Great video Pete! I'm a retired sparky and your crimps should be done with your hydraulic press. On your cells, I would stuff some short cuttings from the cable type that you run along the cell to fill any voids prior to crimping. I'm not a fan of making lugs with pipe, too many variables and inconsistencies. I would check all terminations monthly with your thermal gun and check all mechanical connections at least annually.
Didn't think about putting 'spare' copper in their - great idea - Pipe is defiantly a choice when that's all you have I guess. Definitely agree with regular checks of any electrical setup like mine!!!
Contact the cable manufacturer for recommended crimp barrel size and crimp tooling. Companies like Glenair will do a crimp match and test though they are more for mil-spec, aerospace.
but you need the right size copper pipe. for 35mm2 you need 9.5mm diameter copper pipe, for 50mm2 it is 12mm diameter. that was the reason some of hbpowerwalls crimps slipped, there was not enough copper wiring inside. you can also fill in, with offcuts of wire strands. if a crimp is properly crimped and you cut it apart with a hacksaw, it will be one solid copper bar. it is all cold welded together.
Hi pete, just a quick note on crimping. Do your first crimp then open the tool enough so you can turn it about 40 degrees then crimp again. Your crimps will look neater and have better confections. No more loosy goosy crimps mate.
If you crimp you really dont NEED TO solder, but it's ok to do both. In my line of work we call that potting the connection. A CORRECT CRIMP made with the appropriate tool/die is actually a cold welding process and potting adds a little better/lower resistance connection, and corrosion protection. if you weigh that against time and money there isnt much reason to pot those terminals.
I'm in the process of planning to rebuild my scooter battery to be safer, and finding your videos very useful. Wouldn't mind picking your brain if you have a minute to chat
I think fusing is great, you more out of your batteries but you can simply add aluminum foil on them to sync with your copper wire. It would be easier to detach, if in case one goes bad.
Really enjoying this series of videos, Pete. Can't wait until the next one. I do have one question though. When are you going to post your "Building my new battery shed, part 1" video? :P Cheers!
Hey Pete, thanks for the awesome videos. I'm a bit of a noob, so this may be a really dumb question but... In terms of the wiring, the entire positive side of the cell pack is common (wired together), right? And same with the negative side? Do you prefer to do your packs entirely in parallel, then add additional packs in series to get your desired voltage? I'm pretty confused as to the series wiring part, and how it all connects up to get your desired voltage. If you could help explain this it would really help. Cheers!
Several factors play in this.... 1) Battery requirements and 2) expandability??.................First, using your load; you calculate your required voltage. TAKE required voltage and divide by voltage per individual cell ( usually 3.6v operation , 4.2v charged)... 2 Series bumps it up to 8V... 3Series up to 12V....and keep going until you reach your desired voltage..... The PARALLEL decides your running energy used per unit of time. Most of these cells have a maximum of 3400maH..... Again, what does your load use? 500amps per hour? 20amps per hour?..... 3.4Amps per hour?? If your system only draws 3.4 amps and you only need it to run for 1 hour, then all you need is 1 battery in parallel.
I think you can just buy fuse wire and use an online calculator to calculate the right length / thickness for the max amps you want to allow. Afaik in the UK for old houses they have the fuse wire instead of breakers you can flip back, so they still sell fuse wire for that.
I noticed on your Amazon store?...you sold 30awg bare copper bus wire... so I was just wondering...do you think I should be ok if I wanted to use 32awg bare copper bus wire?...instead of 28awg?...thanks
Did you ever recall just what the wire was called? I tried the link but unless I did something wrong it took me to all the parts used and not knowing what the wire is called, I couldn't discern what to buy. I understand that we need to find what works for us individually but FWIW, I'm doing a 48v ebike battery, that is if you have any additional comments on that/wire amperage and such. Thanks for the video, it was very helpful.
Using the crimper and solder should help make a more solid connection. So unless you're putting a lot of strain on that connection, it should be fine. Also, no soldering and having an "improper" crimp can lead to the connector being a lot more prone to corrosion. That's how I understand at least.
williwonti Nah. The conformal coating would wear away after a bit. It's real good for protecting things that don't move around much, but it wouldn't work well on a connector that's plugged and unplugged alot like this one probably will be.
Hi, its me again after a very long time give up building packs. question for the connection, why not use MC4 connector for solar panels ? isnt it much easier ?
Do you have a link to all the items you use in you power wall? Like monitor system, charging system, and the big breaker looking box in there? I'm interested ever since I saw your home run off the power in there for I beleive was 64 hours
What do you think about these 4000, 5000, 6000, 9800, and even 9900mAh 18650's now available on eBay for less than $1 each? Are they legitimate, or just blowing smoke?
TheZigZiggy Nah, I couldn't imagine those being legitimate. I think the max at the moment that we've got is about 2500 to 3000, and they definitely aren't 1$, to my knowledge. I could be wrong though. You can look it up. Probably won't take long to find an answer.
there all bs in all honesty the 2-3 cells are 3000ma at most. Thouse cheap no-name cells your luck if you get 500ma out of em and they degrade really quick to below 100
The cheap ones test out at about 1000mah. The best ones I've found in the budget range are the EBL which test about 2000mah and can be had for about $1.50.
Good stuff. I've taken apart a 10S13P pack and rearranging the cells. I will end up with 6 10S2P and 1 10S1P packs. I have already spot welded the packs together. Now I'm trying to decide the best way to connect them all in parallel using the original BMS (charge only). Any tips? This my first battery build.
Probably. I'm not sure since I had the copper pipe laying around for years. But I think it's a huge mistake in life to disregard time. Time is the most limited resource we have. When it's gone it's gone and we can't earn or buy anymore. Money? Who knows. I might win the lottery today. You never know about money.
I am following all your videos. Thx.One question. I made a 4s 10p power pack. Question is charging this pack from my solar panel. I am charging from the battery outlet of my PMW charge controller. The controller has a default max. charging the battery of 14.4V. So my battery pack get only 14.4V and not more than that. I know 4s can go up to 16.8v. My question is do I need to charge after my controller or straight from my 12V solar panel with give a max of 18V at the peak time? Thx.
i have some psu cables rated at 20 awg. thats the rating of the cable right? what about a single strand of wire inside of it? what awg they might have?
I have been squashing copper pipe into terminals in my solar off grid battery installs for years. I crimp (with a hammer) then solder, the heat shrink.
I wouldn't use the copper pipe, as pipe copper is comparitivly shit for purity, which likely will increase the resistance, and increase the likely hood of failure. Would be a neat thing to test.
Can you advise, if I am making battery pack with cells max discharge current 13a, with 4*cells in parallel,wich really I give me 20ah battery pack, with constance discharge up to 40A.so I want to use fuse wire instead of nickel strips. Nickel strip will handle about 5a only, so need to spotweld one more on top, but nickel to nickel not get welded properly. So would be 10A fuse wire do job, or that is not good ( battery pack for ebike)
Been tried - if you have a bad cell that heats up you want it disconnected and not used.. not have the fuse thermally reset. Also adds a bit to the build price. Furthermore you can't see when they have failed/triped
@@HBPowerwall thermol fuse will fuse and not rest you would only need to test a few of them most electronics that heat up have them in. in case all els fails to control or protect I'll soon de testing in my cell groups wen I get done with testing cell
hi hb can you explain how you connected your 18650 cells I only have 14s50 set up for ebike but I like the way you hang them up by the bus bar so u fuse the positive side only I have some .15 copper fuse wire seems thin and wont hold my busbar how do u solder busbar to pack
Greeting, i'm wondering... What about using the PolySwitch resettable fuse protection? Can you use them instead of fuse wire ? Because they are reusable. Just wonderinf if we can use them instead.
Definitely but I wouldn't - if there is a problem you'll find it harder to work out where it is if it keeps resetting. Issues need to be addressed not worked around.
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it certainly doesn't help but given the cells are already at the end of their 'natural live' it's cheap and easy and scalable anywhere in the world. Most don't have access to a spotwelder
HBPowerwall Thanks I thought it would be less expensive, I'm starting to dig it to start to profit on with crypto currency BTW take a look on Solarcoin you can redeem 1solarcoin for 1MWh of solar electricity generation, it's about 19 cents now so it would help coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solarcoin/
Good question.. my test was 5-6, he was well more but all you have to do is short circuit one cell if the fuse wire goes means it's good enough if you ask me
HBPowerwall I was just curious working on a design to use the micro auto fuses that go as low as 0.5 amps and just use contacts Vs spot welding or soldering a ton of fuse wire
You built a massive 3.7v pack? And you waited months to buy solar panels but didn’t hesitate to get a $50 crimper off eBay? I’m confused. Resell the crimper for $60.
So i have been messing around with 18650s off and on for about 2 years and as far as fusing, does anyone have a ACCURATE blown ratings for different wire gages?
I found Winding from a 12v DC computer fan of 80MM blow at about 6-7 Amps, I think thats a bit high ? why not use the Iron shaft vs the tip to melt the coating off, or hit with a lighter? I could use some pointers for anyone out there, I am looking to build a Cpap battery that can last 2-3 days. IRMA Proved why I needed a backup. Since I have about 200 18650's already just not sorted our discharged yet, I charged them up and was able to run 5v Fans and LED lights. What is the best way to test Amp Hour, My cpap pulls about 1amp with everything off. I was thinking of going 12 or 24 volts. I have buck / boost converters as well. I am still learning the ropes. I know charge up, let sit measure volts of cells, wait a few days measure again, discharge and dispose of the bad cells. I have the ebay special discharges. should I discharge at .5c roughly 1amp or 1c roughly 2 amp figuring the good cells are 2000+ mAh. the other thing I need to figure out is Balancing, I think i have a slight understanding but not fully yet. anyone up for the task of showing a n00blet computer / network tech the ropes ? Thanks for reading.
As far as you C rate for testing, just pick a number and stick to it. 1,000 ma works good as the test won't take too long and it will also let you know if the battery will have any heating issues. I would probably just use a torch to burn off and coating on the wires. My plan is for wire on the negative terms and a 1 or 2 amp fuse on the positive sides like AverageJoe is doing. Your transformer will always eat up some of your power. If you can get your batteries constructed to where they can power your device directly, each charge will last longer. Don't worry about balancing yet, just leave your cells at about 3.8 volts until you build your packs. Hope this helps and good luck.
Tony, Thanks for the reply, I was looking at the Glass axle fuse as well. so the Resemed DC power supply I bought (DC/DC Converter 24V/90W) will take for input 12v | 13A or 24v | 6.5 A I want to say I tested it on the 14V and it had a low voltage cut off at 10v. for discharging the batteries whats the recommended way to get near accurate readings without breaking the wallet ?. looking forward to the replies.
Well, lots of ways to get there. Lets assume you go with a 3S battery bank. That bank will have 3 packs of 60 cells each. 10 volt cut-out would be a hair over 3.3 volts per cell bank, which is good. You could put a BMS on each cell pack, just make sure they can handle the 13 amps that you will be taking out and putting back in to each pack. I would also look for ones that are adjustable on the top and bottom and set them at 3.3 v cut-out on the low end and about 4.1 volts on top. I would also wire in a cheap LCD volt meter to each cell pack just to keep an eye on things. It's a little easier to get parts at the higher voltage and lower amperage.
So would it be better to go 24 V then ? also note that I think that is 13 Amps Draw with all the features on, IE humidity control and heated hose, I will have these features off with passive humidity. I would need to test again as it was over a year ago when I started down this path but I am pretty sure the draw was 12v 1amp from the DC in side of the Converter. at that many cells I would need higher amp charge as that would only be about 216 mA per cell, or is my math wrong on that part ?
In order: yes...huh?....it depends on your cell pack. I bet you know someone with basic electrical theory knowledge. I just don't have enough info to make accurate recommendations.
HBPowerwall Thanks buddy. Also I wanted to ask you whether we can use the individual copper conductors taken out from a Cat6 network cable. Because that is also pure copper 23awg. Where we can draw nearly 4 - 5 Amps current
Id solder the lugs on quickly with oxy heat lug run solder in before it goes on the pack or is connected to any cells. and heres a tool for copper wire stripping, www.ftm-technologies.com/produit/fuchstar/?lang=en but if the gauge is to low it wont work, you could sand the enamel off with emery paper,. (armature winder completed trade in 2001, currently running an ebike conversion business.)
So last night I found a 3 Hot to the touch cells, its most likely just the one cell but the other 2 were low as well, the other 2 could have been from being next to it while charging as I charge 10 at a time on a REAL iMax charger at 6 amp. These cells are not all the same exact voltage but are normally close with in .15 mv. So I wonder if I caused this one very hot cell, that was at 4.08 the other 2 were 4.11 and 4.13 while the rest of the cells were at 4.17. the other 2 cooled off pretty quickly but the one stayed hot for awhile, surprising it did not drop anymore in voltage either. I am not going to risk it and discharge the 3 cells and then drop for recycling. anyone have any other suggestions if this was a bad cell or how to correctly identify ?
Cells have a specific C rating.... This determines how quickly they can be charged and discharged. An additional note is that if you are using OLDER/USED cells, they cannot take a charge/discharge as well as they did brand new, which results in waste = heat. UA-camr JehuGarcia gives a great thesis/understanding on this topic.
Would 30 awg bare copper wire work for this? If yes, well i have 18awg 16 strands wire laying around and following wiring charts ; www.calmont.com/wp-content/uploads/calmont-eng-wire-gauge.pdf The strands are 30awg.
I've been having a weird problem with my batteries. I'm not build battery packs (yet) but just using the batteries loose in things. I have some cheap batteries ( about 1100 mwh ) and some better ones ( EBL at about 2100mah ). Every so often one of the better batteries turns up totally dead after charging. IDK if it's coincidence but it seems like every time it happens I'm charging it with one of the cheaper batteries. Anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Thanks.
Could be that you're over charging and the pressure release valve at the + end of the cell has popped. Gernally speaking all the bad stuff happens when you charge to above 4.2V.
Whack it with a hammer? Actually that's an officially sanctioned method, albeit with the use of what I lovingly call the Caveman Crimper. Bang on it with a rock, no matter, it'll work. They can be found for MUCH cheaper, or probably just home built, but here's the "commercial" version: www.westmarine.com/buy/ancor--6-4-0-awg-heavy-duty-stainless-steel-lug-crimper--214080?recordNum=11
Yeh, I'm not a engineer, i'm a guy in his shed trying his best to share what I've learnt/seen/repeating.. Also brain farting to get others to think and try do stuff safer.. Also the proper tool some times isn't available and you have to make do..
@@HBPowerwall If you don't have the correct tool, then purchase a cable with a pre-crimped terminal. Bad connections cause heat, and heat causes *FIRES* . It is always Safety 1st ... never safety 3rd ...
Been studying by your videos for 3 years now finally at hands-on!
NICE, enjoy the experience and stay safe
Great video Pete! I'm a retired sparky and your crimps should be done with your hydraulic press. On your cells, I would stuff some short cuttings from the cable type that you run along the cell to fill any voids prior to crimping. I'm not a fan of making lugs with pipe, too many variables and inconsistencies. I would check all terminations monthly with your thermal gun and check all mechanical connections at least annually.
Didn't think about putting 'spare' copper in their - great idea - Pipe is defiantly a choice when that's all you have I guess. Definitely agree with regular checks of any electrical setup like mine!!!
Contact the cable manufacturer for recommended crimp barrel size and crimp tooling. Companies like Glenair will do a crimp match and test though they are more for mil-spec, aerospace.
Thanks for the cell data on the forum. You have made my life a lot easier
Thank you for using it, but i can't take the credit so many others have been involved
With your help I did it...My first power wall is on .You are great teacher :)
Be sure to share so we can all learn more from our mistakes/successes
That's a really good idea about using copper pipe!
but you need the right size copper pipe. for 35mm2 you need 9.5mm diameter copper pipe, for 50mm2 it is 12mm diameter.
that was the reason some of hbpowerwalls crimps slipped, there was not enough copper wiring inside.
you can also fill in, with offcuts of wire strands.
if a crimp is properly crimped and you cut it apart with a hacksaw, it will be one solid copper bar. it is all cold welded together.
Hi pete, just a quick note on crimping.
Do your first crimp then open the tool enough so you can turn it about 40 degrees then crimp again. Your crimps will look neater and have better confections. No more loosy goosy crimps mate.
Great idea copper tubing even to make end connections.
If you crimp you really dont NEED TO solder, but it's ok to do both. In my line of work we call that potting the connection. A CORRECT CRIMP made with the appropriate tool/die is actually a cold welding process and potting adds a little better/lower resistance connection, and corrosion protection. if you weigh that against time and money there isnt much reason to pot those terminals.
I couldn't stop staring at the skewed battery shelf.... Irritated the crap out of my OCD. lol.
yeh saw that was just the camera angle
Yeah the shelf isn't skewed, the blue stacks next to it are leaning.
I'm in the process of planning to rebuild my scooter battery to be safer, and finding your videos very useful. Wouldn't mind picking your brain if you have a minute to chat
I think fusing is great, you more out of your batteries but you can simply add aluminum foil on them to sync with your copper wire. It would be easier to detach, if in case one goes bad.
As far as the spot welding I was thinking of welding tabs into the cells and then soldering the fuses to the tabs
Great video again!! Aaaaaaand Thanks for the plug!!!😃👍
Mate you and Daniel have the stuff people need to see :)
Great stuff. Real-world wisdom. Thanks!
I try :) and sometimes get it wrong :)
What would happen it the battery pack was in an air tight metal box...?????
Just thinking????
Explosion?????
Hand Grenade stuff - needs to be vented
i followed what you did and used 24 gage wire. works great for my 16.8 volt multi pack.
Thanks for letting us know & sharing what you use.
Really enjoying this series of videos, Pete. Can't wait until the next one. I do have one question though. When are you going to post your "Building my new battery shed, part 1" video? :P Cheers!
When my wife says - Sure Peet spend more money! lol Don't tell anyone but already buying some of the bigger stuff i need (want) to lay it out well :)
Smart how you put fuses on the negative side.... 👍
also on amazon
28 AWG Tinned Copper Wire, Buss Wire
Thank for that mate
Can't i use a 5 amp fuse wire instead of this 30awg wire? Will it melt when soldiering it?
Hey Pete, thanks for the awesome videos. I'm a bit of a noob, so this may be a really dumb question but...
In terms of the wiring, the entire positive side of the cell pack is common (wired together), right? And same with the negative side?
Do you prefer to do your packs entirely in parallel, then add additional packs in series to get your desired voltage?
I'm pretty confused as to the series wiring part, and how it all connects up to get your desired voltage. If you could help explain this it would really help. Cheers!
Several factors play in this.... 1) Battery requirements and 2) expandability??.................First, using your load; you calculate your required voltage. TAKE required voltage and divide by voltage per individual cell ( usually 3.6v operation , 4.2v charged)... 2 Series bumps it up to 8V... 3Series up to 12V....and keep going until you reach your desired voltage..... The PARALLEL decides your running energy used per unit of time. Most of these cells have a maximum of 3400maH..... Again, what does your load use? 500amps per hour? 20amps per hour?..... 3.4Amps per hour?? If your system only draws 3.4 amps and you only need it to run for 1 hour, then all you need is 1 battery in parallel.
I think you can just buy fuse wire and use an online calculator to calculate the right length / thickness for the max amps you want to allow.
Afaik in the UK for old houses they have the fuse wire instead of breakers you can flip back, so they still sell fuse wire for that.
I tried that in some of my earlier tests and the fuse blew in my multimeter before the 5a AC fuse wire
I noticed on your Amazon store?...you sold 30awg bare copper bus wire... so I was just wondering...do you think I should be ok if I wanted to use 32awg bare copper bus wire?...instead of 28awg?...thanks
Copper Wire is NOT "Fuse" wire.
I really like your video and you make good batteries
The best part are your experience and links
Thank-You
Did you ever recall just what the wire was called? I tried the link but unless I did something wrong it took me to all the parts used and not knowing what the wire is called, I couldn't discern what to buy. I understand that we need to find what works for us individually but FWIW, I'm doing a 48v ebike battery, that is if you have any additional comments on that/wire amperage and such. Thanks for the video, it was very helpful.
Using the crimper and solder should help make a more solid connection. So unless you're putting a lot of strain on that connection, it should be fine.
Also, no soldering and having an "improper" crimp can lead to the connector being a lot more prone to corrosion.
That's how I understand at least.
I think i have it sorted but the old interwebs makes me second guess my self all the time :)
HBPowerwall
Aye, you seem fine.
Good luck out there!
If you're worried about corrosion couldn't you just spray some conformal coating on the exposed bits?
williwonti
Nah.
The conformal coating would wear away after a bit.
It's real good for protecting things that don't move around much, but it wouldn't work well on a connector that's plugged and unplugged alot like this one probably will be.
what are the dangers of forgoing the fuse? the nickel-strip method goes without them...
Hi, its me again after a very long time give up building packs. question for the connection, why not use MC4 connector for solar panels ? isnt it much easier ?
I was thinking that as well but it can only handle 30A of continuous current
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with all of us...
Great Job Sir.
I try!
heya yes fuses are a good thing but why use fases? I still will problely found out as I watch more vlog's of yours
Do you have a link to all the items you use in you power wall? Like monitor system, charging system, and the big breaker looking box in there? I'm interested ever since I saw your home run off the power in there for I beleive was 64 hours
What do you think about these 4000, 5000, 6000, 9800, and even 9900mAh 18650's now available on eBay for less than $1 each? Are they legitimate, or just blowing smoke?
TheZigZiggy
Nah, I couldn't imagine those being legitimate.
I think the max at the moment that we've got is about 2500 to 3000, and they definitely aren't 1$, to my knowledge. I could be wrong though.
You can look it up. Probably won't take long to find an answer.
Next Video .....
there all bs in all honesty the 2-3 cells are 3000ma at most. Thouse cheap no-name cells your luck if you get 500ma out of em and they degrade really quick to below 100
Jheau has already done a video covering those
The cheap ones test out at about 1000mah. The best ones I've found in the budget range are the EBL which test about 2000mah and can be had for about $1.50.
Good stuff. I've taken apart a 10S13P pack and rearranging the cells. I will end up with 6 10S2P and 1 10S1P packs. I have already spot welded the packs together. Now I'm trying to decide the best way to connect them all in parallel using the original BMS (charge only). Any tips? This my first battery build.
Hi, when you build your packs, do you consider the internal resistance of each cell?
INTERESTED .
I've tried the copper pipe thing and in my opinion it's not worth the trouble. It's a lot of work and the end result is meeh.
but if you disregard the time and effort was it cheaper?
Probably. I'm not sure since I had the copper pipe laying around for years. But I think it's a huge mistake in life to disregard time. Time is the most limited resource we have. When it's gone it's gone and we can't earn or buy anymore. Money? Who knows. I might win the lottery today. You never know about money.
nice...keepin it real...thanks for the links...!!!
I am following all your videos. Thx.One question. I made a 4s 10p power pack. Question is charging this pack from my solar panel. I am charging from the battery outlet of my PMW charge controller. The controller has a default max. charging the battery of 14.4V. So my battery pack get only 14.4V and not more than that.
I know 4s can go up to 16.8v. My question is do I need to charge after my controller or straight from my 12V solar panel with give a max of 18V at the peak time? Thx.
Hi, isn't it a problem to use different cells in one package?
Kinda yes, but recycling isn't a perfect art...
You never gave info on the fuse wire. I could not find the presumably given amazon link.
I'll ad it now, sorry back in the day I had a lot to learn
ebay.to/2xlHMmZ
HBPowerwall Thanks, appreciate it.
U must have been using a higher voltage for your test, amps change depending on the voltage ur using.
Possilbe
i have some psu cables rated at 20 awg. thats the rating of the cable right? what about a single strand of wire inside of it? what awg they might have?
Copper Wire is NOT "Fuse" wire.
I have been squashing copper pipe into terminals in my solar off grid battery installs for years. I crimp (with a hammer) then solder, the heat shrink.
all it has to do is work, but my far the most common thing i've heard is don't solder the lugs
HBPowerwall 30 years of installing solar, I'll never make a battery cable without soldering it.
I wouldn't use the copper pipe, as pipe copper is comparitivly shit for purity, which likely will increase the resistance, and increase the likely hood of failure.
Would be a neat thing to test.
Can you advise, if I am making battery pack with cells max discharge current 13a, with 4*cells in parallel,wich really I give me 20ah battery pack, with constance discharge up to 40A.so I want to use fuse wire instead of nickel strips. Nickel strip will handle about 5a only, so need to spotweld one more on top, but nickel to nickel not get welded properly. So would be 10A fuse wire do job, or that is not good ( battery pack for ebike)
I would like to bring to light in the power wall cammuniy that maybe we should look at adding thermol fuses to the packs
Been tried - if you have a bad cell that heats up you want it disconnected and not used.. not have the fuse thermally reset. Also adds a bit to the build price. Furthermore you can't see when they have failed/triped
@@HBPowerwall thermol fuse will fuse and not rest you would only need to test a few of them most electronics that heat up have them in. in case all els fails to control or protect I'll soon de testing in my cell groups wen I get done with testing cell
Just a simple question How fast do u charge your packs (in Amps)?
use a flame to burn off the enamel coating, or a piece of sandpaper.
yes both work well - but use tinned copper wire these days much better on the soldering iron tips too
hi hb can you explain how you connected your 18650 cells I only have 14s50 set up for ebike but I like the way you hang them up by the bus bar so u fuse the positive side only I have some .15 copper fuse wire seems thin and wont hold my busbar how do u solder busbar to pack
Brett from the interwebs here, I thought that hole was used to feed solder in?
Brett from the interwebs, go back to your room please... lol
So professional, just in case ABC is still watching ;) ey...
That ship has sailed - on and up
HBPowerwall can u tell us how fast u charge them
I physically cringed when you shook the pack by the wire. I can't believe how strong that is with just the soldered connections!
Has to be strong... if that only had the fuse wire on it it would have been all over the floor ...
Great vid
The wire is called 'buss wire'.
Am new to building battery please how can i setup 300 cells to get 12V to power my inverter
what awg size wire did you use for the fuse? the amazon page has several different sizes.
Here is a page about it: www.altestore.com/howto/recommended-inverter-cables-sizing-and-breakers-or-fuses-a62/
Greeting, i'm wondering... What about using the PolySwitch resettable fuse protection? Can you use them instead of fuse wire ? Because they are reusable. Just wonderinf if we can use them instead.
Definitely but I wouldn't - if there is a problem you'll find it harder to work out where it is if it keeps resetting. Issues need to be addressed not worked around.
HBPowerwall - Yeah good point . Thank you for your time!
Ortalardaki pil bozulmalarında değişim yapmak için pil bloğunu tamamen parçalayıp yeniden toplamak yerine , blok üzerinde boş yedek (rezerve) pil hücreleri monte edilse , sigortası atanların yerine buralara ilveler yapılsa bloğun kullanım süresini artırır.Ancak yedekler de bittikten sonra tamir-değişime gidilebilir.
soldering on the cells creates damage in the cells, reducing cell life.
it certainly doesn't help but given the cells are already at the end of their 'natural live' it's cheap and easy and scalable anywhere in the world. Most don't have access to a spotwelder
And the sky is blue
Shuld i fuse both terminals is it necessary?
Yes & NO - I don't as fuses break real easy so only positive for me - how ever many do
CD spot welder , just need some capacitors and a relay , pick up from the scrap yard
I'm not that smart :)
Get your hands on some fuses out of the old 240/740 cars. You can pull the strip right of the fuse. Might work well.
240/740 cars?
sorry don't follow
Volvo fuses, thinking out loud, they are shaped differently than normal car fuses. www.ipdusa.com/uploads/images_products_slideshow/fullsize_14565.jpg
Hey dude, how do you load a 18650pack like in this Video? Or is it just for one single use?
I recharge them with solar used over and over as many times as possilbe
HBPowerwall : Do you have a example for a usecase ?
Could I please have a link to the bus wire thanks mate
amzn.to/2qRQL8H 28awg works for many some use as small as 32awg
What are the battery packs for eventually?
They run my house 24/7 :)
I want to build a 128s14p battery pack, there's a lot of cell, do you know a way(calculator) to make all 14p blocks the same capacity
Yep - secondlifestorage.com/repackr.php
what is that wire you used to connect the cell fuses to the main output? the heavy wire
it is normal 240v house wire striped out and made into busbars - this video can help you on your way ua-cam.com/video/XPdJRD57T7A/v-deo.html
Thank you so much, also what temperature should I solder at?
Too many variables - I use a 40watt iron others use a 200w ambiant temp, materials soldered too all change the soldertemps
Thank you so much for your answer I really appreciate it
also could you please link me the fuse wire? there is no link in the top corner 2:41
So what's the cost for running a house with this setup?
Full detailed costs of this project is linked in video description
HBPowerwall Thanks I thought it would be less expensive, I'm starting to dig it to start to profit on with crypto currency
BTW take a look on Solarcoin you can redeem 1solarcoin for 1MWh of solar electricity generation, it's about 19 cents now so it would help
coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solarcoin/
Also some Fuse Wire blows faster than others.
for sure
So 5-6 amps or 19-20 amps for the fuse
Good question.. my test was 5-6, he was well more but all you have to do is short circuit one cell if the fuse wire goes means it's good enough if you ask me
HBPowerwall I was just curious working on a design to use the micro auto fuses that go as low as 0.5 amps and just use contacts Vs spot welding or soldering a ton of fuse wire
ya those hydraulic crimps are surprisingly cheap like $25 on ebay i have one in my watching cart
Yep, don't cost much at all worth the investment if you're going to use them a bit.
You built a massive 3.7v pack? And you waited months to buy solar panels but didn’t hesitate to get a $50 crimper off eBay? I’m confused. Resell the crimper for $60.
I think at this stage i had maybe 40 panels ?
So i have been messing around with 18650s off and on for about 2 years and as far as fusing, does anyone have a ACCURATE blown ratings for different wire gages?
Its a simple google search away ( I know, mind-boggling)... SEARCH: copper wire fuse rating
I found Winding from a 12v DC computer fan of 80MM blow at about 6-7 Amps, I think thats a bit high ? why not use the Iron shaft vs the tip to melt the coating off, or hit with a lighter? I could use some pointers for anyone out there, I am looking to build a Cpap battery that can last 2-3 days. IRMA Proved why I needed a backup. Since I have about 200 18650's already just not sorted our discharged yet, I charged them up and was able to run 5v Fans and LED lights.
What is the best way to test Amp Hour, My cpap pulls about 1amp with everything off. I was thinking of going 12 or 24 volts. I have buck / boost converters as well. I am still learning the ropes. I know charge up, let sit measure volts of cells, wait a few days measure again, discharge and dispose of the bad cells.
I have the ebay special discharges. should I discharge at .5c roughly 1amp or 1c roughly 2 amp figuring the good cells are 2000+ mAh.
the other thing I need to figure out is Balancing, I think i have a slight understanding but not fully yet.
anyone up for the task of showing a n00blet computer / network tech the ropes ?
Thanks for reading.
As far as you C rate for testing, just pick a number and stick to it. 1,000 ma works good as the test won't take too long and it will also let you know if the battery will have any heating issues. I would probably just use a torch to burn off and coating on the wires. My plan is for wire on the negative terms and a 1 or 2 amp fuse on the positive sides like AverageJoe is doing. Your transformer will always eat up some of your power. If you can get your batteries constructed to where they can power your device directly, each charge will last longer. Don't worry about balancing yet, just leave your cells at about 3.8 volts until you build your packs. Hope this helps and good luck.
Tony,
Thanks for the reply, I was looking at the Glass axle fuse as well. so the Resemed DC power supply I bought
(DC/DC Converter 24V/90W) will take for input 12v | 13A or 24v | 6.5 A I want to say I tested it on the 14V and it had a low voltage cut off at 10v.
for discharging the batteries whats the recommended way to get near accurate readings without breaking the wallet ?.
looking forward to the replies.
Well, lots of ways to get there. Lets assume you go with a 3S battery bank. That bank will have 3 packs of 60 cells each. 10 volt cut-out would be a hair over 3.3 volts per cell bank, which is good. You could put a BMS on each cell pack, just make sure they can handle the 13 amps that you will be taking out and putting back in to each pack. I would also look for ones that are adjustable on the top and bottom and set them at 3.3 v cut-out on the low end and about 4.1 volts on top. I would also wire in a cheap LCD volt meter to each cell pack just to keep an eye on things. It's a little easier to get parts at the higher voltage and lower amperage.
So would it be better to go 24 V then ? also note that I think that is 13 Amps Draw with all the features on, IE humidity control and heated hose, I will have these features off with passive humidity. I would need to test again as it was over a year ago when I started down this path but I am pretty sure the draw was 12v 1amp from the DC in side of the Converter. at that many cells I would need higher amp charge as that would only be about 216 mA per cell, or is my math wrong on that part ?
In order: yes...huh?....it depends on your cell pack. I bet you know someone with basic electrical theory knowledge. I just don't have enough info to make accurate recommendations.
Where is the link to the fuse wire on Amazon?
amzn.to/2v25vHc that is 20 awg or you could go smaller if you wanted depending on your use
HBPowerwall Thanks buddy. Also I wanted to ask you whether we can use the individual copper conductors taken out from a Cat6 network cable. Because that is also pure copper 23awg. Where we can draw nearly 4 - 5 Amps current
you can use anything that works for your setup.
Id solder the lugs on quickly with oxy heat lug run solder in before it goes on the pack or is connected to any cells. and heres a tool for copper wire stripping, www.ftm-technologies.com/produit/fuchstar/?lang=en but if the gauge is to low it wont work, you could sand the enamel off with emery paper,. (armature winder completed trade in 2001, currently running an ebike conversion business.)
Can you send me the link for the fuse wire
ebay.to/2xlHMmZ
Thanks for your help. Why do use 80 cells instead of 100 cells.
I use 200 theses days much better
@@HBPowerwall same wire and same 32 gauges fuses
So last night I found a 3 Hot to the touch cells, its most likely just the one cell but the other 2 were low as well, the other 2 could have been from being next to it while charging as I charge 10 at a time on a REAL iMax charger at 6 amp. These cells are not all the same exact voltage but are normally close with in .15 mv. So I wonder if I caused this one very hot cell, that was at 4.08 the other 2 were 4.11 and 4.13 while the rest of the cells were at 4.17. the other 2 cooled off pretty quickly but the one stayed hot for awhile, surprising it did not drop anymore in voltage either. I am not going to risk it and discharge the 3 cells and then drop for recycling.
anyone have any other suggestions if this was a bad cell or how to correctly identify ?
Cells have a specific C rating.... This determines how quickly they can be charged and discharged. An additional note is that if you are using OLDER/USED cells, they cannot take a charge/discharge as well as they did brand new, which results in waste = heat. UA-camr JehuGarcia gives a great thesis/understanding on this topic.
Average Joe got a much thicker wire by looking at his video
Would 30 awg bare copper wire work for this?
If yes, well i have 18awg 16 strands wire laying around and following wiring charts ; www.calmont.com/wp-content/uploads/calmont-eng-wire-gauge.pdf The strands are 30awg.
Hell, NO !
want your weight now number then I need to talk to you What is the name of the circuit board? Thank you
I've been having a weird problem with my batteries. I'm not build battery packs (yet) but just using the batteries loose in things. I have some cheap batteries ( about 1100 mwh ) and some better ones ( EBL at about 2100mah ). Every so often one of the better batteries turns up totally dead after charging. IDK if it's coincidence but it seems like every time it happens I'm charging it with one of the cheaper batteries. Anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Thanks.
Could be that you're over charging and the pressure release valve at the + end of the cell has popped. Gernally speaking all the bad stuff happens when you charge to above 4.2V.
hmm. Maybe. I'll check out the charger. Thanks.
i use wire from ATX PSU cables ----- each single wire blows with 5 Amps
great tip!
thanks
There is a dedicated wire to use as 5amp fuse, do you think it will work with this kinda project?
Mohammed Albayati yes
Whack it with a hammer? Actually that's an officially sanctioned method, albeit with the use of what I lovingly call the Caveman Crimper. Bang on it with a rock, no matter, it'll work. They can be found for MUCH cheaper, or probably just home built, but here's the "commercial" version: www.westmarine.com/buy/ancor--6-4-0-awg-heavy-duty-stainless-steel-lug-crimper--214080?recordNum=11
5:20 spot welders are dead simple to make, there's about a billion videos on youtube which demonstrate this.
a billion - that's a bunch and a half. There are also a billion videos on how to bake a cake - but lets not go there :)
At time @0:59 you say, "... Hit it with a hammer ... *HOPEFULLY* that is good enough ...".
Yeh, I'm not a engineer, i'm a guy in his shed trying his best to share what I've learnt/seen/repeating.. Also brain farting to get others to think and try do stuff safer.. Also the proper tool some times isn't available and you have to make do..
@@HBPowerwall If you don't have the correct tool, then purchase a cable with a pre-crimped terminal. Bad connections cause heat, and heat causes *FIRES* . It is always Safety 1st ... never safety 3rd ...