Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first): 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes: -Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp -Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 -AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out: shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p -Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 10% off code: diysolar -Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA: watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact Information: I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers: Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
After sitting in the doctors' waiting room many times over the years cursing my decision not to wear safety equipment, I now solemnly wear safety glasses whenever I am remotely at risk. The bloke across the road from me just lost an eye from small high speed things jumping out of unexpected places, which brought the whole lesson home fairly abruptly. I have a couple other nasty injuries that just won't go away. Just wear the glasses, people.
I'm the same way, all safety gear all the time. It saved my life after a motorcycle accident. It is crazy how many DIY videos on RUclips have makers doing pretty crazy shop work with no eye or ear protection.
I concur. I used to be involved in home projects as a child where safety gear never seemed to be needed (building mud road systems, putting pipes in mud, digging clay dirt, Radio Shack 9V 100-in-1 electronics board), then I went to safety-oriented union construction work as an adult which requires "PPE" (Personal Protective Equipment: glasses, gloves, hardhat, high visibility vest, etc.) 100%, then I come home and do home stuff and find out that suddenly all my home projects mysteriously turned dangerous and I need safety gear. What happened?! Life got serious is what happened. The projects we do as men are more real than what we did as children. Whenever I don't use my glasses, I am sorry. Luckily, I have a whole box of safety gear for work I just use for home. Be very serious about the dangers of each project. This real-use power electricity work can cause eye-damaging events. Adult projects in general are more real and require more sane management, which also means gloves, boots, cotton long sleeve clothing, an awake mind with plenty of sleep, and sensible logic.
can you update this with this BMS? I am trying to build a 48v battery system and the EBAY listing is no longer there. thanks for the videos I have learned a lot.
I believe thats the only one they make but I think you can use it but you need a boost converter because it needs some higher voltage to power up but i think you can with 4s i saw someone else use one with a 24v system
Your videos are informative and research is without question some of the best I have seen. Just finished building a 13s4p 52V battery pack for an E-Bike. I opted for the YIT 48V 13s BMS COMMON PORT board. My first step after the pack was assembled was to connect the BMS B- thick wire to the negative side of the battery pack, in this case, 18650 Li-ion cells. Next making sure the 14 lead cell monitoring connector was disconnected from the BMS board I started connecting the 14 wires to the pack. Starting with the only black thin lead on the 14pin connector to the negative side of the battery pack. Followed by the next wire, right next to the black thin wire, which was a thin red wire. This wire measured 4.19V. Did this for the remaining 12 red thin wires till all of the thin red wires were connected. Then with the negative lead of my voltmeter on the thin black wire on the connector and the positive lead of my voltmeter on the third pin I read 8.4V. I checked all the pins on the balance connector confirming they were in increments of 4.2V I then plugged in the balance lead connector to the BMS seconds later smoke started coming from the BMS board. Where did I go wrong? There is not much information on the sequence for connecting and disconnect BMS from the Battery Pack. Some say it does not matter others state it does. Can not get a consensus of opinion on this subject. Than you for your time. Signed Frustrated. BTW I was criticized for asking the question in many FB groups and really never got an answer. The board used is the YIT with nothing more than Li-ion 13S 48V BMS on the label. Also, I have contacted the factory but nothing from them.
If we got 1% of the young people on the planet to have this kind of passion, we could easily get everyone off the grid with true efficient electrical science!!!!!Love this kid, guy(same thing in this case!!!)
Hey Will, so I did a general search for ANT BMS and your video popped up. I just ordered a 180 amp hour to 450 amp hour ANT BMS. For my system currently consisting of 304 amp hour Eve 3.2 volt * 16 cells. Which are on their way from China and should be here in another month or so. Truly I must thank you for this video which is going to save me a tremendous amount of time when I put it together. Originally I was looking for a jbd BMS that would match what I wanted to have for my system. Unable to find a jbd I thought hey I'll get the ant which really looked the same and it was from the same store. IC GOGOGO which led me to believe the same manufacturer is building both products. Not sure if that is the case. Though I really appreciate your video seriously Will you're a tremendous amount of help thank you so much.
Great video Will, I installed the same ANT BMS a few months ago in my 48v 200 ah battery and it was a pain to get it to work, but when it finally did, everything is going great, the BMS is excellent, I only wish they had send all the information when I bought it, so I did not have to search all over the web for it.
I wish I understood everything you are talking about and maybe if I watch enough of your videos, I will. I have to admit what keeps me interested is your true excitement of the process. Keep these coming and I'll get it all sooner or later.
Sweet!!! I'm ordering one for my 48v Nissan Leaf RV setup. From your description and testing, I think it should be perfect. I have been running without a BMS for a year, nervously. I haven't stressed the setup, slow charge/discharge, and the cells have stayed in balance....but now I'll be able to sleep better. Thanks Will. You're the best!!
Will. For your shed insulation, I wanted to make you aware (if you don't already know) of the importance of having some kind of radiant barrier to keep the shed cool in the harsh sun. Radiant barrier (foil) acts as a type of umbrella to shield the sun's radiant heat, just like a car parked in the sun will be hotter than a car parked in the shade under a tree. There must be a 1/2" gap between the wall and the foil for the barrier to work. If the foil makes contact with the wall it has the opposite effect and conducts the outside heat inwards. I'm sure that traditional insulation can then be put on the inside of the radiant barrier to further insulate the room, but there must be an air gap between the foil radiant barrier and the external wall. Solar panels on the roof (with an air gap between the bottom of the panels and the roof would likely serve the same purpose as interior installed radiant barrier, but if there are no solar panels to shield the shed from the radiant heat of the sun, the sheds going to get very hot from that radiant heat, just as the interior of a car would if left sitting in the sun. Here is a video explaining radiant vs conductive heat and why an air gap is important. ruclips.net/video/E1IwS0_lpBc/видео.html Here is a demonstration of how radiant barrier lowers temp ruclips.net/video/fnCH_Qaj_d0/видео.html
@DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse Col here, hi Will, longtime follower here. I've learnt alot while you have been expanding your knowledge here on your channel, You are doing a great service here mate. I love how you continue to keep it real :) Is there any chance you could do a video on all of the Pros and Con's on setting up a 'DIY set up using lifepo4 12, 24, or 48Volt set up?!?!' (Here are some example ideas of some subtopics that may fall under this category?! Please elaborate on each topic and add more topics that you believe are relevant, as I am sure you would have some, these are just some potential examples). Eg: For home or RV set up (And depending on the size of your RV, and/or how many watts from the number of panels on your roof and/or free-standing Solar on the ground)... And depending on how power-hungry ones rigs (RV) is?! Wire sizes needed to be used?! Power drop over the length of cables between Solar Panels to your Charge Controler?! Best Charge Controler for the DIY'er depending on the way the battery bank is configured (Including value for money controller that does all you want from it, including B/Tooth and Temp cut off...) To list some on this subject, but definitely not limited to... I hope we hear from you soon Will, keep up the great unbiased work you are doing. You can tell you get a kick out of doing all of this, as do I learning about it at and have done some small set-ups and in roughly a year I will be doing a much larger set-up on a Fifth-Wheeler and travelling Australia full-time and homeschooling our 2 boy's in the process. We will be free camping it all that we are able (You call it Boondocking over there), so we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. And it will all be done by me. Lucky as a qualified builder, I have learnt a lot about Electrical work and also have done quite a bit of electrical works, I even have a novice level of understanding of electrical circuitry and the components names and what they do etc...I'm able to do my own soldering etc. too. Cheers, Will. Please hit the 'Like' button on this topic if you would like Will to do a comprehensive video on this topic???
Hint for the startup process. Get a 9v battery, a SPDT toggle or push button switch, and a suitable enclosure. Wire the both negative wires to the NC of the switch. 9v positive to the NO. The BMS positive to the COM of the switch. Now you have a switch that you can flip on to start and off to run. Always ready when you need it.
I have just bought one of this BMS and it's still in the package. I found it daunting to start hooking up. I am worried I may not be able to change the setting for Lifepo4. I'll have to overcome my fear at some stage. But watching a very capable Pro like you still having to dig deep to get it working cements my case 🤔 and, it came with no manuals.
Super cool Will! I am a total beginner so I don't understand all of what you just showed us but it really looks like a great little system. Maybe some day I will be able to build something cool like that. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and experience with solar. You're a lifesaver for many. Keep up the good work 😊
Epic, just got the new version 140-320A ANT bms without directions 😜 saved me 🤙 Thanks dude, I am getting excited to get it up and running. 2P8S 24V system with 960W of panels.
I’m liking the PPE and insulated tools! While melted tools makes for a good story, as you said it makes for a bad day! Also kudos for additional safety precautions. Oh, and content was great too. :)
I have soldered for 40 years, and I've never gotten solder in my eyes! What is not recommended though, is soldering in underwear! Solder blobs travel down due to gravity, they don't fly into your eyes! Really nice BMS, Even fully fledged enough for an EV bike or bicycle. Supposedly there is a serial wired connection somewhere on the board too for connecting a dash or computer directly over serial. Oh, the new Ebay link you provided has a dash included!
@@lpi6608 Yes, the fumes are nasty, both breathing them and in your eyes, so don't put your face right above your iron, but it is rearly needed to have a fume extractor for the typical repair job, . Still, soldering professionally, for hours every day, the fumes definitely would get to you. There is no acid in the flux in electronics solder, it would corrode the solder joints, so it is either a synthetic or natural rosin, quite simple really. Thinking about it, it both smells and stings as a bonfire made from non seasoned Pine. Mostly I do SMD work, and the amounts of solder is minuscule. Soldering big cable lugs with a torch and yards of solder would be different.
Very timely video Will. I am collecting some of the components you show and the BMS you mention in this video will be a big help, along with the tips to get things to work properly. Also glad to see the safety glasses and commentary regarding the molten metal should a short circuit occur.
I actually have two of them and have one of them powering a big 400A relay so no problem with the power output ;) charging is done over the BMS. Discharging is bypassing the BMS over the relay directly to the battery so all funktions still work and you just can by the cheapest version and still be fine as long your charging current isn't to high ;)
im trying to use this for a car, up to 400 amps discharge, since i didnt want to blow it up, i am just using to active balance while car is sitting but it takes days to just balance one battery (4 16s 65v battery s for 130v) how did you set up the relay? thx
Hi there Will - I was about to ask you to do a video on the ANT BMS so thanks for an excellent post as usual. A friend of mine and I both use the ANT BMS in our electric motorcycles and I am buying a lower voltage version (48V) for use with my solar system. You are right - great price and lots of features
@@chrisUyehara As in the video, that last little bit when tightening or the first bit while loosening will want to pivot the bus bar around the bolt. A finger-tight bolt in the other hole prevents the pivot, and prevents any chance of the bus bar shorting out against another terminal. So when installing a bus bar, put in both bolts with your fingers at least a few turns. I prefer doing this with all the bus bars, then using a wrench to tighten down all the bolts once all the bolts are started. (Just don't miss any!) When removing a bus bar, loosen both bolts with the wrench, then put down the wrench and take the bolts out the rest of the way with your fingers.
Yes! This. (When I got older and dumber, I started making mistakes like this, and realized I needed to slow down and think through things harder and do things more safely.)
If that is silicone wire, which it looks to be, 12AWG=3.31mm^2 so you can multiply the cross-sectional area by 25 to get a max ampacity for the wire. So 3.31x25=82.75Amps so each of the 4 wires should be able to safely and easily handle 70A continuous in open-air. Since the 12AWG Silicone wire is rated for up to 70A and we are dealing with very short leads of less than 1 foot 320Amps for short periods is probably fine and very possible with a more reasonable 100-200 Amps being more realistic for a long term installation. They are also likely planing this BMS for a specific battery size like 100AH so if you discharged that 100AH battery at 320Amps this wiring and BMS is only going to heat up for ~19 minutes before the battery is depleted and would give the whole system time to cool down.
Dude! That was the funnest video you ever did! I’m sitting in my job’s foyer business area watching this and all the other geeks are all crowding around me enjoying the video! Lol. I can’t wait to build this system.
Will... love the channel. I have a video suggestion. I am looking to take a portion of my home off the grid and fully power some 110V circuits (no 220V circuits) to reduce my utility costs and to further gain some experience on this. Would you do a small step by step series on doing a sub-panel for a house slowly going off grid? I know you've shared a transfer switch previously but an extensive how-to would be fantastic. I think there's a lot of people who want to go off grid with Solar and LiFe home built batteries in homes that weren't originally designed for that... in an affordable and gradual way. Thanks in advance!
Just did that myself, I took two breakers from house panel and now power them via solar shed. Been running for a month with only a couple times low voltage cutoff event in early morning. So excited I made this jump.
@@patrickswain47 No, I removed breakers from the main panel and powered the circuits directly from the inverter in my solar shed. If the grid goes out, I can plug extension cords to power any major appliance I need. I have a gas generator as well. Currently, if my solar setup runs out of power, the two circuits in the home are dead. I have a transfer switch that I will hookup soon to correct that issue. So far it has only happened twice (cloudy days)
Did you ever consider doing a sub panel with a controller switch? Will did a review of one a while back and I've had it sitting in my amazon cart for a while while I considered how to do this project. MOES Dual Power Controller 50A 5500 Watt Automatic Transfer Switch for Off Grid Solar Wind System ATS DC 12V 24V 48V AC 110V 220V
I believe the tab you talked about not recognizing is called something like a “pin connector” or something similar that seems to be mostly used in car stereos from what I can find. Just installed a 2awg service line to put a 50amp plug way out on some land we own, and I had to purchase those pin connectors because the wires wouldn’t fit in the breaker or plug.
Another tip for safety when assembling banks... use studs and nuts... not bolts. Put all the studs in, then slide the buss bars onto the studs. Keeps the bars from moving.
Just for fun I did a lookup for 4 x 12awg wires which gives an equivalent of 1 awg good up to 110 amps in the right installation (assuming copper) which matches exactly as you stated good for 100 amps.
I ran it through a voltage calculator. 4x12 awg, 1 foot long, 48v at 320amps. Looks fine to me for the full rated amperage of the BMS. www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=5.211&voltage=48&phase=dc&noofconductor=4&distance=1&distanceunit=feet&eres=320&x=53&y=27
Will, I don't believe you need a low voltage disconnect. It's true that the point an inverter shuts down might border on the low end of batteries but good inverters enable you to set shut down points. At 2.7volts time 16 series you wind up with 43.2 volts usually well below inverter shut off points. What you do want is a high shut off point, again, good charge controllers have this as a settable option. Heat is directly related to charging amps which charge controllers should be able to limit. I think these Chinese BMS boards are not something I want to put on my systems, especially if it's an expensive system. I find that you don't need all the bells and whistles, just more to go wrong.
I completely and absolutely disagree with this statement above. You need some form of cut off. Battery protect and bottom balanced cells if you don't trust common BMS on market. But no cut off at all? What is your logic here. That is just crazy talk. And top balancing or setting upper limit voltage has been covered extensively in past videos, but now low voltage cut off? I don't see how that is logical with this chemistry. Please do explain
And inverter disconnect is only useful if cells are matches by capacity and bottom balanced. I'm not risking 3000$ battery bank on that. No thank you. Maybe a used cell that's bottom balanced like in my older videos. But you need individual cell monitoring or else inverter will cut off when one cell is deeply discharged and it won't know. Do you understand that? You would destroy your cell
Recently reconfigured a 26650 cell 39v pack, into a 16s 52v (nominal) bike battery. These things are fantastic when you need a blast of speed to scoot across an interesection or quickly get out of the way of a vehicle. I have a cargo bike that needs every bit of juicing it can get.
Before you can do anything with electronics, you need efficient electrical power generation!!The battery was invented 220 years ago, and after all this time we are just coming out of the cave in our understanding of battery physics and chemistry!!Lead the way brother!!!I love your passion!!!Freaking awesome!!!ALL Science is based on Electrical Science!!!I love your project!!!Don't every sell out your inventions for ANY amount of money!!!Never stop!
Hey Will did you ever consider using fuses to connect the cells? Could help prevent a really bad day. I'm looking into using automotive bolt down fuses for my system. Would love to know your thoughts on this kind of approach.
I (and a work colleague) have this same BMS (100A version) running all day as a DIY Powerwall since two months. I have it coupled with a 48V battery inverter (1600 W in both directions). A raspberry pi running a python script which decides every 2s how much power should flow through the battery based on the house smart meter reading. I programmed another python script which reads all info from BMS via bluetooth and puts it on an open source automation server running on the same raspberry. This server is accessible from my mobile phone. I love this solution, I may do a video showing what I have running some day. 12kWH LiFePo!
DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse I am not on making youtube videos, time constrained. If you want I can provide you some material and you do it. A raspi costs 20$ ! you need nothing else, just open source software. My scripts are on github
With the leads they have on there, I'd venture to guess that that 320A rating is a peak rating. The model in the ebay link you shared does show in the details that it's rated at 50A for charge current.
Hello William, it's always contagious to see your enthusyasm during these videos with new stuff, I'm learning a lot with you. I intend to build a 24V system (or maybe a 48V), and I'de like to know what are your thoughts about this new "blue" LiFePO4 battery cells, that are starting to emerge everywhere. I already did some research and found two possible good sellers from Aliexpress - Lucky Electronics Store and BLS, that ship to Europe with "tax free". Cheers.
I bet that black wire from ON/OFF harness is connected to battery negative ( check continuity ). If so, then you just need to wire a push button from cell 1 using the red wire, so you can boot the BMS from first cell of your battery. I have worked with some BMS chips which are designed to boot from first cell via push button. This is a safety feature so you can ship batteries with BMS turned off.
Love your videos and after watching MANY of them , it looks like a 48volt system is going to be on the drawing board , thank you , I look forward to new videos coming out .
Just picked up an Ant BMS for 48 volt and 300 amps. I have a 15kW Low Frequency Sigineer Pure Sine Wave Inverter. Nissan Leaf Modules and using it as grid tie system. The charging algorithm will be the sealed lead acid which is the proper voltage I need for my system. I may use a contactor or solid state switch to switch so I can charge with high current and not have that go through the BMS. I may loose some functionality of the BMS but I will be using this as a hybrid system. I do have two MPPT charge controllers for an off grid solar array where I just charge up via solar and not the grid. I have two 48 volt packs built for testing the system. I can do some testing before my BMS arrives. I may reconfigure my packs so I can use one BMS for the entire system. 7s series 12p will be my final pack size. I would however still like to use my Solar if the grid goes down from my Grid Tie panels. Problem is the power from the panels is too high for my charge controllers. Rrrrrrrr.
More fascinating material, sir! Just wayched a video on charging lithium with an alternator w/o setting the alternator on fire. Good stuff on the tubes today! Glad to see you so excited over a 48v system! Plug and play backup house power :)
Hello Will I purchased this BMS and it is reading the cells but I can not figure out how to engage the discharge and charge mosfits... I have a quantity of 8 100ah 3.2v lithium iron phosphate cells I make setting changes and save but bms returns to default settings? I purchased 4 400 watt solar panels rated at 49volt almost 10 amps per panel for a total of 1600 watts of solar I will be installing them on RV in series- parallel to meet the 115v dc pv max input What size pv cable should I get for the install panels will be installed in series pairs then paralleled I purchased the MPP solar 24volt 2400 watt hybrid inverter Working on getting the rest of my components sir! I love your channel and learn alot from you sir! Proud of your accomplishments
Great video, I live “off the grid” in north of Sweden and I will try to build a similar system. Today I have a old 12V system that needs to be upgraded to 48V, waiting for more videos and I hope that you give information of BMS supplier
I actually own this BMS. I came back to this video because talking to the supplier was useless. It's kindof funny that to get my BMS configured I need to watch a youtube video instead of read the instructions.
Nice dude! So glad I didn't enable the 'Switch' setting in my software, pretty sure that would have shut it off and put me in the boat of having to connect the two leads to a 2-6v source or whatever it was that you had to do. I would have never figured it out, got no manual with my bluetooth BMS. Is yours bluetooth onboard, didn't see a dongle? I'm absolutely loving mine and reading data over serial by bypassing the bluetooth dongle (which I parallel later, so I can still read data with my own software and use the app simultaneously). Also since I'm reading data from my MPPT over serial I can compare the current data from it and the BMS and print out solar input and system output, then display the TRUTH in the middle (aka 150w in from panels, BMS shows 50w in, meaning I'm charging at 50w and thus discharging at 100w). Works great. I have the 190ah LFP ammo can truck bed build on your forum in Show and Tell. Just leveraged the two temperature sensors with the BMS (one onboard, one is a remote probe) to control a
WAY COOL. Thanks! But how much is cheap $$$? It would be fun to see you build a real life system for a "off - the - grid" small cabin? Maybe one of your viewers would write that check?
Maybe you can help me and explain how your 7s doesn't drop below 23V. My C- terminal shows 23V max. B- Is 27.8V What am I doing wrong? Spent hours on reconnecting it. Even he struggled to get the right voltage on both ends
Your enthusiasm is great. I hope to meet you at the van build if my plans work out. I first learned about LifePo4 batteries when I started building my electric velomobiles. You can find the video by searching for "A ride in my Velomobile the SUV TerraTrike Rover " This was not long after I broke my back and foot 9 years ago and I made this and others to help with my recovery (both body and mind).
Awesome set-up! I am working on converting a school bus into a skoolie/mobile home. I definitely want to be able to run a mini-split AC system with my solar system. It sounds as though a system with 100 amp hour batteries could do the trick. Thanks for the video Will!
Hello from Germany, another stunning video about building a powerwall, thats my duty at the moment. But in Germany or Europe, manufacturers of inverters state that their product will only work with specific, expensive, battery packs like LG, BYD...48V system. The question is: Is that statement true or does it work with this DIY pack?
I found out a single port bms will not support charging protection when used with a relay. I took 2 new 48v 25ah batteries and converted them to a 12v 200ah. I bought a single port 8amp 4s bms intenting to use it with a relay. Turns out the load connection is through two FETs with the drains connected together. The FET with the source conneted to battery neg is controled by the discharge protecton and the FET with the source connected to the load is used for charge protection. Relay works fine for discharge. But requires the load (relay) to be more negitive than the battery neg for the charge control to work. I was able to modify it to control for separate relays for charge and discharge.
@Will Prowse did you have to download the bms bluetooth control program with a computer, then transfer to your phone with usb cable? I dont have a computer... I'm hoping there is an easier way. Thanks for any info you might have. Nevermind. Did some digging on solar forum... Found a link to app, and, seems to be working now.
I have a lithium battery question ie leaf cell packs I have 3 packs that the voltage says lower ( 3.98)than the other 27 packs (4.02) should I be concerned or is that a ok amount of variance. Your one of the smartest one I know on u tube!!!😎😎😎😎
@@WillProwse Does this not allow over charging on a per cell basis? Seems dodgy especially when using mismatched cells of unknown providence and more energetic chemistries.
Why does no one seem to use a BMS with a separate charge port. What is wrong with it. The price is the same. It would seem a no-brainer to me if the amperage is sufficient. Does it not work?
@@WillProwse Just to be clear I think you are wrong here. The 3 connection BMS units are designed to shut off the discharge port if the battery or a single cell gets too low. But still allows for charging to bring it back up. Conversely if the pack or a single cell gets too high and it cannot balance it back in line it can shut off just the charging port and leave the discharge port open. The 2 wire ones cannot do this and end up just blocking both, and then the lights go out.
You need to come out with your own Young Sheldon spin-off. I have no idea what the heck you are doing or talking about, but I like to see you get so excited! LOL, so it doesnt matter if I understand you or not! Thanks for the vids...
I agree I would like to see an update on this also as I'm thinking about using the upgraded version of this bms. Also quick question if you where to add another string of batteries to this system would you also need another bms or would you use one bms for both strings ?
If the wires can't handle 320A I think the BMS itself will not, the copper tracks on the BMS board could be destroyed (in fact I can not understand how a big copper wire could accept less current than a thin copper track (the copper track is shorter but is it enough to beat the copper wire that is not very long too ?)...
Hey. Any idea, what is the actual current the BMS can handle for long periods? BTW I saw in another video that if you leave the 2 wires you used to turn it on shorted, LOW VOLTAGE CUTOFF will not work. On one website it was actually sold with a button on the wires
NIce system. I have a 4 wheeler that uses a 48V LiFePO4 system similar to this. It uses 16 100AH cells. The cells that were in it were abused and dead as can be. Not sure I want to spend $2000-$3000 to repower this thing. I have thought of just using 4 deep cycle batteries in series just to see if this thing is worth messing with.
@@chrishollar6080 It is made by a defunct company called Barefoot motors. I think they went out of business in 2010 time frame. DO a search on here for Barefoot motors and you will find it. The thing is made like a tank.
Hello. I bought an ANT BMS 16S 320A just like yours and I wanted to know if you found the same problem like me in the BMS, which is the following: after setting the parameters of the BMS to protect the cell's high voltage, the BMS turns off the MOS charge atomically and at this moment when the charge MOS is switched off, a peak voltage will pass from the solar panels to the inverter through BMS and this peak voltage will damage the inverter. Have you ever realized this? If so, how did you solve the problem? What is the best way to get around this BMS defect? Continuing with the excellent work ... Thanks.
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My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):
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Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html
Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html
Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html
DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html
Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Information:
I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com
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After sitting in the doctors' waiting room many times over the years cursing my decision not to wear safety equipment, I now solemnly wear safety glasses whenever I am remotely at risk. The bloke across the road from me just lost an eye from small high speed things jumping out of unexpected places, which brought the whole lesson home fairly abruptly. I have a couple other nasty injuries that just won't go away. Just wear the glasses, people.
and they are cheap at your local hardware or auto parts stores...
I'm the same way, all safety gear all the time. It saved my life after a motorcycle accident. It is crazy how many DIY videos on RUclips have makers doing pretty crazy shop work with no eye or ear protection.
I concur. I used to be involved in home projects as a child where safety gear never seemed to be needed (building mud road systems, putting pipes in mud, digging clay dirt, Radio Shack 9V 100-in-1 electronics board), then I went to safety-oriented union construction work as an adult which requires "PPE" (Personal Protective Equipment: glasses, gloves, hardhat, high visibility vest, etc.) 100%, then I come home and do home stuff and find out that suddenly all my home projects mysteriously turned dangerous and I need safety gear. What happened?! Life got serious is what happened. The projects we do as men are more real than what we did as children. Whenever I don't use my glasses, I am sorry. Luckily, I have a whole box of safety gear for work I just use for home. Be very serious about the dangers of each project. This real-use power electricity work can cause eye-damaging events. Adult projects in general are more real and require more sane management, which also means gloves, boots, cotton long sleeve clothing, an awake mind with plenty of sleep, and sensible logic.
Thank you!
@Redrum It will happen. You'll remember this conversation. With any luck you'll still have both eyes.
can you update this with this BMS? I am trying to build a 48v battery system and the EBAY listing is no longer there. thanks for the videos I have learned a lot.
I want this for 4s 12 volt!
Also, it makes me so happy when you get so excited over these little devices, Will.
I believe thats the only one they make but I think you can use it but you need a boost converter because it needs some higher voltage to power up but i think you can with 4s i saw someone else use one with a 24v system
Your videos are informative and research is without question some of the best I have seen.
Just finished building a 13s4p 52V battery pack for an E-Bike. I opted for the YIT 48V 13s BMS COMMON PORT board.
My first step after the pack was assembled was to connect the BMS B- thick wire to the negative side of the battery pack, in this case, 18650 Li-ion cells.
Next making sure the 14 lead cell monitoring connector was disconnected from the BMS board I started connecting the 14 wires to the pack.
Starting with the only black thin lead on the 14pin connector to the negative side of the battery pack.
Followed by the next wire, right next to the black thin wire, which was a thin red wire. This wire measured 4.19V.
Did this for the remaining 12 red thin wires till all of the thin red wires were connected.
Then with the negative lead of my voltmeter on the thin black wire on the connector and the positive lead of my voltmeter on the third pin I read 8.4V.
I checked all the pins on the balance connector confirming they were in increments of 4.2V I then plugged in the balance lead connector to the BMS seconds later smoke started coming from the BMS board.
Where did I go wrong?
There is not much information on the sequence for connecting and disconnect BMS from the Battery Pack. Some say it does not matter others state it does. Can not get a consensus of opinion on this subject. Than you for your time. Signed Frustrated.
BTW I was criticized for asking the question in many FB groups and really never got an answer.
The board used is the YIT with nothing more than Li-ion 13S 48V BMS on the label. Also, I have contacted the factory but nothing from them.
If we got 1% of the young people on the planet to have this kind of passion, we could easily get everyone off the grid with true efficient electrical science!!!!!Love this kid, guy(same thing in this case!!!)
Wow a comment from Nikola Tesla, Will should be very happy with himself. I agree, I love watching the passion this guy has!
@@rkw221 Oh gee, I HAVE TO check it out! (It may be MY place.)
Hey Will, so I did a general search for ANT BMS and your video popped up. I just ordered a 180 amp hour to 450 amp hour ANT BMS. For my system currently consisting of 304 amp hour Eve 3.2 volt * 16 cells. Which are on their way from China and should be here in another month or so. Truly I must thank you for this video which is going to save me a tremendous amount of time when I put it together. Originally I was looking for a jbd BMS that would match what I wanted to have for my system. Unable to find a jbd I thought hey I'll get the ant which really looked the same and it was from the same store. IC GOGOGO which led me to believe the same manufacturer is building both products. Not sure if that is the case. Though I really appreciate your video seriously Will you're a tremendous amount of help thank you so much.
Your enthusiasm for solar is infectious.
I love how you get so excited!! Good for you Will!!!
EqualLandFreePeople haha
I love this young man's ENERGY!!!
Or when he gets upset over the beeping sounds :D
@Redrum Republicans controlled the US Senate when they voted to give China Permant Most Favored Nation status.
Great video Will, I installed the same ANT BMS a few months ago in my 48v 200 ah battery and it was a pain to get it to work, but when it finally did, everything is going great, the BMS is excellent, I only wish they had send all the information when I bought it, so I did not have to search all over the web for it.
Get everyone off the grid with your knowledge, love what you are doing!Navy veteran, aviation electrician!!Please continue to teach brother!!
I wish I understood everything you are talking about and maybe if I watch enough of your videos, I will. I have to admit what keeps me interested is your true excitement of the process. Keep these coming and I'll get it all sooner or later.
The enthusiasm is awesome. You can hear his excitement
How Cool Is That
No kidding Will
This is your signature saying
Everybody gets a kick out of it
Sweet!!! I'm ordering one for my 48v Nissan Leaf RV setup. From your description and testing, I think it should be perfect. I have been running without a BMS for a year, nervously. I haven't stressed the setup, slow charge/discharge, and the cells have stayed in balance....but now I'll be able to sleep better. Thanks Will. You're the best!!
Will. For your shed insulation, I wanted to make you aware (if you don't already know) of the importance of having some kind of radiant barrier to keep the shed cool in the harsh sun. Radiant barrier (foil) acts as a type of umbrella to shield the sun's radiant heat, just like a car parked in the sun will be hotter than a car parked in the shade under a tree. There must be a 1/2" gap between the wall and the foil for the barrier to work. If the foil makes contact with the wall it has the opposite effect and conducts the outside heat inwards. I'm sure that traditional insulation can then be put on the inside of the radiant barrier to further insulate the room, but there must be an air gap between the foil radiant barrier and the external wall. Solar panels on the roof (with an air gap between the bottom of the panels and the roof would likely serve the same purpose as interior installed radiant barrier, but if there are no solar panels to shield the shed from the radiant heat of the sun, the sheds going to get very hot from that radiant heat, just as the interior of a car would if left sitting in the sun. Here is a video explaining radiant vs conductive heat and why an air gap is important. ruclips.net/video/E1IwS0_lpBc/видео.html
Here is a demonstration of how radiant barrier lowers temp
ruclips.net/video/fnCH_Qaj_d0/видео.html
@DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse
Col here, hi Will, longtime follower here. I've learnt alot while you have been expanding your knowledge here on your channel, You are doing a great service here mate. I love how you continue to keep it real :)
Is there any chance you could do a video on all of the Pros and Con's on setting up a
'DIY set up using lifepo4 12, 24, or 48Volt set up?!?!'
(Here are some example ideas of some subtopics that may fall under this category?! Please elaborate on each topic and add more topics that you believe are relevant, as I am sure you would have some, these are just some potential examples).
Eg:
For home or RV set up (And depending on the size of your RV, and/or how many watts from the number of panels on your roof and/or free-standing Solar on the ground)...
And depending on how power-hungry ones rigs (RV) is?!
Wire sizes needed to be used?!
Power drop over the length of cables between Solar Panels to your Charge Controler?!
Best Charge Controler for the DIY'er depending on the way the battery bank is configured (Including value for money controller that does all you want from it, including B/Tooth and Temp cut off...) To list some on this subject, but definitely not limited to...
I hope we hear from you soon Will, keep up the great unbiased work you are doing. You can tell you get a kick out of doing all of this, as do I learning about it at and have done some small set-ups and in roughly a year I will be doing a much larger set-up on a Fifth-Wheeler and travelling Australia full-time and homeschooling our 2 boy's in the process. We will be free camping it all that we are able (You call it Boondocking over there), so we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. And it will all be done by me. Lucky as a qualified builder, I have learnt a lot about Electrical work and also have done quite a bit of electrical works, I even have a novice level of understanding of electrical circuitry and the components names and what they do etc...I'm able to do my own soldering etc. too.
Cheers, Will.
Please hit the 'Like' button on this topic if you would like Will to do a comprehensive video on this topic???
Great to see you paying more attention to safety and letting your viewing audience know how very important it is .....
Hey Will, You make DIY solar seem practical, doable and entertaining! Thanks
Hint for the startup process. Get a 9v battery, a SPDT toggle or push button switch, and a suitable enclosure. Wire the both negative wires to the NC of the switch. 9v positive to the NO. The BMS positive to the COM of the switch. Now you have a switch that you can flip on to start and off to run. Always ready when you need it.
I like the way you get excited over every aspect of this product. Good to see.
Your excited enthusiasm is a joy to watch. ❤️
I have just bought one of this BMS and it's still in the package. I found it daunting to start hooking up. I am worried I may not be able to change the setting for Lifepo4. I'll have to overcome my fear at some stage. But watching a very capable Pro like you still having to dig deep to get it working cements my case 🤔 and, it came with no manuals.
Super cool Will! I am a total beginner so I don't understand all of what you just showed us but it really looks like a great little system. Maybe some day I will be able to build something cool like that. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and experience with solar. You're a lifesaver for many. Keep up the good work 😊
Epic, just got the new version 140-320A ANT bms without directions 😜 saved me 🤙 Thanks dude, I am getting excited to get it up and running. 2P8S 24V system with 960W of panels.
I’m liking the PPE and insulated tools! While melted tools makes for a good story, as you said it makes for a bad day! Also kudos for additional safety precautions. Oh, and content was great too. :)
I have soldered for 40 years, and I've never gotten solder in my eyes! What is not recommended though, is soldering in underwear! Solder blobs travel down due to gravity, they don't fly into your eyes! Really nice BMS, Even fully fledged enough for an EV bike or bicycle. Supposedly there is a serial wired connection somewhere on the board too for connecting a dash or computer directly over serial. Oh, the new Ebay link you provided has a dash included!
smiles, your face right in it. acid fumes are not good, maybe a mask with an air system too :-)
@@lpi6608 Yes, the fumes are nasty, both breathing them and in your eyes, so don't put your face right above your iron, but it is rearly needed to have a fume extractor for the typical repair job, . Still, soldering professionally, for hours every day, the fumes definitely would get to you. There is no acid in the flux in electronics solder, it would corrode the solder joints, so it is either a synthetic or natural rosin, quite simple really. Thinking about it, it both smells and stings as a bonfire made from non seasoned Pine. Mostly I do SMD work, and the amounts of solder is minuscule. Soldering big cable lugs with a torch and yards of solder would be different.
Very timely video Will. I am collecting some of the components you show and the BMS you mention in this video will be a big help, along with the tips to get things to work properly.
Also glad to see the safety glasses and commentary regarding the molten metal should a short circuit occur.
I actually have two of them and have one of them powering a big 400A relay so no problem with the power output ;) charging is done over the BMS.
Discharging is bypassing the BMS over the relay directly to the battery so all funktions still work and you just can by the cheapest version and still be fine as long your charging current isn't to high ;)
Super smart!!!
But no coulomb meter haha
@@WillProwse yea that's right but who needs it anyway 🤣
im trying to use this for a car, up to 400 amps discharge, since i didnt want to blow it up, i am just using to active balance while car is sitting but it takes days to just balance one battery (4 16s 65v battery s for 130v)
how did you set up the relay? thx
And now “The⚡️⚡️Shed” begins it’s long awaited epic journey and new life was born within its wooden walls. ☀️☀️
@@rkw221 thanks or ou reply where can I find wills forum?
Hi there Will - I was about to ask you to do a video on the ANT BMS so thanks for an excellent post as usual. A friend of mine and I both use the ANT BMS in our electric motorcycles and I am buying a lower voltage version (48V) for use with my solar system. You are right - great price and lots of features
Never tighten or loosen a bus bar bolt when only one bolt is thru the bar.
Why?
@@chrisUyehara As in the video, that last little bit when tightening or the first bit while loosening will want to pivot the bus bar around the bolt.
A finger-tight bolt in the other hole prevents the pivot, and prevents any chance of the bus bar shorting out against another terminal.
So when installing a bus bar, put in both bolts with your fingers at least a few turns. I prefer doing this with all the bus bars, then using a wrench to tighten down all the bolts once all the bolts are started. (Just don't miss any!)
When removing a bus bar, loosen both bolts with the wrench, then put down the wrench and take the bolts out the rest of the way with your fingers.
@@Sylvan_dB Makes sense, thanks
AMEN! Don't ask how I know.
Yes! This. (When I got older and dumber, I started making mistakes like this, and realized I needed to slow down and think through things harder and do things more safely.)
smartest guy on youtube but i miss your RV video's
I've got the for my 48V 400AH RV battery system. It is working great so far.
If that is silicone wire, which it looks to be, 12AWG=3.31mm^2 so you can multiply the cross-sectional area by 25 to get a max ampacity for the wire. So 3.31x25=82.75Amps so each of the 4 wires should be able to safely and easily handle 70A continuous in open-air. Since the 12AWG Silicone wire is rated for up to 70A and we are dealing with very short leads of less than 1 foot 320Amps for short periods is probably fine and very possible with a more reasonable 100-200 Amps being more realistic for a long term installation. They are also likely planing this BMS for a specific battery size like 100AH so if you discharged that 100AH battery at 320Amps this wiring and BMS is only going to heat up for ~19 minutes before the battery is depleted and would give the whole system time to cool down.
Dude! That was the funnest video you ever did! I’m sitting in my job’s foyer business area watching this and all the other geeks are all crowding around me enjoying the video! Lol.
I can’t wait to build this system.
I love you videos and i love your excitement.
Will... love the channel. I have a video suggestion. I am looking to take a portion of my home off the grid and fully power some 110V circuits (no 220V circuits) to reduce my utility costs and to further gain some experience on this. Would you do a small step by step series on doing a sub-panel for a house slowly going off grid? I know you've shared a transfer switch previously but an extensive how-to would be fantastic. I think there's a lot of people who want to go off grid with Solar and LiFe home built batteries in homes that weren't originally designed for that... in an affordable and gradual way. Thanks in advance!
Just did that myself, I took two breakers from house panel and now power them via solar shed. Been running for a month with only a couple times low voltage cutoff event in early morning. So excited I made this jump.
@@michaelbatchelder That's super cool. Did you move them to a sub-panel? Do you have a backup switch in case you need to go back to grid power?
@@patrickswain47 No, I removed breakers from the main panel and powered the circuits directly from the inverter in my solar shed. If the grid goes out, I can plug extension cords to power any major appliance I need. I have a gas generator as well. Currently, if my solar setup runs out of power, the two circuits in the home are dead. I have a transfer switch that I will hookup soon to correct that issue. So far it has only happened twice (cloudy days)
Did you ever consider doing a sub panel with a controller switch? Will did a review of one a while back and I've had it sitting in my amazon cart for a while while I considered how to do this project.
MOES Dual Power Controller 50A 5500 Watt Automatic Transfer Switch for Off Grid Solar Wind System ATS DC 12V 24V 48V AC 110V 220V
I believe the tab you talked about not recognizing is called something like a “pin connector” or something similar that seems to be mostly used in car stereos from what I can find. Just installed a 2awg service line to put a 50amp plug way out on some land we own, and I had to purchase those pin connectors because the wires wouldn’t fit in the breaker or plug.
"frozen green beans".... that was the most entertaining part.... but for real, this is a good video.. thanks for sharing.
Let me guess, the beans were for a meal after testing.
I was expecting frozen bananas ...
Would really like to see a video with used Leaf batteries.
Another tip for safety when assembling banks... use studs and nuts... not bolts.
Put all the studs in, then slide the buss bars onto the studs. Keeps the bars from moving.
Smart idea.
Just for fun I did a lookup for 4 x 12awg wires which gives an equivalent of 1 awg good up to 110 amps in the right installation (assuming copper) which matches exactly as you stated good for 100 amps.
I ran it through a voltage calculator. 4x12 awg, 1 foot long, 48v at 320amps. Looks fine to me for the full rated amperage of the BMS. www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=5.211&voltage=48&phase=dc&noofconductor=4&distance=1&distanceunit=feet&eres=320&x=53&y=27
Will,
I don't believe you need a low voltage disconnect. It's true that the point an inverter shuts down might border on the low end of batteries but good inverters enable you to set shut down points. At 2.7volts time 16 series you wind up with 43.2 volts usually well below inverter shut off points.
What you do want is a high shut off point, again, good charge controllers have this as a settable option.
Heat is directly related to charging amps which charge controllers should be able to limit.
I think these Chinese BMS boards are not something I want to put on my systems, especially if it's an expensive system. I find that you don't need all the bells and whistles, just more to go wrong.
I completely and absolutely disagree with this statement above. You need some form of cut off. Battery protect and bottom balanced cells if you don't trust common BMS on market. But no cut off at all? What is your logic here. That is just crazy talk. And top balancing or setting upper limit voltage has been covered extensively in past videos, but now low voltage cut off? I don't see how that is logical with this chemistry. Please do explain
And inverter disconnect is only useful if cells are matches by capacity and bottom balanced. I'm not risking 3000$ battery bank on that. No thank you. Maybe a used cell that's bottom balanced like in my older videos. But you need individual cell monitoring or else inverter will cut off when one cell is deeply discharged and it won't know. Do you understand that? You would destroy your cell
Why do you "Absolutely need a BMS" if you bottom balance and have a low volt cutoff/low temp cutoff?
GREAT points on safety!
You don't. it's just smart to use
Recently reconfigured a 26650 cell 39v pack, into a 16s 52v (nominal) bike battery.
These things are fantastic when you need a blast of speed to scoot across an interesection or quickly get out of the way of a vehicle. I have a cargo bike that needs every bit of juicing it can get.
Wonderful video. You are awesome!!! The link to the bms is now defunct. Do you have a brand or manufacturer link?
Hi Will, I just bought your new book. Can’t wait till it arrives. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE VIDEOS.
Dude, you are AMAZING! but when you say NO WAY!! I can't believe it. I'm like What!!!
Before you can do anything with electronics, you need efficient electrical power generation!!The battery was invented 220 years ago, and after all this time we are just coming out of the cave in our understanding of battery physics and chemistry!!Lead the way brother!!!I love your passion!!!Freaking awesome!!!ALL Science is based on Electrical Science!!!I love your project!!!Don't every sell out your inventions for ANY amount of money!!!Never stop!
Hey Will did you ever consider using fuses to connect the cells? Could help prevent a really bad day. I'm looking into using automotive bolt down fuses for my system. Would love to know your thoughts on this kind of approach.
I (and a work colleague) have this same BMS (100A version) running all day as a DIY Powerwall since two months. I have it coupled with a 48V battery inverter (1600 W in both directions). A raspberry pi running a python script which decides every 2s how much power should flow through the battery based on the house smart meter reading. I programmed another python script which reads all info from BMS via bluetooth and puts it on an open source automation server running on the same raspberry. This server is accessible from my mobile phone. I love this solution, I may do a video showing what I have running some day. 12kWH LiFePo!
Holy cow!!! That integration is absolutely incredible!! Very nice job
DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse
I am not on making youtube videos, time constrained. If you want I can provide you some material and you do it. A raspi costs 20$ ! you need nothing else, just open source software. My scripts are on github
Good to see you having fun and exploring the low cost BMS stuff. Weav
Great vid! Nice to see the hassles that sometimes happens- alot of other videos skip over the hard parts. Stay safe
With the leads they have on there, I'd venture to guess that that 320A rating is a peak rating. The model in the ebay link you shared does show in the details that it's rated at 50A for charge current.
Hello William, it's always contagious to see your enthusyasm during these videos with new stuff, I'm learning a lot with you. I intend to build a 24V system (or maybe a 48V), and I'de like to know what are your thoughts about this new "blue" LiFePO4 battery cells, that are starting to emerge everywhere. I already did some research and found two possible good sellers from Aliexpress - Lucky Electronics Store and BLS, that ship to Europe with "tax free". Cheers.
Awesome video Will, thank you. I am busy installing a 48V 280AH LiFePO4 system with a similar BMS. This was very helpful.
I bet that black wire from ON/OFF harness is connected to battery negative ( check continuity ). If so, then you just need to wire a push button from cell 1 using the red wire, so you can boot the BMS from first cell of your battery. I have worked with some BMS chips which are designed to boot from first cell via push button. This is a safety feature so you can ship batteries with BMS turned off.
Love your videos and after watching MANY of them , it looks like a 48volt system is going to be on the drawing board , thank you , I look forward to new videos coming out .
Just picked up an Ant BMS for 48 volt and 300 amps. I have a 15kW Low Frequency Sigineer Pure Sine Wave Inverter. Nissan Leaf Modules and using it as grid tie system. The charging algorithm will be the sealed lead acid which is the proper voltage I need for my system. I may use a contactor or solid state switch to switch so I can charge with high current and not have that go through the BMS. I may loose some functionality of the BMS but I will be using this as a hybrid system. I do have two MPPT charge controllers for an off grid solar array where I just charge up via solar and not the grid. I have two 48 volt packs built for testing the system. I can do some testing before my BMS arrives. I may reconfigure my packs so I can use one BMS for the entire system. 7s series 12p will be my final pack size. I would however still like to use my Solar if the grid goes down from my Grid Tie panels. Problem is the power from the panels is too high for my charge controllers. Rrrrrrrr.
I am impressed that will is self taught. If he had taken physics in a classroom, he would have known how to pronounce coulomb correctly.
I did take physics in college actually. But mostly self taught. Biggest problem is that I mispronounce everything haha
@@WillProwse Who cares if you mispronounce some words as long as the systems you build work properly. Would be worse if it was the other way around.
Hey Will, how's this setup holding up. You mentioned that you were going to keep it for a while, and see how it goes? Any updates? Cheers!
exactly I am also counting on some update
More fascinating material, sir! Just wayched a video on charging lithium with an alternator w/o setting the alternator on fire. Good stuff on the tubes today! Glad to see you so excited over a 48v system! Plug and play backup house power :)
I'm impressed. I thought you were just a RUclips land pirate. Who knew?
How did you learn to be a electric nerd? This stuff can get complicated
Those bms wires are probably (like in my bms) high temperature resistant AWG 12 , which have amperage of around 90A. So 90A*4 = 360A
Hello Will I purchased this BMS and it is reading the cells but I can not figure out how to engage the discharge and charge mosfits...
I have a quantity of 8 100ah 3.2v lithium iron phosphate cells
I make setting changes and save but bms returns to default settings?
I purchased 4 400 watt solar panels rated at 49volt almost 10 amps per panel for a total of 1600 watts of solar
I will be installing them on RV in series- parallel to meet the 115v dc pv max input
What size pv cable should I get for the install panels will be installed in series pairs then paralleled
I purchased the MPP solar 24volt 2400 watt hybrid inverter
Working on getting the rest of my components sir!
I love your channel and learn alot from you sir!
Proud of your accomplishments
Great video, I live “off the grid” in north of Sweden and I will try to build a similar system. Today I have a old 12V system that needs to be upgraded to 48V, waiting for more videos and I hope that you give information of BMS supplier
MrDick Larsson if you click on the title, Will has listed all the links
I love how you're surprised with things working as expected lol
I actually own this BMS. I came back to this video because talking to the supplier was useless. It's kindof funny that to get my BMS configured I need to watch a youtube video instead of read the instructions.
You crack me up "we have voltage", like your stuff, keep on keeping on.
Nice dude! So glad I didn't enable the 'Switch' setting in my software, pretty sure that would have shut it off and put me in the boat of having to connect the two leads to a 2-6v source or whatever it was that you had to do. I would have never figured it out, got no manual with my bluetooth BMS. Is yours bluetooth onboard, didn't see a dongle?
I'm absolutely loving mine and reading data over serial by bypassing the bluetooth dongle (which I parallel later, so I can still read data with my own software and use the app simultaneously). Also since I'm reading data from my MPPT over serial I can compare the current data from it and the BMS and print out solar input and system output, then display the TRUTH in the middle (aka 150w in from panels, BMS shows 50w in, meaning I'm charging at 50w and thus discharging at 100w). Works great.
I have the 190ah LFP ammo can truck bed build on your forum in Show and Tell. Just leveraged the two temperature sensors with the BMS (one onboard, one is a remote probe) to control a
Brandon Kennedy This is exactly what I’ve been thinking of! Nicely done!
Can you tell me what the app is called or where to get it? I can't seem to get my seller to tell me
@@Ahsieh2 for iOS at least a lot of people use the XiaoxiangBMS app. Everything I was describing is custom
WAY COOL. Thanks! But how much is cheap $$$? It would be fun to see you build a real life system for a "off - the - grid" small cabin? Maybe one of your viewers would write that check?
I want that setup with 200ah batteries! My 100ah 3kw work well once I disconnected them from the Kodiak! Charging them at 14.5v
Build a 24V 450Ah > 12kW Battery with this bms, really happy with the result, Will thanks for all.
Maybe you can help me and explain how your 7s doesn't drop below 23V. My C- terminal shows 23V max. B- Is 27.8V What am I doing wrong? Spent hours on reconnecting it. Even he struggled to get the right voltage on both ends
@@nikoracy I use 3p8s with 150Ah cells
@@martijnheeroma5492 maybe 8s is the answer. So the Voltage is stable on C- and it doesn't drop?
@@martijnheeroma5492 also, did you have to set up your bluetooth app for the system to work as 8S? My bluetooth app doesnt receive any info
@@nikoracy I use AntBMS from iPhone App store, configuring for 8s was not needed
Really appreciate the time and $ you put into this! I just purchased the bms!
Your enthusiasm is great. I hope to meet you at the van build if my plans work out. I first learned about LifePo4 batteries when I started building my electric velomobiles. You can find the video by searching for "A ride in my Velomobile the SUV TerraTrike Rover " This was not long after I broke my back and foot 9 years ago and I made this and others to help with my recovery (both body and mind).
Awesome set-up! I am working on converting a school bus into a skoolie/mobile home. I definitely want to be able to run a mini-split AC system with my solar system. It sounds as though a system with 100 amp hour batteries could do the trick. Thanks for the video Will!
Hello from Germany, another stunning video about building a powerwall, thats my duty at the moment.
But in Germany or Europe, manufacturers of inverters state that their product will only work with specific, expensive, battery packs like LG, BYD...48V system.
The question is: Is that statement true or does it work with this DIY pack?
I found out a single port bms will not support charging protection when used with a relay. I took 2 new 48v 25ah batteries and converted them to a 12v 200ah. I bought a single port 8amp 4s bms intenting to use it with a relay. Turns out the load connection is through two FETs with the drains connected together. The FET with the source conneted to battery neg is controled by the discharge protecton and the FET with the source connected to the load is used for charge protection. Relay works fine for discharge. But requires the load (relay) to be more negitive than the battery neg for the charge control to work. I was able to modify it to control for separate relays for charge and discharge.
@Will Prowse did you have to download the bms bluetooth control program with a computer, then transfer to your phone with usb cable? I dont have a computer... I'm hoping there is an easier way. Thanks for any info you might have.
Nevermind. Did some digging on solar forum... Found a link to app, and, seems to be working now.
Do you have a link to the software? Can't find it :-/
What app are you using? Thanks
Absolutely fantastic job. You are a valuable asset to all of us. I always learn so much. RUclips rock star you are!
I have a lithium battery question ie leaf cell packs I have 3 packs that the voltage says lower ( 3.98)than the other 27 packs (4.02) should I be concerned or is that a ok amount of variance. Your one of the smartest one I know on u tube!!!😎😎😎😎
best bms I ever used, a lot better than Daly, set it up and see it in action, Pretty sure it peaks at 320 amps. 160amp bms Thanks Will
Great video. Can the Over voltage and Over discharge voltage be manually set? is the bluetooth display strictly informational?
What do you suggest BMS with common port or separate port (charge discharge)? Thanks for keeping us informed!
Common port and attach the solar charge controller directly to the battery
Thanks for the quick response... the controller should then handle the over charge protection instead of the BMS...
@@WillProwse Does this not allow over charging on a per cell basis? Seems dodgy especially when using mismatched cells of unknown providence and more energetic chemistries.
Why does no one seem to use a BMS with a separate charge port. What is wrong with it. The price is the same. It would seem a no-brainer to me if the amperage is sufficient. Does it not work?
@@WillProwse Just to be clear I think you are wrong here.
The 3 connection BMS units are designed to shut off the discharge port if the battery or a single cell gets too low. But still allows for charging to bring it back up. Conversely if the pack or a single cell gets too high and it cannot balance it back in line it can shut off just the charging port and leave the discharge port open.
The 2 wire ones cannot do this and end up just blocking both, and then the lights go out.
Awesome, can I still use a battery monitor with this for when my phone/bluetooth is down?
Will, impressive! What is the total cost of the materials for your final configuration?
You need to come out with your own Young Sheldon spin-off. I have no idea what the heck you are doing or talking about, but I like to see you get so excited! LOL, so it doesnt matter if I understand you or not! Thanks for the vids...
...can you make a step by step ebook of this set up? I will buy a copy right away!
Great video ...
Wouldn't that BMS be a perfect addition to one or two Tesla 24V battery modules?
What is the best BMS currently on the Market? One that anyone can install and set to work. For 48volt LiFeO4.
I agree I would like to see an update on this also as I'm thinking about using the upgraded version of this bms. Also quick question if you where to add another string of batteries to this system would you also need another bms or would you use one bms for both strings ?
If the wires can't handle 320A I think the BMS itself will not, the copper tracks on the BMS board could be destroyed (in fact I can not understand how a big copper wire could accept less current than a thin copper track (the copper track is shorter but is it enough to beat the copper wire that is not very long too ?)...
I got a similar 4s one from Battery Hookup. They sold out quickly, but im hoping that they get some more in stock soon. Their GrrrrreAT!
Hey. Any idea, what is the actual current the BMS can handle for long periods?
BTW I saw in another video that if you leave the 2 wires you used to turn it on shorted, LOW VOLTAGE CUTOFF will not work. On one website it was actually sold with a button on the wires
NIce system. I have a 4 wheeler that uses a 48V LiFePO4 system similar to this. It uses 16 100AH cells. The cells that were in it were abused and dead as can be. Not sure I want to spend $2000-$3000 to repower this thing. I have thought of just using 4 deep cycle batteries in series just to see if this thing is worth messing with.
What make and model 4 wheeler?
@@chrishollar6080 It is made by a defunct company called Barefoot motors. I think they went out of business in 2010 time frame. DO a search on here for Barefoot motors and you will find it. The thing is made like a tank.
I would to know more about how you connect that extra wire to the BMS
Hello. I bought an ANT BMS 16S 320A just like yours and I wanted to know if you found the same problem like me in the BMS, which is the following: after setting the parameters of the BMS to protect the cell's high voltage, the BMS turns off the MOS charge atomically and at this moment when the charge MOS is switched off, a peak voltage will pass from the solar panels to the inverter through BMS and this peak voltage will damage the inverter.
Have you ever realized this? If so, how did you solve the problem? What is the best way to get around this BMS defect?
Continuing with the excellent work ...
Thanks.
Hey Will, can you test the validity of HHO Drive With Water and also, How To Get Water from the Air?
I have same BMS and it all worked until I connected 20 amp motor. Now there is no response from bms and 2 red led flashing. 🤷🏽♂️