Just having fun... (please comment... I'm new to this)

Hi everyone... I built this small system for a mobile barn I have on my property. I know it's overkill for what I need to do but I wanted to learn by building something that has all the various components of an off-grid system.

Here is a photo of the entire system... I want to add a temperature sensor latter on


Is the wiring correct? Everything powers on but I have not found any examples on Will's site that uses the fuse box for the inverter... All examples I have seen have dedicated fuses... Is this still OK?

The Charge controller is a 20 AMP model...



...and the inverter (i know it's a cheap unit but it was given to me and a don't really need AC) is rated to support 15 AMPS max


I am using 4 old Panasonic prismatic cels (From a Nissan Leaf I think)... I got them for pretty cheap. They are used. I do not have a lot of details on them. Here are the specs I found:
Cell specification :

Battery type : Lithium-Ion
Nominal voltage: 3.7 V
Operating voltage range:
Minimum : 3.0V
Maximum : 4.2V
Length: 5.875" (148 mm)
Width: 1" (26 mm)
Height: 4,5"(over terminals) (113 mm)
Mass: 1.65 pounds (0,72 kg)

Any additional details that you can provide here are welcome.

I am having difficulty setting up the MT50 configuration... I know I will not get the full 25 AH because of the weird voltage. If anyone can help providing the optimal configuration I need to input... It would be appreciated



This is the mobile barn I have...


I am using this mainly to power an electric fence, some lights and some electronics when I am at the barn.


I am pretty sure I've done all the wiring correctly but If I have done anything wrong, please send me a comment and i will modify the setup.

COMMENTS WELCOME!!!

Your layout and wiring looks very clean. Well done. What wire gauges are used between the various components?

Thanks... It's all 10 gauge single strand house wiring... I had a lot of scrap pieces in my shop

From the battery ... I do not know the gauge... it was old input wiring to a 100 amp 240 volt main house panel

Right now there is a 50 watt panel on the roof of the barn:

Looks great! Nice clean job, easy to follow the wires thru all your equipment

mobile barn needs speakers!

I like the mobile barn! Very cool!

You are very talented and would make a fun neighbor! What do you mean by using a fuse box for an invertor? I also have an mt-50 meter connected to an Epever charging lithium but have not been able to crack the Chinglish directions in the manual to program the epever correctly.

Nice! Very tidy install. I think our host Will has a few videos about the Epever charge controllers and he goes into setting them up.

Nothing looks over fused or under wired,
Good, clean wire lines, easy to trace, good indoor connections.
Looks like top left battery terminal has a loose connection...

Those heat shrink over insulation ring terminals look good, but they are a pain to crimp correctly.
I'm a big fan of bare terminals, crimp/solder then heat shrink.
It's a pain to do, but you get 100% connection every time.

Just a tip,
That automotive style fuse block, you can use automotive style breakers in it.
Several styles including visible trip, self resetting, and disconnect to reset.

Type I, automatic reset, cycles until the breaker is removed or the circuit is opened.
Type II, modified reset, disconnect circuit (pull breaker/cycle switch) or toggle/push button to reset breaker.
Breakers keep hunting down fuses to a minimum...





I do a lot of business with these guys, they have all the odd ball stuff and won't rob you blind,
https://www.delcity.net/store/ATO:ATC-Circuit-Breakers/p_823683

DouglasHHI said:

Looks great! Nice clean job, easy to follow the wires thru all your equipment

Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment

Picasso said:

mobile barn needs speakers!

Click to expand...

Great idea and was actually thinking of doing that. There is a theory that live stock "enjoy" music.

offgriddle said:

You are very talented and would make a fun neighbor! What do you mean by using a fuse box for an invertor? I also have an mt-50 meter connected to an Epever charging lithium but have not been able to crack the Chinglish directions in the manual to program the epever correctly.

Click to expand...

If you notice on the following picture... the inverter positive cable goes to the fuse box and then to the main battery fuse.

In pretty much all of Will's designs, he uses a dedicated fuse... My question is, have I wired it correctly?... Is this setup sufficient?

Maast said:

Nice! Very tidy install. I think our host Will has a few videos about the Epever charge controllers and he goes into setting them up.

Click to expand...

Thanks.... yes, i saw those and I have put some values in but I am unsure of them since my battery bank has weird voltage ranges.

Here are the specs
Battery type : Lithium-Ion
Nominal voltage: 3.7 V
Operating voltage range:
Minimum : 3.0V
Maximum : 4.2V
Length: 5.875" (148 mm)
Width: 1" (26 mm)
Height: 4,5"(over terminals) (113 mm)
Mass: 1.65 pounds (0,72 kg)

If I fully charge the batteries I get 16.8 volts which is too high to run 12 volt appliances. My inverter craps out at that voltage.

I think the max I can go is 15 volts to run 12 volt appliances.... right?

Also ... each cel cannot go under 3 volts... so my range of voltage for my bank needs to stay between 12 and 15 volts.

1) What does this mean for the capacity of my battery (my AMP hours)? each cel if rated for 25 AMP hours.
2) What are the input values you recommend on the MP50? (They would be different than the Battle Born for sure)

Any recommendations are welcome... thanks

JeepHammer said:

Nothing looks over fused or under wired,
Good, clean wire lines, easy to trace, good indoor connections.
Looks like top left battery terminal has a loose connection...

Those heat shrink over insulation ring terminals look good, but they are a pain to crimp correctly.
I'm a big fan of bare terminals, crimp/solder then heat shrink.
It's a pain to do, but you get 100% connection every time.

Just a tip,
That automotive style fuse block, you can use automotive style breakers in it.
Several styles including visible trip, self resetting, and disconnect to reset.

Type I, automatic reset, cycles until the breaker is removed or the circuit is opened.
Type II, modified reset, disconnect circuit (pull breaker/cycle switch) or toggle/push button to reset breaker.
Breakers keep hunting down fuses to a minimum...

I do a lot of business with these guys, they have all the odd ball stuff and won't rob you blind,
https://www.delcity.net/store/ATO:ATC-Circuit-Breakers/p_823683

Click to expand...

Wow ... thanks for the recommendation... interesting... The top left terminal is tight enough The negative connection for the battery monitor however is just sitting on the terminal temporarily

What Jeep said!

Paul.Barrette said:

Hi everyone... I built this small system for a mobile barn ...

This is the mobile barn I have...
View attachment 2520

Click to expand...

LOL you got me with "mobile barn". Then, I scrolled down to see a pict of exactly what I imagined!

You totally reminded me of an Easy Rider biker event in southern Ohio, where a lot of people from West Virginia brought trailers of really cool stuff. I learned WV people love motors and building things. Although, many just mounted stripper poles on the trailer, often through the center hole of a picnic table, many built things like 8 cylinder gas powered bar stools they could burn figure eights into the pavement with.

I'm curious, where do you expect your barn to have its happiest days? Have you given it a nick name?

erik.calco said:

LOL you got me with "mobile barn". Then, I scrolled down to see a pict of exactly what I imagined!

You totally reminded me of an Easy Rider biker event in southern Ohio, where a lot of people from West Virginia brought trailers of really cool stuff. I learned WV people love motors and building things. Although, many just mounted stripper poles on the trailer, often through the center hole of a picnic table, many built things like 8 cylinder gas powered bar stools they could burn figure eights into the pavement with.

I'm curious, where do you expect your barn to have its happiest days? Have you given it a nick name?

Click to expand...

The barn right now resides on a two acre parcel of land I have... I did not have a name for it yet... suggestions? What instinctively come to mind?

Here is the door side of the barn...


I raise pastured poultry... the barn is used to store all the food and water. Additionally, inside, I have the above solar system that powers the electric fence.

Here are the little chickens...


They are all in these chicken coops that each have their individual electric fences...


I also power a small 12 volt pump to transfer water from the mobile barn to each waterer