I don't know if it's just my brain works the same way as yours but those drawings where you draw in the wires make it so much more clear and understandable than I've seen anywhere else! I understand things much better when they're shown vs. explained and I have to try to "draw the picture" myself in my head. Well done!!
Totally agree, I'm a maths and electronics dyslexic, so having those diagrams with the explanation is hands down the best thing I've seen also. Thank you!
As an RV solar installer, I appreciate your transparency; you learned this from others. Too many DIYrs claim to understand what is happening without practical experience. Your system looks fantastic! My only feedback is that 2AWG is limited to, depending on your wire insulation type, is limited between 140-190A based on table 310.17 of NFPA-70. If you run a 3000W inverter, your max current would be about 234A. I design my system by choosing the cable size based on the maximum short circuit available (i.e., the fuse size between the inverter and battery). The 3000W inverter example would be (234A*1.25) or 292A, rounded to 300A fuse. I personally use 4/0 welding cable, and the most restrictive value in the code book, as I cannot find what type of insulation is used and therefore need 4/0. I tend to be conservative, as I do not want overheating and insulation breakdown to be an issue. Awesome video man!
I just sit here in awe of what all you do since I could not even come close to what you do. It is a real treat to visit with you and get to see all your new projects....thanks. Poor Rocky....I think you confused him since he wanted to be with you so badly.
You can use 100% just let the BMS do its job and disconnect you at low voltage. Don't be afraid to charge to 100% either. You are "prolonging" the life, but at what cost? If you need it, use it. Buy new ones later.
Ok I have been following you long time. I am now full time living bbn in van with my 4 dogs. I am 69 and retired So Battery I absolutely love what you did. I went plan B as in BLUETTI I Am alone on the road and although I do have most of my tools taking on that project is too much for me Bluetti is not cheap but they make a quality product with amazing waranty New modular system will be so cool Again you are doing an amazing job. Really!!!!!! EZ
I dunno if it's been mentioned before, but here goes. I use a programmable contact closure on my Midnite Solar charge controller to allow the fans to run when the battery voltage exceeds a value which it only reaches while charging. That way, my power hungry fans only activate when there's excess energy to run them. This will fully automate the high temperature control aspect of the project. Hopefully someone finds this tip useful.
Is there a way to automate heating up the batteries before charging? I would like to make an automated temperature controlled set up for batteries in my van
Damn, I've been following you and Prowse for a while, sick to see some overlap! Nice work on the battery, looks pretty solid. Just keep an eye on those big wires coming out of the holes in the box, the insulation may wear down over time!
I want to leave the comment 'great video' however I am currently channelling the spirit of Beetlejuice a.k.a Lester Green so I shall say 'grape bibbeo' in his honour.
Very nice video, a shunt is simply a piece of copper wire with a very specific detailed ohm resistance, then you simply measure the voltage across it, and using Ohm's law it is possible to measure the amperage flowing through it.
Wayne C- I’m trying to best house my Lithium battery in a van build. I’ve been contemplating what to house it in to reduce fire risk. I’m blank for fire retardant material. Suggestions?
@@nmartin5551 I would use a plastic toolbox large enough to put the battery stack that's bounded or taped together and use the back inside of the lid to mount the BMS! I wouldn't worry about fire retardant material as most batteries built by manufacturers don't! this way you can carry the battery using the toolbox handle.
Nice build! I just finished my LiFePo4 battery build. I used the same sources for information. But went with a few different components. If anyone is looking for a battery box and doesn't want to build one the NOCO group 27 is a snug fit. You wouldn't be able to compress your cells like this though. You'd have to settle for tightly wrapped electrical tape to use it.
I discovered some brutally strong tape called Fiberfix 10X tape. It's so strong that it comes in a roll with a mini knife attached on the inside of the roll to cut it. You absolutely cannot tear it. I wrapped a layer on the top and one on the bottom of 4 of the 280ah cells. There are 2 sets of these in my roll around battery cart for 560Amp Hours, 7200 watt hours.. The tape sells for around $12 a roll but is well worth it. I think it would solve the battery compression problem for the 27 series plastic battery boxes.
Nice job Ben, I had the feeling you were watching Will. He has a lot of good info, I'm hoping one day to build some battery set up, just need funds. LOL Or you and Will should have a business to make these for people! Thanks again for all you do and these awesome videos.
Legit, keep up the great work brotha! You're seriously helping more people than you know. P.S. I bought Wills book, the guy is insanely intelligent, props for throwing his channel out there.
@@dogcatmanvan Ben I went through years of college, at my kitchen table every night trying to study/do homework with 3 cats who insisted on laying on all of my books every night. I couldn’t shut them in another room as they’d go crazy. I was waiting for you to say “Archer knocked this part on the floor and it rolled under a huge freezer/furnace” and had to reorder multiple parts. The struggle is real!
very nice video, we have a 40' 5R and I really hate lead batteries for house. So I built 2- 24v 200ah lithium..bout same way, tho I used the overkill bms and a plastic tote for case, lined our holes in case with rubber grommets. also put a kill switch, so we could work on individual units without shutting off entire setup. We're gonna have 4 of these...we are power nerds. So far investment for equivalent for four 12v 200ah batteries...about $2100..including tools specific to electrical build...not including inverters..of course.
Nice woodworking and overall build. Would be interested to see reviews of the Victron shunt, the Renology MPPT and the AIMS inverter. Here's some concerns I came away with that I think are worth mentioning. Apologies if any come off as critical. On prismatic cells the case is not part of the anode like round cells. The terminals are what's conductive, insulating spacers are unnecessary. Clamping them tight is unnecessary. The pouches inside the cells are already compressed to spec. Only need to worry about compression when stacking raw pouch cells. Kapton tape really is sufficient to prevent banging or rubbing due to bumps and road vibration. Modern copper plumbing pipe has a low percentage of copper and low capacity for heat and current relative to proper bus bars. Consider the amount of copper per inch in your 2 AWG leads versus 1/2” plumbing pipe. If they get too hot they'll melt the plastic around the terminals and destroy your batteries. Buying copper or brass or aluminum bar stock is not that expensive. (3 appropriate buss bars are likely cheaper than the 3 pre-cut sheets of acrylic.) IMHO - top balancing is unnecessary for a 0.04 volt difference on one of four new, identical cells. Especially with a BMS on-board. Better safe than sorry though I guess.
I am shocked Archer didn’t lay right in the centre of everything and bat everything off the table. But seriously, I really admire how much work you put into trying to help other people and don’t just credit people you find help from by name, but show their channels. Btw, I didn’t check but you may find yourself on Wikifeet now. 😬😂 Don’t worry I’m sure you got a great score or whatever they use to rate there.
Good for u that u was able to build it. I'm not sure I can build it. Seeing how all the cost for the build plus all the tools u need, I think the build is not 4 me at this time. p.s. u can take whatever u need to weigh to a vet, pet store or post office that has a scale to weigh ur stuff. 😉
A couple of comments - first most cheap voltmeters do not even claim to be accurate better than 1.5% so if you charge to an indicated 4.2v (max volts for common lithium cells) you could be at 4.265v which is over the absolute max for such cells (typically 4.25v). For a few bucks you can buy an AD584 voltage reference which will help you understand how accurate your voltmeter really is. Secondly, 3x 25 watt heating pads seems way overkill for warming a sealed box. If you connect them in series instead of in parallel they will give about 2.8 watts each, which is far more realistic.
Interesting educational video, thank you! What are your thoughts on active heating/cooling after 1.5 years of using it? How it handled hot/cold weather? Was the cooling of batteries neccessary or not? Have you been in some super hot weather? I am about to built the same thing and weighting between active heating only and doing both like you. Thank you!
don't keep that battery monitor permanently plugged in. it will drain one cell and unbalance your pack and maybe damage it. its low power but over a long time it will suck enough to unbalance all the cells a lot. it will also kill the screen on that battery checker. I have the same one and I'm telling you from experience.
Great job! I know of the other 2 channels you mentioned but this helps for details. Really appreciate it! Q, the DIY solar guy used a tank heating pad as it was 12V, and had a temp regulator built in. Did you consider that? Great job either way and Thank You again!
This is a da* good video for this type of lifepo4 project. My go-to so far for creating my own temperature conditions and box for my (4) 304ah Eve cells. I do have a few questions- 1. What purpose does the shunt serve if the bms really has a whole slew of parameters that can be programmed and a Bluetooth display screen to check what it's reading? That Victron shunt is NOT cheap! - I believe you showed another small screened device (black) which measures voltage? What is the perk of having this AS WELL as the Victron shunt? Thank you⚡💪🥳
The BMS I purchased didn't have a bluetooth display to connect to, but you can definitely get ones that do and save yourself some money. Same goes with the little battery monitor I had stuck to the front of the box. That was just for quick glances if you didn't feel like pulling out your phone. It's redundant.
Full timer in Wisconsin with a 5 yr old F Husky. Can you, our dogs, and myself be friends? Been following the channel for a minute now and don't really know what other way to reach out haha
Don't let that Aims inverter charger ever fall on your head! Its pretty darned heavy. I like mine and it has been reliable for 3 years. It never saw full 4KW load. Is that a Renogy DC to DC charger under your battery box?
After two years, how is it been? Do you ever get the fan work? Im thinking if it ever will heat too much. Maybe I just put bms outside the box. Will use tractor mirrorheater pad, wich is 35W and just correct size.
It could be considered overkill depending on how you plan on using your batteries. If you're going to find yourself using them in freezing temps you'll need a way to keep them above freezing and if you're going to be using them in extremely hot environments, having a way to ventilate them is also important.
@@dogcatmanvan ye I guess for me it would be Overkill. In extreme situations where I have 2°C or 45°C in my car my bms will not charge the battery. Should be not often for me, so I should be fine without a vent I guess. I actually don't know how warm lithium batteries can get compared to roomtemperature. A vent would be usefull if there is a high difference between battery and roomtemperature.
I picked up mine after it had been test running with full amps going through it. I called it a Mudda-fackin cork- sackin two-balled byatch dumb shunt after the heat cooked my thumb. Warning: place the damned thing in a place where the heat it gives off at full load won't matter. It was cool to the touch at low loads, though.
Yeah don’t buy battle born they’re not even the best drop in battery. Not sure how they got the entire youtube van builder market. You can get much better quality for 75 cents/Wh.
Great job explaining the build process. I went with an Overkill Solar BMS and found I did not need the battery monitor as the bluetooth app gives me the same info. Another option for keeping the battery warm is a heating pad like the ones used for RV water tanks.