Is DIY battery Still a good IDEA?

[@westking7746]

DIY because of all of the reasons that you talked about and because it is just plain fun and interesting to learn about electricity.

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

Dude, your dedication you put into your vocation is so apparent. Thank you for speaking in behalf of us DIYers! 🥰

[@hippie-io7225]

I am totally DIY. I've bought some really good stuff from Jag35. The advantage of DIY pack building, is that you not only learn new skills, but you can also build battery packs for different applications. Applications like portable lighting, bluetooth speakers, portable welders, retrofitting cars, bicycles, go carts and tractors, etc. Getting a grip on what it takes to generate power gives us a real sense of what it takes to MAKE power. Our national power grid is a great achievement!

[@jay-rus4437]

Im so glad he put out this video. Im very analytical, and love doing diy projects, but my own calculations kept showing that it didnt necessarily make financial sense to build. Plus the added benefits of warranty, cycle life, overall tested quality (by some suppliers). Then the cost per kwh for batteries like SOK, or similar, seem to possibly be justified for some. I love the work that Jehu does, and appreciate his videos, but he and many others negatively responded to some of my posts where I was simply raising this question of value. I can see both sides, diy vs buying preassembled, depending on application and personal preference.

[@philipmorgan1438]

I would really consider the DIY approach if it yielded the same 48v nominal battery. I agree with others that comparing a 36v DIY to commercial 48v is more favorable to DIY than it deserves.

[@philipmorgan1438]

@Mike I don’t know how to relate your comment to what I posted. Sorry…

[@MastaSquidge]

What? You can DIY a 48v battery just the same as a 36v, or 24v, or 12v...

[@philipmorgan1438]

@@MastaSquidge not the point- read whole post… it’s about validity of comparison

[@MastaSquidge]

@@philipmorgan1438 then your point is poorly made.

[@philipmorgan1438]

@@MastaSquidge Sorry to disappoint you.

[@mfgxl]

Jehu, one of your best videos in a long time. Loved all your points on why we should do DIY not related to money. You did leave out fun as well as learning.

[@ericdirnbeck3497]

I absolutely agree with everything you said about the advantages of DIY. To add to what other commenters have said about the joy of learning, I have also found that the knowledge and experience gained from DIY provides confidence in the future electrification of everything around us. For example, if I buy a Ryobi 48v riding mower or an electric golf cart, when it comes time to replace the lead acid batteries, I will most likely build a LiFePo4 replacement pack myself and thus be able to make it even better than when it was new.

[@microbiologycory10]

This is a great idea, however, mowers, saws, implements have proprietary connections (slide in, etc) which you would have to bypass, therefore bypassing all weatherproof sealing, to use DIY. If you accomplish this, please post a KZbin video with details.

[@wantafastz28]

Miss these build videos. They are enjoyable to watch.

[@richardview1281]

Finally. I've been waiting for you to come out with a video on batteries.

[@retrozmachine1189]

Keep in mind that these 48V rack mount batteries usually include a switching BMS that is capable of limiting current in and out of the battery instead of simply disconnecting as per more common BMS. This is a considerable advantage in a situation where there are many batteries in parallel. Communication between the batteries is also useful. Overall it allows the batteries (and perhaps the charger too) to interact in a much better way to prevent one battery from receiving too much current (or draining too heavily) at the ends of the charge/discharge curve. The simply DIY alternative built as an example does not contain any of these smarts.

[@MatthewTaylorAu]

this. I've beeb hoping the diy builds would catchup in this regard

[@tothepoint7258]

the packs have BMS.

[@philhunt1442]

What about using the PCB with the master/meter? Unrelated?

[@johnsherby9130]

these packs are from ninebot. I don't know any specifics but I wouldn't say that their BMS counts against them. they definitely wont have the same creature comforts but I think they are fine in terms of safety

[@ghz24]

​@@MatthewTaylorAuI think they have now. I'm looking at a bms that communicates with inverters and mounts to the front of a server rack.

[@ACEBTRAVEL-AZ-ADVANTUR]

My questions is this if any one can answer it the 36v ninebot scooter pack full charge 42.5 V I stay around that voltage but I’m curious them pack all individual have it’s own bms does it have its ownd shut off when it reach full charged because I made a basically set up that about 4400wh worth of packs I have no idea if I can go over 42.5 -43.5v? Maybe higher or might blow 🤷‍♂️

[@ACEBTRAVEL-AZ-ADVANTUR]

#jehugarcia

[@ACEBTRAVEL-AZ-ADVANTUR]

what is this what i won or is this a troll trying to scam someone

[@johnperry5960]

Love these projects Jehu, I've got quite a few of them from you that I am working on and having a blast thank you. Can't wait for you to come out with the inverter box for the Makita tool box battery builds that you did. This is great stuff. Thank you.

[@carmichaelmoritz8662]

I also recently bought some used batteries from him and if all goes good I'll most likely be buying more items. The price is right

[@handyandy7706]

I love every video you make. You're like a 5 person think tank. One thing I was thinking while You were talking is although the Jakiper will still be producing power 20 years from now, Battery technology will look completely different. I think I'll save my money and DIY

[@richiewright3627]

Maybe with cost it might be reasonable to consider at 7-10 years

[@nwallace]

I bought 12 packs at 48V and 5KWH plug and play that were $330 per KWH including shipping from Signature Solar. My time is worth something and nothing I build myself comes with a 10 year warranty or integrates automatically with my inverters. I have a single management and communication setup that connects to my inverters, solar charge controllers and batteries. I may still build something for fun because I love to learn and build things. The additional cost of trying to work with 36V instead of 48V for your inverters, wiring and chargers is also not trivial. With DIY you are usually getting used parts which affects your remaining useful life and reliability. As for the environmental aspect, I plan on using my batteries until they have no life left. If I wanted to get the same amount of life out of a DIY battery, I would have to go through 2-3 sets which means about $400-$600 a KWH based on today's pricing over the same time period. I think my new set is a good compromise between cost/ease of use and the environment.

[@MaximC]

"DIY" and "used parts" - I'm not sure why you wrote this. I'm pretty sure one can use perfectly good new parts for ones DIY builds.

[@jamesshomesolarmore2223]

@Mike you just said 4 cell’s. That is only a 12 volt battery. You need 16 cells for the 48 volt batteries. Don’t forget about the box and bms. The 48 volt bms costs more also. Plus the batteries from signature solar come with a built in resistor. Making them safe to power up the capacitor in your inverter. I just built a battery box that will fit into a battery rack. The reason is for battery management.

[@michaeldautry]

Would you share which batteries you went with? Btw, I agree w you, diy batteries don’t make sense for me either.

[@jamesshomesolarmore2223]

@@michaeldautry I will always buy the signature solar batteries. I currently have 8 of them. I have three different battery types. Personally I like the egyll batteries with the screen.

[@Darkk6969]

@@jamesshomesolarmore2223 That is my plan too. I currently don't have solar panels due to the house design and location I am at. But when we move I'll take them with us to the new house and hopefully can do solar. Meanwhile, with CA issues with fires and power like to have emergency backup power to keep our essentials running. While I do like the idea of building my own server batteries I think buying them pre-built to me is safer. When you have large battery bank and if not done correctly or bad part things can go south pretty quick. Not saying you guys can't do a good solid DYI build I rather play it safe and pay the extra bucks for it.

[@George.___]

Very nice video and in-depth explanation of the most important considerations when deciding what route to go with your battery purchase. Thanks for doing what you do! 👍

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

Right, price is a very important factor

[@markreed9853]

I would love to see a system that used second life 18650/2170 cells put in a pack (like a scooter battery pack) that could then easily be replaced by anyone in a home battery sytem. You would have a system at home that takes say 10+ packs and the BMS tells you when one needs replacing, you then send it back and get a replacement. This would be a great way to use more second life cells. Some of the packs could be new cells so you always have some battery storage to hand.

[@cupimalik]

Thanks bro. Your videos are always inspirational. Hopefully in the near furute, I'll be able to work on a similar project. Great work and great content 👍🏻👍🏻

[@andycanfixit]

The biggest issue is the voltage at 36 volts really limits the inverters you can use it with, especially with solar inverters, 12, 24, 48 all are easy to find gear for, 36 other than a few inverters, there aren't as many charge controllers and inverters to use with it, especially ones that combine them both. 24 and 48 is a lot easier. I've built repurposed used cell packs and they work great and I'm super happy with them. I repurposed a number of 36 volt medical packs and turned them into 48 volt packs. Still have high cycle life being lifepo4 and I was able to do it cheaply. Latest pack I'm building is with EVE 230ah cells. Waiting on them to arrive on Thursday, but I ordered them from a company that stores them in the US, placed the order on Friday, about a week later they should be here. Provided they are what they say they are, cost will be about $154 per kwh. $1850 for a bit over 12kwh. That's a relatively affordable price, and gives me a lot more storage than the prebuilt server rack batteries with cells that are pretty safe. Most of those prebuilt server rack batteries are still well over $350-$500 per kwh. They are great for the plug and play crowd but too pricey for those with skills to build our own. I'm all for reuse of cells, but for my applications I want ones that have a low risk of fire if there is a major failure and a high cycle life so lifep04 is just a better fit. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot of used cells in that chemistry lately, though I do see you have a few. I've built two 5kwh packs out of them, and I'd have built more if I could get more. The couple packs I've built with lithium ion used cells, those I use for mobile power applications where they won't have to cycle as often and the higher density helps out. So long as the cells I got are good cells though it's hard to argue with $150ish per kwh and not waiting months for shipping. Unfortunately too many of the cheap cells out of China are the grade b cells often swollen, so those you might be waiting 3 months for and then bummed out when they arrive. I suspect as more scooters and other items start switching to lifepo4 cells that should help out finding more cells to harvest provided the price is right. Love the work you do man.

[@commonsense.1014]

by a current adjustment device.

[@randybobandy9828]

I fully agree! $150 a kwh is where the price is for us DIY guys. The cost to build your own vs the server rack batteries is just to big to ignore. Like you said the cheapest server batteries go for $300 a kwh and that is such a massive difference on a whole house system. Say you want a 80kwh battery for a house. Diy= about $12,000 but a server rack system would be $24,000 to $30,000. It just doesn't make Financial sense at those prices.

[@randybobandy9828]

If you are looking for cheap Lifepo4 used cells I know a US site that sells them for as little as $100 a kwh. They are large 26650 Lifepo4 cells.

[@ghz24]

​@@randybobandy9828I agree I bought 2, 8s modules 280 Ah lifepo cells wired in series they make a 48 volt 14 kWh battery. Already "fixed" in an aluminum frame so no compression worries welded bus bars with welded studs for easy bms installation. $1800 inc $300 delivery. I was going to go cheap on the BMS but now I'm thinking I like the communication with the inverter so I'll probably get the "diy bms" from Jakiper it's $330 double the price of a daly but gives the look and capability of a server rack battery. At least that's what the reviews say. That puts me near $2130-$2150 range for a 14.3 kWh battery, that's almost exactly $150/kWh. Shipping is a substantial part of this the same $300 delivery could have gotten 8 times the battery I got delivered but that was all I could get and they went fast. Hopefully the communication between the battery and inverter works but if not it will look nice instead of a rats nest like most my projects.

[@krishnasingh-hd8zq]

Jehu you are the Master, DIY is the BEST, Thank you for all your videos

[@eloite]

This is very helpful info. Jehu is getting grey heairs. I remember when first watched this channel, Jehu looked like a teenager.

[@bencapobianco2045]

I always choose DIY because then it’s mine I built it and I can fix it! But Jehu even your new battery projects seem to be plug and play. I miss your old school DIY projects from the beginning. Watching your channel is the reason I love batteries and have built so many !!!

[@tim102353]

I love your videos. I have learned so much. I really enjoy DIY. So much fun and keeps my mind working

[@alexsimmons1803]

I can use 48V battery but a 36V battery is completely useless to me. It would be much better if the comparison was between two batteries of equivalent capability. Pre-built v DIY. Same energy storage capacity Same power output Same charge rates Same voltage Same features (BMS control, display, breaker(s) and circuit protection, good casing, terminal connections, handles) LiFePO4 is very safe chemistry, even if damaged or exposed to unsafe conditions. How safe are those second hand e-bike packs?

[@Ulbre]

A DIY project like this could be perfect for someone starting out in their world of solar & batteries. Or someone wanting to experiment a bit. Maybe they don't really know yet the size of the system they want....maybe they are going to be grid tied or already grid ties but would like to experiment with a little off grid. Lot's of different reasons but to be able to experiment without forking out full bucks is a win win for many folk.

[@ilingwang1168]

Thanks Jehu. I really appreciate people who recycle and repurpose. We, as Americans live in such abundance that we sometimes take things for granted. These abundances can easily become excess and that’s why we end up shipping our trash to other countries or they end up in landfills. A lot of our electronic trash end up in third world countries because the U.S don’t prioritize recycling, not enough incentives and not profitable. Someday in the future it will be profitable because this planet has only a finite amount of these materials and we will start running out. When that day comes, everyone will get off their high horse and start dumpster diving.

[@garnetknibbs7786]

If you're looking for a supplier of Eve or CATL batteries in the US. Docan Tech has a warehouse in Houston. Super easy to deal with them and you don't have to wait months on shipping. I just bought a bunch of Eve 304.'s

[@Vigo327]

I'm not in the market for a diy battery project like this but i appreciate your point about what will happen if we don't make use of these used cells domestically.

[@williammeek4078]

I am in the server rack battery camp. EG4 has a 48V 100 Ah battery for $1500. That is $0.29/kWh. Plus shipping. But it includes a solid BMS with low temperature protection that is supported in comms for the most common all-in-one inverter/charge controller and each battery has a built in circuit breaker. If i am powering my house with this, the reliability is important.

[@jehugarcia]

$290/kwh

[@williammeek4078]

@@jehugarcia ya. That

[@Builtbypete]

Given what's happening in the world at the moment with gas and oil prices on the rise, I would say is a must!

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

agree

[@soundrail1895]

I can get 4 18650 batteries at my local vape shop for $50. Each one is 3500 mah. Makes it easier for me to get the energy I need $100 as a time. I put my batteries in an off-grid solar setup. The main purpose is to keep devices charged and to power a lamp, a TV and an android box with an attached HDD. Makes it perfect to keep comfortable and entertained if the grid goes out.

[@PatriotsGunClub]

All things considered, imho, the only "advantage" of Commercial Pre-built builds MIGHT be a Warranty, if it has any... Besides the cost advantage of DIY, one also gains a much better "working" knowledge of the entire process and system - which to me is priceless.

[@christawilliams9116]

DIY My packs worked out to 222.22 a KWH. Made 24 volt LFP packs daisy chainable with custom boxes so I can use the same packs in wheelchair, e-bike, car, home, and for cordless tools. It's fun to learn new skills.

[@KeyBored101]

Please do similar videos to help people considering "solar generators" like me. I would much prefer to build a DIY battery

[@TheColinputer]

IMO, For lithium ion phosphate, DIYing makes less sense now, between server rack batteries and all those 12v 100AH lead acid replacement type form factor batteries its just hard to beat them. But for re purposing ebike/scooter batteries or some other packs you can get super cheap. Then DIY all the way. Especially if you want to build some sort of smaller or custom form factor type setup

[@geraldkoth654]

I build so that there is no useless BMS ruining the battery for real world use.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

moe ironohsa bayee hretire anaxjn chesaper

[@equalizer1553]

Dude these videos are a blessing

[@paulgroth3345]

Boxes from China so much fun you always find cherries and lemons

[@fduran6993]

I would say the main reason to go for the LFP set is the number of cycles / price which may exceed DIY. DIY is cheaper but number of cycles should be much lower.

[@arthill2310]

Yes this. amp hours * projected cycles. What is this called? "lifetime amp hours"? If I understood him, that makes the diy battery twice as expensive.

[@nickwoo2]

I have a ton of cells so I'm still interested in diy

[@lancejones9320]

You could reconfigure the cells very easily in that same pack to make a 12v or 48v battery. I don't know how that particular bms would work, but you could probably make it work too. If not BMS are not that expensive. You could probably go to a thrift store and buy an old computer or something in a nice metal case to work for a good case.

[@FRUGALWITHJOHN]

With the shipping cost it's more expensive to to buy individual battery cells, In Canada anyway around $400++ for shipping.

[@benc1927]

I've got a bunch of ES2 expansion batteries i'd really like to use in a project

[@SeplosTechnology]

How about SEPLOS MASON DIY BATTERY KITS. Just fit for your 280Ah battery cell.

[@spmbucket1]

Very much appreciare the HONEST and thorough comparison. I just bought a prebuilt lifepo4 pack because I needed 48v and needed a particular form factor. Would have diy if it would have fit my requirements though.

[@jamiebrock7157]

? you can diy a lot more form factor's? pre built you are limited to what they make.

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

@@jamiebrock7157 That is true

[@jamiebrock7157]

@@serverrackbatteryusa I really like your product good build quality!

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

@@jamiebrock7157 Thanks.

[@ragemonkey3163]

Docan stocks then in the US (houston). I'm ordering 16 304AH cells from then and delivery to Atlanta is 5 days.

[@charliegordon5085]

Congrats on 411K subscribers plus +1 🇨🇦

[@ES-qt6yo]

So glad to hear you mentioning the social, environmental and security costs of Chinese sourced new vs. DIY reuse. We really need to focus on reducing waste and conservation of energy for both human health, and the environment. How does your primary pcb board that has the meter also support addition of a COM port so the inverter can be easily connected to an advanced inverter?

[@jehugarcia]

It doesn’t

[@ES-qt6yo]

@@jehugarcia Hi I thought you'd want to know I am getting spammed with fake prize winnings from an account that is mimicking yours, see the acct's comment as a reply to me that is just below yours in this this thread

[@waheex]

great video. How do these batteries connect to the inverter. I have a solar system with solar edge inverter and was thinking of adding my own batteries. Thanks

[@mucholangs]

36V vs 48V is not really a problem. There are other types of cells that could be combined to give any voltage one desires. I believe if one is building a large project, the savings from DIY would be significant. If it's just a small build, and time is limited, it might be worth buying the ready battery.

[@stephenross4333]

Very cool. I'd love to learn how to build one of these!

[@roadrunnerchickadee]

one pro of diy is the intimate knowledge of assembly in case of any problems

[@Sanwizard1]

BMS? Monitoring? LiOn vs LiFe Po4? Ability to parallel? Warranty?

[@RRmelgar]

Can you series those batteries to 400v+ and pararell to higher AH and feed them to a sandy 30kw inverter since it can take huge DCV bypass the 36v with limited inverter out there

[@jehugarcia]

I don’t know 400v but I’m doing 3s and 4s for around 150v to power diy ev, no problems after 6months of use

[@Cloxxki]

If you don't tape them together quite that way, might you be able to pack 21 or 24 in 3 alternating rows?

[@Kettenhund75]

I was wondering the same thing - need 6 more cells in there. It looked like there was plenty of room if they were allowed to settle into the form factor.

[@francoisguyot9770]

Hi Jehu, I'm not a fan of those server rack solutions. Although I agree with you about the recycling principles, my main complaint with them is their high cost. Unfortunately most "DIYers" I subscribed to have turned away from buiding their own solutions. They became pretty much evaluators or marketting agents for Signature Solar or others resellers. You are still promoting the DIY approach that I value too. I just spent $1933 for a 14.5 KWh battery which includes a 150A Daly BMS for Android Bluetooth monitoring. That's about $133/KWh! as opposed to the $371/KWh for the Orient Power 105Ah Server Rack battery. Trust me, at that price, I'm willing to wait till January 2023 for my cells delivery and spend extra time top balancing the cells and extract the real capacity upon discharge and finally assemble them into a 48V 280Ah pack using the BMS. The EBC-A40 makes the process a breeze. Thus for me the DIY approach is invaluable in terms of know how and money saving... in addition to saving the planet... of course. Keep up the good work my friend!

[@jimmac521]

Jehu have you capacity tested an assembled battery like this? I've always wondered how the packs interact at the low end of charge.

[@jamesshomesolarmore2223]

He would but he can’t find a 36 volt inverter.

[@raydzek]

Both have legitimate use cases. it is up to the individual to decide.

[@brianhoskins1979]

I think the two main reasons DIY is an advantage is: 1. If you built it yourself, so you know how it works, then you can fix it yourself. At the end of the day, if you can't fix it you don't really own it. And after the batteries have exhausted their useful life you have the option to simply swap them out and you keep the box, the cabling, the BMS, and everything. So in the long run it will for sure work out cheaper. 2. Sometimes form-factor is important. Possibly not in this application (a battery for the home) but if you're building an AUX battery for your car, or you're making some other space restricted project, then you can adapt your build to suit your specific application. And you're definitely not going to get that flexibility any other way.

[@kswis]

The dyi to me is all bout the journey. The planning building ect.

[@dennisyoung4631]

For some, that price difference (in the thumbnail) may make the difference between affording and not bothering due to the price.

[@mbavictor976]

I need the 36v packs can you ship to Nigeria, i have a 120v inveter and i need 120v 20kw pack how possible is it with those diy cells

[@finecutpost]

Excellent video I can't see any info on where to buy the scooter packs. I guess it's there and I'm not looking in the right place.

[@jehugarcia]

Literally the first link in the description

[@finecutpost]

@@jehugarcia yes of course it's exactly where you said. Thanks and I'm sorry for being so dumb.

[@veryinteresting591]

DIY is a great learning tool. The price points are getting really close together.

[@mikemorgan8588]

Is it because of the high amps that a boost converter can’t change the output to 48v.?

[@pau1phi11ips]

What's the application for the 36V battery? I don't think I've ever seen a 36V inverter.

[@georgecothran4760]

I’m definitely interested in building my own, and have run into the same things you have long shipping times and not a great price break. I need to build mine as 24 volt and big enough (even if I build two such batteries) to have between 200 and 300 amp hours.

[@mitchellmooso7658]

DIY for sure. I'm planning on building one for my ebike soon because I can't get a saddle bag style extended battery pack for the Sur Ron. So I have to build my own

[@sharonbraselton4302]

buy griàhing vaoire bayeerß

[@mitchellmooso7658]

@@sharonbraselton4302 what is that?

[@rancillinmontgomery2480]

Best bet of course is diy lifepo4. Prefab unit are over-inflated pricing.

[@miagasu1970]

Do you have any videos on how to add batteries to a bluetti ep500? I don't care about voided warranty.

[@RRmelgar]

Are there any good high output 8000w + 36v inverter sounds interesting but looking around everything is 48v or 24v

[@asc556]

You can diy the inverter too. Look for inverters with the board egs002

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

@@asc556 That is higher level DIY.

[@asc556]

@@serverrackbatteryusa It is. You can check out this kzbin.infosearch to see a good few examples of what iḿ thinking. And if you decide to go for it, its important that you choose a circuit with overload protection and under-voltage protection. Cheers.

[@Rookie7916]

I installed a 24v system in my camper, if I want to buy 2 of the megaladongle with all the batteries to fill it, am I gonna need to change my solar panels and all my system to 36v? What are the advantages of doing that?

[@igneousc]

I would say DIY if sourcing LIPO cells wasn't unreliable and slow. Its crazy how hard it is to get them for a decent price and a guarantee that they will be grade A

[@jamiebrock7157]

there are a lot of good suppliers here in u.s.a lots of choices no waiting .. grade a and low price.. hell even signature solar has got in to the game with a deaccent deal on some of the best cells in the industry

[@wkrp10splayer19]

you flat out cannot buy a small quantity of grade A for a decent price and a guarantee without taking a lot of risk AND time wastage. zero leverage. the pack makers buy large quantities and have leverage and plausibly decent guarantee. diy has financial, performance, and time wastage risk but at a lower price. its a balance of a lot of variables and you pick your poison.

[@jamiebrock7157]

@@wkrp10splayer19 sorry to here that which supplier did you have a bad experience with?

[@rosafotografii8092]

In Spain i can have 2.4kWh Pylontech Lithium battery US2000C - 48V at 680 Euros.. so for the warranty and anything else i can say it is not still a good idea.. also for a pack of 10 you can have a little discount. Great videos!

[@marcus_b1]

There is 1 company that has a warehouse setup in the US that DOES in fact sell new lifepo4 cells and the price is great! They got delivered to me in 2 days at that.

[@Roscoriver]

The cycle life is the biggest issue for me. I would rather just get it and forget it.that’s why i went with lithium iron.

[@johnhufnagel]

There's also the near-standard form factor manufacturers are using, the on-board diagnostics, the reporting/remote-monitoring capabilities, there's the pre-shipment testing the manufacturer does, and there's of course the warranty. now granted the warranty is only good if the manufacturer is still around when/if it's needed, but I figure most of these rack packs are going to follow the infant mortality mantra: if it doesn't die in the first 1-2 weeks/months, it's going to last at least as long as predicted. Just because I *CAN* build and maintain a giant battery bank, doesn't mean I *WANT* to.

[@WesDuncan]

Do you put any thought into thermals? I'm curious how hot these get when they're packed together like that.

[@randybobandy9828]

Not very hot. The more cells in a pack the lower amp draw per cell.

[@eelbatteryofficial]

Jehu, we have a cheaper 48V 16S lifepo4 DIY Box, are you interested in doing a test for our DIY box?

[@larrymacdonald4241]

I paid $179 for battery spot welder from Amazon, then spent about $1000.00 for batteries, Samsung 40T cells, $30 or so for nickel strips, I built a 130 cell pack, 2 X 20 amp hour with well over 100 amps each discharge, 35 amps each with 5 in series 13 parallel, the one piece battery pack from Ali-Express was $2400. To get one custom built for my 2 wheel drive ebike... would have been much much more expensive... so for less than half the cost of a stock battery pack, I built my own let alone the " custom " build I did, I could have made one large pack for both motors but !! redundancy... if the one large pack failed for any reason, I would have to push the bike home.. pedalling an ebike with a 5000 watt rear motor with a single speed 18 tooth gear would take forever, physically being able to pedal it all the way home, is another matter altogether, it aint easy, even more so because I run 19" motorcycle tires front and rear :) ......... same thing with two motors, besides being fun as hell, if one motor fails, I can still get home on the other... uphill, downhill, over hill, over dale, mud, snow, ice ( studded tires ) off road, on road.. 2 wheel drive ebike with full suspension... will roxors your boxors... :)

[@davefroman4700]

Have you talked to Will Prowse? He knows a supplier in USA that has supply.

[@jehugarcia]

Nope, I’ve seen him push signature solar batteries, but all the loose cells from china.

[@davefroman4700]

@@jehugarcia He has tried cells from all over yes, But he does have a supplier In the US that does have grade A stock at reasonable prices. He gets cells from all over the place and he is not scared to tell you the ones that fail to meet expectations. The other side of the coin of course being the safety factor of using older Li-Ion batteries in comparison. Having ready made equipment has one definite advantage. You can still get home insurance.

[@jamiebrock7157]

heck yeah diy is worth it !!! server rack batt's are still crazy priced!!!

[@eratbon6740]

please do more DIY battery-related projects.

[@richardle7469]

Can you 36v to 24 or up to 48v right? Buck/boost converter

[@jehugarcia]

Yes

[@browndatuwwedu]

How about a 24v option?

[@jehugarcia]

they have 24v batteries also

[@browndatuwwedu]

@@jehugarcia I know about the Lifepower 24v, I have one. I mean, a 24v scooter battery power wall that can be used to expand my existing battery, a 24v version of the project in the video, I think, it's been too long

[@gabrielalejandroverapinto1974]

Hey, thank you for the videos. I want to get a full house (cabin) backup battery system that may be powered by solar but I also need it to fo 240V. What would you suggest I do?

[@tonyrardon3227]

Check out Sriko Batteries out of Naperville, IL. I just ordered a Daly 4s 12v 40Amp BMS from there for a DIY build for a go box. They have Calb (100 Ah) and Eve (280 Ah and 300 Ah). Haven't looked into shipping, but $252 for 100 Ah isn't too bad (if not grade B cells). I could see an application for the 36v DIY packs in an RV application and do a DC-DC down to 12 volts (the trick would be solar charging). If I weren't already into a LiFePO4 build for my RV, I could find plenty of places to place that box.

[@timboe1848]

What 36v inverter are you using

[@davidreed628]

When you put out a wiring diagram for what you promised to then I’ll listen to you again

[@fletcher3913]

What is the overall length and height of the scooter battery packs?

[@CharlesMiner]

What would you recommend for someone looking to do this in Puerto Rico? I’m new to this and haven’t been able to find anyone who would ship the batteries here

[@serverrackbatteryusa]

some people ship them from FL, Jakiper is looking for distributor in Puerto Rico, Can you suggest some of famious solar system company in puerto Rico? Please contact jakiper

[@fouroakfarm]

Paralleling those four 36v packs together is ok? Even with different SOCs? I thought it would do damage from instantaneous high current. Also do they have single port BMS where charging and discharging from same leads is ok? Thanks in advance for any help in understanding

[@jehugarcia]

Bms does it’s job, it does have a separate charging port so it can be used, I’ve been using the same output port to charge them but I’m working on the next version of the pcb to use the separate charge input to charge.

[@fouroakfarm]

@@jehugarcia Good to know, thank you for the reply

[@jiminauburn5073]

As someone that used to work for a US company that imported things from China, something I learned is that our customers would rather deal with a US company. We had the warranty, and if there was a problem, they would come to us to get it resolved, not some factory in China that would basically was their hands of it. What is someone in the US going to do if they buy $3000 worth of batteries and they are bad? The factory could just tell you to get lost. But if it is a US company, you have more things that you can do. So the US company has to charge enough so that if there are warranty issues, they can afford to absorb the cost, because the factory might just tell them to get lost when they try to make a warranty claim with them as well. That exact thing basically caused the company to go under. We had a factory in China that we had been buying about $500K a month from. Then they had a problem batch and we got huge claims from our customers. Because our product had to be installed, we had claims for the cost of materials, and for the installation costs. So we had ~$1M in claims one month. The factory basically told us to get lost and to sue them. A foreign company suing a Chinese company is pretty much impossible unless you are a really huge foreign company. So we took the loss, paid the claims and the company was not able to survive. If our customer had been buying directly, they would have gotten the product cheaper, but they would have taken the hit instead of them. So it was worth it to them to pay extra to have us in the middle.

[@guyking215]

videos are always inspirational.

[@wbrtcanada6922]

I’m in Canada, do you know where I could get these used batteries?

[@LarryRichelli]

Signature Solar = EG4-LL-S Lithium Battery | 48V 100AH | Server Rack Battery | UL1973, UL9540A $1599 and free shipping right now......can't beat this!

[@njfulwider5]

Hey Jehu, I know I mentioned to you about this in the past. But Wes the Techman here deals in containers. He sales batteries also, but mainly one kind. He's been out of the loop like me, so I'm not sure if this is still something he does. Last I heard, he was moving here in Washington (just down the road). Then I seen a couple of videos a couple of years old. He might be a way to get something like that cheaper than these others are offering. Just an idea 💡 💡 💡

[@jfbaro2]

I need to build a serie of batteries to store 1MWh for a solar farm that I am building. I am not in the US, I want to import it from China... would you be up to help me designing this? Thanks for sharing

[@patricksmith5640]

Takes about 3 of your DYI packs to equal the Jakiper pack because Jakiper has better battery chemistry 4 times life cycles so really in this case no comparison 3 DYI packs is around 2000$ which is higher cost with lesser quality batteries

[@offgridsolaruk843]

1. Resistance issue of used 18650 cells 2. All lithium classified as Hazardous goods. 3. But way more fun building your own!

[@goatlady7761]

DIY pack cycle life is like 2.9 months if cycled once a day, how do you get 5 years?

[@jehugarcia]

How do you figure? You can have good quality cells or trash cells, that determines cycle life not the DIY part

[@goatlady7761]

@@jehugarciaYou stated 1000 cycles which is less than 3years do the math.

[@jehugarcia]

So how do you get 2.9 months?

[@goatlady7761]

@@jehugarcia Sorry 2.9 years.

[@AlchemiUnlimited]

I have been a fan for a while and would like to try my 1st DIY battery project. I have a 36volt 50Amp Trolling motor for my boat and wish to build a battery pack for it with charger and meter. Can you point me in the right direction? Thank you for any help and your content. I wish you were on the East coast.

[@roadrunnerchickadee]

either way this channel is a great resource