diy solar

diy solar

LiFePo Budget Battery Recommendation

When they say different things withing 3 sentences ...... I would consider it a VERY high risk purchase.
The 20A discharge is from the CHARGING PORT CONNECTION so not from those fancy gold plated battery terminals which would be 1C discharge.
So not saying different things.

You also get a 10A Lithium battery charger with the battery.
*******************
Specifications
1.Chemistry: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
2.Rated voltage: 12.8V (Working voltage per cell: 3.2V)
3.Charge voltage: 14.4 - 14.6V
4.Cut-off voltage: 10V
5.Max continuous charge current: 1C
6.Max continuous discharge current: 1C
7.Peak discharge current: 2C
8.Operating temperatures: Standard 0°C~45°C(32°F~113°F), Discharge -20°C~65°C(-4°F~149°F),Storage -20°C~45°C(-4°F~113°F)

Features:
1. Charging connection port: Rated maximum current and voltage for charging:59A/14.6V;
The maximum discharge current is 20A.
 
I really believe that one has to look at what is trying to be accomplished.

For example, here are my applications (use cases):

1. Laptops & personal devices at home.
2. Laptops & personal devices away from home (say camping or elsewhere).
3. Running my Home Office (lights, 75" flat screen TV, coffee pot, etc.)
4. Eventually outfit my new shed to be completely solar.

Solution:

Applications 1 & 3: Use SOK battery bank with an inverter, Rockpal 500, and and DIY 2000 watt portable battery bank that I built using Miady batteries.
Applications 1 & 2: Rockpal 500 watt battery, portable batteries (30000 mAh). Can't take my SOKs with me camping (yet).
Application 4: Higher power battery bank - doubt the SOKs will be sufficient.

Point here is that each use case can have different power solutions. You don't necessarily need to overspend $$$, getting the Top Notch battery bank to blanket every use case. A lower price battery could be sufficient for your application/use case. "Save your money - and invest it".

Cheers!
 
I guess I've never seen a rating that was for discharge ... on the charging port. Just seems .... Illogical.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Dzl
I guess I've never seen a rating that was for discharge ... on the charging port. Just seems .... Illogical.
Bob B:, You're correct. The discharge rating is on the "Golden Terminals"...you're on the right track. Each type of battery has a discharge rating. My SOK batteries (what precipitated this part of the conversation) has a 100A max discharge rate each. It states it clearly on the side of the battery. This info can be critical, because if you draw more than what the battery can discharge (rated) either the BMS will shutdown (or melt), or the wires inside will melt. Either one is not good. IMHO, higher the discharge rate is an inherent safety factor. But, then again, one pays for these features/capabilities. One of the reasons why I'm moving up to a more capable battery like the KiloVault which has a 150A charge and discharge rating...but I'll be shelling out more dough. SOK battery is good to learn on and can be applied in wide production applications. I'm running my home office off of the two batteries without using Shore Power (recharging them using solar), but I haven't tested my vacuum cleaner on it yet which will draw a lot of amps. I need a bigger inverter before testing.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1258.JPG
    IMG_1258.JPG
    89.4 KB · Views: 5
Last edited:
I guess I've never seen a rating that was for discharge ... on the charging port. Just seems .... Illogical.
Did you logically look at the pic of the battery on Amazon?
It has the unusual feature of a charging port on the end of the battery and USB plugs.
Also has the usual battery terminals on top that are 1C or 100Ah discharge rated.
 
Did you logically look at the pic of the battery on Amazon?
It has the unusual feature of a charging port on the end of the battery and USB plugs.
Also has the usual battery terminals on top that are 1C or 100Ah discharge rated.
I'm not entirely convinced these features are "unusual". My Rockpal 500 watt battery has all those features, except that it doesn't have terminals...but does have a cigarette adaptor. IMHO, it looks to me they took a battery box, added some cells, a usb port, and terminals, plus provided a adaptor to charge. I built one that is fundamentally the same. It doesn't have a 20A discharge rating, and it looks funny...but strangely enough I can run my home office (including my 75" flat screen) for about 10 hours from these little jewels. :). Do you see the USB adaptor? It's has a PD port and 3.0. I also can carry these batteries around since the cases have a sturdy handle. What is nice is that these batteries fit perfectly inside the cheap Harbor Freight cases ($12 each).

Miady batteries at $50 each x 8 (12.8v at 16 Ah x 8 = 1638 watts, each Miady battery has its own BMS), Harbor Freight cases, toggle switches, fuse box, 12 awg internal flexible wires (with dual spades), 10 awg external flexible wires with XT60 plug. I can plug in solar or adaptor.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1249.JPG
    IMG_1249.JPG
    64.8 KB · Views: 32
  • IMG_1250.JPG
    IMG_1250.JPG
    83.1 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_1253.JPG
    IMG_1253.JPG
    81 KB · Views: 26
  • IMG_1252.JPG
    IMG_1252.JPG
    67 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_1251.JPG
    IMG_1251.JPG
    105.1 KB · Views: 30
Last edited:
@David Smelser Looks like you could fit 6 of those Miady batteries in one of those boxes without the fuse box and 12V socket, could you measure for me? Thanks.
 
@Michael S I went with the same case @David Smelser recommended. Works perfectly for 4, but just a hair (1/8” or less) too small to add 5th/6th batteries.
 

Attachments

  • FAF121EB-18C8-4055-BEF3-9B937BB984F2.jpeg
    FAF121EB-18C8-4055-BEF3-9B937BB984F2.jpeg
    110.7 KB · Views: 16
  • F15677C8-332B-43DA-BAB8-C6F8BE516A94.jpeg
    F15677C8-332B-43DA-BAB8-C6F8BE516A94.jpeg
    82.5 KB · Views: 16
Back
Top