Advice regarding DIY Solar Generator components. (Naked AC LiFePO4 charger)

[iClick]

G'day gang,

1st post on the forums. Looking forward to taking part and hopefully contributing to the solar community I'm based in Melbourne Australia and despite it being known as the sunny country, here on the Eastern Coast it's been more rain and floods this summer which debatably beats the country being on fire!

I'm collecting all the parts to build a DIY solar generator in a toolbox. Because portability between vehicles is important, I'm attempting to have the battery, inverter, DC-DC and AC charger all contained in the one unit.

The main components that I have collected so far are:

DC Mont 135 Amp lithium battery (100 Amp BMS) (I bought this on special before I did much research, it's smaller capacity than I'd like but I may add a 2nd)
MWXNE 1200W Inverter (perhaps a little big for this battery, I'll be careful with the loads)
Renogy DC-DC 50 Amp Battery Charger with Bluetooth
350A TR16 Battery Capacity Tester
300A Battery Power Switch
150 Amp MRBF Fuse Block (is this suitable when paired with 4 B&S cable?)
ToolPro Toolbox
Two 50mm x 10mm 12v cooling fans paired with W3230 Temperature Controller (Hopefully this will be enough to keep things cool)
Extras: 4 and 6 B&S cables, 175 & 50 Amp Anderson Plugs, 12V USB PD outlets etc

Solar:
200w folding panel
130W Fixed solar
120W solar panel (Old)

Question
So when the sun isn't charging my batteries, I gotta look to top them up and so the last main component to purchase is the AC lithium charger. As space is at a premium, I'm looking at this Naked AC fixed voltage 50A lithium charger. What concerns me is how the output cables are connected. I can't see in this link, but looking at others, it appears that that are fixed onto the PCB like in this photo. Would it be difficult to change the cables in necessary? (based on that photo) Any reason not to buy this? (aside from the cable concerns)

Specs for the charger:
Voltage is fixed at 14.6V. Non adjustable, current 50A is not adjustable.
Input voltage: 100-240V
Output voltage: 14.6V
Output current: 50A
Charging method: CC-CV
External dimensions: 230 * 86 * 38 (mm)
Cooling method: air cooling

Thanks in advance for any suggestions to this build

 

[chrisski]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bT8AAOSwMVdYEUZH/s-l1600.jpg

DC Mont 135 Amp lithium battery (100 Amp BMS) (I bought this on special before I did much research, it's smaller capacity than I'd like but I may add a 2nd)
MWXNE 1200W Inverter (perhaps a little big for this battery, I'll be careful with the loads)

I recommend getting an inverter the battery would handle. Perhaps 800 or 1000 watts. This may save space.

With conversion loss, the 1200 watt inverter could trip the battery.

Renogy DC-DC 50 Amp Battery Charger with Bluetooth

IMO, if you have this, the AC to DC converter is not necessary Justvone or the other should be fine.

Question
So when the sun isn't charging my batteries, I gotta look to top them up and so the last main component to purchase is the AC lithium charger. As space is at a premium, I'm looking at this Naked AC fixed voltage 50A lithium charger.

that’s a lot of charging. I’d be happy with a 10-20 amp charger and plug it in overnight to be ready.

 

[iClick]

With conversion loss, the 1200 watt inverter could trip the battery.

Thanks for your comments. That's a good point about the possibility of tripping the battery and something that I'll need to be watchful of however I'm future proofing the system as I'll likely swap out the battery within 6 mths for a 200a/h or greater unit. Plus the price, features and size of this inverter was too good to pass on. I paid just $118 AUD ($88 USD) which is surprisingly half what Amazon US charge. Go figure.. (thats one of the only times tech has been cheaper in Oz)

IMO, if you have this, the AC to DC converter is not necessary Justvone or the other should be fine.

The battery bank will be used for both camping trips where solar and alternator should keep things charged nicely however I will also use it as a on location unit to run my video lights and other AC equipment (under 1000W) when I am away from the power source. In this case I will need a way to quickly recharge the battery with as little downtime as possible. I ended up with a variable voltage/amperage 60amp charger with the aim to set a lower current most of the time to not stress the battery or the charger.

 

[chrisski]

Your build will work fine as you had it in the original post.

Solar:
200w folding panel
130W Fixed solar
120W solar panel (Old)

Is this three panels you’re hooking in?

If so recommend doing some calculations as in my signature block for mismatched panels. May need 3 MPPTs based off the rating of the panels.

ToolPro Toolbox

Will this fit everything?

I did a milk crate build but the available milk crates were pretty shabby and fell apart, so I ended up building a crate.

I’ve got a 1200 wh battery, smaller than your 135 ah battery, and I like to move the build with a hand dolly.

Crate Build: 1200 wh, 24 Volt, 300 Watt Inverter.

I have finished my crate build: Originally a Crate Build: 600 wh, 24 Volt, 300 Watt Inverter, and put a second battery pack to make 1200 wh Goal was to continuously supply 250 watts of power which could get recharged simultaneously by 600 watts of panels. I will call that a success with a test...

diysolarforum.com

I use at least 300 watts of panels to keep up with a 230 watt load.

 

[iClick]

Is this three panels you’re hooking in? If so recommend doing some calculations as in my signature block for mismatched panels. May need 3 MPPTs based off the rating of the panels.

Correct, however checking with my eBay purchases the fixed solar is actually 300W (has claimed however I suspect that to be highly optimistic)
I haven't actually purchased the 200W folding panel yet however I have a credit with the supplier which I was going to use on this. I have been reading however that these portable panels have a much shorter lifespan which I will take into account.

Thanks for the tip about using mismatched panels. I watched a good tutorial regarding that yesterday and I will go through your link as well. My priority presently is to get this battery box built and then I will work out the Faena details regarding solar but I suspect if I am to use the panels I have now that I may need more MPPTs or reconfigure the solar altogether. I will do some further testing with the panels that I have.

Will this fit everything?

Still waiting for couple of items to be delivered but according to my measurements it should be fine. Time will tell if the two fans that I am installing will be enough to keep it cool however I can always upgrade those if necessary.