DIY LiFePo4 Battery Enclosures - Van Build Series
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- In this video, I take the two sets of 280Ah lithium iron phosphate cells that I tested previously and assemble them into packs with homemade enclosures. I learned a fair bit in this process, made some mistakes, but in the end, I've got two fully functional 12v batteries ready to go in my van build!
![Easy way to Top Balance DIY LiFePO4 battery [using EVE 304Ah LiFePO4 cells]](/img/1.gif)
Very nice design. Thank you for this video.
the aluminum case is connected to the postive terminal through leaked electrolyte from manufacturing. Some cells are worse than others. Usually around 10-30mA of current flows if you provide a short from the cell case to your negative terminal. That's about the same amount of current to power your BMS. It will run your battery down over time.
I used 1" cargo straps. I use high temperature polyamide tape between my cells and covering cell terminals/busbars. I use quarter inch ceramic fiber cloth around the whole battery to prevent wood from catching on fire in case of a cell malfunction.
Thanks for sharing! Thats first proper video i found of good DIY box for our cells. Ive made few boxes for 100Ah cells but never liked end result. Just came into possession of 8 of these exact same cells and will copy/reverse your boxes!
The boxes are really simple, there's not much to them. I think the one thing I did that was unusual was to mount the BMS to the separate piece of wood and then mount that up to the wall. All the other videos on DIY enclosures, the BMS seems to always be held down by tape, meh!
One option would be to go that same route with the BMS, but to attach it to the inside of the lid rather than on the inside of one end. Obviously you'd have to build the box that much taller, and add some sort of material or shield in, to make sure there's not the possibility of contact between the BMS and the cell terminals just below, should you hit a bump or something.
Using the proper flexible welding cable is key too.
@@wanderingzythophile9083 I used an acrylic sheet across the top of the battery and attached the BMS to it . Its totally isolated from the battery and has air space all around it so it really can't get hot.
Great ~ Job with the Battery Compression
Great - Job
Nice job! Well done! Music was too blaring loud tho. Greetings from Jamaica.
Still working on editing skills. Thank you for the feedback!
That is a really nice looking DIY box. Couple of comments I gleaned from my own experience. I'd like to see a non-conductive layer on top of the battery for safety. Clear acrylic sheets work well. Not sure why you used heavy 3/4" plywood for the box. 1/2" or even 15/32" is very strong and lighter. The Blue Sea terminals are nice, but I would have set them with the mounting screws on the outside of the lid. Covers the drilled holes and looks much nicer. The aluminum flat bar between the threaded rods is doing nothing but adding weight and not strength. If you run a screw through both sides of the box into the compression plates on the ends of the battery it can't move in inside the box. That works well if you are using it in a RV where vibration can make the battery assembly walk inside the box. I am in the process of building a similar box for a 412ah battery. Insulating it with foil faced 1/2" polyisocyanurate sheeting to keep the battery warmer in cold weather and cooler in the summer heat. You did nice work. The hinged lid was something I like a lot. I was going to just screw my lid down, but I may use hinges now.
I would use beefier hinges than I did. The ones I got aren't all that burly.
When you say "run a screw through the box into the compression plates" - do you mean from the outside, into the edges of the inner plates? Hm. HM. That's not a bad idea. Right now, as you'd expect, the pack with the outer plates and hardware is just sitting in the box shell, without anything holding it down. They're pretty heavy so it would take a huge bump for them to move (and I'm nowhere near to the point with my van that they're going to be installed and bumping around, har). But securing them that way would be better, yes!
@@wanderingzythophile9083 Yes. Run a screw from outside of the box wall into the pressure plate. . One for each end of the 2 pressure plates on each side of the box. 4 screws total. Holds the battery pack perfectly in the box. I just did one that way and it worked really well. It was an easy solution to a rather vexing problem of how to secure the pack in the box. Just size the width of the pressure plate to fit exactly inside the box. Make sure you know exactly where you are setting screws so you don't accidently it a cell!
One other suggestion. For the nuts on the threaded rod, use Statuary Bronze/Antique Bronze Furniture Connector Bolts ¼ -20 JCB (Choose Your Size) by E.H.C / 8 Bolts with hex Key (Hex / .67 inches Long Neck) (Amazon). They are a bit spendy, but I like the look of them and they reduce the length of the box by the width of the washer and bolt on each end of the rod., making your box just a bit smaller. You can also get them at your local big box or hardware store.
@@michaeldoherty2289 Oh my yes don't want to poke a cell, hah!
The trick with your bolt idea (second paragraph) is you still need to have room on either end of the pack to get hands in there to tug it all out, should you need, so reducing the total length of the threaded rods by using smaller hardware on the ends won't really make any difference, IMHO.
@@wanderingzythophile9083 You can add a carry strap to each compression plate so it can snugly fit the case. Fabric strap just folds down so it doesn't take space end to end. I used them not so much to reduce the size of the case, but I just like the clean look rather than clunky nyloc nuts withy washers on each end. I get around that issue by building my boxes with a removeable side and top. When I do a tear down, I just unscrew and remove one long side and slide the pack into the box. I find that easier with larger packs that get pretty heavy to drop in or pull out vertically.
@@michaeldoherty2289 Interesting! Actually could make one side hinged with some latches too. Open the top up, fold one side down...
I'm not worried about how the inside looks as it's inside! And then it'll be in my van and I won't even hardly see the box as a whole! :D
Hi, excellent video. Do you happen to know the final external dimensions of your boxes? I would like to make one for my van, and I have a space that has a max size I can fit in. Thanks.
10 3/4" H, 10 1/2" W, 16 1/2" L. Made with 3/4" ply. It's a bit oversized, there's open spaces inside that are larger than necessary. Part of the size is due to the end pieces needing to be wide enough to accomodate the threaded bars being spaced away from the cells enough that they don't touch.
I've been pondering redoing these boxes, been keeping eyes open for suitable containers on the market, but the ones I find are either too small, too big, too flimsy.
Frankly the best DIY solution I've seen online is this company's offering, but it's kinda pricy; www.sunfunkits.com/product/1/sfk-battery-kit-v1-280ah-4s-12v-lifepo4
You haven’t provided any ventilation, the BMS won’t last long running under them conditions.
Hey mate, do you have a link for those raised therminals?
Here you go: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L1N2SJZ/
@@wanderingzythophile9083 Thank you!
用木板可能不是太安全
Why do you make so many mistakes during construction?
Because I am merely human. :)
could do without the sound effects..............................