A Modular Approach to LiFePO4 Batteries

[@cosmicosmofour6883]

Great idea. You could also do sort of a hybrid approach. Build the box with a smaller battery inside (8-12 Ah maybe) and also an external battery port, with a beefy DPDT switch to switch between the two batteries. Then when you only need a small battery, you are carrying just 1 item so you get the simplicity advantage of a non-modular approach, but when you need a large battery, you have the advantages of the modular approach, and the only disadvantage is the dead weight of the small battery that you aren't necessarily using, which if you're carrying a 100 Ah battery around, you probably won't groan too much about.

[@TheHamRadioHoser]

Love the video Jason, but can we all just take a minute and appreciate the aesthetics of your kitchen. It’s pretty awesome. I can tell your wife puts a lot of love and care into it!

[@Liberty4Ever]

I just bought an Apache 1800 waterproof case to use as a handlebar mounted glove box on my little adventure motorcycle. It's a little larger than I wanted, but the Pelican 1060 case it replaces was a little too small. How long did it take you to peel the sticker off that Harbor Fright case? I got smart and warmed that label and it peeled off without shredding and leaving goo everywhere, but there are sticker complaints for that product on the Harbor Fright website. I'm glad to see you 3D printing stuff. I just bought my 12th 3D printer. It sat in the box for a month while I cleaned enough of my office to make a place for the beast (350 mm cube build volume) but it's currently printing DVD shelves so I can get that clutter off my messy desk and onto the walls. I've made a few of those LIFePO4 battery boxes. I often use plastic ammo cases if they don't need to be Pelican rugged and waterproof. Ammo is heavy so the plastic ammo cases are built tough enough to house a battery. I use a DC-DC converter on the input as a low cost solar charge controller, for fully charged voltage charge termination. I can get away with that by sizing the solar panel and/or the DC-DC voltage converter to limit the charge current to an inherently safe level for charging the battery. The input connector or cable from the solar panel has a three position Power Pole connector with the center unused, to prevent me from accidentally plugging a radio into the solar charging port of the battery box. The entire radio stack in my shack is exclusively powered by a small solar panel and one of these battery boxes that is under my office desk, so my shack is off grid. I put a switched USB charging port with digital voltage display on the battery box in case we need to charge devices when the power goes out. Maybe put an inline automotive style fuse of the appropriate amperage in the positive lead on each of the batteries rather than a 40A fuse on the 10 AWG battery cable. Carrying a battery outside of a battery box is risky business. LiFePO4 batteries have low internal resistance. A 100 WHr lithium battery can probably source 1000 amps or more for a few seconds and something will ignite. Please fabricate something to prevent those battery terminals from shorting in transit.

[@KI7JOM]

FINALLY! Someone that knows how to use a step drill: slower for deeper. Jason, I know some electricians you can demonstrate this to!

[@RatchetFWD]

Off to the harbor freight . I ended up using 3800 case for my solder station, ham connectors, and tools. 😅 Got a 100ah ,50ah,10ah . This will be perfect modular setup! Thanks Jason

[@RatchetFWD]

Update : Back from the harbor freight . Lol

[@davidnelson6889]

I love this idea. I think you just stumbled on the next great ham radio idea. A power distribution system that can be teamed up with any battery. It looks like the only thing it is missing is a small inverter. I’ve have looked at the various power generators and those always seem over priced for the size of battery they contain. This is going to be my next project for sure. 73 W1UTE

[@matsherwood6277]

I really like this concept! Keeps the weight and bulk down and saves cost. Great work!

[@michaelkempf982]

FYI Fusing. Hope this helps as I spent a lot of time trying to understand fusing as I upgraded most wiring and components in an RV. 1. Fusing is sized to protect the wiring, not the device. Size the fuse to the wire size used. 2. Chose the wire size based on the amp draw of the device that will be in that wire circuit. 3. The fuse does NOT control the device draw. It will in the sense that if your device has a variable draw, a 10 amp fuse for a device that draws 5-15 amp should blow above 10 amp. But that is not the purpose of the fuse. You must use wire size in this example to handle 15 amp, so use 15 amp fuse.

[@Wayde-VA3NCA]

re 1: , the fusing protects the supply, including the wiring and the source. It should be sized to blow before the battery and wiring harness is overloaded... If , for example, you short the leads, the fuse should blow before the source or wiring melts or otherwise sustain damage

[@mikerosenberg7726]

That is a seriously great idea. Thank you for your contributions to the ham radio community.

[@ronlongwellphoto]

Genius! And just in time as I'm about to build/rebuild my battery box. Thanks, Jason!

[@dougdaniels]

Great approach Jason. I've been building modular cases, but with a battery in each. I like this idea much better.

[@daxthedestroyer9061]

I think the only thing its missing is monitoring. I know you could just plug something in inline, but some kind of integrated monitor would be cool.

[@RynardMooreVstar1]

Cool stuff. BTW, I see I'm not the only one who shops at Harbor Freight looking for stuff that can be used for HAM purposes. I saw that very same box at HF and it was like "hummmmm -- that looks like that would be handy for..." LOL and 73's.

[@Jeff_369]

This is a great idea. I have yet to build one, but this approach really is interesting to me. Thank you!

[@503Nick]

Smart. I’ve thought battery boxes and “solar generators” were silly. But the power distribution system is where it’s at

[@nivid01]

Good job mate and great idea.... and well implemented!

[@robertmeyer4744]

Great idea ! i have made something like that but for my needs. Several USB PD 65 watt ports. A PD 100 watt ports . A few 12V assery lighter ports. different anderson Connectors, like the SB 50 and PP 75 . I went with SB 175 amp in connector. And I ,mounted LED lights on it. Seval meters. Amps and volts. Even a 300 watt true sine wave inverter mounted inside. Works for my camping needs . Just build to what's your needs are. I have lots of LiFePO4 now as well. I put big SB 350 connector on 300 AH for my inverter . 2KW . 73

[@pilotguyo540]

This is the right way to go, I think. I hesitated on building a battery box because it gets so bulky so fast.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

If you put an inline fuse in the pigtail that you're keeping attached to each battery, as opposed to in the pigtail to box jumper, the fuse could be sized appropriately for the battery.

[@nivid01]

The jumper cable (pig tail) DOES HAVE a water proof inline fuse! Rewind and you will see it!

[@bwillan]

That is a very interesting approach to doing battery boxes. The Go Box I made for my VHF/UHF mobile radio has some power distribution ports (USB chargers, 12V socket, battery charger etc.) No need to duplicate work you've already done.

[@MegaChiliMac]

Nice build. Also, nice bit of ham ASMR footage post-credits. ;)

[@robslagle]

very interesting approach, I'm looking forward to more videos with your use and review

[@Wayde-VA3NCA]

Nice builds Jason! Perhaps for better matching of the battery input fuse to the different batteries, make the fuse holder part of the battery PowerPole harness? I do this with my portable batteries and can even be 3D printed into a top shell that connects onto the battery terminals

[@jeremyllewellyn]

Have a link to share of that?

[@Wayde-VA3NCA]

@jeremyllewellyn I've created a page on Printables ( by Prusa ) , if you look up my callsign VA3NCA , it should come up 🙂Please note that I'm a 3D printing newb and the model is a simple TinkerCAD model... It really should be parametric so that it can be scaled to fit the battery you have... Oh... and, a version someday could be made that fits screw terminal style batteries. This one is only for blade (or SLA-like) style. For the screw type, I just have a wire inline automotive fuse holder in the wire harness out to a PP connector.

[@jeremyllewellyn]

@@Wayde-VA3NCA This is great! Veryy clean.

[@Modern_Warrior_School]

Very interesting. I'm about to buy my first LiFePo4 battery this paycheck, so this video is perfectly timed.

[@forgetyourlife]

The nesting procedure in this hobby is hard to kill.

[@MrTrentCurtis]

Cool idea but it's just another box to keep track of in the mass amount of other boxes! But concept is solid! Also what about loss in the connectors?

[@jeremyllewellyn]

Please make a follow up. Looking to build something similar. Do you think you should put a larger fuze like t class somewhere? A car fuze isn't enough to break in case of a short afaik. Either in the box or on the battery?

[@sixstringforge]

Cool idea. I did similar with solar charge controllers. The Genasun units are more expensive than many batteries now… Any idea if anyone makes the power pole panel mounts with a screw on water proof cap? Keeping water out during transport would be super handy.

[@AD6DMDennis]

I see no problem with hoarding hundreds of batteries, and no one will convince me otherwise!

[@Liberty4Ever]

Sounds like you and Jason have the same addiction. Why is it I never see you guys at the Battery Anonymous meetings?

[@kaboom4679]

@@Liberty4Ever The 13th step is building your own batteries ....

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

That's a pretty good idea.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Awesome! Only thing is my bioenno AC charger uses a barrel plug maybe I should cut that off & convert it to power poles?

[@vidcreator5276]

Brilliant!!

[@hallen4094]

Superb video and well presented as always,again great ideas. Just something to think about to help with the appropriate fuse sizing. Why not put the appropriate sized fuse in the anderson tails you you have attached to each of your batteries. Then each battery is independently protected at a rating suitable to its capacity??. Thank you again Sir for your quality content. Much appreciated and 73's

[@ChrisKD9YSW]

I like and should have done this. Maybe I will build one and just have it for another battery

[@jerryKB2GCG]

Any chance you will sell those boxes ?

[@KM4ACK]

Not at this time. Don’t have enough hours in the day as is.

[@mgoben6499]

I don't feel so bad anymore lol.

[@temporarilyoffline]

You stole my idea...🤣🤣

[@KM4ACK]

Nah, just beat you to it. 😂

[@ericgulseth74]

Typical KZbinr beef!

[@temporarilyoffline]

@@ericgulseth74 Yeah, but in this case we're actually friends... I think...

[@Tobys-Dad]

10 gauge wire should have 30 amp fuse

[@haxwithaxe]

Only 4?

[@Bluescout612]

Great idea Jason although I agree with cosmicomofour6883 to the hybrid approach which was the way I have been planning mine . Keep the videos coming Jim KI7SSO