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Needed to enclose my DIY battery banks, and thought I would put the battery cell shipping containers to use. Trimmed them down for my needs. I think they turned out good for DIY/Sort-Of. PlexiGlass Covers soon.

I dis-assembled my Banks/Cells last night. In my un-wiring and thinking through my setup, looks like I mistakenly had/have a Negative battery lead parallel to the BMS B- / P-, through each Battery Breaker. Thus bypassing the ability of the BMS to disconnect the cells upon over charging. This...

Always good to learn from others’ mistakes for sure. Fortunately this one was all My Fault. No arcs or sparks, no fires. Nobody hurt. My system will be better off because of me learning. Now to find (4) additional 280ah cells.

"Kentucky Timothy Power & Light" :ROFLMAO:

Looking good Tim, Can't wait to see how the project moves forward. Very cool install.

Much agreed. That is exactly why I am on this forum. I will never recoup my investment of Off-Grid, other than independence when things get tough. Definately getting tougher out here. Good hearing from like minded people. /Another older man out here doing what I can. Common rant lately...

I'm 62 yrs old. With some thought ahead of time, one can get much accomplished working with leverage, pulley's, ropes, rails, etc, for installing panels on the roof. I rigged long 2x6x16 boards as rails. Rope tie a cradle for each panel and lift to to the roof for handling once lifted on top...

I picked up (32) LF280K cells yesterday. At the 18650 store. 3 hour drive. Well worth the trip.

I think in most of our cases, "It's a 16S program".

For me, they are always just too difficult to re-train. I'll keep the one I have. She tolerates my power addiction. I using "TimsElectric" theory as well. It works at my location/setup needs. Also Scalable.

I did "Flee", proud of it. I now call the place I flee'd to Home. No neighbors, no noise, no paved roads closeby.

Great to be power independent for sure. My system also worked as planned during Helene in Western North Carolina.

"Pulled over by a Cop, Excuse me sir, Have you been Solar Configuring while driving this afternoon? That's a confinement from Solar for 10 days". :ROFLMAO:

This is the crate I received from 18650 Battery store:

2022 Massey Ferguson 1840M. Great Tractor.

...yea Pizza's in today's world. Picked up (2) 3 topping Domino's pizza last night, $45.00. OMFG! Time to shift to frozen pizza & cook it in my own oven. Save up more for DIY batteries. ?

Driving to 18650 store to pickup (2) sets LF280K cells for 48vdc banks later this week. 3 hours from the house. I will let you know. Though the reason I am using the 18650 store are many positives from other DIY Solar forum members. Quality cells from a reputable source. My first DIY battery...

It comes down to "Mis-Wired" BMS - Battery leads. And then overcharging and BMS unable to stop charging. Here's a photo of the blownout cell from Lower Bank. Cell #9

These components, JK BMs RS485 interface and USB adapter to SA have all been very Plug & Play. I connected both of my DIY banks the past few months. Great solution.

I have been using it almost One Year now. Would not run my solar system without it. Gives very good insight to what is happening within the system. Enjoy the detailed statistics. Highly recommended.

Hopefully those on the list respond with their paid order quickly.

If it keeps dropping, might be time for another road trip to 18650 Store.

Keep growing, build your own warehouse. Make it an example of all things "Current Connected". Many of us here directly support what you're doing.

If DIY is not your thing, pull up your preferred Solar Supply Company on your web browser and fill your Cart with a pallet of prebuilt batteries. SOK, EG4, Trophy, BigBattery...They will happily deliver them with your paid order. I prefer to pay for mine with improved DIY skills over time...

No compression.

Follow electrical standards as well as you are able, and document everything. Keep a wiring diagrahm printed out close to your equipment. Document Turn-On/Turn-Off procedures. Document everything. Then possibly have your HVAC/Electrician make an on-site visit to do a walk through with you to...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125906193700?var=426859455200 Seller: googolbuy Shipped out of California. I prefer eBay storefront as eBay stands by/protects the purchase.

Working slowly getting my Growatt 5000 units installed. Running them parallel inside my shop/garage area. 240/120 volts. Not quite connected to main house just yet. Long process for me. Thanks all for the helpful threads along the way.

Charge'Em up while its possible. No sense risking a bad situation. Hence LOTS of Battery strorage.

While not the biggest consumer of the 18650 Store EVE LF280K cells, the (36) cells I have from them ALL test above the rating. EVE LF280K V3 cells test at 299ah-304ah, earlier versions all 284ah-286ah. I would buy from 18650 Store again when I need more DIY Battery Bank cells.

Yes, for me a 3 hour trip each direction. I let them know my expected arrival time, They had my order ready on the pallet. Opened it up before loading to inspect the cells. No issue. Had me loaded in less than 20 minutes.

Here awaiting an order for additional 32 Cells as well. Capacity is a vicious circle: Panels, Batteries, Inverters Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Thanks Quattrohead. I'm dis-assembling the banks, doing a visual on each cell. Visually 3-4 cells look bad. Upper bank (1) cell, Lower bank (2-3) cells. Total (3) cells swollen. i.e. Garbage. Having the luxury of (2) banks, I plan to get Upper bank up and running this weekend. Most likely...

Very much satisfied with my Carbon Copy Mini of @timselectric system. Very solid Off Grid. I also like how scalable it is.

Part-Timer here. Solar/Batteries getting me closer, just not there quite yet. Mountain Spring Water/Gravity fed water system to the house. Septic captured sewage. Full house heat via woodstove. Money $$$ plants aren't harvesting as nicely as I would had hoped. "I like Beavers!"

Yep, My trip to 18650 Store last week. They mentioned "It's a good thing you're picking up your order today, as I hear Tim's Electric is on his way for another loadout." :LOL:

JK BMS order (2) JK-B2A24S20P units delivered. Valid eBay purchase ?

By the time I make time to document, I change something. Or in my case something goes not as planned. Boom!

I'll get into an EV eventually. Its one reason I'm pushing my scaled Solar build. The longer it takes me, the lower used EV prices are.

I hear you Tim, My powerplant is adjacent to the house. Insulation for it won't happen until next winter. Though our winter's here a fairly mild. Don't laugh, My battery boxes are going to be made from the larger EVE LF280K shipping containers (Trimmed Smaller)

Placed order on the weekend. (2) 200A B2A24S20P units. They shipped from California Monday afternoon. eBay Vendor. Could not find any In Stock through other US distibutor/vendors. Felt better purchasing through eBay storefront, rather than Alibaba, Aliexpress or other. Awaiting delivery.

LFP Battery Cells are much safer. I recently experienced an OverCharged condition. Blew out the Pressure Seals on (2) Pristine, New, EVE LF280K cells. Pressure seals blew out because that is how they are designed. They did their job. No sparks, No fire. Quite a lot of heat on each cell, but...

Just a quick observation on the Forum here, and the Vendors/Products announcements many of us use. Or consider purchasing for use. Watching the announcement of the EG4 280Ah Battery from SS. The included YouTube video from Will, and then followup comments, etc from James @SS. All of this...

I do not use any other Victron equipment besides the Victron Smart Shunt on my system. With the Solar Assistant supporting use of the Victron VE Direct USB connection, it works great. I control the Victron Smart Shunt using it's built-In Bluetooth for its settings changes. The Victron VE Direct...

Very interesting. Looking forward to seeing more details over time.

The Victron Smartshunt has a comm port to connect a VE.DIRECT cable to include its information to Solar Assistant or other devices. https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/smart-battery-shunt#pd-nav-thirdimage I recommend you spend some time reading through the Forums/Vendor websites...

Well said. "Me a previous Submarine sailor". I live from that mentality.

Similar here. A higher ground clearance AWD/4x4 four door hatchback. Under $30k.

I am using split treated lumber decking boards. These bolted to DIY metal mounts, attached to a metal roof. Panels on right side already in place have held strong (50kt-60kt winds).

Indefinitely except to replentish Food staples. Water, Wood Heat, Septic no limits. Solar is a given.

Just discovered your thread here G00SE. Interesting to follow along. Keep up the great work.

Always good seeing other forum users having success using the Growatt ES series All-In-One units. Inexpensive and very reliable for what they do. Mine have been solid since installing them.

New forum members would do well to read a few 100/1000 or more posts on their topics of interest. Gain more knowledge and gather some facts of the many options out here. Sunshine_Eggo and many others out here are an Encylopedia of electrical know how.... and Yes, He does Know-So-Much.

Miswiring/Bypassing my battery bank and BMS. Hence allowing over charging cells to point of failure. Luckily no fire, only lost (2) cells in my 16s bank. I posted all about it.

...Now that you mention that, my install of SA has never had a link associated with the Solar PV. Interested to what an answer/fix may reveal. I've been running my SA since 12/2022 without issue.

Seems for multiple MPPT setups, those that are paralleled (Growatt), the MPPT acts as a single unit. Would be nice if SA would take that into consideration for displayed info option. i.e. View a single MPPT output. Allow users to custom define what info is displayed.

I agree with using a quality shunt for accurate battery data. I use a Victron Smart Shunt with my Solar Assistant setup. The Victron VE Direct USB cable has been very reliable.

I believe all of us who responded to OP are trying to help. Just different viewpoints on what many of us have found to work. Me included. I'm not very good at explaining in writing what I am thinking.

I completed my DIY build(s) a few days ago. 32 Cells total, 16S, 280ah EVE Cells, JK BMS(s) B2A24S20P, Growatt 5000ES units, Solar Assistant. All electronics appear working as designed. My 1st 16S battery build running the past month, maybe past 30-40 days. Clean, no observed issues. JK Active...

I have (4) 16S LF280K Battery banks. All use the JK-B2A24S20P BMS. 200Amp units, 2A Active Balance. Keeps the cells actively balanced within 3-8mv. Very satisfied with their performance.

Thumbs up for the Hammock Camping! Nothing better sleeping in the woods... (y)

I ordered (2) of these instead. AMPBOX (jag25.com) AMPBOX Ships from California. I will post more once delivered & polpulated with cells.

I am on the SA Beta. Also have PV info displayed within the Growatt Inverter(s)/MPPT(s). Just NO LINK on the Solar PV. I have LINKs for Inverter & Battery and Grid. Even though its OFFGRID.

Christmas/Birthday Batteries in April! Those cells never disappoint.

Sucessful trip to the 18650 Battery Store today. (3 hours each way) Working towards my DIY battery builds. (32) EVE LF280K cells.

Multiple SA units… Ok nice approach to see all the info you need or want.

Looks like the 18650 store re-stocked it supply of larger JK BMS units. 200a JK-B2A24S20P. Just saying.

I have my SA Pi hard wired via Ethernet cable. I experience fewer connection issues.

I would be interested in a SA & EPEVER connection as well. Currently running a small array (1400 watt) with EPEVER 4215bn, Victron Smart Shunt, SLA batteries. USB/VE connection from Smart Shunt working to SA showing Battery statistics (Very Nice). Saving my pennies for a larger Growatt. Until...

Power will not go out at the house. Remember what forum this is? Solar Power...

True, But... The lights never go out!

I live fairly isolated, deep woods on the side of a mountain. Western North Carolina, Nantahala National Forest. While I do have Grid power, working to make "Duke-Energy/The Grid", my backup option. Striving for fulltime OffGrid. Its an indepedence thing for me. Not a monthly cost issue. Hell...

Not the same, but I keep a NorthernTool NorthStar 8000w Generator. Honda GX Motor, 120v/240v Works great with many applications. 10+ years.

Me, looking for used AWD electric hatcback. Wish the Kona EV was AWD. Need AWD for the steep switchback driveway during winter. Approximate range 150 miles.

Mine as well. Very satisfied with the Growatt 5000 units. I recently bought a pair and have had no issues. They just work. For me, good value, great performance.

Not doing much to "Save" energy. The way I see it is having many different energy sources. Learning how to mix them effectively. Heating: Woodburner Stove, Propane, Electricity Cooking: Propane, Electricity, Wood BBQ Lighting: LED Lights Electricity: Solar/DIY Batteries, Gas Generator, Grid...

Got it. Me, Live & Learn(ing)

I agree. Kicked myself late last year for not stocking up on the many specialized and solid components needed. Hence I missed out on normal pricing & availability of the Original v1 Chargeverter. Now that I found limited availability, snapped it up. I'm now doing this with everything in my...

I’m looking to do exactly as you mentioned. Thick end plates & rods, lightly tightened. -Thanks

With Norway as a leading example of EV adoption, makes me laugh at EV's being viable solution in colder environments. It works. Tesla does not have a demand issue. Pricing yes, but not demand. Hence why I am waiting out the right priced used Model Y.

QCells originally, (4) 350 watt units. Testing/Learning. Expanded using these: Solarever (12) 455 watt additional. All panels new. Within my budget and great feedback on the forums. My thought are bigger panels/capacities. Why buy (4) 100 watt panels, instead of (1) 400 watt panel. These...

My thought is the reason these battery prices are low is to move out this older stock. 100Ah Batteries are not in as much demand as 280Ah or higher capacity varients.

Similar here. Needing a utility 4x4/AWD Hatchback, some ground clearance, 200+ Range, $25k-$30k. 4x4/AWD is a must where I live. Used Model Y, small lift kit works for me, Beefier wheels/tires.

Much agreed. Solar Assistant has also been useful for me just using it with a Victron Shunt, & non compatible EPever. Then when budget allowed replaced the EPever with my Growatt units. Very cool Solar system monitoring.

Interesting feature/function. Nice info for later.

Agreed about terminals. Relatively easy to replace terminals. For me this box checks ✅ most of my needs. And it’s ships from USA.

Every one of us using ANY fixed solar array is already pin pointed on numerous databases. Satellites see most everything. Not necessarily used daily, or nefariously, but they know.

Actually, thats exactly what peeves me the most with taking systems completely offline or testing. All the Clocks all over that need resetting. LoL

You have batteries, and batteries, and batteries. No worries on battery power.

I was early on their signup list. Received my Chargeverter v1 unit delivered this afternoon. Nice unit.

Those JK BMS w/Active Balancing work really well. I've been happy with mine (Copied Yours)

Good to have options.

Very nice Battery Bank, We've been waiting some time to see how you prefer to do yours. Really nice work.

I'm a bit older than you, You can do anything you put your mind to. Just takes longer for some of us.

Are you saying an F350 EV? That would be awesome!

Thank you Aridon82.

I'm good with capacity differences +/-. I like seeing the LF280K cells have so many cycles over the lifetime. I'm enroute to pickup (32) LF280K cells in the morning. 18650 store. I think after so much reading, analysis, pondering, thinking. Make a decision and go with it. There will always be...

Finally took the time to finish this repair project. Wanptek KPS-100v-10a DC Power Supply. Kudos to "efficientPV" guy for his extra help troubleshooting long distance. Replaced (3) components Q3/Q6 Power Transistors & Bridge Rectifier. Also repaired the blownout trace. Via Amazon: $350-$400...