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Purchasing from Australia for first battery build?

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nicoloks

New Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2022
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Hi All,

Have watched a load of DIY battery build videos. I think I'll mostly be ok with that, what I find a bit daunting is finding a reputable place to purchase the goods. Being in Australia I've not been able to find any local suppliers without massive mark up prices. We call it the Australia tax.

Anyway, I have 3 x 12v 280Ah (or higher potentially) builds in mind. 2 will be going into my Caravan, so need to be of good quality. The other will be built into a portable battery box and will never have loads greater than 80A. For this I guess I'm not as fused about using quality cells. My thoughts/questions;

1. For quality cells, purchase via Alibaba via EVE or Shenzhen Basen Tech. Does this sound reasonable?

2. For the portable battery, take a punt on the AliExpress crap shoot? Are there any known AliExpress stores that are better than others? Trying to browse AliExpress to find a reputable shop seems to be needle in the haystack material.

3. Any recommendations for a circa 150A BMS (preferably Bluetooth)?

4. Are there any issues with connecting DIY batteries in parallel? This is what I plan to do for inside my van. That way if one battery fails I can disconnect it and still continue on while I get the broken one fixed.
 
nicoloks said:
Hi All,

Have watched a load of DIY battery build videos. I think I'll mostly be ok with that, what I find a bit daunting is finding a reputable place to purchase the goods. Being in Australia I've not been able to find any local suppliers without massive mark up prices. We call it the Australia tax.

Anyway, I have 3 x 12v 280Ah (or higher potentially) builds in mind. 2 will be going into my Caravan, so need to be of good quality. The other will be built into a portable battery box and will never have loads greater than 80A. For this I guess I'm not as fused about using quality cells. My thoughts/questions;

1. For quality cells, purchase via Alibaba via EVE or Shenzhen Basen Tech. Does this sound reasonable?

2. For the portable battery, take a punt on the AliExpress crap shoot? Are there any known AliExpress stores that are better than others? Trying to browse AliExpress to find a reputable shop seems to be needle in the haystack material.

3. Any recommendations for a circa 150A BMS (preferably Bluetooth)?

4. Are there any issues with connecting DIY batteries in parallel? This is what I plan to do for inside my van. That way if one battery fails I can disconnect it and still continue on while I get the broken one fixed.
Click to expand...
I live in Aus and purchased direct from EVE. I sent many emails and called prior to depositing the $$$ - everything sounded legitimate but it was still a leap of faith. The 280Ah cells turned up approximately 3 months later, slow boat from China delayed by 2 typhoons!
The cells were A grade and beautifully packaged, highly recommended.
 
if that sparks your interest :
Jakiper has a local distri in Australia for their server rack batteries
 
Isabella Blue said:
I live in Aus and purchased direct from EVE. I sent many emails and called prior to depositing the $$$ - everything sounded legitimate but it was still a leap of faith. The 280Ah cells turned up approximately 3 months later, slow boat from China delayed by 2 typhoons!
The cells were A grade and beautifully packaged, highly recommended.
Click to expand...
Hi Isabella Blue,
I'd be really keen on a chat with you about your experience with EVE as I'm looking at going down this route myself... hopefully without the typhoons.... ? just via PM even would be great.
 
There is a Mueller BMS that is made in Australia for a 4s 12V system which is supposed to be quite good. If you upgrade to 8 cells you could do 12V at 560AH.
 
Hi. Did you get welded on terminals with those Eve supplied cells?

I have the Muller Energy BMS and got some dodgy cells off ebay - supposedly '304 Grade-A', but actually 280K Grade-B with forged QR codes. They're going back.
 
nicoloks said:
1. For quality cells, purchase via Alibaba via EVE or Shenzhen Basen Tech. Does this sound reasonable?

2. For the portable battery, take a punt on the AliExpress crap shoot? Are there any known AliExpress stores that are better than others? Trying to browse AliExpress to find a reputable shop seems to be needle in the haystack material.
Click to expand...
That sums it up pretty well.

Alibaba protect BOTH the buyer and the seller by withholding payment from the seller until the goods are finally delivered, and investigating any problems, and possibly black listing anyone that tries to do any scamming.
After the whole transaction is completed, you will be asked to make comment on the seller, it helps them to filter out, or at least keep an eye on any undesirables.
The seller no doubt also fills out a questionnaire on the buyer. That protects other sellers.

You will very likely pay slightly more going through Alibaba, but you can be pretty certain of getting what you pay for.

Ali Express is a jungle where you can buy really cheap stuff.
Buyer beware !
Are you feeling lucky ???
 

Luyuan Diy Battery Box/case Set/kit For 8s 4s2p 24v 280ah 304ah 320ah Battery Pack With With Compression Battery/cell Device - Buy Larger Box For Men,Seed Storage Metal Box,Car Waterproof 12v Battery Box Product on Alibaba.com

Luyuan Diy Battery Box/case Set/kit For 8s 4s2p 24v 280ah 304ah 320ah Battery Pack With With Compression Battery/cell Device - Buy Larger Box For Men,Seed Storage Metal Box,Car Waterproof 12v Battery Box Product on Alibaba.com
www.alibaba.com

This company has a good reputation. Feel free to browse from this page
 
Warpspeed said:
Ali Express is a jungle where you can buy really cheap stuff.
Buyer beware !
Click to expand...
if you need some common item, like a fuse and holder, some wire, simple stuff, Aliexpress can be okay for supply.
NEVER use Aliexpress for cells, use Alibaba and (as many others already said), Amy is a good choice in my experience.
 
OffGridForGood said:
if you need some common item, like a fuse and holder, some wire, simple stuff, Aliexpress can be okay for supply.
NEVER use Aliexpress for cells, use Alibaba and (as many others already said), Amy is a good choice in my experience.
Click to expand...
Definitely agree.
For low dollar simple stuff, its well worth the risk.
At least nine times out of ten what you receive is reasonable quality and cheap.
It may still be fake, but still works fine for what you want it to do.
I have also bought things like semiconductors and integrated circuits where ALL of the parts sent were total duds and completely unusable.
Over the years I still think I am in front in total savings.
Just be prepared for disappointment sometimes. For expensive items, its not worth the risk.
 
I’ve only just got them and noticed this while top balancing. I didn’t do it as I was careful and only did the bolts up to 4nm. Hopefully the seller (EEL Battery) will replace it (and with fast shipping).
 
wfdTamar said:
I’ve only just got them and noticed this while top balancing. I didn’t do it as I was careful and only did the bolts up to 4nm. Hopefully the seller (EEL Battery) will replace it (and with fast shipping).
Click to expand...
I would expect that to be grounds for free replacement.
Hope you report back so we see if they honour the claim.
IIRC this forum is near 100,000 members and guests typically outnumber the members by x5 or so!
 
I'm not sure I'll get a replacement, or they may require I send the damaged cell back to China (possibly cost more than the cell is worth). Next option is finding someone to weld it here, but I don't like my chances (maybe interstate).

So I was wondering about putting a 6mm helicoil in it and bolt it down? With a big washer. Just not sure how deep you can tap into the terminal. I've seen mention of 6mm, but I'm not sure if that was on cells that have built up terminals.
 
wfdTamar said:
I'm not sure I'll get a replacement, or they may require I send the damaged cell back to China (possibly cost more than the cell is worth).
Click to expand...
Doesn't cost anything to open a claim and ask for the replacement, see what they say?
If they say they want the existing cell back, and that will cost more than the cell is worth, tell them 'no problem, I will send it back AND post on the Solar Forum my experience with your company for 500,000 solar enthusists to see.
wfdTamar said:
Next option is finding someone to weld it here, but I don't like my chances (maybe interstate).
Click to expand...
You may be surprised to find shops these days have laser welding equipment.
Expect them to tell you "no guarantee" before they try it.
Again, costs nearly zero to ask.

wfdTamar said:
So I was wondering about putting a 6mm helicoil in it and bolt it down? With a big washer. Just not sure how deep you can tap into the terminal. I've seen mention of 6mm, but I'm not sure if that was on cells that have built up terminals.
Click to expand...
Likely a 'last resort' option, you would want to be sure of the depth you can go, and set up tooling to limit the drilling to this depth.
If the weld is cracked all the way around, how is the helicoil going to solve the broken weld issue?
 
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