Lithium Power Box / Solar Generator 

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you like it! Now, if I could just get the dang power to go out.....

Glad you enjoyed the build!

You're welcome. Yes, the Powerpoles are addicting. I have kind of standardized on those for most of my solar, battery chargers, and disconnects.

Yeah, same I’m in the process of making one like this for Ham / cell charging and another box on wheels with more capacity for bugging out.

True. You run into space constraints trying to include a solar charger, inverter, batteries, outlets, etc. I have a design for an expansion box that only has batteries (6x 18ah batteries for 108 ah total capacity), a breaker, and a high-current SB50 connector. I could connect the expansion box to this box charge both boxes with the solar charger. I could also use the expansion box as a stand alone power supply for the external / high current inverter.

That's my only wish ....Step-by-Step Video Still we must say great video

Good Questions. 1. The inverter and the solar charger both generate some heat. If I'm using the inverter, the lid is open (since there is no AC outlet on the outside of the box) so the heat does not build up. I do leave the lid closed when using the solar charger and it gets a little warm inside but not hot. I'm only using 200W of solar so your results might be different if you are connecting a huge solar array. 2. You are correct about it being poor practice (in general) to connect lithium batteries directly to your alternator as they can draw excessive amperage and cause the alternator to overheat. However, I don't think it's an issue with only a small 50ah battery bank like this. This is not a huge battery bank and will fully charge before the alternator gets a chance to seriously overheat in my opinion. On the other hand, I converted my Airstream trailer to lithium batteries (525ah capacity) and I wouldn't want that directly connected to the alternator. I installed a DC to DC charger in the trailer that takes power (at a controlled rate) from the alternator and charges the trailer batteries as we travel. Hope that helps.

Just answered my question. Beautiful build. Excellent.

There are five 10ah lithium batteries for a total capacity of 50ah. There is a link in the description for the actual batteries used (along with most of the other components).

@@brianevans1777 thank you. I discovered the parts build list after I sent the question. Thanks for the prompt response.

It was somewhere right around $1,000 in parts. Lithium batteries aren't cheap unfortunately. Batteries $450 Box $45 Inverter $45 Charger $80 Misc $400 est The Misc is breakers, bus bars, outlets, wire, connectors, etc. You could save a bit here if you didn't go marine grade on everything. There is a LOT of time involved with assembling one of these and I don't think I'd be able to charge enough labor to make it worth my time. So, no, I don't think I'd be interested in making another one to sell. I hope the video helps you if you decide to make one yourself. Glad you enjoyed the video and take care.

It's 1/4" ABS. I got it at TAP Plastics locally but you can probably find it online as well.

I'm using an old abs cutting board that I purchased at Sams

Thanks for the comment. I agree that a DC to DC charger is always better for the batteries (giving them the exact voltage / amperage profile that they want). However, for this box, there would not likely be any issue with damaging either the vehicle alternator or the batteries for the following reasons: 1. BMS Charging Limits. The battery BMS's will limit charging to 10 amps each. There are 5 batteries so that's 50 amps max charge total for the box. A 50 amp draw s not going to damage your alternator. The batteries would fully charge in 1 hour. 2. The relatively small capacity of the box / battery bank. There are 5 of the 10 ah batteries in the box. That's 50 amp hours total. Even if the BMS's would allow an unlimited charge rate (they wont, see #1 above) and could charge at the full alternator capacity of say 150 amps, the box would be fully charged in only 20 minutes and quit charging. That's not enough time to heat up your alternator enough to cause damage. All that said, If you are running a large capacity battery bank (anything over, say 100 ah) in your van / motorhome / trailer you should definately use a DC /DC charger to protect your alternator. The 2 limits above would not apply and your alternator could definately be damaged due to over-work. I have DC /DC chargers in both my RV trailers for this exact reason.

I've used it a few times and everything is still working great. The only downside to it is size / weight. It's portable but not exactly "handy". I built a smaller version with only 20Ah capacity, no internal inverter, and less outlets. It's just a solar charger, a couple of batteries, and a couple of outlets. I intended the smaller one for camping (using my CPAP and charging electronics). I'll post a video of that soon when I get some time. Glad you enjoyed the build.

There are five 10ah LiFePO4 batteries from Dakota Lithium. There is link in the description for the batteries and all the other components. Amped outdoors is another good source. They have a 12ah version of these lithium batteries (same size case) for approximately the same price. Must be higher capacity cells inside. If I were building this again, I would consider those. The box would then have 60ah capacity instead of 50ah. I have used Amped for other builds and they are very high quality. Hope that helps.

I got the 1/4" ABS at Tap Plastics and cut to size.

They have both which is the beauty of the cigarette lighter plugs. I usually buy the Anker brand on amazon (search for "Anker Car Charger") and you can see all the different versions and pick the ones that will work best for your devices. They have ones with high-power USB-C Power Delivery ports for charging Macbooks and other tablets / laptops. Other ones have normal USB Quick-Charge outlets. There are others that have Qualcom Quick Charge capability but I've never used those. The Anker ones are very good quality and I've never had any issue with any of them. Hope that helps!

I used 1/4" thick ABS sheet. You can find it at Tap Plastics (or other plastic suppliers in your area). I buy full sheets (4x8) because I use it for lots of things but you could buy any size you need. I used the foam interior piece that came with the box as a template. I traced around it with a sharpie and cut out the piece with a bandsaw, and rounded the corners on the sander. Depending upon what tools you own, you could cut with a jigsaw and round the corners with a dremel or something like that.

@@brianevans1777 Thank you for the reply. I am looking into designs at this time. Robert

10ah each, there are 5 in parallel for a total of 50ah

It depends entirely on what components you use but a good range would probably be $700-1100. Lithium batteries are about $100 each (for 10ah size) so there is $500 worth of batteries plus probably another $500-600 worth of other components / wiring in the box as shown. The wiring and breakers adds up fast. I just helped a friend build himself a similar box based on this design. He used 3 lithium batteries, the same inverter, a small solar charger, and a few less breakers / outlets. His came to around $800-900 I think. Not cheap. Hope that helps.