Ripped Off !

[Andy UK]

Yep, kommando seller is now saying that there add states min 50ah to max 100ah this is normal they say, funny that the seller only brings that to the party after over a month of conflict, I retorted and said my order confirmation clearly states 100ah, and the battery has a huge sticker on it stating 100ah and 100 amp discharge, no mention of 50ah at all, apart from the fact that the battery contained a 50ah battery and 50 amp BMS, the fact that they used 10awg wire to the battery post could present a fire risk, as imho the minimum wire used should have been 8 awg, but that is just a side issue, AliExpress are fitting to get there money back from my CC company, but fair do's to Halifax Clarity CC, they have taken more evidence of me today, they don't accept video evidence, but have taken my stills, so the fat lady is not quite ready to sing just yet, I can see some kind of compromise being reached, but in fairness these scammers need to be punished, not defended as that is what AliExpress are doing.

 

[Andy UK]

Just an update, the seller has now changed the brand on there batteries from DGIN with Yellow label, to POWD with Blue label, I still have my full refund and there has been no word from AliExpress or the seller, and my CC company has made no further comment, so I am hoping that is the end of that.
As for the 50ah pack that was inside a 100ah battery case and sold as such, I have now got the pack into a Group 24 battery box with 500w PSW 220v inverter, my version of a poor mans Jackery 500, although my version has more capacity and longer cycle life !.

 

[Steve_S]

Andy you got lucky with the refund and getting to keep "the stuff". I can't speak for express but on baba, the vendor gets nothing till the sale transaction is closed, till then baba holds it in trust. I do believe Xpress is similar but not to what extent. Basically, that vendor is out the cost of product + S&H (and that adds up fast), so it's incentive for them to do better. FYI, I have not had issues with Baba but did with others including on Amazon.

I could aim you at Known Good Reputable vendors on Baba but that likely isn't your bailiwick. You ARE IN LUCK because Frogstar UK has stepped up after a shaky start and doing really well for folks in the UK. Check'em out ! https://www.fogstar.co.uk/ They have complete packs as well as all the required Bits & Bobs you need to build your own.

Grab by Basic Battery Building guide (PDF) and you'll have a good handy resource for your journey. There are Voltage Charts & more in my signature as well.

https://diysolarforum.com/resources/luyuan-tech-basic-lifepo4-guide.151/download

Hope it helps, Good Luck.

 

[Andy UK]

Cool Steve S, my requirements are in little league, just wanted a 100ah battery for camping duties to replace my 120ah SLA battery which weighs 26kg with it's 600w PSW 230v inverter from 2015, having said that I am now looking to get a 200w Solar Panel & MPPT controller.

I have beefed up the wires on the 50 amp BMS, they were 10awg and I was not happy pushing 45 amps through those wires, so simply added another 10awg wire, which I believe takes the wiring to 7awg in effect.

Anyway my 500w 220v Creade kettle runs fine on my new Epever 500w PSW 220V inverter, so I am quite pleased with the end result of my poor mans Jackery 500.

I have looked at Fogstar here in the UK, and there 105ah Drift battery looks great having watched DC Guy do a teardown on one, only downside is the price, not far of $400 (US), also I would not ever need the Heater feature, so maybe Fogstar will offer a cheaper version in the future.

Will check your links out, as I am always interested to learn more, so glad that I bought that Capacity Tester though, which has paid for itself and then some.

 

[Andy UK]

Hopefully this link works, just a video I have done, may be of use to others, go easy on me, it's my first ever video.

 

[Steve_S]

Just watched your video. Next time, forget the background music, hard to hear you with that.
The box is a generic box that anyone can buy... That can accommodate up to 8 cells.
It's not unusual for closed-cell foam packing to be in there BUT that is not a good idea really...
The cells are sadly 50AH BUT there lurks a gotcha... I have seen tall thin (1cm thick) 100AH cells as well as short fat 6cm wide cells.
It appears that the wiring was appropriate for a 50AH battery as the silicone wires do handle a lot more than regular wire - that does throw people off a bit.

At least now you can take photos of those cells with their markings (lucky the fools didn't grind them off as some do) + photos of the BMS with its markings to further support your claim. Hard to argue what the contents were what it was supposed to be.

 

[Andy UK]

Yep Steve S, the 50ah battery was used to build a poor mans Jackery 500, using a group 24 battery box and Epever 500w PSW 220v inverter, so quite a compact portable power pack, thanks for the heads up on the background music sound on the video, I will speak to my producer about that ! thankfully I got a full refund, but will be extra careful when I next buy a battery, in fact I now have the confidence and kit to build my own battery, and will probably buy from Fogstar here in the UK, although there prices are a lot higher than what AliExpress offers, but Fogstar product is pukka EVE Cells, and you can choose either Grade A or B Cells, with quite a saving for Grade B, so my thought are for a 280ah battery with a decent 100 amp BMS.

 

[Andy UK]

 

[Andy UK]

 

[Andy UK]

Well there you go, I put that 50ah battery to good use, and built a poor mans Jackery 500, albeit my version has more capacity and more charge cycles, only caveat is that my version's weight is 9kg whilst the Jackery is just 5kg, but the Jackery is £600 to buy here in the UK, and my little unit in it's Group 24 battery box has cost me less than £150 to build including the Epever PSW 500w 220v inverter, happy days !.

 

[Andy UK]

 

[Andy UK]

Great for powering my 500w kettle, also included a push button non latching pre-charge resistor circuit in the build to help prolong the life of the main battery power switch, probably overkill for a 500w inverter system but cant do any harm, and one day will use all the hardware to build a 280ah version, which is probably the limit for a portable unit as the weight would be 25kg.

 

[Steve_S]

Well done, I really like the completed kit, impressive and well thought out. I bet you did manage to generate a bit of blue air while putting it together but well worth IMO.

280AH cells are about 5.5kg each so that does add up fast. Add a box, BMS and other bits will add 0.5kg at most. (being liberal)
4 cells + the bits would get you to 22-23Kg 48-50 Lbs. which is not unreasonable but I would not want to hike that too far without a dolly/caddy of some sort. Fortunately "tool companies" that make tool boxes with wheels as well as others can fit that bill nicely. A couple of members have built some really creative "dollied" portable power systems including SCC's and more.

An insider tip - shhhhhh -, LMFP cells are now being made available to the public slowly, that will further push standard LFP prices down somewhat. By Q1-2024 these will be available in limited batches as production ramps. LMFP is a Higher Density chemistry and that translates into smaller cells with equal capacity as well as larger capacity cells without some of the quirks. Patience can be your budgetary friend.

Just something else to "Ponder".
You mention FrogStar and other companies throughout Europe, you have to appreciate that their prices reflect a certain amount of duties, levies & taxes as applicable in the price. And of course an apportioned amount for transport (never get away from that beastly expense) LOL. There are tradeoffs but in general, they are not that far off. As for how they deal with cell grades & reports etc, I can't speak to that.

Personally, I have a set of suppliers & vendors I have dealt with for years and a few are well-known here as well now. I will never deal with Brokered materials (BTDT and never again) just like in the old PC Computer days ala 1990... Oi ! I don't have issues with waiting on the slow boat as I am NOT an "Instant Rice Society" person caught in that trap of instant gratification.

I am now watching this thread.
Feel free to Private Message me if you have a need.
Steve

 

[Andy UK]

Thanks' for your comments Steve, this unit was my first LiFeP04 build, and I have kind of got the bug now, next version will be using a 2000w PSW inverter, just need to make my mind up about sticking with 12v or go the whole hog and use 48v, will save me a bit on copper wire if nothing else.

 

[Alkaline]

what did Aliexpress tell you? Let me guess, Work it out with your seller?

 

[Andy UK]

Hi Alkaline, AliExpress said that my capacity tests results were not acceptable as I had not used a industrial/professional tester, so that was case closed, lucky for me my CC card company did accept my findings, and gave me a full refund, to be fair this was the best result ever, as other buyers only got a 25% refund from AliExpress, also what annoyed me was that AliExpress froze my order, so that I could not post my findings on the sellers feedback page, other buyers though had managed to put feedback, probably before they raised a dispute with AliExpress.
To be fair the 50ah pack and 50 amp BMS that was in my 100ah battery, are very good and everything works fine, I have a 220v ac 20 amp LifeP04 charger which gets the pack from zero to 100% in just 2.5 hours.

 

[Andy UK]

 

[Andy UK]

I think though the above photo tells it's own story, even for those with no idea about batteries.

 

[Steve_S]

It is really Ironic that so many use AliExpress and not AliBaba. Everytime I used an Express Vendor something always came up... Baba vendors nope and if there was, resolved quickly. They are different. I generally send people to Baba and not Xpress.

 

[Andy UK]

To be fair Steve, I have never bought from AliBaba and have only used AliExpress over the last few years, and apart from my battery purchase I have never had an issue, but will give AliBaba a view for my next purchase.
Thanks for the heads up on LMFP that does look the way forward, and NMC 532, the way things are going 600 miles range from an EV will be standard with a battery that has a longer life than the car itself, and like you say, should be happening early 2024.