The Craftsman - 60Ah Sinopoly + 1500W Pure Sine Wave

[atatistcheff]

Been working on this for a few weeks and it's finally presentable.

• 60Ah LiFePO4 prismatic cells from RUiXU with BMS
• 1500W pure sine wave inverter
• Victron 75/15 MPPT
• Victron 65A smart battery protect
• QC 3.0 USB
• 12V power outlet
• AiLi power meter with 350A shunt

I was going to try and mount the various power sockets, volt meter, inverter control, etc. to the top of the case but the toolbox I ended up using didn't have much real estate. I also really like keeping the mostly waterproof feature of the box. The AiLi power meter is pretty delicate, even says to avoid direct sunlight so I thought it would be better inside. 120V uses the three outlets directly on the inverter. I may add an XT-90 to send external power to my trailer at some point, right now the 60A 12V output is not really being used anywhere. Took it camping last weekend and it worked great. Ran the hair dryer, hot pot, microwave, toaster and the electric fish knife! (not at the same time of course).

Had planned to use an equipment case like a Pelican but couldn't find one in the right dimensions. The tool box was just right, rugged, waterproof and a lot cheaper. Removed the base plate off the inverter to make it fit in the box and replaced with a piece of scrap wood. I don't expect that this will be used enough to build up much heat. But if so, it can always be run with the top open. If needed I can always add a fan to the case but I don't anticipate ever needing to. The inverter has to work pretty hard to heat up enough to even turn on its own fans.

Still need to add a power switch for the remote on the battery protect as well as a power indicator light. For now I can turn it off via bluetooth if it's not being used for an extended time. Even with the MPPT powered it uses about 22mA or less at rest. That's all I can think of for now - enjoy!

 

[offgriddle]

Wow, nice work great talent thank you for sharing.

 

[offgriddle]

Is the shunt a big load resistor shunt excess power from the panels? I don't understand shunt ...

 

[atatistcheff]

Is the shunt a big load resistor shunt excess power from the panels? I don't understand shunt ...

The shunt is part of the AiLi power meter, that's how it knows how much power is going in/out of the battery.

AiLi Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter Voltmeter Ammeter 100V 350A Caravan RV Motorhome 999 AH - - Amazon.com

AiLi Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter Voltmeter Ammeter 100V 350A Caravan RV Motorhome 999 AH - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[PHoganDive]

Is the shunt a big load resistor shunt excess power from the panels? I don't understand shunt ...

Shunt is a calibrated VERY low value resistor that all current passes through. By measuring the (small) voltage drop across it, you can measure how much current is going through it. Combine that with a voltage measurement and you can calculate power being used or supplied.
Example, a 100mV @ 100 amp shunt will drop 1mV across it for every amp of current going through it. (The shunt's resistance value is 0.001 ohm) If it's dropping 65.3mV, then there is 65.3 amps of current flowing through it.

 

[offgriddle]

Oh ok thank you for the clarification.

The shunt is part of the AiLi power meter, that's how it knows how much power is going in/out of the battery.

AiLi Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter Voltmeter Ammeter 100V 350A Caravan RV Motorhome 999 AH - - Amazon.com

AiLi Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter Voltmeter Ammeter 100V 350A Caravan RV Motorhome 999 AH - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Shunt is a calibrated VERY low value resistor that all current passes through. By measuring the (small) voltage drop across it, you can measure how much current is going through it. Combine that with a voltage measurement and you can calculate power being used or supplied.
Example, a 100mV @ 100 amp shunt will drop 1mV across it for every amp of current going through it. (The shunt's resistance value is 0.001 ohm) If it's dropping 65.3mV, then there is 65.3 amps of current flowing through it.

Excellent explanation thank you.

 

[Supervstech]

I was thinking a tad larger the other day at lowes...

 

[Supervstech]

I am trying to follow what you built.
It looks like the inverter has no fuse, or battery protection.
Can you explain the details on your build?

 

[atatistcheff]

It's true, my inverter has no fuse or battery protection currently. I do have a 150A inline fuse which I plan to add at to the inverter positive at some point. The circuit breaker I bought didn't work out. I've tested the inverter and it disconnects around 10-11V so at this point I probably won't add any other battery protect features. If I do I may run a relay from the Victron battery protect so I can program the cutoff wherever I want. However, my normal use profile doesn't include running the inverter until it cuts off.

Using a toolbox is a great way to enclose these things!

 

[Supervstech]

It's true, my inverter has no fuse or battery protection currently. I do have a 150A inline fuse which I plan to add at to the inverter positive at some point. The circuit breaker I bought didn't work out. I've tested the inverter and it disconnects around 10-11V so at this point I probably won't add any other battery protect features. If I do I may run a relay from the Victron battery protect so I can program the cutoff wherever I want. However, my normal use profile doesn't include running the inverter until it cuts off.

Using a toolbox is a great way to enclose these things!

Yup.
My first attempt is similar to yours, except I used 12 batteries... 180Ah gives a lot more capacity, but REALLY HARD TO CARRY!
I saw the craftsman cart kit, and I think it will be a lot more portable, with a passageway for cables, and room to mount everything nicely.

 

[atatistcheff]

Yes, this one is at the edge of carryability. I need to weigh it but I'll bet it will come in near 40 lbs. LiFePO4 may not be the most energy dense battery there is but it beats the pants off lead acid for portability.

 

[Danny]

Really nice. Thanks

 

[offgriddle]

It's about time that Sears took over the helm of their own sinking ship by diversifying the craftsperson brand of tools and equipment to include PV solar generation. Bravo Sears!

 

[Supervstech]

It's about time that Sears took over the helm of their own sinking ship by diversifying the craftsperson brand of tools and equipment to include PV solar generation. Bravo Sears!

I wish sears was involved... I miss sears.

 

[offgriddle]

Me too, I think maybe they were not in the best of shape heading into the online shopping revolution and that finished them off. Sears was a major mail order powerhouse that started in the 1880's and mail order had a lot to do with what took them out. https://www.history.com/news/sears-catalog-houses-hubcaps

 

[Rider]

I was thinking a tad larger the other day at lowes...View attachment 1070

That's what I did too, but the Stanley tool box I found cost me $20.

For Camping

I wanted a small power system for camping, so I used a lot of information gleaned from Will's YouTube vids to put together a system. My main objective was to provide enough power to run a fridge and keep it compact. The Solar Charger: As I was walking thru BJs, I spotted a tiered toolbox that...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Freddmc]

Just out of curiosity but does the AIli gauge(with shunt) perform the same functions as a Trimetric. Big difference in price.

 

[Supervstech]

Once I build my setup, I will start a thread on it.
right now the batteries are in a box similar to yours, and it is just too heavy to tote around.
I calculated the load demand of my pvc bender, and 60ah wouldn’t power for over 20 minutes... 180 gives me over an hour, and less wear on the batteries.
The bad thing is, 12 60ah cells are hefty... so to make it portable, I need wheels. If I stick with the rigid toolbox I’m using now, everything is stackable... but huge!

 

[atatistcheff]

Just out of curiosity but does the AIli gauge(with shunt) perform the same functions as a Trimetric. Big difference in price.

From what I understand the AiLi is pretty much the same as the Victron battery monitor. I can say that it does perform pretty much just as advertised, you can get a 100A or 350A shunt and program the battery capacity up to 999Ah. It will show the battery percentage, voltage, amps in/out, remaining Ah, etc. I think that's what the Trimetric does as well. These AiLi meters are not the same quality as the Victron and probably the Trimetric. But, yes, they are a heck of a lot cheaper. The buttons on the front are a bit soft and the meter itself is kind of flimsy but so far it has worked well.