diy solar

diy solar

Documenting Purchase from Amy Wan of Shenzhen Luyuan Technology Co. LTD. Alibaba

I recommend Amy to anyone who asks for a good supplier from US.
I heard she sends it by train to EU as Dongguan does.
Because I am not sure about that for EU I recommend usually Dongguan (and for the DDP shipping ... that is a big extra)
Thank you ..... I was just trying to correct your first post where you said not to buy with PayPal because it provided no protections.
While there are ways to transfer money to friends, any purchase of goods is protected. The only reason you would get scammed is if both you and the seller agreed to a funds transfer to avoid PayPal fees .... and then you would have to ignore all PayPal warnings that there are no protections when sending money to a friend.
No. But that's kind of not the point lol
The point is the original assertion that PayPal doesn't offer protection ... you have to use a credit card .... is not true. PayPal DOES offer protections when purchasing goods .... and they work pretty darn good.

If we want to have a discussion about PayPal we should start another thread because none of this as applicable to this thread.
 
Thank you all for the responses. Yes I did order 68 cells. Will be doing as Steve has said 16 in seriesto attain 48V. 4 banks of batteries. 4 spare cells.

Looking forward to it!
Hopefully, your ordered your BMS' from her too and saved yourself some shipping cash too. You bought the Matched Batteries, so now you'll get a 12V/280AH with the 4 extra cells too. Hope you got a 4S BMS too. Besides the Chargery BMS' she lists the JBD 4S-100A but can get the others as well, as long as you have the exact model & link to it specifically with any attachments (ie BlueTooth or PC-UART etc).
 
Thank you all for the responses. Yes I did order 68 cells. Will be doing as Steve has said 16 in seriesto attain 48V. 4 banks of batteries. 4 spare cells.

Looking forward to it!

Now you have a lot of time to order all the materials (and equipment) needed to build the battery.
I was thinking cells underway ... I have nothing else to worry. How wrong I was :)
 
I still have lots of time. Only require this solar system to be operable next July. I am going with a local company for the rest to help support my local people. They are super reputable and solar junkies. Solark 12KW inverter. 10KW solar panels worth. I don't need a ton of output in the summer. It's the dreaded winter that I need more panels than necessary to charge the batteries during the day when possible and when not the whole house natural gas generator will charge the rest.
 
I still have lots of time. Only require this solar system to be operable next July. I am going with a local company for the rest to help support my local people. They are super reputable and solar junkies. Solark 12KW inverter. 10KW solar panels worth. I don't need a ton of output in the summer. It's the dreaded winter that I need more panels than necessary to charge the batteries during the day when possible and when not the whole house natural gas generator will charge the rest.

They will build the battery too ? With box/shelve compression/fixture and everything ?
I have found some small companies in my area willing to help build it, but none of them had real experience with this big EVE cells.
They built only UPS systems with Lead-acid batteries before.
 
Certainly not. I have all available compression tools welding tools etc at my disposal and alot of background in fabrication with mechanical electrical IOT and hardware. I will build all battery shelving and securement systems. I want my mechanical room to be like a laboratory environment with a very specific look and also function.
 
Certainly not. I have all available compression tools welding tools etc at my disposal and alot of background in fabrication with mechanical electrical IOT and hardware. I will build all battery shelving and securement systems. I want my mechanical room to be like a laboratory environment with a very specific look and also function.

When you ready show us some pics ;)

I wanted to do a shelf like cabinet, just at least IP44-IP55 ... to put everything inside like this guy did:

I am searching for half a year now for a company to make 1 big cabinet ... without luck :)
 
That looks great! But I don't want to close in the components, they should be shown off, a mechanical room floor should be able to lick it :)

For the battery "Clamping", my preliminary plan is to 3D print a U-Channel tray for each cell that clicks together with each battery with slots for threaded rod, then at the end of each bank Print a holder with slots that the rod goes through then gently torque nut down onto each end, so 3 threaded rods per side to hold the shape. I feel the plastic will have just the right amount of flex for the minimal swell.

This is just a brain though for now. pictures for sure to follow.
 
That looks great! But I don't want to close in the components, they should be shown off, a mechanical room floor should be able to lick it :)
You can make plexy doors too :)


For the battery "Clamping", my preliminary plan is to 3D print a U-Channel tray for each cell that clicks together
Like this?

Wow :)


with each battery with slots for threaded rod, then at the end of each bank Print a holder with slots that the rod goes through then gently torque nut down onto each end, so 3 threaded rods per side to hold the shape. I feel the plastic will have just the right amount of flex for the minimal swell.

This is just a brain though for now. pictures for sure to follow.
Do not forget the isolating plate between the cells. You should not thrust this blue wrapping.
 
Those are some beautiful setups, that gives me some great ideas!!

:):):)

Also YES the isolating plate, i'll definite do some searching to source those materials.
 
“super wool” is one option on my radar.

2100 F rated, no general hazard warning. https://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Manufacturing-Temperature-Superwool-Furnaces/dp/B077VRS14X

another option for inter-cell pad. i’m still learning and contemplating inter-cell material trade offs.

 
@myles I have a Sol-Ark as well and have some general questions, do you plan to connect the DIY LifePO batteries to that in parallel for nominal 48v? Is going to be grid-tied or completely off grid? Are you going to get a permit from your locality? Are you planning all the work yourself?
 
@myles I have a Sol-Ark as well and have some general questions, do you plan to connect the DIY LifePO batteries to that in parallel for nominal 48v? Is going to be grid-tied or completely off grid? Are you going to get a permit from your locality? Are you planning all the work yourself?
Hi Kevin, nice to meet you.

Yes i plan to build 4 banks of 16 batteries for 48v standard.

It will be complete off grid.

I still have to pull an electrical permit, however in our jurisdiction the solar part of the install is not inspected, they just want to make sure the house is up to code etc to the best of my knowledge. I will not be doing the electrical work, however i will be partnering with my solar installation company evolvegreen, to install it. They advise this as well as basically each customer is running their own power plant and should know the ins and outs of the system.

i do have a background in software development, firmware development, machining, IOT development, electrical wiring and all things mechanical, so I think it shouldn't be a problem to manage :)
 
Hopefully, your ordered your BMS' from her too and saved yourself some shipping cash too. You bought the Matched Batteries, so now you'll get a 12V/280AH with the 4 extra cells too. Hope you got a 4S BMS too. Besides the Chargery BMS' she lists the JBD 4S-100A but can get the others as well, as long as you have the exact model & link to it specifically with any attachments (ie BlueTooth or PC-UART etc).

Yes steve i am in talks with Amy about a BMS. honestly the loads on this solar system are minimal, led lighting, the biggest draw on the battery bank will be a 2 ton AC unit in the rare occassion it needs to come on at night, and then the dishwasher the rare time we forget to run it during the day and can't wait till the next day i.e. party or something. all other loads are natural gas powered, and i'll be ding the grundfos well pump that doesn't tax a high amperage start.

what are your thoughts on name brand? I'd like to be able to monitor each cell's statistics if possible to keep an eye on the banks
 
I'm ex-mil and worse... I say build battery packs for Worst Case scenario - decades of lessons learned... Even outgrew my grey hair worth.
I use Chargery BMS, they have new ones soon to be released but who knows, thanks to the chip crisis BS. I also use JBD BMS they have a BlueTooth option as well as UART for PC . My JBD's are Lightweight Utility packs with Heltec Active Balancers while my Production packs are all Chargery BMS8T-300's with QNBBM-8S Active Balancers.

JBD, Heltec make respectable BMS' with options. For High Amp handling through I do NOT trust the FET Based BMS, I prefer Relay or dedicated Contactor control.
 
The whole reason to use PayPal is the protections they provide.

I have ordered from Alibaba and Aliexpress using PayPal .... and have had 2 times I needed to process a refund. In both cases, I started the process with them at the same time as the Ali dispute .... In both cases I got a refund via PayPal before Ali even started processing it.
When I buy from Alibaba or Aliexpress, if I use PayPal, I always use a credit card as a funding source.
Until the end of August, my Discover card gives and extra cashback. This gives an extra option to dispute a charge, not just PayPal, but a credit card that (in the USA) has federal laws regulating how much money you can be out. With only PayPal, you just have their word they will make good, not a law. That's not saying PayPal will renege on it, but with a credit card, you have a law on your side (as well as PayPal). Just a suggestion from someone who has already had a "second" PayPal account opened on Christmas eve by someone in India, using my debit card. The credit union had a new debit card to me by overnight, delivered on Christmas day 2000 miles from home, $3000 in charges credited back, while PayPal was still trying to figure out what was going on. A tiny little town in Ohio I stopped for gas and used my debit card, and had to have the a55hole run my card through one of the old fashioned carbon copy machines is who I'm sure did it.

Anyway, cover your bases dealing with foreign merchants.
 
When I buy from Alibaba or Aliexpress, if I use PayPal, I always use a credit card as a funding source.
Until the end of August, my Discover card gives and extra cashback. This gives an extra option to dispute a charge, not just PayPal, but a credit card that (in the USA) has federal laws regulating how much money you can be out. With only PayPal, you just have their word they will make good, not a law. That's not saying PayPal will renege on it, but with a credit card, you have a law on your side (as well as PayPal). Just a suggestion from someone who has already had a "second" PayPal account opened on Christmas eve by someone in India, using my debit card. The credit union had a new debit card to me by overnight, delivered on Christmas day 2000 miles from home, $3000 in charges credited back, while PayPal was still trying to figure out what was going on. A tiny little town in Ohio I stopped for gas and used my debit card, and had to have the a55hole run my card through one of the old fashioned carbon copy machines is who I'm sure did it.

Anyway, cover your bases dealing with foreign merchants.
I use a rewards credit card for my PayPal purchases also .... kinda offsets the PayPal fees a little.

I think gas stations are one of the most common ways for a card to get ripped off. I the information from 2 different cards stolen within about a month .... the only place I could think I had used them both was at a particular gas station. I quit going there and have had no problems since.

There are just way too many people now days who's whole job is to rip people off ... and some of them are really good at it.

Sounds like you've got a really good bank.
 
Sounds like you've got a really good bank.

My father was in the FBI and OSI before I was born, then computers, and finally a bank vice president. The advice he gave me, "always use a credit union". They really are different.
 
My father was in the FBI and OSI before I was born, then computers, and finally a bank vice president. The advice he gave me, "always use a credit union". They really are different.
Our main bank is a credit union also.
The other bank we use has changed names twice now. They keep buying each other out .... that way, they don't have to abide by the terms of an original agreement.
 
Back
Top