building a solar charger / powerstation for Ryobi One+ 18V batteries

[Chris Nafis]

I think Ryobi and other power tool companies are missing a huge market opportunity. I have a ton of Ryobi Tools and Batteries (1000+ Wh worth!). I've made several prototypes that use Ryobi 18V batteries to charge USB ports or run a 13.8V regulated cigarette socket. I'd really like a product that can charge my Ryobi batteries with Solar and be able to run other devices like a refrigerator or freezer at the same time. I'm throwing out the gauntlet and prototyped a solar charger and powerstation for the Ryobi One+ 18V batteries. Hoping we can get Ryobi to make a real product ;-)

 

[nosys70]

a simple DC/DC converter able to deliver 21V should fit the need.
it cost about 5$ on ebay.

running other devices like a refrigerator or freezer at the same time, that is another story,, you would need a lot of panels or batteries since these devices are asking for a lot of power on a long run.
most wireless tool makers are selling "power station" that can take several batttery packs either to power a tool and/or to act as charger.

First Look at the New Ryobi Battery-Powered Inverter Generator (1500W)

Ryobi has a new battery-powered inverter generator coming out.

toolguyd.com

Ryobi P135 18V One+ 6 Port Lithium Ion Battery Supercharger (18V Batteries Not Included/Charger Only) - - Amazon.com

Ryobi P135 18V One+ 6 Port Lithium Ion Battery Supercharger (18V Batteries Not Included/Charger Only) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

ryobi is already selling several inverters o rchargers, could be a good start to add the missing features you are looking for.


Personallly i don't like batteries that have the protruding part with contact.
the flat compact ones are a lot easier to store.

most of these battery packs differentiate only by a small variation in the connector, many brands sharing the same connector.
you can 3D print adapter or even purchase some, so you can mix batteries and tools.

 

[Chris Nafis]

a simple DC/DC converter able to deliver 21V should fit the need.
it cost about 5$ on ebay.

running other devices like a refrigerator or freezer at the same time, that is another story,, you would need a lot of panels or batteries since these devices are asking for a lot of power on a long run.
most wireless tool makers are selling "power station" that can take several batttery packs either to power a tool and/or to act as charger.

First Look at the New Ryobi Battery-Powered Inverter Generator (1500W)

Ryobi has a new battery-powered inverter generator coming out.

toolguyd.com

Ryobi P135 18V One+ 6 Port Lithium Ion Battery Supercharger (18V Batteries Not Included/Charger Only) - - Amazon.com

Ryobi P135 18V One+ 6 Port Lithium Ion Battery Supercharger (18V Batteries Not Included/Charger Only) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

ryobi is already selling several inverters o rchargers, could be a good start to add the missing features you are looking for.
View attachment 21243View attachment 21244

Personallly i don't like batteries that have the protruding part with contact.
the flat compact ones are a lot easier to store.

most of these battery packs differentiate only by a small variation in the connector, many brands sharing the same connector.
you can 3D print adapter or even purchase some, so you can mix batteries and tools.

Ryobi's small inverters are lacking. They only have 2.1/2.4A USB support. The main thing my project added was Solar charging / Solar passthru. So I am able to run my freezer off the two 100w panels during the daylight. I'm looking for a product like a Bluetti, but uses your spare battery packs. Thanks for the link on the larger 40V battery packs.

 

[nosys70]

you can hack your 20V battery pack, by opening them and replacing the cell (usually 2000MAh cells) by LG 3500mAH cells.
or you can 3d print and extension wall (between top and bottom of case) to add a 2nd pack of cell, doubling capacity.
20/40V pack are usually super expensive and if they are not , probably this is a scam claiming capacity that is not delivered.
I use the one from FERREX that are pretty cheap (while capacity is average)
the 20V 2A is only 20$ and the 20/40V 5Ah is 40$.
The 20/40 has misleading sticker since it is only a two packs 20V 2.5Ah (and even the 20V is misleading since it is really 18.5V)
so you do not get 40V at 5Ah, you get 40V at 2.5Ah or 20V at 5Ah (100W for the big pack).
if you want to power an inverter, 100W per pack is obvioulsy not a lot, and you would need a lot of battery
to get a reasonable amount of power for a reasonable duration.
So unless you get dozen of the big pack, i am not sure it worth the effort.

I will probably try to upgrade one of my 20V 2Ah pack with LG MJ1 3500MAh cell.
the cell is about 5$ each, so for the price of the original pack you got almost twice the power (3.5 instead 2)

I found a german guy who is selling 3D printed adapters (a bit expensive but really well done).

Adapter for Aldi Ferrex Battery 20V and 40V Charging Cradle Battery Holder AEB 20 40 Gray

Adapter for Aldi Ferrex battery to use the battery voltage on other devices. Ideal for camping or lighting with LED technology

www.akkuhalter.de

I mainly use these pack with the ferrex lamp, a small pack easily gives 2 hours of a nice light
If you plan to get a handuful set of tools in case of emergency, the lamp, the grinder (to cut metal) and the tiger saw (to cut wood)
looks to me the best ones to purchase plus A 5V converter to eventually power a tablet or smartphone (while you usually find 5V battery pack with very high capacity for a lot cheaper).
I am not sure it would help to power a fridge for one hour more in case of a very long grid cut.

 

[Chris Nafis]

I designed/3D printed a small powerstation

DIY Ryobi 18V One+ Powerstation by nafis

I have a bunch of different Ryobi 18V Power tools and an assortment of One+ Lithium batteries. I thought it would be great to make use of these batteries for other things. I decided to make a Power station that could charge USB devices and run 12V cigarette lighter socket devices. I also added...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[Chris Nafis]

I tested my array of Ryobi batteries with a load tester ( https://amzn.to/2G0YuMQ ). The Ryobi batteries are close to their specs after use. The Vanon knock-off is no where near the spec. So if you by one, compare price to Ryobi 4Ah battery
Battery Ah Wh Run-time at 5A draw
Ryobi P194 9/8.64 162/154.88 1:44:23
Ryobi P193 6/5.58 108/98.54 1:06:55
Vanon 6Ah 6/4.19 108/73.53 49:42
Ryobi P197 4/3.87 72/69.39 46:48
Ryobi P191 3/2.97 54/53.75 35:59
Ryobi P102 ?/0.89 24/15 10:41

 

[Chris Nafis]

you can hack your 20V battery pack, by opening them and replacing the cell (usually 2000MAh cells) by LG 3500mAH cells.
or you can 3d print and extension wall (between top and bottom of case) to add a 2nd pack of cell, doubling capacity.
20/40V pack are usually super expensive and if they are not , probably this is a scam claiming capacity that is not delivered.
I use the one from FERREX that are pretty cheap (while capacity is average)
the 20V 2A is only 20$ and the 20/40V 5Ah is 40$.
The 20/40 has misleading sticker since it is only a two packs 20V 2.5Ah (and even the 20V is misleading since it is really 18.5V)
so you do not get 40V at 5Ah, you get 40V at 2.5Ah or 20V at 5Ah (100W for the big pack).
if you want to power an inverter, 100W per pack is obvioulsy not a lot, and you would need a lot of battery
to get a reasonable amount of power for a reasonable duration.
So unless you get dozen of the big pack, i am not sure it worth the effort.

I will probably try to upgrade one of my 20V 2Ah pack with LG MJ1 3500MAh cell.
the cell is about 5$ each, so for the price of the original pack you got almost twice the power (3.5 instead 2)
View attachment 21287
I found a german guy who is selling 3D printed adapters (a bit expensive but really well done).

Adapter for Aldi Ferrex Battery 20V and 40V Charging Cradle Battery Holder AEB 20 40 Gray

Adapter for Aldi Ferrex battery to use the battery voltage on other devices. Ideal for camping or lighting with LED technology

www.akkuhalter.de

View attachment 21288

you should check out the VRUZEND battery kits. I've made several:

 

[Mike Jordan]

@Chris Nafis I found your Ryobi powered solar gen vid on YT (the one linked above) I thought it was genius. I've been contemplating building one of these for a while.

Then I came over here to look to see if anyone else was doing it. And I found you again. A couple of questions for you.

I don't have a 3D printer. I saw one of your other vids where you made the adapter to connect to the Ryobi batt from a PVC pipe. Any reason why that wouldn't work for a solar gen?

Could I use a cheaper mppt charge controller to get the output for the Ryobi batts?

 

[GeorgiaOnSitePower]

I kind of went a different route a few years back, but the end result is about the same. I just use the chargers that come with the batteries and hook them to the inverter. One of my thoughts with Ryobi and what they should come out with, would be a system where you could parallel multiple Ryobi batteries. I can take a 9AH / 162 watt battery and run our TV upstairs for about 1.5 Hours through their 150 watt inverter. If they would make a cradle to hold multiple batteries through a larger inverter, then you could extend the run time.

However, and getting back to your project, what would happen if you just ran the solar panel wires straight to the battery using your manufactured clips and a fuse. If the panel puts out 21V max, would this damage the 18V battery? Not sure if you tried that, but I would be curious if that would work?

This is my small Ryobi charging set-up through the solar system and the batteries are regularly used for fans, lights TV etc.

 

[Mike Jordan]

I kind of went a different route a few years back, but the end result is about the same. I just use the chargers that come with the batteries and hook them to the inverter. One of my thoughts with Ryobi and what they should come out with, would be a system where you could parallel multiple Ryobi batteries. I can take a 9AH / 162 watt battery and run our TV upstairs for about 1.5 Hours through their 150 watt inverter. If they would make a cradle to hold multiple batteries through a larger inverter, then you could extend the run time.

However, and getting back to your project, what would happen if you just ran the solar panel wires straight to the battery using your manufactured clips and a fuse. If the panel puts out 21V max, would this damage the 18V battery? Not sure if you tried that, but I would be curious if that would work?

This is my small Ryobi charging set-up through the solar system and the batteries are regularly used for fans, lights TV etc.

I wish I knew the answer to that solar charging question. I am going to come close to copying the Op's Ryobi box with several tweaks to make it my own. I do not want to spend the $$$ on a Victron controller dedicated to this box, if i can figure a way around that. I probably understand solar less than most anyone here. But I "think" direct connecting a solar panel would cause it to output the full short circuit current. I do not think that would be good

 

[hodgo1981]

Great little project Chris. Do you think your system could be wired to simultaneously charge 2 ryobi batteries in parralllel? what extra safety controls would you consider to do this? maybe a 2s BMS treating each battery as a cell?

Also another slightly tangental comment, I have been looking into multi battery management for Ryobi 18v System. because i recently found the Makita PDC01 power backpack, and thought that would be amazing for yard work! it almost has me considering switching over to makita for all my tools.

 

[Chris Nafis]

Great little project Chris. Do you think your system could be wired to simultaneously charge 2 ryobi batteries in parralllel? what extra safety controls would you consider to do this? maybe a 2s BMS treating each battery as a cell?

Also another slightly tangental comment, I have been looking into multi battery management for Ryobi 18v System. because i recently found the Makita PDC01 power backpack, and thought that would be amazing for yard work! it almost has me considering switching over to makita for all my tools.

I built a bigger system with eight ryobi batteries (

). I've been playing around charging them with the Genasun Solar charger ( https://amzn.to/2OjCoct ) and the Grin Satiator ( https://ebikes.ca/product-info/grin-products/cycle-satiator.html ). I'm collecting test data. I'm concerned about a lack of temperature sensor and balancing between Ryobi 18V batteries. I'll put out a video when I have results.

 

[hodgo1981]

I have been looking through your youtube channel and was halfway through commenting on that video. so I'll stick it here instead.

I see there is considerable interest in a 12v setup by commentors. One option that springs to mind is RV style 12 or 24V DC to DC chargers. With the advent of more battery chemistries in the RV world such as LIFEPO4 there are a few manufacturers that have customisable charge profiles, there may be a product that lets you set 21V max. Also often these DC-DC chargers have a "load terminal" which could go straight to an inverter at either 12V or 24v, depending on the product.

Its a great area to explore, and the dewalt system someone shared is fantastic... its can basically be run as a UPS, using dewalt batteries, and i believe its hot-swappable.... dream system!