as a hobby. Now I'm getting into solar and battery storage DIY. I've been working with 18650 cells but these LiFePo4 cells look a lot easier to work with.
The only thing I'm really jealous of though is your hair ;-) Thanks for the great videos, I only discovered your channel today.
Funny how so many of us that worked on cars in the 70s are now the one that are DIY solar tinkerers.
i love your videos u remember me of Bob Ross. I love your passion and admire you apply the teachings of your father. in this days we take all ready mades 4 granted at the cost of nature and the wellfare of our children, without understanding our habitat, working against it, trying to get the last dropp out of it without lifting a finger. ty.
Thank you Mr. Ray, I enjoy watching your video and most of all I learned something interesting, keep up the good job & god bless...
Thank you for the great video. I live in South Africa and our grid is becoming very unreliable. This gives me the confidence to start planning my own power bank. I love the wooden mobile idea. When I eventually get around to building my expedition truck I can merely transfer the system from my home to it and be completely independent.
That sounds like a great idea but keep in mind that the weight of a 16s 280AH battery with its enclosure and other parts will weigh around 100Kg or 220 lbs or a bit more. This old man will hydraulic help to lift up and down. There are a number of inexpensive ways to do that. I'm blessed to have a tractor here on the farm. I'll use the forks to move from here to there and then roll it around once it is on solid ground.
" I need control into my life " I love it ! I try to build my autonomous home in huge land and I try hard with one salary to buy all that where I called an "Expensive hobby", although my dream getting true step by step , panel by panel , battery by battery ( even If I am still using 200Ah truck batteries Acid. ( Dont lauph) :) . Thank you, I learned so many from your videos. I am still dreaming ...
Just found your channel, very cool the batteries you are building, really enjoy watching your videos!!
You can not only build it cheaper but better using DIY. You understand it, and can spot problems and repair them. If you need it, waiting on customer support and shipping is not good. Keeping some spare parts, I hear you say that as I type this.
Tremendous Ray. I am right now taking a break from wiring my JK BMS but later this evening I will be attaching the 16S LiFePo4 cells on my system. Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸
Bravo, que bueno!! Me da gusto!
I like the wood battery boxes you made. I have 3 LiFePO4 batteries assembled and cycling. the 4th set of cells is almost here (waiting on 4 more cells to arrive via FedEx) took 79 to 82 days for the rest of this 32 cell EVE LF280K cells with double busbars to arrive via the slow boat ride etc from China via Alibaba(grade A as far as I can tell in perfect condition). I got solid copper tin-plated. but your video makes me want to test the bus bar ohms. tons of similar things I have encountered. mine are all 24volt builds 2P8S (two of those) and one 4P8S using the Lishen 272AH cells. the new build will be a 32 cell build 4P8S 24volt. keep up the great video documentation! cheers from South Dakota 😎
You will like tomorrow’s video
Personal energy independence is a wonderful thing.
very enjoyable i like the story of your power grid.I am in United Kingdom and have a solar array and homebuilt battery from laptop batteries.I am changing to LFP cells 33kw/H Keep it going i like your perfection in the build
Loved your attitude and excitement. This slow paced real time format of the video was very relaxing and informative. I was working on one monitor and had the video on the second and 1 hour passed like nothing, and i also learned many things about diy Lifepo4 battery banks. Thank you.
This video is relaxing and informative- reminds me what it would be like if Bob Ross built batteries.
In Wisconsin the co-ops don't have to offer net metering but the public utilities do not.
And regardless there is a fee you pay just to have the service hooked up whether you use anything or not. In your example not only would you need to produce way more during the day to offset the nighttime rate back, but you'd need to generate $25-30 worth extra to cover your service fee.
Those are some BEAUTIFUL boxes ! 🏆
Feels like another great video could be made related to that tanks behind the table.
Trudat but I’m not sure it would be very helpful to many people.
I love your enthusiasm. Cheers.
Great Video. Love your excitement.
To save your fingers, you should take a piece of belting or some insulation material with cords in it, make some little lug type pieces that will fit over those studs and rivet or bolt them to that belting so you have a nice handle to lift the cells with. It would be so much easier.
Had another idea to clean up all those small leads for the BMS, use some convolute tubing or what ever to keep all the spaghettie organized and away from the bars and not.
Hello, Nice channel and explaining things.
I have built a look a like battery with the same Seplos bms 6 months ago. Nice to see that more people do it. I have those connected to Victron and it works fine. I like those bms a lot.
Which BMS is it? I need a good one.
Hi mate! Your video is awesome!
Literally this night I was reading the first time about balancing the batteries with schemes and have found your video!
Thank YOU man for making such a great content!
I'm from Ukraine and trying to learn how exactly this all works because of blackouts. God bless you man!
So happy to help our friends in Ukraine!
Great video it helped me clear up a lot of confusion I was having about BMS's and charging
Something about watching this battery come together calms me down and helps my head to stop spinning. The only thing better would be to be the one assembling it.
If you do this enough times, it might be adventageous to get some JST type terminal pieces and a little proto boad and solder the pins and make it so you can plug in some proper leads to connect the meter so you have all hands available.
Another comment about those end outputs, make those from either a larger square that gives you a place to install a seperate mout stud for the cables.
Thanks Ray, I hung in there all the way. Good job, I'm new to learning so I have a lot of videos to watch. I think between you and Will I will be ready to build my own.
You can buy crimps for the BMS side as well. This way you do not need to extend existing wires to reach all the way across and create another likely point of failure, and then you are even more easily able to fix things in future. Having the pre-crimped shorter wires around for future is also never a loss.
When I first started looking at solar I wanted to make a remote charger for tractor batteries. After watching a few videos by Ray I now realize the potential of making a solar energy station to improve my independence and continue to enjoy the luxuries of the 21wt century without dependence on someone I do not know. Therefore, my plans are now greatly expanded and I have several videos to view so I will be able to understand how much my plans will expand.
I started in as a precaution for a Hurricane that was coming. 2 Deep Cycle 12V batteries and a 2000 Watt modified square wave inverter. Charging them off of the truck alternator as needed. Then solar panels. Then 24V Pure Sine wave inverter, then bigger ones. Then a bigger one. Then now with two 6000Watt inverters ( one as backup ) and the rest of the items. Slowly switching from Lead/Acid to LIPO and LiFePo4 batteries. Was all set for power failures from Ian but didn't have more than flickers here and 10" of rain.
you make great videos!! im new at this and you make it easy to understand . thanks
In Ontario they already charge for every kwh the meter measures and then I can bank the rest for winter or another time but it has to be used within a year or they take it for free.
I stayed with you, but must admit there was a little alcohol involved; It was late on a Saturday night. All kidding aside, this was awesome, you rock..
Watching the section at 7” where lifting alternate batteries up to swap from parallel to series - requires finger strength to avoid dropping.
The newer larger capacity 300+A.hr cells are ~ 6kg (12 pounds).
I’m thinking a handle that bolts on the studs will make it much safer to lift.
I’m seeing much lower prices for cells and bms now.
In these PSUs you don't need thick cables and I recommend you to use an ideal diode to protect them.
Thank you very much from Spain
Great work. Love the 1/0 jumper. :-)
With the Eve cells I can modify a copper bus bar for the jumper. That will be a little easier.
I would suggest the yellow tinted glasses for electrical work, it protects against arc eye.
I connect the jumper last, that way there will be no 56 volts until the very end.
Really like your videos, good job!
Heya! I’ve been looking for some months now learning what I can about how to remain off grid. Sad to say , I’ve been running off a small generator and it’s noisy and expensive. I’ve looked at getting rack mounts which have low temp sensors, screens , etc built in, but for what I need, I won’t be able to afford as much as I can achieve as I can dyi. I know you don’t want to promote certain products, but you’ve run the gauntlet of various products and settled on what you use for these 48v systems/ batteries. We can all appreciate this! I’m hoping you could point me to a supply list I may have missed, or create one so I can order all the necc parts to complete a build. I do live in the northeast and wondered if you know of heaters that can be used and hooked up to work in colder climates. I also plan on helping a friend who’s planning on buying property upstate who desires to be off grid. Ty, and keep up the good work !
I have an idea you might want to try for those final output connections. Get some coupling nuts that fit the studs and put them on those, then install a short piece of stud in those, that way once you make a connection on the outs, you won't have to remove the nuts to put any other connections there.
Hi Ray again a fabulous video, sorry you had problems with cell one (first cell positive) BMS Lead, try and get a set of all the connectors as soldered into the BMS etc and make a test jig to assist the testing, especially as you have a small production line going. Stay safe
Thank you.
Thanks!
Thank you for you time and the education.
@@Brinyrogue thanks to you as well. Best of luck.
Great tutorial. Thank you!!
I’m seeing the Daly smart bms 200A 16s 48v for AU$231 vs AU$361. Hard to ignore the > 50% price premium.
Really needs a features comparison.
You have good vibes.
new sub for ya Ray!!
Great videos, hopefully someday i can do a similar project
did you build that Ray? It is really cool
17 of them
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff nice!! $30k?
My batteries cost me $2800 each in parts and supplies and tools and are for two separate homes so eight batteries each and a spare.
Subscribing. I´m not in to solar yet, but your mindset is enough for following. You´ve got a very pleasant tone in your videos, as well as a lot of interesting info.
So nice to see you use Class T fuse. All other builds I've seen has been with Mega or ANL... You should talk about that some day, or maybe I've missed the video where you do.👍
I talk about it when responding to questions about rack battery packs. It is one of many choices they make to save a few bucks.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff You mean that rack battery packs (like eg4) use fuses with insufficient interrupt current rating? I don't think I've seen a spec sheet where the fuse is even mentioned.
@@Andeboy most use ANL
Looking forward to seeing the fuses and safety topics in general.
Did I miss something? What are the darker colored labels with different values on each cell?
Yep, you did miss something. I placed a unique number on each cell and when I test them I use that number in the spreadsheet to keep track of the test data for each cell. God allows me to track the cells historically in the future.
Nice and clean builds and a very decent amount of energy (I have one 14 kWh battery).
Only 2 remarks: Please don't talk about "Putting 80 amps of energy in" (cause that's current) and you shouldn't touch your busbars or anything else with your hands/fingers - it will result in bad contact if they are not perfectly clean.
The RUclips algorithm sent me to this video and I loved it, watched every minute and admired a beautiful build. Thank you for taking the time to share your learning curve with us. On a side note, how in the world do you manage to sit on the floor like that for that length of time? My knees would be revolting long before I got the last connection made 👍
Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you will watch the others. The early videos about building the boxes and why I’m doing this are perhaps best watched at 1.25 or 1.5 speed. I try to be careful not to misspeak because I do these in one take with no editing. That leads me to talk a bit slow and careful and it was worse early on.
I have been sitting on my ankles to work for many decades. When I was approaching 50 I was feeling very old and was on 8 medications. I lost 60 Lbs by counting calories which was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but I feel like it gave me back 20 years. If I had kept gaining instead I would be 300 Lbs now. My knees and ankles thank me by letting me abuse them in other ways. lol Now I’m 60 and I just keep after it.
I added this to my saved videos, as I am planning on building a battery pack for my house, and I am looking at every option I can. Is there a way you can let us know ehere you picked up the cells? That would b3 a big help. Thanks
I have some videos on that and even a playlist. Please subscribe.
your builds all look very professional, my friend. Im watching what you do ,and will try to do what you do, at some point. I have built 220 vdc lead acid battery back up for several remote transfer stations that went to Florida Power and Light, but this is a different ball game, IMO. TY for sharing . :-)
Thanks Ray, very very informative.
You mentioned a cost comparison between your solution and a tesla powerwall but you got distracted and never finished off your point. If you get the chance to discuss DIY v Powerwall I'd really appreciate it.
I believe in this video that I got around to saying that my friend installed for Tesla Powerwalls add an installed cost of $50,000. The batteries that I’m building cost $2800 for materials parts and cells including the cost of someone spraying lacquer on them. That does not count my time. It also does not include the cost of installation and integration with the rest of the system. The $50,000 that he paid included immigration with his solar panels.
Your a great person, and great to watch , awesomeness
Wow thanks so much.
I got to stop and go look at the details of my billing with my co-op regarding my panels.
59:00 - Why are you using the electronic LOAD and the PSU at the same time?
In this scenario, the battery tester is used to charge at 40 amps. That is what is indicated by CHG on the display.
55:57 - seems the Positive cable is connected to the PSU Ground
The PSU ground is the black terminal. This PSU has two positive terminals. The green positive terminal is for use with batteries. It includes a diode in the circuit.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff ok, this is new, usually the green one is the Ground.
Any reason to not use solid grumetes to atach the bms wires to the buss bar.
I have to ask... just how much capacity are you aiming for in your entire system?
OK, I know this is a year old and thank you for the video. I noticed you extended some of the BMS monitor leads to reach the further batteries. Wouldn't the longer wires have more resistance than the shorter ones and start to give a false cell voltage reading for the remaining batteries?
I was concerned about that myself and so I used larger gauge wire for the extensions. I haven’t noticed any ill effects. The batteries seem to work just fine.
@Ray Builds Cool Stuff Watching your videos has now gotten me interested in building my own and possibly more. I'm an off grid solar supplier/helper installer in Hawaii and the cost of LifePo4 batteries are not cheap.
I like your reasoning.
CRIKEY!! Ive been in the repair/fix/build business all my life but still amazed at the quality of your mind! Oh ya your build Also! Amazing quality! Looks way over my head though. Ill watch a couple more of your vids but thus far I might be in to a cpl of Ampere Time 24V 200Ah 5.12kWh Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery But the price will likely break the bank! Ill give you that much to build me one, or two?
I really in joy your videos. Sometimes a little long. Lol but the fact you take time and tell us everything along the way is great. I buy a lot of server rack battery for Ukraine. Last order was 34 of the 5.12kwh. But I’m looking to build a diy for my new home. I see a lot of people using the seplos bms. There used in Al my batteries I buy now. But I have read about a few people that had problems with them. I have used JBD bms. And i think there one of the best. I see they offer a bms for these battery packs. Just like what I have now. And way cheaper. I ordered 2 of the JBD 200amp bms with everything. Rs485 can even offers heated plug. Power plug in for turning battery on. Everything my server battery has.
$145 each. Have you used JBD bms?
do you think its a problem to having the lifepo vertical to put it to a wall ?
The “Mr. Rogers” of DIY Batteries …. 😊
Why is the common solar battery bank in a 48 volt configuration? why not some other voltage like 12 volt or 36 volt?
Lower voltage like 12 V requires much higher amperage. The sweet spot seems to be 48 V. 36 V leads through much smaller set of choices when it comes to inverters.
You Go Ray :) Hi From Danmark
Hi Ray, I love your videos. Have you thought about using an Active Equalizer Balancer in your Battery?
The Seplos BMS does a great job of keeping in spite of the claims from Andy. He uses an odd use case to claim the need for active balancing but my batteries are always in balance because though the balancing is only at 150 ma, it continues until balanced.