Most reacted posts

Ok. Work has started on three more units.

Just received the updated manual. Placed in resources with permission from technical support: https://diysolarforum.com/resources/ebc-a40l-battery-tester-manual.438/

I have learned a Ton here. A lot by following other threads. Much with precise questions with my own threads. I have multiple degrees. I set that aside here because we are all trying to learn, share and grow. I am a student in this area and while I have learned a great deal still have much to...

Having built my own packs I will never look at a prebuilt battery the same. However looking back very glad for this experience!

I have read the discussions on 24v vs 48 v. Smaller wires for higher voltage, availability of components (is improving for 48v) etc. The reason I ask is redundancy. While requiring larger wires, a 2x24 volt system has in essence a backup supply should one need to go down for repair. In parallel...

Actually the active balancer has been rather impressive. The older model JK has kept my battery in better balance than my Overkill batteries.

One of my cases had a touch of rust inside by the back edge. Put some rust converter on it, let it dry and called it a day. It was inside and no one will see it.

Inverter attached. Includes a fuse off the battery.

On another thread it was recommended to place a non corrosive coating on the copper bus bar. I searched the site and this appears to be a consideration in marine or higher humidity areas. Most of the time this unit will be in a climate controlled area. Since there is an opportunity that it could...

You might find this helpful https://diysolarforum.com/threads/jk-active-bms-lead-removal.59892/

True. Although have not had any issues getting support from Amy at Luyuan.

So was the computer industry when it started.

Our ancestors didn’t have just in time inventory. They learned basic skills because it was necessary at that time. Sounds vaguely familiar. Much like those old science classes there is benefit to knowing how things work.

Reminds me of the old saying. The difference between men and boys is the price of our toys.

I wonder if a rodent such as a mouse saw the wires as a possible snack.

Ok. Dongle has been attached. Readout screen for the shunt has been installed. Of course both are Bluetooth enabled.

Currently building case number five. Like the simplicity of the build. I did print out "directions" which were basically photos and diagrams from another build as a reference. The items are packed very nicely. Even though two of the boxes had some exterior damage from shipping the dense foam...

Don't know if they are the biggest but are well known: https://www.18650batterystore.com/collections/jk-bms

Pesky moths…

Here is hoping that all who have been affected are keeping safe. Someone mentioned a hot bowl of chili. That sounds amazing. Hope everyone is staying dry and warm. It sounds like this is a two wave system for some alternating snow and freezing rain. Hoping things clear up before you need to get...

I wanted to share my journey to build a portable power station. The overall specs will be a DIY 8s 24 volt battery with the JK active balancer. The current plan is to mount this on a portable dolly and have it tie into a Victron Multiplus II inverter charger. In its current design it will be...

Very nice video on this by the way. Might I suggest safety locks on the case in the next release to prevent tampering? Especially if placed outside.

And two is one

. A perpetual motion machine. Always wanted one.

I have been watching these cells. Should work well with the CATL 302s I already have on board. My neighbor is also my mechanic. He can field strip an engine down to the smallest components and fix things others can't. While others might simply replace the modular components he is able to take...

Had a small leak on kitchen ceiling. Turns out there was a crack in the plumbing stack gasket on the roof. This can happen when roofs have a few years on them. Found a helpful video from This Old House. Used a special adhesive and then added a new gasket formulated for this application...

My first computer was an IBM personal computer. The serial number was hand written. 64 k Ram, monochrome monitor, 164 k floppy disk and an adventure game. A bargain at $3,300 dollars Lol. But I was the first one on the block to own one. The sales person had to ask how to wring it up. She was...

Well the shipment arrived today. Boxes are in good shape. Lessons learned.

Wow! My support ticket finally has a response: "We assigned your support ticket to one of our representatives and our research is currently in progress." Well gee, already delivered.... Guess we have different definitions on service...

Funny you should ask. Have a portable stand up air conditioner in the bedroom and was planning a load test when I get home tonight. Will post results.

The most frustrating thing? The store I ordered it from is about 80 minutes away. I decided to have it shipped due to the weather. It has taken a week to travel to a location that is 35 minutes away and has sat there for 3 days. Supposedly the pony express could cover the country in 7 days...

Reason I appreciated the video. Product arrived without directions

I think sometimes the tyranny of the urgent can be a factor. Sometimes a job is done to fill a need with the best intentions of cleaning up and organizing later. Then life gets in the way…

I remember playing Monopoly. One of the cards stated "Bank error in your favor, collect $$xx. Well fortune was on my side today. Tracking shows the package is STILL in another part of the state. Turns out it WAS delivered today as stated. Will appreciate the good fortune.

It is a very cool idea! Just this morning I was pondering a mini solar trailer idea. This offers many of the same benefits. I wasn’t considering something for the road but something that could be moved on wheels around the garage or yard as needed.

I did want to point out a mistake I made attaching the BMS leads into the BMS. I was in too much of a hurry and mistakenly plugged the bundle in upside down. Clearly a rookie mistake. Naturally I released the magic smoke and it cost me the BMS. When I finally received the replacement I was a lot...

As I sipped my first cup of coffee, I looked at the projected sunrise. It is getting earlier and earlier. This brought a smile to my face since we are projected to get some sun this morning. I then looked into the back yard to see a candy coating of light snow on everything, including my...

My Multiplus is fairly quiet

Time to break out the old wide angle lens for some of these builds!

As said before, can quit anytime I like. Have done so numerous times. Then before I know it have another batch of batteries on the way.

Multiple BMS batteries works well in parallel since they are not interdependent. The system can still run if one is taken off line for maintenance. Asking them to work in a cooperative series environment is a roll of the dice since the Bms of each operates independently. If one fails things go...

Sounds like some great projects with gardening with warming weather. We are looking at getting some plants in soon as well.

We have had quite a stretch of clouds for a while here as well. Some sun the next two days and then overcast as far as the weather reports shows. Hoping for a break in the weather for each of you.

OK. Will start the list: Expand Single Decimal Point accuracy to three digits which is consistent with most BMS systems now.

Currently have CATL 8s packs, two on Overkill BMS and one on JK Active. Surprisingly they run fairly close together through the Victron Distributor. Still hoping to upgrade to all JK Active in the future.

When I bought my PC, it was one of the first ones on the market. It was overpriced, had a hand written serial number on the motherboard, and broke in the first week of operation. After the video board was replaced it ran fine, considering computers at that time really couldn't do much. Being...

So FedEx uses a trick that reminds me of an old game called "whack a mole" only in this case the customer feels like the mole. I have one item that has not been delivered yet. Here is how the game is played: Then you are prompted that delivery will take place between xx and xx. Finally you...

Hoping tracking is correct. If so should see my Eve 304 8s cells, Bms and battery pack within the week. Anticipation…

Good observation. There is actually a 2 inch plus gap there. Plus I am currently planning on placing hardiboard between the frame and battery.

The 24v 8S DIY packs I am working with have balanced well. Am adding a portable 24v system and am already considering picking up another batch in the new year. As indicated elsewhere if one decides to move to 48v in the future the existing wiring can more than handle the load.

I looked at the nice and tidy vs resistance. Granted the voltages being discussed are not big. Considering that I will probably be the only one who knows the wires are the same length I tucked the Bms behind the batteries and my next one will be inside a metal battery case. I utilized the same...

@Nami?

I am assembling third pack. Does it ever end???

Update from my other thread. Latest battery box waiting for the BMS install. Really like these new Eve cells.

Mine is a blended system. Victron Multiplus is the core and the bus bars and distributor. It is combined with various Midnite components and attached to diy batteries. Payback was not my goal. Long term reliability is what attracted me to these products. There are other excellent products out...

When there is a code question final determination will be decided by rock, paper, scissors

So the "much" anticipated video from Andy came out. You decide... personally still a lot to work on... I posted a message asking about SOC....

This is truly an international concern! Amazed at the countries responding to this rapidly growing thread. @Nami please take note. There are a lot of concerned customers here. I once heard a statistic stating that a dissatisfied customer told more people than a satisfied one. My guess is that...

Clear glass or plexiglass or polycarbonate please. Can't block that view!

I used the cutter Will references on his site. I first position the wire next to the lug and mark it with painters tape. I then carefully follow the edge of the tape line with the cutter.

Once you add the top breathing is easier. Helps to prevent the incidental oops scenario which releases the magic smoke…

Talk about market forecasting....

Gotta love their tracking application. It will show a delivery date that can be misleading. In the past it needed to go to another location before it would be delivered. It has not been sent there yet. Yet their application says it will be delivered today. OK. Not holding my breath.

Well my batch of lugs arrived today. Back to the project.

@upnorthandpersonal thank you very much for opening up a discussion on this. Really appreciate and respect your work in this area. I guess time will tell regarding this product. One thing I learned from the computer industry is to take product literature with a grain of salt. Especially with the...

Wonder how this scores on the Tim S scale?

I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went. And then it dawned on me.

OK. After following this forum for a while I must admit I have been impressed with the builds out there. There are massive systems which run an entire household (or perhaps a small city LOL). Others live off grid with less powerful systems but have done their homework with energy conservation...

Encouraging news today. Wanted to thank @Steve_S for starting this discussion. 1000 plus posts later we have finally gotten updates. For those who made the jump thank you in advance for your reports on the latest changes.

This is one area where the DIY process shines. I am amazed at the quality and in some cases the magnitude of the DIY builds that I have seen presented on this forum. At the other end is the tight compact look which also serves the purpose. DIY keeps the creative juices flowing, whether it is...

Healthy competition is a win win for both provider and customer

Part of me would have a house in the remote country. On the other hand have terrific neighbors who have been very supportive and we help each other out. There will always be room for improvement, however life is short. Regarding solar there will always be the next best product. Having more is...

I I am especially impressed with the way one removes the covers on these as well. Very well designed!

May need to consider this in the marketing brochure? LOL

Maybe there will be a reprieve? Depends upon what is considered low value I guess: https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-small-packages-trump-china-deminimis-6d308f4b2340c27ff0b069e05bbe7ffd

As a professional my favorite saying is "safety first". Something I never see discussed with portable dolly systems is insulating the metal frame. It is probably OCD but I saw this product and it got me thinking. Even if I decide to turn the battery back the other way, this product may still...

This entire process has been a vast learning experience. I reflect back on my "innocent" days when this was "easy". Just do 123 and everything will go as planned??? I know models have been discussed regarding this. Very true. I have an up and running "UPS version". I am now in the process of...

OK. Just got off the phone with CurrentConnected. The minimum wire size for the Multiplus II is 6 awg. Given that this will be a mobile unit. Will likely connect the 12 and 6 awg in a junction box and then run the 6 awg into the Multiplus II.

Their web page is worth a look

I suspect when I get done I might see a little more total voltage variance. The cells differences per battery are very good, however my 8s system will have two CATL and two EVE batteries. Always appreciate seeing a successful build, reason for my post earlier. DIY is alive and well.

Just tried to ping the site: "Ping request could not find host http://www.jkbms.net/download_pc. Please check the name and try again."

Just keep in mind that when using a CO2 unit to get to fresh air quickly to avoid suffocating.

Even with short wires that is a considerable amount of current. Personally I like to keep my wires cool and reduce risk. My other concern is batteries when rapidly discharged on a regular basis have the potential to wear out quicker. In the solar world slower discharges can equate to longer...

I have seen photos of such items on line. A consideration is structural support. Snow can carry quite a bit of weight. If I were to do this, I personally would consider a slight slope so things could slide off as things warm off. I know there are plenty of flat panel installations, e.g. campers...

Just saw the new video on the server pack battery provided by Will. Very well built and was very impressed by the feature set. Admittedly they would take a bit of effort to get into place. However, once installed would be OK since they wouldn't require much tinkering. As I look at server...

Perhaps we can start with US JK vendors to start? I am willing to send some emails if this helps get things moving. Based on readings there is some very strong loyalty for a number of products and some excellent discussion on a multitude of threads. These are exciting times because it sounds...

Wonder if I can find a flux capacitor on Ebay? Seriously the research never ends. So much to learn, so little time.

Oh the anticipation!

Hoping there is someone who can help get this resolved for you. You have contributed so much to this forum. Hopefully someone else has had the same experience and may have an answer??? Fingers crossed

Already ordered some from Selterm. Was impressed with their quality. Never hurts to have proper parts in stock. Like the bus bar suggestion. Next thing on the purchase list.

Valid point. As it turns out, didn't cost much and the jumpers have paid for themselves with other DIY projects. Other benefit is that I can run it directly off the battery if I want to add light to the solar area.