New Supplier for 280Ah cells: Shenzen Basen

[DerpsyDoodler]

mine arrived with U shaped foam pads above and below the battery. it was very secure. foam seemed to be expanding type with plastic skin. both batteries came this way and without damage. purchased from battleborn via amazon

Did they have hazardous material marks or anything like that on the boxes?

 

[curiouscarbon]

Did they have hazardous material marks or anything like that on the boxes?

both boxes bore un3480 warning markings

 

[CoachLife]

He was testing the cells for capacity. It's not going to be a permanent installation. However I don't like that BMS. As far as his videos he could relax on the editing and use a teleprompter ...lol. But I am nit picking.

If only that were true, he installed it exactly as it was

earth wires, no fuses etc etc.

 

[Luthj]

VanLifers who are also dirt bagging it (not being condescending, lots of folks are on very tight budgets) are notorious for very sketchy DIY stuff, sometimes done in the Home Depot parking lot. Often called the "Home Depot Special" conversions. This is not a big deal with cabinetry or water systems. But with electrics... I have seen some that were truly terrifying. I guess making a youtube video isn't all the difficult.

 

[Gazoo]

If only that were true, he installed it exactly as it was

earth wires, no fuses etc etc.

You have posted two videos from two separate youtubers. I thought you were referring to Lithium Solar.

I watched the build of the second video posted by Freely Roaming and from reading the comments he is aware about cell compression and made a video about it and when asked about a fuse he said he was going to use a breaker and to watch part 4 of his series which I have not watched.

From reading the replies to the comments made on his YouTube channel it seems to me he is knowledgeable and has done his research. Maybe he had a bunch of extra earth wire laying around and that's why he used it.

 

[Bud Martin]

@3:54 Batteries kill switch and 200A circuit breaker.
He also explained in other video about how hard it is to get all the parts he needs due to where he is at, he is in EU some where.

 

[Gone]

Nothing of real interest here.

 

[Gazoo]

I didn't know the back story. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

@Gazoo, his research was done after the fact. Someone tried to help him by sharing that the manufacturer suggests compressing the cells, and he became belligerent, saying everyone has their opinion, and "talk is cheap", etc. I supported the assertion which the other had made about compression, explained that it was the manufacturers recommendation, not ours, and provided links to information on the subject (this site), then complimented him on the video and wished him the best of luck. His wife then called us out as trolls, and he finally ended by deleting all comments. It's sad that the sharing of information seems to be considered insulting to some people. I learned a lesson, and no longer volunteer information to YouTubers.

Don’t let that deter you. Offer up. “You tubers” are no different than anyone else. What I mean by that is there are misunderstanding and/or ungreatful and/or trolls and/or just plain mislead/mistreated people everywhere. It’s just part of life in a severely broken society (yes, we have a broken society). It is what it is. Try to spread some goodness.

 

[CoachLife]

his research was done after the fact. Someone tried to help him by sharing that the manufacturer suggests compressing the cells, and he became belligerent, saying everyone has their opinion, and "talk is cheap", etc. I supported the assertion which the other had made about compression, explained that it was the manufacturers recommendation, not ours, and provided links to information on the subject (this site), then complimented him on the video and wished him the best of luck. His wife then called us out as trolls, and he finally ended by deleting all comments. It's sad that the sharing of information seems to be considered insulting to some people. I learned a lesson, and no longer volunteer information to YouTubers.

I offered him some advice and he basically started calling me names... Deleted the comment myself. Apparently because I make youtube videos on video games I can't have a brain, never mind I have a 155 measured IQ LOL. Anyway, It won't stop me commenting and if they "know better" I will just subscribe and wait for the disaster video

 

[Honuz]

I offered him some advice and he basically started calling me names... Deleted the comment myself. Apparently because I make youtube videos on video games I can't have a brain, never mind I have a 155 measured IQ LOL. Anyway, It won't stop me commenting and if they "know better" I will just subscribe and wait for the disaster video

Woooow it's a YouTuber war then...... should I get some popcorn....?

 

[Gone]

Nah, just forget them, like Merlin and Queen Mab; I guess 'canceled' is the modern term.
Dust off your sandals, if you want to get ancient.

 

[Luthj]

Something you might discover with nomads, solo sailors, hermits, and some #vanlifers. I am not sure if they live isolated cause they are weird, or if they are weird cause they are isolated, but many are hypersensitive to criticism. A small number are truly odd people.

 

[Shellring]

good catch!

 

[Honuz]

It's now 3 weeks and Base as still not refunded me...adding more "we will check asap"..."I will check with the company" kind of stuff...still nothing.

After this experience, I will not buy from BASEN again, I still wait for the last word of this dispute..but...they are not serious business to me.

Édit : Sheila from BASEN act fast on my last message and she refunded me the promised 100$. In the end , BASEN is a trustworthy seller that fulfills is promises.

 

[CoachLife]

It's now 3 weeks and Base as still not refunded me...adding more "we will check asap"..."I will check with the company" kind of stuff...still nothing.

View attachment 38537View attachment 38538View attachment 38539View attachment 38540

After this experience, I will not buy from BASEN again, I still wait for the last word of this dispute..but...they are not serious business to me.

All money is handled by Alibaba not the supplier. I have had to wait up to 6 weeks for refunds via PayPal at times.

 

[CoachLife]

You have posted two videos from two separate youtubers. I thought you were referring to Lithium Solar.

I watched the build of the second video posted by Freely Roaming and from reading the comments he is aware about cell compression and made a video about it and when asked about a fuse he said he was going to use a breaker and to watch part 4 of his series which I have not watched.

From reading the replies to the comments made on his YouTube channel it seems to me he is knowledgeable and has done his research. Maybe he had a bunch of extra earth wire laying around and that's why he used it.

No I was only discussing freely roaming.

1. A breaker is not a replacement for a Fuse, a breaker can fail, especially those cheap Chinese ones, his breaker is installed outside the pack which leaves a huge amount of "earth cable" that could short and cause a serious problem.

2. He is in Croatia, it is not stone age there, he just has issues ordering from Amazon, I guess he wanted to use Amazon because that way he could include all his affiliate links....

3. He was working on fully charged packs with uninsulated tools

4. He believes a fuse is unnecessary because his BMS will only "allow" 120amps (reply to me)

5. The graphs in his video showed slightly faster initial cell degradation with compression but over 2000 cycles more before they hit 80% of capacity. If that small initial increase is justification for not using cell compression then it doesn't seem like a knowledgeable decision to me, more like "a small amount of knowledge is dangerous" (along with some of his other decisions). In his latest video he takes the pack apart and adds compression.

6. His attitude to constructive feedback was arrogant and dismissive.

 

[CoachLife]

@3:54 Batteries kill switch and 200A circuit breaker.
He also explained in other video about how hard it is to get all the parts he needs due to where he is at, he is in EU some where.

There really isn't any issue getting parts in Croatia other than from Amazon.... So if he has a short and that cheap 200A breaker fails, or the short is closer to the battery..... A breaker is NOT a replacement for a mechanical Fuse, continually resetting a breaker can result in a breaker becoming welded closed and then ineffective, ALWAYS use a Fuse as well! Can also see he has used that earth wire for his previous battery wiring. Anyway, I am done discussing this guy now, there are plenty of more knowledgeable Youtubers out there.

 

[Honuz]

All money is handled by Alibaba not the supplier. I have had to wait up to 6 weeks for refunds via PayPal at times.

Not in my case, we agreed to refund through PayPal, through alibaba and a TT it was 40$ fee vs 5$ through PayPal.

Good news, I've been a pain in the ass but it payed, Sheila refunded me and I got my 100$ on my PayPal account...!
My faith in Basen is full again...

So, finally I can recommend Basen as being a trustworthy seller...!

 

[Landon Ashby]

There really isn't any issue getting parts in Croatia other than from Amazon.... So if he has a short and that cheap 200A breaker fails, or the short is closer to the battery..... A breaker is NOT a replacement for a mechanical Fuse, continually resetting a breaker can result in a breaker becoming welded closed and then ineffective, ALWAYS use a Fuse as well! Can also see he has used that earth wire for his previous battery wiring. Anyway, I am done discussing this guy now, there are plenty of more knowledgeable Youtubers out there.

For a Noob person looking to DIY one of these battery systems. What you say makes a lot of sense. From my perspective I honestly did not know. I come here to learn and today I have learned something. My impression had been that one used a breaker because you could reset it and fuses were a one and done thing. Not to avoid investigating what an issue was if you tripped or blew one. Just that it was like paying up front instead of being SOL if you didn't have a replacement fuse.

So for Noobs like myself, could you be so kind to point out where one should use a fuse and where it would be ok to use a breaker.

For reference my particular plans are for a one battery 12v 280ah system starting with DC to DC charging and a 12v fuse block to run a DC Fridge/Freezer. Possibly adding a 1200 watt inverter and 4 100 watt solar panels down the road. My intentions are to use Victron components and all of this installed in the rear of a Toyota Sienna.