Who is still building DIY batteries

[Zwy]

I am getting my gear wholesale now from manufacturers. Partly because Maggie & I decided to go ahead with the Battery Company here in Ontario. I'm now hunting commercial space and more... I can aim you at a Vendor who sells complete kits with all wires etc, choose & add your own BMS & Cells as you wish. Much cheaper than some others out there too. Do NOT be put off by shipping costs etc, a proper quote is required for "real" numbers. https://szluyuan.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-916886693/Battery_box_case.html

Sorry, I am NOT using a Retail Vendor for my stuff anymore. My unit cost & S&H is different.
I don't use Seplos BMS etc... So I cannot speak to that.
I will be using the newest versions of JKBMS (I am the JK guy right) so.

I posted Luyuan's offerings and they are quite good & complete with very respectable retail price.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just order one of these?https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...4.html?spm=a2700.wholesale.0.0.68da185fzvPflU

 

[Danke]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just order one of these?https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...4.html?spm=a2700.wholesale.0.0.68da185fzvPflU

~$2,500 before shipping?

 

[Steve_S]

Yes they sell complete packs and have volume discounts available as well. They are a pretty darn good deal too BUT there is a gotcha, the assembled 48V/280AF packs is 135Kg / 297 Lbs. Shipping those require a plywood box, extra freight handling due to weight _&_ local delivery companies usually add a surcharge to handle them...

For $2000 USD + S&H they are a pretty good deal. S&H of course will vary with your location. I believe that shipping these to EU are cheaper than to North America but not certain.

 

[Fellixz]

Ok. There are plenty of discussions on UL ratings and cost comparisons of DIY vs prebuilt batteries.

What I want to know is who is still doing DIY and the reasons you chose this approach.

I will go first. At first it was the only thing going. Later it was for the challenge and satisfaction of building something from scratch.

The prebuilt versions are nice and my mouse has wandered towards the purchase button more than once. However for me there is just something about the creative process which has me strongly considering DIY for the next battery. An added advantage is that I can jump from 24 to 48v with a simple reconfiguration and BMS if I want.

When I have some battery experience, I always want to realize my own ideas through DIY, which is a kind of satisfaction.

 

[Johneb]

<<< Grins >>>
Some of us built our own Battery Cases/Boxes, some just have the cells bound together & sitting on "shelves", others use manufactured metal cases like "Seplos" offers or any number of others. The First TWO Options can really toss people for a loop, just the visual makes'em cringe, but for some, they think it's "cool".

Many now do offer assorted manufactured cases. Rack Mountables to Stackables to Roller Cabinet style. Some vendors are simply put, Ludicrous for their case kits, while others are not.

I built Plywood Boxes with Perspex clear tops, they look cool and are very neat BUT offputting to some (electrical inspector) who accepted it grudgingly... But thinking forward, I am redoing them all & adding another pack into my Bank and using these cases. (with a slight customization for my specs), shown below is similar to what I am bringing in.
View attachment 175060These are nowhere near the cost of "seplos" retail cost. Sorry, I am getting these from the Manufacturer, not an open vendor. BUT with careful searching they can be found.

Any inspector, prospective buyer, or interested visitor/guest will see the stack of these and not think overly much about issues, complications etc.

Are those receptacles able to handle 48v 200 amp draw?

 

[Boron]

DIY is all but necessary for our setup.
Our 4 cell Sinopoly 300Ah battery has survived 9 years of full-time travel both powering the motorhome and starting the Canter 3.9l TD truck engine often multiple times a day.
I recently paralled a 4 cell EVE 280Ah battery.
This is why I would never trust an affordable commercial BMS. Fail open or shorted could be catastrophic for the direct connected alternator 80A charging. No smoke yet.

View attachment 166685
A poor 3 year old photo of the peak currents involved.

Great stuff, so what do you use for protection and balancing? No BMS, over current breaker, main fuse?

 

[Zwy]

~$2,500 before shipping?

$2328 before shipping with EVE Grade A 280Ah cells, JK 200A BMS, case and completely assembled. She would take $60 off as I've bought from her before.

Buying cells at $130/each x 16= $2080 plus shipping
BMS $125 to $175 plus shipping
Case $235 plus shipping

Cheaper to buy assembled by about $100 plus it is all put together.

I'm checking to see if I buy 4 or 5 or 6 what the freight will be.

Edit: She will give a better price with multiples.

 

[Surferdudemi]

Of course only the diy kit, cell need to be bought seperate, does inc the 200a bms

Right, but I have not found a good (empty) battery box with 150-200A BMS w/ display for 16x 280-304AH batteries for less than about $600. Something less than $450 is a huge price drop from there. You can get a bare box with no BMS for that price for sure. Where are you getting them?

 

[Zwy]

Yes they sell complete packs and have volume discounts available as well. They are a pretty darn good deal too BUT there is a gotcha, the assembled 48V/280AF packs is 135Kg / 297 Lbs. Shipping those require a plywood box, extra freight handling due to weight _&_ local delivery companies usually add a surcharge to handle them...

For $2000 USD + S&H they are a pretty good deal. S&H of course will vary with your location. I believe that shipping these to EU are cheaper than to North America but not certain.

I'd like to add another battery to house system and I have the shop to switch to solar so it might be a good deal for me to have pallets delivered. Amy is working on a quote for shipping, it will be interesting to see what she comes up with.

 

[Steve_S]

Are those receptacles able to handle 48v 200 amp draw?

Yes they handle 200A. You can also choose the Amperage of the breaker, which should match the BMS you choose. Some options also exist to use either "2 post" lugs for dual cables or 1 larger post for larger AWG wires. T

Right, but I have not found a good (empty) battery box with 150-200A BMS w/ display for 16x 280-304AH batteries for less than about $600. Something less than $450 is a huge price drop from there. You can get a bare box with no BMS for that price for sure. Where are you getting them?

When you look at the Box Kits as sold, some vendors are listing without a BMS and some with and the seriously affects the pricing. The kits generally include Breaker BMS wires, FR4 sheets as well as other bits. Those that offer choices for BMS have different front faces to accommodate the different screens & plugs. NOTE that more & more companies are now starting to use identical plug boards (RS232/485 with dip switches etc) the one outstanding non-standardised thing is still with the display types, touch vs button and sizing. NOW there usually is no cost difference with the front panel choices, and of course the BMS you choose is variable depending on which you select.

 

[Steve_S]

I'd like to add another battery to house system and I have the shop to switch to solar so it might be a good deal for me to have pallets delivered. Amy is working on a quote for shipping, it will be interesting to see what she comes up with.

I know there are different things with regards to shipping to USA vs Canada vs EU as everyone has their own "special touch" (ruckus stuckus frickus fruckus) but it is what it is. Things delivered to me always get a remote fee added and heavy bulk always gets a loader fee but now the Couriers are more familiar with me and that helps.

 

[Boron]

I have been following along that thread for over a year now, ordered some parts for the comms for the JK.
{+1 for the JK BMS = it just works!}

Serious approach , thats the way. I havent yet seen anyone comment on data logging systems from monitoring battery banks typically say 1hour samples over a year. That .csv data storage is trivial btw ca 3k records easy fit on a USB. I have been trialing systems and have a jaundiced view so far cos they have been unreliable via a conventional Window PC method - eg stop recording, spoil data records etc. I would prefer a standalone system. Anyone tried Picolog? https://www.picotech.com/data-logger/picolog-1000-series/multi-channel-daq

 

[Danke]

$2328 before shipping with EVE Grade A 280Ah cells, JK 200A BMS, case and completely assembled. She would take $60 off as I've bought from her before.

Buying cells at $130/each x 16= $2080 plus shipping
BMS $125 to $175 plus shipping
Case $235 plus shipping

Cheaper to buy assembled by about $100 plus it is all put together.

I'm checking to see if I buy 4 or 5 or 6 what the freight will be.

Edit: She will give a better price with multiples.

Check out these, about $1000 cheaper.

51.2v 280ah $1160 + ~$350 DDP shipping.

Hithium Cells used in Server Rack Battery

I read other threads that say Hithium is rather scammy. But the company looks legit in building large power systems. This battery brand was previously one of the factories that produced batteries for CATL. https://hithium.com/en/product/cells-modules Anyhoo, I have not bought these, but got...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Zwy]

Check out these, about $1000 cheaper.

51.2v 280ah $1296 + ~$350 DDP shipping.

Hithium Cells used in Server Rack Battery

I read other threads that say Hithium is rather scammy. But the company looks legit in building large power systems. This battery brand was previously one of the factories that produced batteries for CATL. https://hithium.com/en/product/cells-modules Anyhoo, I have not bought these, but got...

diysolarforum.com

You can certainly try them and report back.

Usually when things are too good to be true, I find it isn't what I thought it would be.

 

[Danke]

You can certainly try them and report back.

Usually when things are too good to be true, I find it isn't what I thought it would be.

Don’t have a forklift. Getting ones with wheels.

 

[Zwy]

Amy finally received the freight quote for the fully assembled batteries.

The freight to your door:

1 pack--$466

4 packs--$1426

5 packs--$1748

6 packs--$2070

For 1 battery with just a small discount, it is $2794
For 4 batteries it comes to $2683 each, same discount for me as the battery without freight.
For 5 it is $2627 each, she is willing to discount another $50 for 5 or more.
For 6 $2623 with the extra discount.

 

[a619]

Amy finally received the freight quote for the fully assembled batteries.

The freight to your door:

1 pack--$466

4 packs--$1426

5 packs--$1748

6 packs--$2070

For 1 battery with just a small discount, it is $2794
For 4 batteries it comes to $2683 each, same discount for me as the battery without freight.
For 5 it is $2627 each, she is willing to discount another $50 for 5 or more.
For 6 $2623 with the extra discount.

This is very much in-line with what I got from Seplos. A fully assembled vertical case with V3 BMS and grade A EVE 304 cells with reports for ~$2750 delivered.

 

[JJJJ]

Hoping tracking is correct. If so should see my Eve 304 8s cells, Bms and battery pack within the week. Anticipation…

 

[JJJJ]

Just received my battery cells, BMS and battery case from Amy Wan.

Portable Power Station WIP

I wanted to share my journey to build a portable power station. The overall specs will be a DIY 8s 24 volt battery with the JK active balancer. The current plan is to mount this on a portable dolly and have it tie into a Victron Multiplus II inverter charger. In its current design it will be...

diysolarforum.com

 

[DIYsolarKY]

Just starting out.

Lots to learn on here.

I have my solar panels and inverters on the way for my hybrid grid tied solark inverters. Planning 72- 390 watt panels on my roof. Massive energy needs in my house of 5 girls plus wife.

I have batteries on the way later this month from 18650- 304ah 3.2V eve

Planning to build 8 - 48v batteries.

I have 8- 100a overkill bms that have arrived.

I was planning on just a big heavy duty storage rack for all the batteries.

I need advice on all other odds and ends.

I have two solark 15ks. Looks like they need two battery inputs each for pos and neg leads.

What is the best way to connect these. Midnite solar battery combiner box?

I have been trying to find everything else I need based on carefully reading on this forum, watching Ray on YT, lots of Will's stuff too.

I may need to be talked to very simply here, dumb it down by all means.

Dumb questions I need help with:

1. I assume everyone here would agree that I need to test capacity, then top balance for all of these cells? I assume with the 10a power supplies this will take me weeks. I also am guessing that I need to get a ebc a40l tester that will allow me to know if I have what I was sold

2. Do I need 100a breakers on the positive leads for each battery before they get to the big bus bars that will combine all of my batteries together? If so, what is the best dc breaker to buy?

3. Where do T class fuses go?

4. What is a shunt and do I need one? Suggestions?

What else am I missing here as far as major supplies or