I asked myself, "How many batteries (or cells) do I really need?" My answer was (and always will be)... "More!" Not surprisingly, the Same question and answer with solar panels. Thanks for the videos! I really do need more of everything - and more videos too please! I always enjoy watching.
Thanks Peter. This new delivery opens up a lot of questions now which I will cover in the next videos. I agree, there is no upper limit with battery or solar.
Very good, only a little over the knee of the curve while charging and discharging. 3.5 volt charge, 2.9 volt discharge. For low voltage disconnect I might bump up the voltage a little higher to reserve 10% of the battery from the bottom. I can't read the scales, 2 blocks up from where you ended the discharge. The batteries are not shipped with a full state of charge for safety reasons. That is a huge amount of energy stored in those cells. It also saves a little shipping weight. Well done!
Thanks, Peter. I've got the BMS disconnect on 2.5V still but take good care of the SOC through the Victron app now and manage load manually and accordingly. I rarely go under 30% SoC and now with the larger capacity even less likely I fully deplete my battery ever. Same with fully charging. For the last 2-3 months the battery stays between 50-80%SOC. This will be different in summer though...
Hallo Andy, had nice contact to QSO the last to days. I odered 32 pcs. LF280K today. Now they have to travel about 13000 km over land by train to reach Germany. I will post again, when they arrive and i hopefully have the same luck as you. Great work, i love your videos.
It seems all the major alibaba suppliers have, I'm told there are shortages so this reduces the demand. A number of sellers are pushing alternative brands. I just ordered some REPT versions US$89 per piece plus shipping... here's hoping they are sufficiently equivalent.
@@philipmay9874 yes when I checked the link yesterday it was around $90. Now at 119.99. I am not sure how important but how long is warranty on the rept cells. A different seller was offering 3 years. Caused me to pause.
As a mini update. Today Basen contacted me and provided an update. They claim the REPT 280Ah cells had failed their testing and wouldn't be suitable in a larger battery ( greater than 5% gap in capacity from same batch ). I was offered a refund or an option to pay to upgrade to the EVE 304Ah. So i did that. An extra US$9 per piece as a special price for those impacted by REPT order change. So all up US$98 per piece plus shipping. Shall see in probably August when they arrive whats what.
I had a very bad experience with Schenzhen Basen. They could not deliver, they had no stock. They did not reply to my many requests. After waiting a few weeks they replied and said the price is now higher. So I had the order cancelled.
Discussing a order with Shenzen Qishou on 280Ah batteries. I referred to your video Andy, they should give you some commission. Thanks for share so much knowledge.
I have bought EVE LF105 from Shenzhen Xuba Electronic Trading Co., Ltd. Batteries are all Grade A batteries. Seller has negotiated EVE company to get Grade A batteries. I was very satisfied.
Yeah, it's not different to buying from eBay or amazon these days. Just a bit more exciting... 😃 You can watch these videos here to if you haven't seen them yet. I share my experience with all my delivers so far in them: ruclips.net/video/nlqmZbT1nM8/видео.html and part II ruclips.net/video/21YY4HHdQYI/видео.html
Yes, definitely a few options now. Prices have gone up since over ordered, so glad I got in early. Waiting not for the next price drop to order the 304Ah cells 🔋🔋🔋
Andy, it would be interesting If you could do charge/discharge with some different cells. Overlay of the curves would help a great deal when matching for a complete battery. It would be nice to see the spread among a batch of cells.
Yeah, I thought about that. I now have only the curves of one cell. I may do another 2 or 3 soon to have a look at this. Thanks for your suggestion, I'll add this to the list of battery test videos I have to do.
I cracked and asked for the 304Ah ones instead last night! Got up this morning and Amy had changed the order for me. I paid the difference and they ship today. Happy days!
Are you going to paralell this set with. Other older cells I was told not to do that from my supplier on my 202ah lishen I think it's fantastic matching from factory .i just got 64 more 202 ah waiting on internal resistance tester to build my 4 16s packs love the videos keep them coming my good man
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I think I would put in a blue sea battery selector like I did and leave them as two separate batteries just switch back and forth since you have your car to charge.or build a complete other system.there is no end to solar addiction.im an addict I have a 24 volt system and 48 volt 120 output in my home both have individual trace invertors and a 240 grow watt 80 kw of battery in northern Wisconsin.tons of power in summer barely enough in winter
Very interesting and excellent video as always Andy! I see you shared the link to your Victron VRM portal, and that we can view the current status of your PV input, the local weather, AC loads, etc. Super interesting to see. Danke!
FYI: bought 32 LF280 cells from Jenny Wu at Docan Power Tech. *Only 3 cells hit 280AAH, one did 281AH. Others were 277-279.* Still a great deal for the $0.17/Wh shipped price, but clearly marginal capacity that does not meet the EVE LF280 spec of "280AH minimal, 285 typical". If interested in the cells & supplier results, more details can be found in my Raphtronic van build post _'Were the 32 LiFePo4 Cells from China any good ?'_
I think if you will do some testing you will find that if you don't hold the screw when you tighten the nut down, there is actually no real force connected between the screw and the nut to make the screw put force on the bottom of the hole. The nut threads are pulling up on the screw. Once the screw engages the bottom of the hole and the nut starts to tighten, the upward pull locks the screw into the threads the tighter it gets, so making it harder to turn the screw.
That pricing makes it super tempting to import some myself! Great to see the quality being so good too, there are a lot that just don't quite make that level. Shoot me a message if/when you need some more bus bars ;)
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Personally I would create a parallel battery, however there are pros and cons to each. The plastic tub on wheels is a good choice.
Hey, thank you for sharing this with us. Meanwhile i bought several times from qishou and im impressed by their support. I also can recommend there Batteries. Great advice, Andy. Best wishes Stefan
Seems like once a youtuber does a review, the prices go up.. :), Andy may have to organize a group discount code for what he paid for them for us on his channel...
Uuu Better stock up on more big battiers Be4 china get boomed to bits .. 😳📣📣📣📣🤔 Iv been going hard on the old AlieeeeExpress today . Need more 💰💰💰💰💲💱 now.
I am very satisfied with your film. You not only show what and how, but you have provided detailed information on measuring tools and how to buy them. Very friendly and useful demeanor. Congratulations and best regards
@@OffGridGarageAustralia that would make another great Utube channel, you need to get some staff to help, or maybe a TV show ( possibly with with a beer sponsor) . Or one of the electric mower manufacturers could send you a mower and you could test and keep us all educated on it, kind of like back in the PHEV days😉. Keep up the great work, we all really enjoy your videos.
With a 280 Ah cell, you can charge with 3.65 volts but you must stop charging when the current drops to 14 Amps. You can also fully charge the cell at 3.4 volts, but must let the current drop to 1.4 Amps.
Wow! That is great my good man! Another 16 wasn't expecting that on haha Or was I haha . I've 8 new cells here now. I've gotta wait another 8 months before ordering another 8 you know, the wife might say.... 😏
Even they have the same voltage when delivered, I found they don't have the same SoC though. So top balancing at 3.5V is a must when building a battery. But before that, we will have more fun with these cells 😊
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Agreed definitely top balance. The Challenge is to run that second pack without a BMS. I bet you dont need a BMS to maintain balance
I have several different pastes now and the best results I have are with... nothing in between. I actually use some WD40 now on a rag, cleaning up the bus bars and terminals and that's it. Every past you put in between will act like a resistance, no matter what it is. Even pure gold would ad an additional resistance. It is more a matter of getting the oxidation off in the first place.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia A proper antigalvanic paste applied sparingly should just fill microgaps that otherwise will oxidize or attract corrosion in the future. The surfaces should still make metal to metal contact with no effective loss. Unless you have mirror smooth polished mating surfaces, the contact resistance in that connection should increase in the future--more so if no "paste" is properly applied. You might want to measure them again in two years and compare. Marine electronics typically use silicon dielectric paste, 100% nonconductive, in connections. In order to prevent loss from corrosion as they age.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Schade! Ich hatte mich schon auf mehrere Nachtschicht Polier Videos gefreut😄. Ich bin mal gespannt, ob und wann Du auf Hochvolttechnik umsteigst...
Hey Andy, always make sure the clamps are making proper contact. Last weekend I did my first tests with the EVE 280Ah and noticed that a few amps at the contacts were converted into heat. This could falsify the measurement in your setup. Greetings from Berlin.
I did think this was coming :) Guess you need the capacity, collect photons during the day, charge Tesla by night down to a specific capacity or something to create space for the next days harvest.
But then I would need to deal with customer and warranty claims all the time. It's probably enough if people use my links and I'm getting a little provision every time.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia nice one. I have EVE LF280N cells on route now and they shouldn’t be long. I’m sure I’ll do the same as you and end up ordering more :)
@@OffGridGarageAustralia LF280K is one of the newest models. I can email over data sheets for you if you wish? Unfortunately I only have the LF280K in Chinese tho!
I hope you got these at the old pricing the price of lifepo4 have gone up about 20% or more in the last month...... Maybe you can do a video on the causes of the new pricing.
Go big or go home 48v, nice, qso! Respectfully, another name for set screw is stud. I'm thrilled with your explanation of the process of ordering, shipping, unboxing, testing, voltage, IR, charge, discharge, capacity, etc! Thumbs up and subscribed and beer money! Were the bus bars nickel coated copper?
Our question is did you tell them who you were ? About your RUclips Channel? Because that would suck because they will send the best of the best. Please let us know if that is not the case create affiliate link with them I would be happy to use your link. Thank you
I did some research on Alibaba and approached them as the prices looked good and they had good reviews. Other larger suppliers are lacking on customer service and also quality a bit in the recent past. So I requested a quote from them and wanted to try a smaller, rather unknown supplier. I didn't say, who I was. The links on my website and in the video description are affiliate links already.
I think the best limits would be 3.0 and 3.4v for least stress and much longer life. Can you please do capacity test with these limits. Also please test for 80%/20% charge /discharge for improved life. Thank you.
It seems that you are in need of an electric quad/ cart. Something you can sit on, a nifty throttle pedal and some space in the back for stuff. You just need one simple use case whichof your wife can benefit from and you are good to go.
Thanks Andy for posting this as well talking about the current shipping and Alibaba. I am currently awaiting my solar parts from china and of course nervous till everything arrives. As Im in Canada maybe you or one of your viewers would help me understand how i can ship my stuff in separate orders to avoid some duty charges as I dont know anything about this??
Thank you Kurt. You can just split up your order in separate smaller orders, so the tax/custom threshold is not been reached. Here in Australia, we have a custom exception for orders below AU$1000. If my order stays below that, no fees or custom payments. I still have to pay tax for any import though. So what I basically did was two separate payments for two separate orders with 8 cells each.
Why do you no longer list the previous supplier you used on Alibaba on your website. The new Qishou ones are quite a bit more expensive and seems to be identical.
I found the quality with Qishou is better and you can always negotiate a better price. The one shown on the website at Alibaba is not what you may have to pay... 😉
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thanks for the heads up on the price. Would have thought bargaining them down to your previous supplier's pricing would be difficult. I contacted Qishou, but they are fresh out of 280ah EVE cells. Adding links to cells your previous supplier would be greatly appreciated, unless there are something wrong with the previous supplier's cells?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hi. Since Qishou are still out of 280ah cells, could you please send or post a link here or on your site to the previous cell you purchased on Alibaba. I had a look, but can't even find the link on any of your old videos.
5 Amp Absorption at 3.5 Volts should fully charge a 280 Ah cell. Here are my calculations for fully charging: 3.65V=14A, 3.6V=11.5A, 3.55V=9A, 3.5V=6.4A, 3.45V=3.9A, 3.4V=1.4A
@@SkypowerwithKarl Full charge takes place when the battery hits the voltage limit, and the current drops to .05 of the rated current (C/20). For 280Ah cells, that would be 3.65 Volts and 14 Amps (280*.05). If you keep charging lower than 14 amps, you will start to overcharge the battery. You can however charge to a lower amperage if you reduce the charge voltage. For example, it's a cloudy day and you can only charge at 6.4 Amps. No problem, just lower the absorption voltage from 3.65V down to 3.5V and you will not overcharge.
@@SpeakerKevin I’ve not seen this before. I thought it’s done when it hits 3.65 and the power supply stops with virtually no current. Are there any chargers that actually do this…think, real smart?
I don't think it will overcharge the cells at a low current and lower voltage as my previous tests have shown. The cell will reach absorption voltage and will just stop charging. Don't charge it to 3.65V! This is just the maximum voltage the cells can be charged to but does not mean we should do this. 3.45V or 3.5V are totally fine.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Agreed. Mine only see this voltage once at top balance then off. I let them sit as a group and settle down together for a few days.
Hey mate thanks for the video im serious considering getting these cells for an off grid setup your video is giving me alot more confidence... where are you in australia i am northern nsw would love to pick your brain about my build sometime
I looked at the Qishou CE certificate shown on line JT20180201E on checking with the company I was advised the certificate does not exist. Close inspection shows there is no space on the certificate number like the other lines. The address also different line format. I guess there is no point asking for the technical report? Worth noting a CE certificate is required to have the name of the responsible person on it. Good luck finding Aaron in Shenzhen.
I have ordered 4 cells to my house and 4 to a friends house to avoid Aussie import taxes. I am working missed out on the 2 sets of 4 cells being out of sync. One month in and my order is still tracking as “Pending shipping by the seller” has me a bit worried.
What would you recommend to be the BEST and SAFEST form of payment for this supplier and/or other suppliers on Alibaba or AliExpress for delivery to the USA? - Thank you
I have now paid with credit card and also with Paypal. If you can do Paypal, this is very safe. As Alibaba and AliExpress are the hosts of these platforms, they will take care of the safety of any payments. I don't think there is a higher risk with paying any way.
I disagree with you regarding the studs. As you tighten the nut it pulls the stud upward negating whether it is bottomed out in the hole. Also the deeper the stud the more surface area, better transfer of amperage. The buss bar moved because the nut you were turning is toothed and you made no effort to stop it. The terminal didnt rotate, not saying it couldnt.
Someone else mentioned that already here. Yes, it is true, the studs will be pulled upwards, UNLESS they start twisting with the nut while tightening. This should not happen with new gear and if everything is clean but for peace of mind I like to hold them in position to avoid that possibility. The stud will not carry much current itself though. The contact area between terminal and bus bar is far larger.
Do you think you could set your audio to be the same on both left and right channels? Maybe a setting for mono? I think it is on stereo and I hear you jump back and forth between left and right of my headphones and there is silence a lot of the time on one channel. Thank you, you make great videos 👍
Oh, I never noticed this when re-watching it. Not sure if I can set this to mono somehow as both cameras record in stereo. Thanks for your feedback though.
I was wondering the same thing. Do you need to capacity test all 16 from this shipment? At what point do you click the button on Alibaba to say you are satisficed with the shipment? Did you capacity test one cell and then click satisficed?
@@geraldgrogan Well if you test one cell through a complete cycle, you kinda have to do it to the rest, then still top balance. Regardless of the voltage you bring that one cell to, it’s slightly different from the others if you don’t. I’d rewind a transformer till I get 3.65v DC after a bridge rectifier and snubber cap for a high current top balance for the whole group of 16 in parallel. Otherwise it’ll take forever with most bench power supplies. I you didn’t trust the transformer setup, finish the last .25v with the power supply. It goes really quick at the end and 10 amps is more than adequate.
You definitely don't need to test them all individually. I did only the 12 now and they are all in the same ball park. I think the initial internal resistance test would be enough to find any cells which may cause problems down the track.
Andy, thank you for your videos. I enjoy watching the way you present them. I know this is probably not relevant in your garage but could you test cold temperature either charge or battery disconnect on the BMS? I'm looking build a battery for an offgrid cabin near Goulburn NSW but in winter there are many below freezing days. Cheers mate
Just get a Daly smart bms with the Bluetooth dongle and you can set the bms to cutoff at any voltage you want. I have that bms and the low temp and high temp cutoff work flawless and reliably
Hi Matt. I changed the AGM's in my motor home about 6 months ago to Andy's type from his demos 280Ah EVE & I run my house fridges & lights from them with fantastic results ( Love the LiPO4's). I am using a Daly 4s 150A Smart BMS, it works great. I got the 150A model to start a 3600 Onan generator. Doing it again I would get the 200A Smart one if it performs anything like the150. Delivered - cells & BMS AU$750, bargain. BTW the LiPO's work better than any AGM Ive had in it & destroyed. For your setup I would go 8 x 280's with :- Daly BMS, MPP 24v Inv/Charger, Cheap as. Enjoy
hi mate, i am sure the quality is good but i stay with 50 A not better but the weight in rack model the 50 A is about 35 Kg so the 200A will be close too 100 Kg the 35 kg i can lift and can build a 200 A from it but with 100 kg i have a problem lifting. amps is not every thing you can build it handeling and lifting maters!
Hi, I would like to put together a system like yours. I am confused on what type of BMS is required. Is a separate BMS required for every 12 volt battery group? Or one for the entities battery bank. Also what size BMS. Thanks
Hi Dan Did you have to engage a freight forwarder in Australia? Requested DDP they offered DAP. Your other links above don't appear to mention these trade terms.
Andy, your full costs breakdown spreadsheet has 3 deliveries. The 3rd one is for 6pcs. I guess this is the recent one you just received, but it does not match your tested qty 16pcs in this video. Do I click a wrong link ? When did you order this 16pcs to Qishou? Is this 16pcs to run a separate system or combine with your existing one which has already 16pcs ? I have great interest to see more coming videos on this new development.
This one was a delivery of 2x 8 cells and is not in the spreadsheet yet. I'll add this soon. Thanks for the reminder. This will be added to the same system, Jeff. Heaps of more videos will follow very soon in regards to that...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia No problem ! I contact Qishou for my inquiry. They quoted me $106 excluding shipping. I already got my first shipment from different supplier that I ordered mid Mar. It turned out some cells got damaged. The corner of a few cells are deformed like being dropped on ground. Packaging are all good with damage ! I am just bad luck ! unhappy experience in my first time purchase of cell from China supplier.
I asked this myself as well. After testing 12 of them, I gave up. It's not worth doing. If you can measure the internal resistance that's probably a better and much quicker test you should do. The capacity varies. If you keep testing only one cell 5 times, you may end up with 5 different result within a 5% radius. I was planning to do a video about this soon as long as I still have the cells sitting on my workbench.
hello from France, your videos make us very happy, I understand your English very well, at 70 you have given birth to a real pleasure for photovoltaics, to such an extent that I am falling for a model 3 or more if my wife opens the family wallet can you tell me in which video I can find the number of panels necessary to use a tesla in a reasonable way (case 30/50 km per day panel of 300 watts peak). Thank you very much for these videos. Sincerely yours.
Merci beaucoup, Patrice. That is a very tough question and cannot be answered. There is no right or wrong. If you want to charge a Tesla form solar, it all comes down how large your panels are, how much sun you get a day, what kind of battery you have (if any). There are a lot of variables to take into account. The easiest way is to get a grid connected solar system and charge the EV from the grid when the sun is out. At 50km of travel per day you're looking at around 2-3kWh of energy been used for that.
Are those small alligator clips sufficient for the current's you are running I have been playing with the old laptop batteries with similar alligator clips and they were loosing tone of voltage so the charge was significantly slowed down.
I asked myself, "How many batteries (or cells) do I really need?" My answer was (and always will be)... "More!" Not surprisingly, the Same question and answer with solar panels. Thanks for the videos! I really do need more of everything - and more videos too please! I always enjoy watching.
It does seem like you can almost never have too many.
Thanks Peter. This new delivery opens up a lot of questions now which I will cover in the next videos.
I agree, there is no upper limit with battery or solar.
20000 W of solar panels and 192 280 aH batteries should take care of my house.
@@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity That sounds about right!
01:00 you are really a good editor Sir 👍
Took forever though...
Very good, only a little over the knee of the curve while charging and discharging. 3.5 volt charge, 2.9 volt discharge. For low voltage disconnect I might bump up the voltage a little higher to reserve 10% of the battery from the bottom. I can't read the scales, 2 blocks up from where you ended the discharge.
The batteries are not shipped with a full state of charge for safety reasons. That is a huge amount of energy stored in those cells. It also saves a little shipping weight.
Well done!
Thanks, Peter. I've got the BMS disconnect on 2.5V still but take good care of the SOC through the Victron app now and manage load manually and accordingly. I rarely go under 30% SoC and now with the larger capacity even less likely I fully deplete my battery ever. Same with fully charging. For the last 2-3 months the battery stays between 50-80%SOC. This will be different in summer though...
Excellent batteries. They will serve you well for many years to come.
Hallo Andy,
had nice contact to QSO the last to days.
I odered 32 pcs. LF280K today.
Now they have to travel about 13000 km over land by train to reach Germany.
I will post again, when they arrive and i hopefully have the same luck as you.
Great work, i love your videos.
Hello, I believe Qishou just raised their EVE LF280 price to $119.99 !
It seems all the major alibaba suppliers have, I'm told there are shortages so this reduces the demand. A number of sellers are pushing alternative brands. I just ordered some REPT versions US$89 per piece plus shipping... here's hoping they are sufficiently equivalent.
@@philipmay9874 yes when I checked the link yesterday it was around $90. Now at 119.99. I am not sure how important but how long is warranty on the rept cells. A different seller was offering 3 years. Caused me to pause.
Prices have gone up everywhere since last week. I have to wait for a price drop again to get the new 304Ah from them.
As a mini update. Today Basen contacted me and provided an update. They claim the REPT 280Ah cells had failed their testing and wouldn't be suitable in a larger battery ( greater than 5% gap in capacity from same batch ). I was offered a refund or an option to pay to upgrade to the EVE 304Ah. So i did that. An extra US$9 per piece as a special price for those impacted by REPT order change. So all up US$98 per piece plus shipping. Shall see in probably August when they arrive whats what.
@@philipmay9874 thanks for the update. I wish I was brave enough to try to go with the rept cells when offered. I would have enjoyed the $98 deal.
My 32 Eve 280 cames exactly like yours, even had the same envelopes of studs, nuts and bus bars from Schenzhen Basen.
My Lishen 272AH came with a lot of dent and scratches. Made a complaint but they don't take any action. I'm done with Shenzhen Basen.
I had a very bad experience with Schenzhen Basen. They could not deliver, they had no stock. They did not reply to my many requests. After waiting a few weeks they replied and said the price is now higher. So I had the order cancelled.
If you have any problems with the delivery, please also contact Alibaba directly as they can put some pressure on the suppliers too.
How long did it take to ship? I have an order nearly 2 months with no tracking.
@@bingo7799 3 months total land freight to UK.
I ordered 16x 10 days ago ... they arrive tomorrow!!! 😁
Amy delivers !!
Discussing a order with Shenzen Qishou on 280Ah batteries. I referred to your video Andy, they should give you some commission. Thanks for share so much knowledge.
Thanks for this! I will have to check transport prices direct from China, I had two quotes for two LiFePo4 (50kg) for AU$750 interstate - insane!
I have bought EVE LF105 from Shenzhen Xuba Electronic Trading Co., Ltd. Batteries are all Grade A batteries. Seller has negotiated EVE company to get Grade A batteries. I was very satisfied.
Great, the more sources we have the better it is for us consumers.
Nice buy ! I've never bought anything from Alibaba after watching your video I will not hesitate in the future to order some top quality batteries.
Yeah, it's not different to buying from eBay or amazon these days. Just a bit more exciting... 😃
You can watch these videos here to if you haven't seen them yet. I share my experience with all my delivers so far in them:
ruclips.net/video/nlqmZbT1nM8/видео.html
and part II
ruclips.net/video/21YY4HHdQYI/видео.html
Looking great Man!!! Another great company marked safe to purchase from!💥🤘
Yes, definitely a few options now. Prices have gone up since over ordered, so glad I got in early. Waiting not for the next price drop to order the 304Ah cells 🔋🔋🔋
Andy, it would be interesting If you could do charge/discharge with some different cells. Overlay of the curves would help a great deal when matching for a complete battery. It would be nice to see the spread among a batch of cells.
Yeah, I thought about that. I now have only the curves of one cell. I may do another 2 or 3 soon to have a look at this. Thanks for your suggestion, I'll add this to the list of battery test videos I have to do.
“Try the battery!” (Quote from “Roughing it” by Twain)
Thanks for sharing Andy , always a pleasure to watch and learn
I've just bought 16 of these too. Happy days!
Cost me $100 USD each though (before all the extra costs).
I cracked and asked for the 304Ah ones instead last night!
Got up this morning and Amy had changed the order for me. I paid the difference and they ship today.
Happy days!
It's below 25 degs, wow that's cold for Queensland ...... -minus 1 degs here in Bathurst area ...lol, stay warm Andy
Are you going to paralell this set with. Other older cells I was told not to do that from my supplier on my 202ah lishen I think it's fantastic matching from factory .i just got 64 more 202 ah waiting on internal resistance tester to build my 4 16s packs love the videos keep them coming my good man
Better to build another battery with BMS to connect in parallel.
Yeah, that would be the *BIG* question, right. How and why should I do it...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I think I would put in a blue sea battery selector like I did and leave them as two separate batteries just switch back and forth since you have your car to charge.or build a complete other system.there is no end to solar addiction.im an addict I have a 24 volt system and 48 volt 120 output in my home both have individual trace invertors and a 240 grow watt 80 kw of battery in northern Wisconsin.tons of power in summer barely enough in winter
I had the same problem. Bought 16 280ah battery's and then turned right around and bought 16 more... Waiting for them now.
You cannot have 16 only, right? 😃
Very interesting and excellent video as always Andy!
I see you shared the link to your Victron VRM portal, and that we can view the current status of your PV input, the local weather, AC loads, etc. Super interesting to see.
Danke!
Auch Dir vielen Dank!
FYI: bought 32 LF280 cells from Jenny Wu at Docan Power Tech. *Only 3 cells hit 280AAH, one did 281AH. Others were 277-279.*
Still a great deal for the $0.17/Wh shipped price, but clearly marginal capacity that does not meet the EVE LF280 spec of "280AH minimal, 285 typical".
If interested in the cells & supplier results, more details can be found in my Raphtronic van build post _'Were the 32 LiFePo4 Cells from China any good ?'_
Did you buy EVE 280K? Or EVE280? $0.17/wh Australian or USD?
@@pr5991 EVE280 in USD
I think if you will do some testing you will find that if you don't hold the screw when you tighten the nut down, there is actually no real force connected between the screw and the nut to make the screw put force on the bottom of the hole. The nut threads are pulling up on the screw. Once the screw engages the bottom of the hole and the nut starts to tighten, the upward pull locks the screw into the threads the tighter it gets, so making it harder to turn the screw.
That is actually true! Never thought about that really...
Great Andy.....
Good going.
Cheers for your videos Andy, please keep them coming 😊
Thanks, will do!
Thanks Andy
That pricing makes it super tempting to import some myself!
Great to see the quality being so good too, there are a lot that just don't quite make that level.
Shoot me a message if/when you need some more bus bars ;)
FYI, thanks for the high quality aluminum busbars and fast shipping to the USA. No complaints from me.
@@john_in_phoenix great to hear they worked out well. Thanks
Yeah, not sure how to connect them yet. If parallel or a separate battery. Will discuss the pros and cons in a video soon...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Personally I would create a parallel battery, however there are pros and cons to each. The plastic tub on wheels is a good choice.
@@john_in_phoenix are you sure there not tin coated copper bus bars ?
Hey, thank you for sharing this with us. Meanwhile i bought several times from qishou and im impressed by their support. I also can recommend there Batteries. Great advice, Andy.
Best wishes Stefan
"I don't know why I ordered more batteries" 😁 Me neither. 🙂
Seems like once a youtuber does a review, the prices go up.. :), Andy may have to organize a group discount code for what he paid for them for us on his channel...
yes, the prices are pretty high at qso :(
Prices went up everywhere last week already. I will wait for the right moment and order these 304Ah cells to check them out...
I see you have been to Bunnings to get of the best plastic tables, yes it was strong enough.
Yep, this one is many year old but still good and strong 😃
I put up so nice new
Vids if u get bord in the shed to nite .😁🤣🤣
Uuu
Better stock up on more big battiers
Be4 china get boomed to bits .. 😳📣📣📣📣🤔
Iv been going hard on the old AlieeeeExpress today .
Need more 💰💰💰💰💲💱 now.
prepping for summer andy and all of the solar input
Not much coming in atm, just getting around 2.5kWh per day now 😢
But, yeah, summer will be... different 😉
I see more terminal polishing videos in your future. lol
Absolutely, just got some new compound and wool wheels 😂
Take a friggen week to test all the cells!!!
I stopped testing. I reckon the initial resistance test is enough to say they're OK.
64 inbound across the USA from Chino CA.
YES 👍
Thank you.
No problem 😉
Thanks Andy, looking at ordering now. Oh good morning to mate. You need the BMS I am doing a vlog on today I think now.
You did the right thing, again!
I am very satisfied with your film. You not only show what and how, but you have provided detailed information on measuring tools and how to buy them.
Very friendly and useful demeanor. Congratulations and best regards
good for you andy, i suppose you'll be taking your home offgrid pretty soon ;)
That's for another channel
@@Nobody_Famous nah, just a channel name change...
no longer off grid garage..
off grid garage, home and andy's playground ;)
No need for a name change. The off grid garage supplies all the power nevertheless... 😃
the reveal was perfect but gloves for the terminal assembly might help acid from skin can tarnish emeralds👀
With all that new energy storage coming, maybe be time for an electric lawn mower on the wish list.
We love our DeWalt electric mower.
Ryobi has an all electric Zero-Turn...
The conversion of the tractor is on the list. Just need more time to start this project too...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia that would make another great Utube channel, you need to get some staff to help, or maybe a TV show ( possibly with with a beer sponsor) . Or one of the electric mower manufacturers could send you a mower and you could test and keep us all educated on it, kind of like back in the PHEV days😉. Keep up the great work, we all really enjoy your videos.
With a 280 Ah cell, you can charge with 3.65 volts but you must stop charging when the current drops to 14 Amps. You can also fully charge the cell at 3.4 volts, but must let the current drop to 1.4 Amps.
At 3.4V, the cell will stop charging at some stage anyway once its fully absorbed. It does not overcharge.
Wow! That is great my good man! Another 16 wasn't expecting that on haha
Or was I haha . I've 8 new cells here now. I've gotta wait another 8 months before ordering another 8 you know, the wife might say.... 😏
I know, right. Mine spend money on her art material, so... it's good we both have our hobbies...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia ohh nice! Mine has her painting as well for hobby so is a balanced relationship lol Cheers and sunny days brother 🌞 🍺 🌙
Now here's a challenge. Top balance and build your pack without a BMS. I bet you can run that pack and maintain balance with no problems.
Even they have the same voltage when delivered, I found they don't have the same SoC though. So top balancing at 3.5V is a must when building a battery. But before that, we will have more fun with these cells 😊
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Agreed definitely top balance. The Challenge is to run that second pack without a BMS. I bet you dont need a BMS to maintain balance
I would use an antiseize or galvanic prevention paste (Aluminox, Tefgel, etc.) on those threads when assembling. It can't hurt, it isn't expensive.
I have several different pastes now and the best results I have are with... nothing in between. I actually use some WD40 now on a rag, cleaning up the bus bars and terminals and that's it.
Every past you put in between will act like a resistance, no matter what it is. Even pure gold would ad an additional resistance. It is more a matter of getting the oxidation off in the first place.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia A proper antigalvanic paste applied sparingly should just fill microgaps that otherwise will oxidize or attract corrosion in the future. The surfaces should still make metal to metal contact with no effective loss. Unless you have mirror smooth polished mating surfaces, the contact resistance in that connection should increase in the future--more so if no "paste" is properly applied. You might want to measure them again in two years and compare.
Marine electronics typically use silicon dielectric paste, 100% nonconductive, in connections. In order to prevent loss from corrosion as they age.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Schade! Ich hatte mich schon auf mehrere Nachtschicht Polier Videos gefreut😄. Ich bin mal gespannt, ob und wann Du auf Hochvolttechnik umsteigst...
Thank yyou very, much that was really interesting, an informative, especially the info on Allibaba. All the best from southern Ireland. M
Thanks a lot for you feedback, Michael. Glad the information is useful.
Good Job your effort is very informative.
Thanks a lot
Great videos love your enthusiasm.. We can all relate to it
Thank you! 😊
Hey Andy, always make sure the clamps are making proper contact. Last weekend I did my first tests with the EVE 280Ah and noticed that a few amps at the contacts were converted into heat. This could falsify the measurement in your setup. Greetings from Berlin.
Amps don't get "converted" to heat. Andy does a good job explaining things here: ruclips.net/video/ypzNH56_aWE/видео.html
Yes, I always tighten them with a spanner. Especially when using the 40A tester.
Very nice cells.
Yes they are!
I did think this was coming :) Guess you need the capacity, collect photons during the day, charge Tesla by night down to a specific capacity or something to create space for the next days harvest.
You cannot have enough storage. I'm really keen to get my hands on these 304Ah cells now...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia and people don't have a problem paralleling different capacity banks together with LiFePO4 either so you can. :)
thank you again
Hi Andy… you should import bulk batteries and sell them on your website….
But then I would need to deal with customer and warranty claims all the time. It's probably enough if people use my links and I'm getting a little provision every time.
good job , thank You
And thank you!
Thanks, great as usual!
Do you know which of the EVE 280Ah models these cells are? I’d expect one of: EVE LF280, LF280N, LF280L or LF280K?
That is a very good question which I have now passed on to the supplier.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia nice one. I have EVE LF280N cells on route now and they shouldn’t be long. I’m sure I’ll do the same as you and end up ordering more :)
They just confirmed it's the LF280K. Not sure if this is good or bad 😂
@@OffGridGarageAustralia LF280K is one of the newest models.
I can email over data sheets for you if you wish?
Unfortunately I only have the LF280K in Chinese tho!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia 🤣😂
I hope you got these at the old pricing the price of lifepo4 have gone up about 20% or more in the last month...... Maybe you can do a video on the causes of the new pricing.
Yes, I just got my order in before that. Prices go up and down all the time unfortunately. You just have to find the right spot.
Go big or go home 48v, nice, qso! Respectfully, another name for set screw is stud. I'm thrilled with your explanation of the process of ordering, shipping, unboxing, testing, voltage, IR, charge, discharge, capacity, etc! Thumbs up and subscribed and beer money! Were the bus bars nickel coated copper?
Our question is did you tell them who you were ? About your RUclips Channel? Because that would suck because they will send the best of the best. Please let us know if that is not the case create affiliate link with them I would be happy to use your link.
Thank you
I did some research on Alibaba and approached them as the prices looked good and they had good reviews. Other larger suppliers are lacking on customer service and also quality a bit in the recent past. So I requested a quote from them and wanted to try a smaller, rather unknown supplier. I didn't say, who I was. The links on my website and in the video description are affiliate links already.
I think the best limits would be 3.0 and 3.4v for least stress and much longer life. Can you please do capacity test with these limits. Also please test for 80%/20% charge /discharge for improved life. Thank you.
Thanks , good information.
It seems that you are in need of an electric quad/ cart. Something you can sit on, a nifty throttle pedal and some space in the back for stuff. You just need one simple use case whichof your wife can benefit from and you are good to go.
The ride-on mower is on my list for an EV conversion... 😊
How much are you paying per cell US$? I ordered 4 cells from a similar supplier and they were at US$120 per cell. Seems to be the going rate atm...
Yeah, prices have gone up for a week or so now. When I ordered 6 weeks ago, prices were really a lot cheaper than now.
Thanks Andy for posting this as well talking about the current shipping and Alibaba. I am currently awaiting my solar parts from china and of course nervous till everything arrives. As Im in Canada maybe you or one of your viewers would help me understand how i can ship my stuff in separate orders to avoid some duty charges as I dont know anything about this??
Thank you Kurt. You can just split up your order in separate smaller orders, so the tax/custom threshold is not been reached. Here in Australia, we have a custom exception for orders below AU$1000. If my order stays below that, no fees or custom payments. I still have to pay tax for any import though.
So what I basically did was two separate payments for two separate orders with 8 cells each.
@@OffGridGarageAustraliathank you for talking about this and your explanation Andy. I will look into this. Keep up the great videos
Ordered mine and waiting, looks like 50 day wait for Americans
That's OK. Sometimes they have US stock and ship within days, but it's all sold out I believe.
Excellent video. 👍
Why do you no longer list the previous supplier you used on Alibaba on your website. The new Qishou ones are quite a bit more expensive and seems to be identical.
I found the quality with Qishou is better and you can always negotiate a better price. The one shown on the website at Alibaba is not what you may have to pay... 😉
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thanks for the heads up on the price. Would have thought bargaining them down to your previous supplier's pricing would be difficult. I contacted Qishou, but they are fresh out of 280ah EVE cells. Adding links to cells your previous supplier would be greatly appreciated, unless there are something wrong with the previous supplier's cells?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hi. Since Qishou are still out of 280ah cells, could you please send or post a link here or on your site to the previous cell you purchased on Alibaba. I had a look, but can't even find the link on any of your old videos.
@@japieweidemann8417 sure can. Give me a moment and I put it back on the webpage.
@@japieweidemann8417 ok, that's been updated with the second supplier for these batteries: off-grid-garage.com/batteries/
Looks nice and attractive about to known battery Bank in very normal way
will you be polishing the terminals again?
Hmmmm 🤔
5 Amp Absorption at 3.5 Volts should fully charge a 280 Ah cell. Here are my calculations for fully charging: 3.65V=14A, 3.6V=11.5A, 3.55V=9A, 3.5V=6.4A, 3.45V=3.9A, 3.4V=1.4A
You lost me😳
@@SkypowerwithKarl Full charge takes place when the battery hits the voltage limit, and the current drops to .05 of the rated current (C/20). For 280Ah cells, that would be 3.65 Volts and 14 Amps (280*.05). If you keep charging lower than 14 amps, you will start to overcharge the battery. You can however charge to a lower amperage if you reduce the charge voltage. For example, it's a cloudy day and you can only charge at 6.4 Amps. No problem, just lower the absorption voltage from 3.65V down to 3.5V and you will not overcharge.
@@SpeakerKevin
I’ve not seen this before. I thought it’s done when it hits 3.65 and the power supply stops with virtually no current.
Are there any chargers that actually do this…think, real smart?
I don't think it will overcharge the cells at a low current and lower voltage as my previous tests have shown. The cell will reach absorption voltage and will just stop charging.
Don't charge it to 3.65V! This is just the maximum voltage the cells can be charged to but does not mean we should do this. 3.45V or 3.5V are totally fine.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia
Agreed. Mine only see this voltage once at top balance then off. I let them sit as a group and settle down together for a few days.
Hey mate thanks for the video im serious considering getting these cells for an off grid setup your video is giving me alot more confidence... where are you in australia i am northern nsw would love to pick your brain about my build sometime
Can you enlighten us on the real tested capacity of CATL 300+, EVE 280, EVE280k, EVE 280kv3 or anything else you may have tested ?
I looked at the Qishou CE certificate shown on line JT20180201E on checking with the company I was advised the certificate does not exist. Close inspection shows there is no space on the certificate number like the other lines. The address also different line format. I guess there is no point asking for the technical report? Worth noting a CE certificate is required to have the name of the responsible person on it. Good luck finding Aaron in Shenzhen.
Woooooooh....thats alot of power andy....
I wish that i can also afford it! 🤩🤩🤩
Start small and build up over time.
I have ordered 4 cells to my house and 4 to a friends house to avoid Aussie import taxes. I am working missed out on the 2 sets of 4 cells being out of sync. One month in and my order is still tracking as “Pending shipping by the seller” has me a bit worried.
Love you here your happy voice keep it up mate
Thanks Michael 😊
TRANSPORT REGULATIONS STATE THAT 30% SOC is what is safe for battery transportation. But yes 40-50% is better and (50-60% when you have a BMS)
Where is that? In the US?
What would you recommend to be the BEST and SAFEST form of payment for this supplier and/or other suppliers on Alibaba or AliExpress for delivery to the USA? - Thank you
I have now paid with credit card and also with Paypal. If you can do Paypal, this is very safe. As Alibaba and AliExpress are the hosts of these platforms, they will take care of the safety of any payments. I don't think there is a higher risk with paying any way.
I disagree with you regarding the studs. As you tighten the nut it pulls the stud upward negating whether it is bottomed out in the hole. Also the deeper the stud the more surface area, better transfer of amperage. The buss bar moved because the nut you were turning is toothed and you made no effort to stop it. The terminal didnt rotate, not saying it couldnt.
Someone else mentioned that already here. Yes, it is true, the studs will be pulled upwards, UNLESS they start twisting with the nut while tightening. This should not happen with new gear and if everything is clean but for peace of mind I like to hold them in position to avoid that possibility.
The stud will not carry much current itself though. The contact area between terminal and bus bar is far larger.
1:39 have you recogniced the handwriting of these numbers like the 9 ?
That is one who had grown up in a german speaking country and school system.
Andy what’s that other new box in the video that you didn’t open.
Soon...
Leaving SOC at 30-40% from the supplier may be due to shipping regulations, actually...
You think these cells would be ideal for a car audio environment
Don’t use washers between nuts and conger plants they are designed to dig in to the straps
Yeah, not good!
Do you think you could set your audio to be the same on both left and right channels? Maybe a setting for mono? I think it is on stereo and I hear you jump back and forth between left and right of my headphones and there is silence a lot of the time on one channel.
Thank you, you make great videos 👍
Oh, I never noticed this when re-watching it. Not sure if I can set this to mono somehow as both cameras record in stereo. Thanks for your feedback though.
As good as those tested, I’d just top balance and call it good & go with them.
I was wondering the same thing. Do you need to capacity test all 16 from this shipment? At what point do you click the button on Alibaba to say you are satisficed with the shipment? Did you capacity test one cell and then click satisficed?
@@geraldgrogan
Well if you test one cell through a complete cycle, you kinda have to do it to the rest, then still top balance. Regardless of the voltage you bring that one cell to, it’s slightly different from the others if you don’t. I’d rewind a transformer till I get 3.65v DC after a bridge rectifier and snubber cap for a high current top balance for the whole group of 16 in parallel. Otherwise it’ll take forever with most bench power supplies. I you didn’t trust the transformer setup, finish the last .25v with the power supply. It goes really quick at the end and 10 amps is more than adequate.
You definitely don't need to test them all individually. I did only the 12 now and they are all in the same ball park. I think the initial internal resistance test would be enough to find any cells which may cause problems down the track.
Andy, thank you for your videos. I enjoy watching the way you present them.
I know this is probably not relevant in your garage but could you test cold temperature either charge or battery disconnect on the BMS? I'm looking build a battery for an offgrid cabin near Goulburn NSW but in winter there are many below freezing days.
Cheers mate
Just get a Daly smart bms with the Bluetooth dongle and you can set the bms to cutoff at any voltage you want. I have that bms and the low temp and high temp cutoff work flawless and reliably
@@JM-yx1lm Thank you JM, what model do you have. Common port, mosfet? I'd still like to know how the qucc relay model handles it
Hi Matt. I changed the AGM's in my motor home about 6 months ago to Andy's type from his demos 280Ah EVE & I run my house fridges & lights from them with fantastic results ( Love the LiPO4's). I am using a Daly 4s 150A Smart BMS, it works great. I got the 150A model to start a 3600 Onan generator. Doing it again I would get the 200A Smart one if it performs anything like the150. Delivered - cells & BMS AU$750, bargain. BTW the LiPO's work better than any AGM Ive had in it & destroyed. For your setup I would go 8 x 280's with :- Daly BMS, MPP 24v Inv/Charger, Cheap as. Enjoy
Why not 310ah CATL from Qishou?
=approx 10% more energy on same form factor
They were 30% more expensive for 10%more capacity. I'm waiting for prices to come down and then get them with the next deliver 😉
hi mate, i am sure the quality is good but i stay with 50 A not better but the weight
in rack model the 50 A is about 35 Kg so the 200A will be close too 100 Kg
the 35 kg i can lift and can build a 200 A from it but with 100 kg i have a problem lifting.
amps is not every thing you can build it handeling and lifting maters!
Very nice Andy! Could you tell me please, which exact size one cell 280ah have? Thank you so much!
Hi, I would like to put together a system like yours. I am confused on what type of BMS is required. Is a separate BMS required for every 12 volt battery group? Or one for the entities battery bank. Also what size BMS. Thanks
Hi Dan Did you have to engage a freight forwarder in Australia? Requested DDP they offered DAP. Your other links above don't appear to mention these trade terms.
Hallo Andy, ist Dir bekannt, dass QSO mit Dir Werbung macht?
Ja, alles geregelt.
Sad they don't send these cells to Brazil... why????
If I may ask, why didn't you purchase from the manufacturer EVE Energy? Also on Ailbaba
Andy, your full costs breakdown spreadsheet has 3 deliveries. The 3rd one is for 6pcs. I guess this is the recent one you just received, but it does not match your tested qty 16pcs in this video. Do I click a wrong link ? When did you order this 16pcs to Qishou? Is this 16pcs to run a separate system or combine with your existing one which has already 16pcs ? I have great interest to see more coming videos on this new development.
This one was a delivery of 2x 8 cells and is not in the spreadsheet yet. I'll add this soon. Thanks for the reminder.
This will be added to the same system, Jeff. Heaps of more videos will follow very soon in regards to that...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia No problem ! I contact Qishou for my inquiry. They quoted me $106 excluding shipping. I already got my first shipment from different supplier that I ordered mid Mar. It turned out some cells got damaged. The corner of a few cells are deformed like being dropped on ground. Packaging are all good with damage ! I am just bad luck ! unhappy experience in my first time purchase of cell from China supplier.
Andy, how much is the unit price of Qishou cell you paid for ?
Hi Andy would you recommend capacity testing all new batteries? I’ve got some on order (been waiting two months now).
I asked this myself as well. After testing 12 of them, I gave up. It's not worth doing. If you can measure the internal resistance that's probably a better and much quicker test you should do. The capacity varies. If you keep testing only one cell 5 times, you may end up with 5 different result within a 5% radius. I was planning to do a video about this soon as long as I still have the cells sitting on my workbench.
But, wait, what? Why?
@@Mr.X3D is that a reply to my question?
@alaric No, I was just chocked that the charge/discharge curve would differ that much between cycles. Makes no sense to me!
hello from France, your videos make us very happy, I understand your English very well, at 70 you have given birth to a real pleasure for photovoltaics, to such an extent that I am falling for a model 3 or more if my wife opens the family wallet can you tell me in which video I can find the number of panels necessary to use a tesla in a reasonable way (case 30/50 km per day panel of 300 watts peak). Thank you very much for these videos. Sincerely yours.
Merci beaucoup, Patrice.
That is a very tough question and cannot be answered. There is no right or wrong. If you want to charge a Tesla form solar, it all comes down how large your panels are, how much sun you get a day, what kind of battery you have (if any). There are a lot of variables to take into account.
The easiest way is to get a grid connected solar system and charge the EV from the grid when the sun is out. At 50km of travel per day you're looking at around 2-3kWh of energy been used for that.
Are those small alligator clips sufficient for the current's you are running I have been playing with the old laptop batteries with similar alligator clips and they were loosing tone of voltage so the charge was significantly slowed down.
That's correct, they have a voltage drop due to bad contacts and small wires and as you said, it will balance but just takes longer with thee clips.