That was amazing. Thank you. I have been a survival concept person since the military, I love how you tackle a project. looks like that fit like a glove well done. Beautiful Sir.
thank you so much.. im looking forward to buying or donating for the book.. 1st class presentation... I was just blessed with an apartment...(low income) Formerly homlesas since 2017. When my honey went into eternity . R.I.P (Angelina Dennis. So i'm determined to show the world, especially those down but not out; how to Recycle what post covid throw aways. I've worked very hard on scavenging parts for over 2 years, and hiding them in various places. I just moved in 2 weeks ago, and i just retrieved my bike frame, closed my u-haul space. and evenlost almost everything i stored. But I was blessed to hold on to the bike frame , the motor, and the failed 36V battery with bms. All this is so new and exciting to me. People are laughing when i tell them "I'm building and electric car upstairs" Your video was the first of its kind To address the complexity of E-batteries. I was way off, thank u for real clairity. 10 toes down info... Poetry Seattle
RJB 1 second ago This is one of the best elemental and straight forward DIY battery building tutorials that I have experienced to date. Very professional and considerate.
Excellent Micah. Your method of teaching is precise showing every step of the process for building a custom battery pack. I really enjoyed and much needed this video to help with my project. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!!
if you're building larger odd shaped batteries (like 16s12p) where you need the positive and negative in a specific spot I suggest using a SAT solver or some mapping algorithms to build a graph with minimal nickel strip use. I kept failing to do this on paper efficiently until I just put in the effort to encode it as a SAT problem.
I'm a rank beginner with things like that but I need to build a 20s5p battery in a triangle shape. Could you please add some more info to what you've said here?
If you know what you are doing,not a problem, I can only follow the video, a quarter of it, the rest , I just ease my mind....but truly grateful to you Micah, gonna try out making my own battery pack since my ebike company don't have extra battery for it.
This was fantastic! I build/convert bicycles to electric in Denver, CO and my plan is to also build decent batteries to fit in the frames of client's bikes. You are a huge help in my education! Thank you!
Micah, thanks for making yet another great DIY video for us all to learn from! These are the types of quality videos that we have all been looking for, with the in-depth explanations and quality video for us to follow along with! You are an inspiration to the entire DIY ebike community!
I'm over 60 years old and just found your channel. It was very interesting and I am glad I found it. I will admit that it was not easy to follow but nothing new ever is. nice work
This hobby started out as saving for an already built e bike, after saving up and doing lots of research, I found it easier to build my own, and now, I find myself watching how to make the batteries for the e bikes lol. You can say im addicted, without ever being on an ebike cuz of indecisiveness.
This is really well explained, thank you. I wonder how much heat builds up in these foam and heat shrink wrapped packs during charging and heavy usage especially under high outside temperatures. Can this reduce the life of the packs and what options are there to help keep temperature at optimal levels?
Your videos are simple and direct to the point. So much to learn from it. I have an electric scooter with a brush motor, its rated 24v as it uses two ups lead acid batteries rating 12v 10A each. Can i run the scooter with same battery rating as you have built here?
Hi Micah, by the series bus. Are those fuses because the series connection are alternating but these things goes between those 3 parallel cells. Could you please clear on that. to be more clear I am talking about the 8 figure like connections of the Nickel strips.
Hi you are doing really great job and educating the ones who are curious to know and learn about lithium cells and packs. I would like to ask you the below doubts 1. If we are using protected cells in battery packs still we need bms in pack. 2. Please give more light on cell charging cycle and life. If we are not discharging to minimum voltage and charge before that is it going to increase life cycle.
recently purchased yr book on DIY lithium batts, I'm looking at using an 80v greenworks battery but couldn't find anything in yr book about how to install a low voltage disconnect option. these batteries are 20s so when one cell goes bad it will start to degrade batts on either side before failing altogether. do you know of any low voltage disconnect modules that can disconnect the cells once they degrade to a define voltage (eg 72V). Appreciate yr book, easy to use and understand.
I’m planning on 52v - 17Ah with GAs that will sandwich the down tube because the main triangle is too small to fit them all inside. They be encased in a poplar frame with ply sides.
Hi could you make a video about how many cells and parallel/series connections to make battery's of various common sizes, for example 36v, 48v, 52v and 10ah, 20ah 30ah ? It would be so informative for guys like myself who are new to this and trying to learn the basics of ebike battery building. Great channel by the way I've learned so much already
Very good. I like the small pack. it can be used for short trips. We got a lot of rain in Switzerland. How about the watherproofnes of this pack an the bag? With the shrinked tubing it mind be kind of wather resistent. What do you consider for 30 min trips in rain?
Making something water resistant is pretty tough. By choosing a good bag and putting wax on the zipper, you can get a good start. Then make sure your battery is completely heat shrinked and maybe even put it in a plastic bag inside your bike bag. I've ridden in a max of about 20-25 mins of rain that way with my EM3EV bag and its held up pretty well.
Enjoy your videos and guided on how to build these battery packs. I plan on building me a 18s 6p battery pack to get the maximum power and range. Also will be building me a 4 wheel bike from scratch to put it on.
I like your video! Thanks for helping us layman understand lithium batteries and their construction. Now for my question :-) I have a newer Smart Electrician(Menard's Brand) LED light with a Samsung 3 cell 11.1v 2200mAH 18650 pack that won't take a charge any longer. I couldn't find my charger for several months, and let the batteries probably get too low. I was told that I could possibly bring them back to life by charging them with a older non-lithium Ion charger for a short period of time. Is this possible, and if so what would would recommend for voltage, connecting, etc. Thank you, Al
Great video, pardon my ignorance however i am not understanding why go with the .15mm thick nickel rated for 4.7 amp when these batteries are 10amp continuous? Wouldn't you want to go with the .2 or .3mm thick nickel?
Very Useful to see how you can max out cell count and still be safe on current load. Would love to see you build (2) 6s batteries without BMS; just balance wires so you could use a cheap 6s balance charger. Then show them connected in series to overvolt a 36v battery to to 43.2v
Great video! Just one point: not sure if this was already addressed in the comment (didn't read the whole 231 comments...) but when you add a second nickel strip to "beef up" the connection for a cell that's not directly connected to the next group of cells, you did effectively double one of the parallel connection. But shouldn't you also (or rather) "beef up" one of the series connection ? I mean if cells 1 and 2 have a direct connection to the next group of cells while cell 3 has not, you beefed up the connection between cell 3 and cell 2 but you should also beef up the connection between cell 2 and the next group of cells. If your pack must provide 15A and you only have 2 nickel strips for series connections, each strip will carry 7.5A, which is still acceptable for a 7mm wide and 0.15mm thick nickel strip but at the top of the acceptable range. So basically, rather than doubling a parallel connection, shouldn't you just double one of the series connection instead?
Smart and cute little battery pack, lots of things learn from your video. In India price of 18650 cells are on higher side, so dropped planning of battery pack. Even varzend not provide 18650 lgmj1 cells in india
Hi Micah I have just finished building a 7s x10p battery pack I have chosing the BMS but I am not sure where to start with the balancing wires , to start soldering which side or series do I begin the 1st wire soldering.
i enjoyed this video. I am explloring opening up a 36 volt lithium battery i have that i know has one or more cells that are not charging or are low charge.. I am thinking of getting the DIY lithium kit to put it all back together. I also want to sort out creating a USB out port for the pack to recharge cell phones etc. And I am also xploring builing a 5s or 48v pack for the same ebike to give me more speed. .. perhaps also building 2 packs to i have increased range capacity when i need it.
Nice videos. Is it better for my 52v 17.5ah Sanyo GA battery if I charge it right after I come home when its still warm or can I wait couple hours til 11 p.m as its cheaper to charge at night? Could something bad happened to the battery if I left it for 18 days fully charged? Is it really worth to buy a charger which charges to 80% and expect longer battery life?
Thank you liked and subed how much cheaper is it to build your own batter? Also id like to know about the Nickle connectors why not use steel or copper? I would like to make my own Ebike but the battery's are too expensive how ever i am skilled at engineering. Id like a battery that is powerful so i can have more speed 48v/60v 2000w the motor says. What MAH hour cells should i get as id like the battery life to last? Id like to know how to charge the batteries what kind of charger do i need. I'd like reliable but cheap as possible cells what should i get and what not to get? Again thank you for the video.
Another great video Micah. BTW, I had a copy of your diy battery build book on my laptop that decided to check out on me last week. If I'm lucky enough to win I'd prefer a hard copy so as to not have to risk losing it to electronic failure. Thanks and keep up the good work!!!
Hi Micah, great video series and book - the DIY Li Batt is a treasure trove of battery info. I'm getting ready to construct a pack (my first) and wanted to ask for your opinion on using pure copper strips instead of pure nickel. As I'm sure you know, the current carrying capacity of copper is about 3-4 times better and the resistance about a quarter. Also, the cost (on Amazon*) is similar. Do you have any advise (for or against) with using copper. I will be spot welding onto MJ1s - I've seen others on YT saying that spot welding copper (only) to cells is difficult and might need a 'copper-nickel sandwich' weld arrangement. Any insight into this would be great. Many thanks.
Excellent video, I really appreciate the effort and attention to detail you put into your content. I'm really starting to follow your videos as I'm looking to make a larger 48V battery pack with more max current output for a large PMDC motor scooter project. I'd love to see a video for something with more power than an e-bike! Keep up the great work!
What do you think about using capacity checkers with balance functionality to balance batteries? Just bought one and thinking about use just a charge controller to manage over and under pack voltage and using the capacity checker to balance the series packs.
Thanks for your very informative and very usefull videos. I have just bought my first ebike kit (Sfeomi 36V 500W EBK-0500-RR) and have so many questions. I wonder if it is possible to maximize a HL Li-ion Model S039 Spec:3610, 36V 10Ah to 20Ah (the manual's max. is 26A) and how to do this? Thanks to you, I'm learning how to build my next battery. An other question is how to connect a display and head and rear lights to the Controller CPU card? The ShenZhenShi CiAn Technology Limited Support are impossible to get in contact with on this issues.
I appreciate you and your knowledge sharing! Looking to over charge my 1000w 48v rear hub system--will a 17s battery safely run my motor and controller. From your videos, I could use a 63v battery? My goal is to get more mileage at 28MPH--trying to get 24 miles out of a charge. my current setup lets me achieve 30MPH for 3-5 miles, but then I am dropping power quickly, but still show full bars or down only one bar. Congrats on your success, I appreciate you sharing a considerable wealth of knowledge. Mike
The positive wire from my battery to my fuse disconnected. Should I just reconnect or take this opportunity to change the connector to an xt 60 and bypass the fuse or just reconnect the current set up?
I have a question about how you decided which nickel plate to double up. It made sense in your drawing and initial explanation, but the actual pack you made doesn't match the drawing as far as where the double nickel strips are
i've recenty aquired gallons of high quality 2 part epoxy. the cans are rusty and it should be used soon. i've been wondering why not completely encase a battery pack for heavy duty use, ( say a "jumper" pack that gets thrown around on a farm, etc)?
Hello. I have 3 beautiful questions: 1. Can I use battery holders instead of connecting the terminals of a battery cells, then join the wires + -? 2. Is it necessary to use BMS while the batteries can be pull out and being charged with Li-ion Battery Charger? 3. Can ESC used in RC projects be an alternative to manage the outgoing voltage and current of the battery? Thanks in advance for response!
Great video - you just sold me on both of your books and every tool you used - you make it it look fun and completely no-stress! (is the spot welder 110 or 220)
This is the first time I have Subscribed and commented on a video. I really enjoyed your video (easy to follow) and links. I am confident that I can now take on my battery assembly for my multiple 4H robotics projects. Thanks so much.
I'm in two minds whether to use 18650 or 26650 batteries on my build, the basics for the build will be the same - its mostly a question of cost vs size. At the moment - I can source a 26650 for £5.95 (4500mAh) , whereas the cheapest LG MJ1's are £5.05 (3500mAh ). I'm on a tight budget - I intend to get both the books as I'm sure this will help me build my project cheaper. Great videos Micah keep them coming =)
Great video on a 36v @ 12ah what kind of time limit should I get its a 350w motor ? Ran bike for 40 minutes and the pack was warm to hot is there a bad cell? Thanks for the help.
Interesting - I've long been leery of putting together a pack from cells because soldering would surely damage them. Using the spot welder looks very simple and I wonder how much a spot welder costs.
Thanks Micah. Great easy to follow presentation. There is an agent for those cool click in holders here in New Zealand so I'm going to buy a set and build a booster battery for my e-bike, Thanks again. Now I know how!
Well that made it heaps clearer for me on my road to discovery thanks heaps. I have a question and thats about adding fuses to packs? Is it necessary if using a bms or only if no BMS ? How do you work out what size fuse to add? And what types of fuses are best?
What about individual fusing? Is there any reason behind not using any like some other battery builders are doing? I'm interested in building a pack but more specifically for other applications and i'm currently researching the use of "fuse wire"
Great info. I just started harvesting batteries to make big cells for a laser project. I need to learn more about the way they are joined in series or parallel
Wow bro im so impressed with the way you wrap your batteries effortlessly, and you slide your packs in perfectly! I bet you have no problems strapping rubbers on either... when you want to, errm discharge your own batteries ;p
Can you please give your expert advice as in which battery pack should be used for a solar off grid project, as in a lead acid battery or a lithium ion battery pack and can you tell me is lithium ion battery pack more power full than a lead acid battery (for ex one 12v200ah of lithium ion battery pack will be equivalent to how many of 12v200ah lead acid battery, as the depth of discharge are different for both of them) so kindly help me with this
That was very good and I could follow it. THANKS One question could you give a weight was that battery? I have stairs from my Apt. and its hard for us to carry bikes down and up. We already make trips bake up for our bags and I'd still like to limit that as possible.
You did a great job explaining what you were doing. I like the details. So you are saying these batteries can pull 5amps. Making a 48v and pulling 25 amps for the motor would be 5 in a row. Maybe 6 to make it saver? I will be watching this one again soon. Thanx buddy :-)
Well done video. I am very impressed with the information and delivery. I will be using this to aid me in building of a battery cell pack for my e-bike. Thank you very much for a well delivered tutorial.
So... does this method work when building a bomb? Kidding. Seriously though, would you recommend wiring the 18650’s in parallel or series when making an external, rechargeable battery for iPhones and other gadgets one may need to recharge?
Thank you for another excellent video on battery building, the gaps in my knowledge of E bike battery building are slowly but surely being filled, regards Doc Cox.
Mikey, enjoyed the battery build video. Was wondering if there is a quantity price break on your 18650 batteries? I have about 200 salvage 18650s and I probably don't have 50 out of the 200 that will test 2000 mah capacity. They will all hold a 4.1v charge for an extended period of time but with less than 1500 to 2000 mah capacity, I'm afraid to build a large bike battery out of them. How low of capacity cells do you think would be safe to build a battery from? Thanks Mikey .
+CheapVlog Yea I didn't even even realize it till a year and a half ago or so when I looked closer at the GA cell data sheet's graph. I guess thats why they don't list a cycle life number and just give you the graph. So you have to investigate yourself...
EbikeSchool.com So... does this method work when building a bomb? *Kidding* *Seriously though, would you recommend wiring the 18650’s in parallel or series when making an external, rechargeable battery for iPhones and other gadgets one may need to recharge?*
Ok Mike, that's twice now I've seen you do this flip flop with the numbers. You set out to build a 10s3p battery but when you were planning it's layout, you made a 3s10p battery. The only reason I can figure is that somehow the number can be reversed and still comes to equal the same output at full. Is one way better than the other cuz I was about to put 14 cells in a row in series then a flipped row and so on. I know it's Friday night, but if you see and read this tonight being 10/27/23 @8:56pm ES, please send me this answer as I am prob gonna start welding tomorrow.
Awesome videos Micah, they are a great resource for novice ebike builders. I am currently working on an electric tandem bike and have found your videos more than helpful. Do you have any advice on how to get reliable and value for money batteries when ordering in bulk from Alibaba or Aliexpress?
That was amazing. Thank you. I have been a survival concept person since the military, I love how you tackle a project. looks like that fit like a glove well done. Beautiful Sir.
Huge fan Micah! The ebike world needs more people like you.
thank you so much..
im looking forward to buying or donating for the book..
1st class presentation...
I was just blessed with an apartment...(low income)
Formerly homlesas since 2017. When my honey went into eternity . R.I.P (Angelina Dennis.
So i'm determined to show the world, especially those down but not out;
how to Recycle what post covid throw aways. I've worked very hard on scavenging parts
for over 2 years, and hiding them in various places. I just moved in 2 weeks ago, and i just retrieved
my bike frame, closed my u-haul space. and evenlost almost everything i stored. But I was blessed to hold on to the bike frame , the motor, and the failed 36V battery with bms. All this is so new and exciting to me. People are laughing when i tell them "I'm building and electric car upstairs"
Your video was the first of its kind To address the complexity of E-batteries. I was way off, thank u for real clairity.
10 toes down info...
Poetry Seattle
RJB
1 second ago
This is one of the best elemental and straight forward DIY battery building tutorials that I have experienced to date. Very professional and considerate.
Excellent Micah. Your method of teaching is precise showing every step of the process for building a custom battery pack. I really enjoyed and much needed this video to help with my project. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!!
if you're building larger odd shaped batteries (like 16s12p) where you need the positive and negative in a specific spot I suggest using a SAT solver or some mapping algorithms to build a graph with minimal nickel strip use. I kept failing to do this on paper efficiently until I just put in the effort to encode it as a SAT problem.
I'm a rank beginner with things like that but I need to build a 20s5p battery in a triangle shape. Could you please add some more info to what you've said here?
If you know what you are doing,not a problem, I can only follow the video, a quarter of it, the rest , I just ease my mind....but truly grateful to you Micah, gonna try out making my own battery pack since my ebike company don't have extra battery for it.
This was fantastic! I build/convert bicycles to electric in Denver, CO and my plan is to also build decent batteries to fit in the frames of client's bikes. You are a huge help in my education! Thank you!
Micah, thanks for making yet another great DIY video for us all to learn from! These are the types of quality videos that we have all been looking for, with the in-depth explanations and quality video for us to follow along with! You are an inspiration to the entire DIY ebike community!
I'm over 60 years old and just found your channel. It was very interesting and I am glad I found it. I will admit that it was not easy to follow but nothing new ever is. nice work
Best method for building battery packs with uneven shapes..........very informative video sir.....thank u
This hobby started out as saving for an already built e bike, after saving up and doing lots of research, I found it easier to build my own, and now, I find myself watching how to make the batteries for the e bikes lol. You can say im addicted, without ever being on an ebike cuz of indecisiveness.
I don't regret subscribing to this channel because am also an 18650 geek.
So helpful thank you. I've been wanting to try making my own battery for a while.
Finishing your DIY battery book and getting in to project!
Nice layout process and I liked how you broke it down to where they were in sets of 3.
This is really well explained, thank you. I wonder how much heat builds up in these foam and heat shrink wrapped packs during charging and heavy usage especially under high outside temperatures. Can this reduce the life of the packs and what options are there to help keep temperature at optimal levels?
I hope too build my own batteries soon. Thanks for all your help
Dude you're so smart. I'm excited to build my own massive LiFePO4 battery
Your videos are simple and direct to the point. So much to learn from it. I have an electric scooter with a brush motor, its rated 24v as it uses two ups lead acid batteries rating 12v 10A each.
Can i run the scooter with same battery rating as you have built here?
Nice build and good explanation. One day I will make my own battery packs.
You are amazing! I'm learning how to do everything in my E-Bike with you... And I now know even more than most of the sellers just by your channel xD
Did u buy his book for batteries(
Very good HowTo, why do you use a BMS and not a loader with balance lead support?
Hi Micah, by the series bus. Are those fuses because the series connection are alternating but these things goes between those 3 parallel cells. Could you please clear on that. to be more clear I am talking about the 8 figure like connections of the Nickel strips.
in 8:50 I am not sure why you have to put extra connection, is it to spread out the flow?
You're a great teacher. I just built my first rectangular battery and will be doing a small reserve odd shaped one.
Hi you are doing really great job and educating the ones who are curious to know and learn about lithium cells and packs.
I would like to ask you the below doubts
1. If we are using protected cells in battery packs still we need bms in pack.
2. Please give more light on cell charging cycle and life. If we are not discharging to minimum voltage and charge before that is it going to increase life cycle.
recently purchased yr book on DIY lithium batts, I'm looking at using an 80v greenworks battery but couldn't find anything in yr book about how to install a low voltage disconnect option. these batteries are 20s so when one cell goes bad it will start to degrade batts on either side before failing altogether. do you know of any low voltage disconnect modules that can disconnect the cells once they degrade to a define voltage (eg 72V). Appreciate yr book, easy to use and understand.
I’m planning on 52v - 17Ah with GAs that will sandwich the down tube because the main triangle is too small to fit them all inside. They be encased in a poplar frame with ply sides.
Hi could you make a video about how many cells and parallel/series connections to make battery's of various common sizes, for example 36v, 48v, 52v and 10ah, 20ah 30ah ? It would be so informative for guys like myself who are new to this and trying to learn the basics of ebike battery building. Great channel by the way I've learned so much already
Very good. I like the small pack. it can be used for short trips. We got a lot of rain in Switzerland. How about the watherproofnes of this pack an the bag? With the shrinked tubing it mind be kind of wather resistent. What do you consider for 30 min trips in rain?
Making something water resistant is pretty tough. By choosing a good bag and putting wax on the zipper, you can get a good start. Then make sure your battery is completely heat shrinked and maybe even put it in a plastic bag inside your bike bag. I've ridden in a max of about 20-25 mins of rain that way with my EM3EV bag and its held up pretty well.
Enjoy your videos and guided on how to build these battery packs. I plan on building me a 18s 6p battery pack to get the maximum power and range. Also will be building me a 4 wheel bike from scratch to put it on.
I like your video! Thanks for helping us layman understand lithium batteries and their construction. Now for my question :-)
I have a newer Smart Electrician(Menard's Brand) LED light with a Samsung 3 cell 11.1v 2200mAH 18650 pack that won't take a charge any longer. I couldn't find my charger for several months, and let the batteries probably get too low. I was told that I could possibly bring them back to life by charging them with a older non-lithium Ion charger for a short period of time. Is this possible, and if so what would would recommend for voltage, connecting, etc. Thank you, Al
Great video, pardon my ignorance however i am not understanding why go with the .15mm thick nickel rated for 4.7 amp when these batteries are 10amp continuous? Wouldn't you want to go with the .2 or .3mm thick nickel?
Very Useful to see how you can max out cell count and still be safe on current load. Would love to see you build (2) 6s batteries without BMS; just balance wires so you could use a cheap 6s balance charger. Then show them connected in series to overvolt a 36v battery to to 43.2v
is direct welding cells touching eachother safe or are plastic snap together brackets worth investing in?
Great video! Just one point: not sure if this was already addressed in the comment (didn't read the whole 231 comments...) but when you add a second nickel strip to "beef up" the connection for a cell that's not directly connected to the next group of cells, you did effectively double one of the parallel connection. But shouldn't you also (or rather) "beef up" one of the series connection ? I mean if cells 1 and 2 have a direct connection to the next group of cells while cell 3 has not, you beefed up the connection between cell 3 and cell 2 but you should also beef up the connection between cell 2 and the next group of cells. If your pack must provide 15A and you only have 2 nickel strips for series connections, each strip will carry 7.5A, which is still acceptable for a 7mm wide and 0.15mm thick nickel strip but at the top of the acceptable range. So basically, rather than doubling a parallel connection, shouldn't you just double one of the series connection instead?
Smart and cute little battery pack, lots of things learn from your video. In India price of 18650 cells are on higher side, so dropped planning of battery pack. Even varzend not provide 18650 lgmj1 cells in india
Hi Micah I have just finished building a 7s x10p battery pack I have chosing the BMS but I am not sure where to start with the balancing wires , to start soldering which side or series do I begin the 1st wire soldering.
How did you know what strip you are gonna use? What calculations? Where did un get the 15amps?
Thank you for your informative video. A bit over my head, but i am just learning and you are a good resource.
i enjoyed this video. I am explloring opening up a 36 volt lithium battery i have that i know has one or more cells that are not charging or are low charge.. I am thinking of getting the DIY lithium kit to put it all back together. I also want to sort out creating a USB out port for the pack to recharge cell phones etc. And I am also xploring builing a 5s or 48v pack for the same ebike to give me more speed. .. perhaps also building 2 packs to i have increased range capacity when i need it.
Nice videos. Is it better for my 52v 17.5ah Sanyo GA battery if I charge it right after I come home when its still warm or can I wait couple hours til 11 p.m as its cheaper to charge at night?
Could something bad happened to the battery if I left it for 18 days fully charged?
Is it really worth to buy a charger which charges to 80% and expect longer battery life?
Thank you liked and subed how much cheaper is it to build your own batter? Also id like to know about the Nickle connectors why not use steel or copper? I would like to make my own Ebike but the battery's are too expensive how ever i am skilled at engineering. Id like a battery that is powerful so i can have more speed 48v/60v 2000w the motor says. What MAH hour cells should i get as id like the battery life to last? Id like to know how to charge the batteries what kind of charger do i need. I'd like reliable but cheap as possible cells what should i get and what not to get? Again thank you for the video.
Really cool video. Came across your channel after reading your book. Great stuff!
Another great video Micah. BTW, I had a copy of your diy battery build book on my laptop that decided to check out on me last week. If I'm lucky enough to win I'd prefer a hard copy so as to not have to risk losing it to electronic failure. Thanks and keep up the good work!!!
Hi Micah, great video series and book - the DIY Li Batt is a treasure trove of battery info.
I'm getting ready to construct a pack (my first) and wanted to ask for your opinion on using pure copper strips instead of pure nickel. As I'm sure you know, the current carrying capacity of copper is about 3-4 times better and the resistance about a quarter. Also, the cost (on Amazon*) is similar.
Do you have any advise (for or against) with using copper. I will be spot welding onto MJ1s - I've seen others on YT saying that spot welding copper (only) to cells is difficult and might need a 'copper-nickel sandwich' weld arrangement.
Any insight into this would be great.
Many thanks.
I'll most likely never have the stuff to build a battery, but man what a cool video.
Excellent video, I really appreciate the effort and attention to detail you put into your content. I'm really starting to follow your videos as I'm looking to make a larger 48V battery pack with more max current output for a large PMDC motor scooter project. I'd love to see a video for something with more power than an e-bike! Keep up the great work!
I love your presentations. You make it simple to do. Thanks!
What do you think about using capacity checkers with balance functionality to balance batteries? Just bought one and thinking about use just a charge controller to manage over and under pack voltage and using the capacity checker to balance the series packs.
Thanks for your very informative and very usefull videos. I have just bought my first ebike kit (Sfeomi 36V 500W EBK-0500-RR) and have so many questions. I wonder if it is possible to maximize a HL Li-ion Model S039 Spec:3610, 36V 10Ah to 20Ah (the manual's max. is 26A) and how to do this? Thanks to you, I'm learning how to build my next battery. An other question is how to connect a display and head and rear lights to the Controller CPU card? The ShenZhenShi CiAn Technology Limited Support are impossible to get in contact with on this issues.
I appreciate you and your knowledge sharing! Looking to over charge my 1000w 48v rear hub system--will a 17s battery safely run my motor and controller. From your videos, I could use a 63v battery? My goal is to get more mileage at 28MPH--trying to get 24 miles out of a charge. my current setup lets me achieve 30MPH for 3-5 miles, but then I am dropping power quickly, but still show full bars or down only one bar. Congrats on your success, I appreciate you sharing a considerable wealth of knowledge. Mike
Does the P- go to the controller of the ebike conversion kit or the actual motor hub ?
I plan to use used laptop cells, what do you think about cell fusing with fuse wires?
The positive wire from my battery to my fuse disconnected. Should I just reconnect or take this opportunity to change the connector to an xt 60 and bypass the fuse or just reconnect the current set up?
I have a question about how you decided which nickel plate to double up. It made sense in your drawing and initial explanation, but the actual pack you made doesn't match the drawing as far as where the double nickel strips are
i've recenty aquired gallons of high quality 2 part epoxy. the cans are rusty and it should be used soon. i've been wondering why not completely encase a battery pack for heavy duty use, ( say a "jumper" pack that gets thrown around on a farm, etc)?
Can you please give a link to buy the solder you used to make this battery pack?
Hello. I have 3 beautiful questions:
1. Can I use battery holders instead of connecting the terminals of a battery cells, then join the wires + -?
2. Is it necessary to use BMS while the batteries can be pull out and being charged with Li-ion Battery Charger?
3. Can ESC used in RC projects be an alternative to manage the outgoing voltage and current of the battery?
Thanks in advance for response!
I think the bms also prevents overdischarging. Maybe im wrong. Sort of 3volt cutoff. Interesting question.
Great video - you just sold me on both of your books and every tool you used - you make it it look fun and completely no-stress! (is the spot welder 110 or 220)
Mine is 220V. I've heard the 110V ones can sometimes be finicky.
Hi Micah, can we spot weld battery packs with .2 mm copper sheet, will both the metals bond, what metal is the battery contact points made of
nickel
This is the first time I have Subscribed and commented on a video. I really enjoyed your video (easy to follow) and links. I am confident that I can now take on my battery assembly for my multiple 4H robotics projects. Thanks so much.
I'm in two minds whether to use 18650 or 26650 batteries on my build, the basics for the build will be the same - its mostly a question of cost vs size. At the moment - I can source a 26650 for £5.95 (4500mAh) , whereas the cheapest LG MJ1's are £5.05 (3500mAh ). I'm on a tight budget - I intend to get both the books as I'm sure this will help me build my project cheaper. Great videos Micah keep them coming =)
Get panasonic you if you intrested on lasting longer 800+sicles mj1are good but degrade faster.
I found out 2665 more exp so dont use them unles u wona spend allot.
Great video on a 36v @ 12ah what kind of time limit should I get its a 350w motor ?
Ran bike for 40 minutes and the pack was warm to hot is there a bad cell?
Thanks for the help.
Hey Gareth! Go for 21700 or 20700 sized cells. They are worth the money!
Aravind Nair Where do you source the 2170 cells?
Micah is one of the best! Always good information.
Interesting - I've long been leery of putting together a pack from cells because soldering would surely damage them. Using the spot welder looks very simple and I wonder how much a spot welder costs.
Thanks Micah. Great easy to follow presentation. There is an agent for those cool click in holders here in New Zealand so I'm going to buy a set and build a booster battery for my e-bike, Thanks again. Now I know how!
Well that made it heaps clearer for me on my road to discovery thanks heaps. I have a question and thats about adding fuses to packs? Is it necessary if using a bms or only if no BMS ? How do you work out what size fuse to add? And what types of fuses are best?
What about individual fusing? Is there any reason behind not using any like some other battery builders are doing? I'm interested in building a pack but more specifically for other applications and i'm currently researching the use of "fuse wire"
Great info. I just started harvesting batteries to make big cells for a laser project. I need to learn more about the way they are joined in series or parallel
Wow bro im so impressed with the way you wrap your batteries effortlessly, and you slide your packs in perfectly! I bet you have no problems strapping rubbers on either... when you want to, errm discharge your own batteries ;p
Hello, make good videos, you can learn a lot from you. have a question ?? is the book also available in German?
Which one is better - using brusen's cap with nickel and or soldering nickel?
Can you please give your expert advice as in which battery pack should be used for a solar off grid project, as in a lead acid battery or a lithium ion battery pack and can you tell me is lithium ion battery pack more power full than a lead acid battery (for ex one 12v200ah of lithium ion battery pack will be equivalent to how many of 12v200ah lead acid battery, as the depth of discharge are different for both of them) so kindly help me with this
That was very good and I could follow it. THANKS
One question could you give a weight was that battery? I have stairs from my Apt. and its hard for us to carry bikes down and up. We already make trips bake up for our bags and I'd still like to limit that as possible.
That battery weighed about 1.7 kg or 3.7 lbs. Very small!
From the size - comparatively to a mans hand - I would speculate it is less than 10lbs / 4.5kg.
Yea! You’re making this very easy!
Hi Mika great video can you tell me where you got the bag for the batteries?
hi Micah, could you please show us how to build and charge 3kWh battery? thank you
You did a great job explaining what you were doing. I like the details. So you are saying these batteries can pull 5amps. Making a 48v and pulling 25 amps for the motor would be 5 in a row. Maybe 6 to make it saver? I will be watching this one again soon. Thanx buddy :-)
That's an awesome idea to add a pull handle!
Well done video. I am very impressed with the information and delivery. I will be using this to aid me in building of a battery cell pack for my e-bike. Thank you very much for a well delivered tutorial.
Thanks a lot! I love watching your videos, i learned a lot! God bless!
So... does this method work when building a bomb?
Kidding.
Seriously though, would you recommend wiring the 18650’s in parallel or series when making an external, rechargeable battery for iPhones and other gadgets one may need to recharge?
Hello----What are these batteries used for ? Why do you need 30-some volts D.C. on a bike? I have no clue...
Please explain the power/charger connections for the BMS again.
Really nice video. I am looking to build my first ebike and the videos are helping a lot. Thanks.
21700 cells in Milwaukee M18v Red 12.0ah batteries & if there suitable for using in Ebike battery build?
Great job Micah - You make it look so easy - Thank you
Thank you for another excellent video on battery building, the gaps in my knowledge of E bike battery building are slowly but surely being filled, regards Doc Cox.
So glad I found your videos there so clear, do you recommend scraping from laptop batteries or buying for best results? You've got my sub .
No fuse on the charging wire for protection?
Great video, Micah, you're a great source of info for the DIYer. Many thanks, Adrian.
Mikey, enjoyed the battery build video. Was wondering if there is a quantity price break on your 18650 batteries? I have about 200 salvage 18650s and I probably don't have 50 out of the 200 that will test 2000 mah capacity. They will all hold a 4.1v charge for an extended period of time but with less than 1500 to 2000 mah capacity, I'm afraid to build a large bike battery out of them. How low of capacity cells do you think would be safe to build a battery from?
Thanks Mikey .
Another awesome "HOW TO" / "STEP BY STEP" video from Micah... ohhh yeaahhh!!!
You rock dude!!! =]
Yep! First two stops for me every day after work is the Micah and ElectricBike! Powwwweerrrr! What do you have for us next Bruno?
+CheapVlog Yea I didn't even even realize it till a year and a half ago or so when I looked closer at the GA cell data sheet's graph. I guess thats why they don't list a cycle life number and just give you the graph. So you have to investigate yourself...
ElectricBike you write how you talk
EbikeSchool.com
So... does this method work when building a bomb?
*Kidding*
*Seriously though, would you recommend wiring the 18650’s in parallel or series when making an external, rechargeable battery for iPhones and other gadgets one may need to recharge?*
Diy lithium batteries. Love your videos. So helpful!!
Thanks so much man... I have learned so much.. I hope to see more of such videos
Ok Mike, that's twice now I've seen you do this flip flop with the numbers. You set out to build a 10s3p battery but when you were planning it's layout, you made a 3s10p battery. The only reason I can figure is that somehow the number can be reversed and still comes to equal the same output at full. Is one way better than the other cuz I was about to put 14 cells in a row in series then a flipped row and so on. I know it's Friday night, but if you see and read this tonight being 10/27/23 @8:56pm ES, please send me this answer as I am prob gonna start welding tomorrow.
Very well done and informative. Thanks for an invaluable presentation!
Awesome videos Micah, they are a great resource for novice ebike builders. I am currently working on an electric tandem bike and have found your videos more than helpful. Do you have any advice on how to get reliable and value for money batteries when ordering in bulk from Alibaba or Aliexpress?
Hi can u please advice do I have to capecity test all new batteries witch is bought from reputable company b4 building72v battry pack?