DIY 12v 280AH Lithium Battery Pack for RV

[moonlitsouls]

Hope all is well everyone, this is my first post. I am in the process of moving into my RV full time and i want to upgrade my Solar Setup. I am very new to all of this so please bear with me as i try to explain this.

After researching quite a bit online, it was clear it was smart to upgrade to Lithium. Everyone was recommending Battle Born but they're too expensive for me. I came across a youtube video of someone making a DIY lithium kit for their van and thats what brought me here.

I have my heart set on building the perfect battery bank for my RV, so i hope you can help me to dial in these details.
im honestly at a loss in terms of which stuff to buy , BUT , i did already purchase this pack of 4 3.2V 280ah battery packs Here from (what appears to be) a very reputable seller on alibaba


i also found this website here that provided me a link to many of the materials and tools i need. This website gave me a detailed list of parts and tools i need to assemble, all to alibaba or alibaba express

but in this youtube video here: here , i see this guy using victron parts that seem to be higher quality and i like the bluetooth functionality and the ability to track everything in one app. I will be using a victron charge controller for the solar panels and probably a victron battery monitor as well.

Hopefully someone can help me to get a clear parts list together and maybe help me to dial some of this stuff in

 

[MisterSandals]

Have you looked here? Lots of blueprints and bits and pieces.
Its the sister-site to this one. See the DIY Solar Blueprints menu item above...

Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power!

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

Also check out the videos in the "more..." menu.

 

[moonlitsouls]

I checked out some of the links to some of the better products I can buy but still a little confused

 

[snoobler]

Welcome to the forum.

That list is fine as far as a checklist of items goes, but you'll need a few more things.

Forget the BMS. Go with Overkillsolar listed on Will's site:

BMS

If you want to know how to build your own battery, check out this page: Click Here If you need raw LiFePO4 Cells: Click Here

www.mobile-solarpower.com

You said you wanted perfect, so it's going to take a little more scratch. You'll also need to buy a power supply. Your site mentions it, but they don't factor it in the cost. Will has links for the 30V/10A power supply and the tools listed.

Browse the beginner's section in Resources for anything that looks interesting:

Beginners' Resources

New to the forum and building a solar power system? Start here

diysolarforum.com

Top balancing guide (click the orange download to get the PDF - read it slowly and carefully):

Top Balancing LiFePo4 Cells using a low cost benchtop power supply.

To get the paper, click on the orange at the top of this page. This is a tutorial with detailed steps on how I top-balance my LiFePO4 Cells using a low-cost benchtop power supply. To get the tutorial, click on the orange "Download" button...

diysolarforum.com

There are also lots of DIY builds documented on this site.

 

[moonlitsouls]

Welcome to the forum.

That list is fine as far as a checklist of items goes, but you'll need a few more things.

Forget the BMS. Go with Overkillsolar listed on Will's site:

BMS

If you want to know how to build your own battery, check out this page: Click Here If you need raw LiFePO4 Cells: Click Here

www.mobile-solarpower.com

You said you wanted perfect, so it's going to take a little more scratch. You'll also need to buy a power supply. Your site mentions it, but they don't factor it in the cost. Will has links for the 30V/10A power supply and the tools listed.

Browse the beginner's section in Resources for anything that looks interesting:

Beginners' Resources

New to the forum and building a solar power system? Start here

diysolarforum.com

Top balancing guide (click the orange download to get the PDF - read it slowly and carefully):

Top Balancing LiFePo4 Cells using a low cost benchtop power supply.

To get the paper, click on the orange at the top of this page. This is a tutorial with detailed steps on how I top-balance my LiFePO4 Cells using a low-cost benchtop power supply. To get the tutorial, click on the orange "Download" button...

diysolarforum.com

There are also lots of DIY builds documented on this site.

Hi thanks a lot. I will definitely be going with overkill solar. I did some more reading and yes I see that if I want to correctly top balance I need a power supply. The list recommends 6awg wiring and provides links to Ali express but I’m not sure I trust that Ali express wiring so I’m going to look for some higher quality.

It’s getting a little more clear, little by little.

 

[HRTKD]

I bought all my cable, lugs, heat shrink and heavy duty crimper from TEMCo Industrial. I'm satisfied with the quality of the products and their customer service was very good. Always buy more wire than you think you need. Mistakes happen, measurements are off, etc.

 

[snoobler]

Hi thanks a lot. I will definitely be going with overkill solar. I did some more reading and yes I see that if I want to correctly top balance I need a power supply. The list recommends 6awg wiring and provides links to Ali express but I’m not sure I trust that Ali express wiring so I’m going to look for some higher quality.

It’s getting a little more clear, little by little.

Absolutely nothing wrong with getting supplies from "local" (not alibaba) sources.

 

[Batvette]

Absolutely nothing wrong with getting supplies from "local" (not alibaba) sources.

For wire I go to a local welding supply store, have been since I was doing car audio competition almost 25 years ago.
Welding cable is far superior to anything offered by automotive or audio industries, its got the proper strand count, and the insulation is oil and flame resistant. And usually cheaper.

 

[HRTKD]

I'll have to look at the cost of welding cable the next time at my local welding store. I figured they would be more expensive.