New storage solution to host my battery banks. It's enough for 45kWh. Battery 2.0

I needed a small compact storage solution for the 2 batteries (and future batteries). The 400kg capacity shelve can host 3 battery banks with 15kWh each and also has space in the top for main switch, breakers and other safety gear we will need. This will be the Battery Box 2.0. And I think it will be good!
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[@martehoudesheldt5885]

perfect answer to batt storage.! one small problem but easy solve. i have several of these type of shelves in my shop. they are about 3 years old. the problem is that that sawdust board will sag over time (more weight high moisture faster) that is what mine did. replace shelves with 3/4" plywood or supports under them. paint well with oil based paint. for buss bars ; consider copper clad ground rod and very good clamps ??. your unit is very easy expandable. 👍👍👍👌👌👌😊. and don't forget copper never seize on all the connections

[@gruetoo1]

Ditto, I have had my shelves more than 20 years and they do sag. Though I think metal T bar in a few places will remedy this. I used 3"X1" T bars on new one and no sagging. Just notch out where it will sit on shelf. The grounding rod sounds interesting to me. But I would think the efficiency or loss would preclude it's use. Keep the great videos coming. And Stay Charged!!!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

These ones have metal supports underneath, they usually come with 2 supports per shelve and can hold 400kg evenly distributed. I've put 4 supports under each shelve now. I know what you mean, the MDF is not the best for carrying big loads. I may get some 5mm aluminium floors for that.

[@martehoudesheldt5885]

@@gruetoo1 i have not tried it yet myself . but i found i had an extra ground rod so i will try it on mine. i often pull 280 amp so it can be am honest test.

[@55sunturbine30]

I like! Very similar to mine. I see one issue with yours. The supplied boards will not last. They will sag in less than a year. Replace with a good plywood oriented grain front to back

[@ryanaf2023]

This is very true,,

[@typxxilps]

I hope that when I gotten through this playlist I will have learned a lot more.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

You will probably...

[@praveenjain6025]

Dear sir really you are fantastic... What you are doing really it is boosting our knowledge with Off Grid system as a awesome projects...go ahead sir...

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks a lot for your kind comment!

[@adharyanto]

Hi, I would put some big/wide ceramic/granite tiles on top of the mdf board, it will give us flat surface, fire/high temp proof, (of course it is fragile if sudden hard force applied on them). In my place, humidity is the enemy for the mdf board, after some time the mdf will always become bending, not flat anymore... Fortunately I have plenty of excessive ceramic/granite tiles, and I have the proper tool to cut the ceramic/granite tiles (a ceramic cutter), so the shape and measurement of the tiles are accurate....

[@1over137]

I watch a few of these channels and its interesting how different people build battery storage. A lot of people with wood skills use wood. People with metal skills use metal. People with lots of money buy expensive industrial rack trolleys. Me? I'm going for "Really useful box" batteries. Pre-made boxes that I can drill holes in. Granted the weight factor will mean that runs out of legs once the battery gets above about 20kg. However, you can go quite a bit bigger using the likes of Stanley or Harbour Freight tool chests and toots.

[@offgridwanabe]

Use plexiglass instead of Aluminum so we can see your batteries.

[@monsieurd.6890]

Plexiglass can burn. Make an enclosure is mostly relevant to prevent fire. Much less expensive than aluminium would be fire plasterboard/drywall and aluminium only in front.

[@offgridwanabe]

@@monsieurd.6890 LiFePo4 is relatively safe for combustion but with any Lithium if it does catch fire a little aluminum will not stop it.

[@magicmanspaz]

@@monsieurd.6890 Polycarbonate while expensive is better than plexiglass and will melt but not burn.

[@GregOnSummit]

Andy, how deep is you shelf? 18" or 24"? Those are the standard widths in the US. I keep watching and re-watching these old videos. So much information in them👍

[@richardfranks152]

Hi Andy, I've watched your entire set of videos over the last couple of weeks, and I have to say, they're probably the most engaging solar videos I've seen. Your style is amazing, it feels like I'm part of the project, regardless of being half the world away (geographically). Hoping to build a garden office when we move, and planning to put a lot of the knowledge I have gained from your videos into action in putting solar on the roof and using a 48v home-built battery for storage. Might have to start calibrating some SPATs in the mean time ;)

[@williamjamesenkerwitz9495]

Yes once again better to be safe than sorry and easy to work with regards from South Africa

[@kevinarmstrong986]

I read through the comments and saw your concerns about tipping if you used casters. A possible solution would be to secure one corner of the cabinet to the wall thus allowing it to pivot away from the wall. Then you’d have easier access to everything and not have to worry about tipping.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks Kevin, that would not work as there is the metal vertical beam on one side and the electrical cabinet on the other side which would prevent that.

[@bentleyjarrard885]

Based on how often you work on (Play with) your batteries, I would suggest leaving the aluminum panels OFF the front of the new battery rack. LOL

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hahaha, maybe. I haven't opened the battery box for a while now... Hope it settles after the excitement.

[@houseofancients]

you could use aluminium , you need a bit more per amp, but it is much cheaper, and will not oxidate.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Al bus bar was 15% cheaper than copper. It's different Al for bus bars than you buy at the hardware store.

[@ryanaf2023]

I'm suggesting plexiglass panels for the walls,,,,might even be able to mount to it..🤔.

[@peterpetersen6024]

Now we are talking. The lovely "k" everywhere. 400kg per shelf, 480kA per Busbar, 25kA breakable fuses, 45kWh Energy, etc.... I love it. ;-)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

We're getting there faster than I thought.

[@mrzed6597]

Have the same problem. All the cells in shelves. I have 3 OSB boards under the cells to prevent the board from bending. How do you want to make this cabinet water resistant? Like an IP55 level. Your inverter cabinet is like IP55. The main problems are the doors.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I'll show this in the next video. As the shelve will sit in the garage, it does not need to be water resistant. The cabinet at the wall was just like this when I bought it, but it does not need to be like this.

[@mrzed6597]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia You can have a leak in the roof ... or a faulty garden hose ... or anything. The pack has a very big load. Even your previous box is water resistant. I say better safe than sorry.

[@johnc5937]

Figure out the total weight of all the batteries and other equipment that will be on or directly attached to the shelf unit.. then double that weight and get 4 heavy duty casters that can support that weight. Do this now before you load anything more onto the shelf. At least two castor with locks to hold the unit in it’s final position.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The shelve gets too top heavy with 3 banks. Imagine it tips over... 💥

[@johnc5937]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia There are “work bench” castors that can be retracted when you want to lock things in place. I look at your video and say “How’s he gonna move that against the wall with the weight of just that ONE set of batteries?” Four big guys.. one on each leg?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@johnc5937 the shelve will be in the final position before I put the batteries in.

[@johnc5937]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Don’t look now, but I already see a set of batteries in place… just thinking out loud.

[@evil17]

@@johnc5937 I think this is all speculative ground work he is doing for now, checking sizes, weights, positions of infrastructure, etc, its all good and necessary to try and make these decisions before we get too far ahead. Probably took Andy a few minutes to initially place this set here, and now he will ponder configurations etc for the next few hours/days/weeks, I believe this started as a 12v setup, and look where he is heading to now, 44kw @ 48v. One of the best video series on the web at the moment.

[@leonclose7823]

Those shelf panels look like about 10-12mm MDF. With the weight of batteries, that will probably begin to sag in a few months. It might be a good idea to add some reinforcement under each shelf.

[@SkypowerwithKarl]

Absofreakinlutely! You beat me to it. When it sags, it’ll put a lot of stress on the bus bars then the terminals.

[@jstaffordii]

Was going to say the same. I replaced the mdf on my shelf with 18mm plywood after they all sagged from heat and garage humidity level.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Shelve is rated for 400kg per shelve when evenly distributed. The MDF has 2 metal support beams underneath which I have amended to 4 supports now. But yeah, the MDF is not the best solution. I may get some 5mm Al floors for each shelve

[@SkypowerwithKarl]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Wisdom

[@leonclose7823]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia If you go with 5mm aluminium, pop riveting it to the frame would stiffen up the whole structure significantly.

[@SinKillerJ]

Been thinking about doing a shelf setup for my future battery as well, great minds think alike.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Cool 👍

[@awesomusmaximus3766]

Careful with the breakers AC breakers don't usually work on DC

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

They are not AC breaker. And AC breakers will work, just not correctly in both directions.

[@awesomusmaximus3766]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Oh ok just trying to be helpful

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@awesomusmaximus3766 You are! 😉

[@awesomusmaximus3766]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thanks bro

[@mjp0815]

Bus bar hack, use a flattened copper water pipe and some double layer shrink tube.

[@w3bb0y]

Copper pipe is a lower grade copper, plus is rather thin walled compared to copper flat bar. There's a reason it's so expensive and that's because it actually contains a large volume of copper.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

You never get this pipe really flat. I've seen many videos people doing this and they all had issues after a while.

[@CollinBaillie]

Andy, what are the dimensions of these shelves (LxWxH)? And how many shelf braces did you install?

[@DanBurgaud]

Based on observation, I think it is 36" x 16" x 60" or 90cm x 40cm x 150cm

[@excillisbank2611]

Humm pas mal comme idée...

[@daskasspatzle2396]

Size of bus bars. Big topic. I tend to go wider for less thickness. Looking at some tables shows doubling the thickness does not doubling the current capacity. Also holes matter less, if the bar is wider. And your shelve looks very suitable :-)

[@sreekumarUSA]

070521/0138h PST 🇺🇸 070521/1838h Brisbane 🇦🇺 . Good to see the interesting modifications. Instead of Aluminium sheets for the open sides;15mm Perspex may be suitable, as you want to isolate the LiFePo4s from conducting materials. You may also, want to illuminate the inside with LED emitters. Ventilators perhaps?. My thought. The shelving looks sturdy with the maximum load capacity of 400KGs. The idea of disconnecting both PV input and LiFePo4 power simultaneously is a great idea. Would appreciate if the design could be posted. Wishing you all the best for the new endeavor. Stay safe and 73s…

[@solargarage]

Andy, you are going to need a few more cells. :) Looks great, I like the industrial look. For my setup I ended up building a set of shelves based on a set of plans my wife created. Currently supporting 32 280ah cells with room for more. Made from 2X4's and 2X6's.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

More cells are coming once the prices will go down again. I hope they don't stay that high. Atm the EV industry in China is buying all cells they can get. We really need more Gigafactories.

[@Sylvan_dB]

Sounds like a great plan. I'm setting up a new battery system and looking to move a very similar direction.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Great. I was looking into different options for quite a while now. It's very hard to find the right solution and everyone's needs are different.

[@1981dasimpson]

i think a trolly under the shelves with multi direction casters would be a really good idea if you ever need access the full emegerncy shut down button i think should be solid mounted on the wall where the controllers and that are and on the battery rack just one for isolating the battery otherwise i feel you going to have to many wires that will make it hard work if you ever need to move the rack out to service or replace something on a battery pack

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I'm a bit worried that it may get top heavy with three battery banks inside. If this tips over.... 🧨

[@1981dasimpson]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia yeah they is that other option it not having it flat to wall but small side to the wall so you can access both sides

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

Andy could you use aluminium bar as bus bar? Cheap and readily available. Drill and tap or drill and bolt the terminals. There is an aluminium warehouse in Ipswich I get my aluminium from.

[@amateurwizard]

Loved the video. I was wondering if you could store the batteries on their side for easy access to the terminals. It would mean filling out every level with something or in some way to make sure that there's no chance of them falling over.

[@ToThePointGarfield]

Hello Andy nice job. I am in the beginning of building my off grid system here in Belgium and can't find any suitable shelf here so i have to make and weld my own. What is the height between the shelf's ? You mention 50mm above the cells was not enough and in the comments no measurements so this begs the question . ↓↓↓↓↓ What is the distance in cm between the shelf's where the cells going to be or are located ? Many tnx in advance Andy. Greetings JP

[@DanBurgaud]

Where did you order this shelf? I was trying to get this rack myself. all I see are the ultra large 6m wide, 60cm depth, 2m height used mostly for warehouses. and the other racks are the small weak ones for books.

[@henvan8737]

Yes I see the power station is growing.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It has to be...

[@MrAE2780]

If cost of the cables / bars is an issue have you considered going to metal recyclers that may have old power company scrap and lightning / earthing conductors?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Considered that, but most of such metals are still too expensive if it is a busbar. Busbars are made from pure copper, all other conductors are of less quality and therefore cheaper. If I also consider time and effort to drive to Brisbane and look around on scrap yards for the right thing, It's just not worth the hassle. I've got a smaller busbar now for A$220 per 4m length tinned pure copper (T1).

[@MrAE2780]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Good luck with your latest project. I hope you have or aim to purchase a milli / micro ohm meter to test and record EVERY joint and connection as I had to do in the 1980s during high current stand by battery installations.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@MrAE2780 I've got an internal resistance tester. There is an episode about that and how I measured all these connections.

[@danfitzpatrick4112]

This will be awesome! Can't wait to watch the new build come together. The only thing I think about now is that your panels will not be enough to charge all the new battery banks? I'm sure you will have that figured out though.. ; )

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

With the current setup, it won't be enough in winter, no. Sometimes I'm only making 2kWh per day but can be up to 5kWh if a bit cloudy. In summer, I'm laughing. That will be close to 20kwh per day. I still have lots of roof space so can expand. But I wanted to start slowly with that and not ending up with expensive solar charge controllers and a huge amount of panels.

[@AHMADKAMALZUBER]

I would suggest the batteries to have non conductive cover. It will have some protection from unforeseen future disturbance . i.e. kids, cats, thieves, etc

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The batteries will be fully covered all the time. You would need tools to get access to the batteries. No kids anymore, they all moved 👍, cat is not interested and thieves... well 🐕🐕🐕

[@kezzatries]

Only raining up there mate. Not down here in SA, bugger

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

This weather is actually good for my solar in winter time. gives me heaps more energy during the day. Had 12mm and 29mm the next day. It never rained in winter since we moved here in 2009. Something is going on.

[@Shep5847]

Keep an eye on those "wooden" shelves. They tend to sag over time as they are exposed to humidity. I've seen a ~10lbs load completely fall through the shelf as the shelf sags over time and eventually gives way.

[@donr416]

Stiff backs down the center and sides of each shelf. Even 25 or 37 mm by 20 mm will add a lot of stiffness to them.

[@Mazlem]

I bought similar shelves and immediately glued 1/4" plywood to the particleboard shelves for more strength, then added a 2x4 brace front to back for each shelf. -Now- I actually think it'll hold the weight it claims!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

They have 4 metal supports where the battery sits.

[@Mazlem]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia ah didn't see those; that's good!

[@robertkosovich1232]

Hello Andy, just wanted to say, Thank You! The Knowledge here is a great learning experience, and your Video Productions, Very Entertaining and keep getting better and better, music is great, not sure which one I enjoy the most! Thanks Again! Looking forward for the next one.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Awesome, thank you very much for your kind feedback, Robert, much appreciated. I'll mix the music here and there so you can enjoy all of it 😉

[@amateurwizard]

This comment is a bit late, but just want to recommend a server rack for this, they can be a but more expensive but they're made for this. And with rails you can slide each unit in and out. Also you can have an easy hot negative and positive rail on the left and right entrance.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I looked into this but they were not suitable to host 16 cells on one shelve. The drawers are not capable of carrying such a lot. I looked for used once and found some too small, no side panels, too far away... too expensive.

[@keithj30]

Andy I use HRC fusing on all of my solar battery installs you can get them from various places Jaycar sells a N00 type I prefer the NT1 type don't quote me on the model numbers the brain is a fuzzy these days. Good Idea with the shelving might try that myself on my new home . keep up the good entertaining content

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you, Keith. Yeah, HRC fuses could work to, similar to class T fuses. I was really looking into an isolator solution this time which disconnects both terminals at the same time.

[@kennith.]

Great to hear ur lockdown is over, nice top amazing. Looks good one you.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Had only 4 days lockdown because of one initial case in Brisbane. That's all good now again. Yeah, the shirt is great. Will have some for you soon as well. Wife is already working on the merch ;)

[@landonferguson7282]

Sounds like your best battery storage system yet. Maybe make the front panel clear

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Great idea! But it would be just a plastic cover. Not sure how good this would look like.

[@keithj30]

Look at Aluminium busbar , you can purchase a 4 meter length of say 5mm x 32mm aluminium and that is not expensive at all, you just have to deal with the dissimilar metals but you can do that with various tubes of goop. Just an idea and they are being used on your interconnects between batteries ( to many big words got to relax brain now)

[@waynepolst3815]

Yea I use aliumium busbar on my 16 AGM batteries set up at 24v for years never had a problem!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

But that's not bus bar aluminium then, just the one you buy at the hardware store. Same with copper pipes some people use. It's a lower quality metal and can cause issues.

[@keithj30]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia you can get a good selection of aluminium from various distributors, plus I never buy aluminium from a hardware store

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@keithj30 I cannot get any better nearby and would need to order but bar aluminium. The 32x5mm you mentioned would be rated for 125A.

[@oogie-boogie]

i think i would change the shelving shelf's the wood don't look strong enough to hold the lbs of the battery's over time ,,,

[@razvanduta3563]

Andy, I never buy the MDF shelves…not strong enough and too expensive. Get from Mr. Bunnings too the 12mm non structural plywood and get it cut to fit your shelves. Cheaper and stronger. Do not forget to add to the shelving system the shelf braces. Raz

[@trevornelmes9331]

I am guessing you got that HD shelving from Bunnings, where you can buy each part as you need under the Rack IT brand. Over here in the UK, I can see it is branded Matlock, and they sell a complete rack with 4 shelves for around £120-140 (depending where you go), part # is GRFLEX-361872 (cheapest seller in the UK is Zoro, who deliver for free). In other countries I can see the same part number, but branded Tactix. Classic Chinese 'any brand name you want us to print on it' supplier. One thing I like about the Matlock version is you can split the sides into multiple lower height units.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Well I showed this in the first minute of the video where I got it from 😉

[@trevornelmes9331]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Yup, you sure did. Big bright and neon :-)

[@leozeek]

Looks like a great solution.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you.

[@jeremyohara6513]

is this the Rack It 400KG 900mm Wide x 530mm?

[@chuxxsss]

I have to server racks Andy, only need one. Glad you got out of prison early. Weighting for Victoria's next one, must be just round corner soon. Why do people thumbs down? Someone did it who know why, I like the show. Did you see the cables and busbar I pick up cheap mate.

[@kuhrd]

Thumbsdown is pretty much automatic on KZbin at this point and every video will have some eventually. It doesn't matter to the algorithm whether you thumbs down or up as both equal video engagement.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Was only for 4 days up here, nothing dramatic in comparison what happens overseas. There are always people jealous of what others do and dislike for that reason. It does not matter as it suits the KZbin algorithm. Would be worse if they didn't do anything 😉

[@chuxxsss]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia I know some of mine are like that. ;)

[@andrewradford3953]

Using their phones upside down when they press like? I can't think of another explanation for videos this cheerful and enjoyable.

[@andreblanchard8315]

Some do it just to see how long it takes for someone to ask why.🙃

[@johnjansen1002]

Hello Andi, Can you refer me to information on cell compression. What are your thoughts and what do you think of the mixed opinions on this.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Hi John, I made three video about this her eon the channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4WYf42ogMtjic0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJWnqmuYat1qj5o kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5_cdoObr8ame5Y

[@MrWakemanz]

Hi Andy, I have used this type of storage before, I recommend you replace the bison board with ply wood. The bison board warps and sags in the Queensland humidity. I installed fencing palling so cut to size, it wasn’t as tidy as ply wood have been.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, I have 4 support brackets underneath and it seems to be fine. We usually have very dry climate here, not much rain or moisture..

[@MrWakemanz]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia my Townsville experiance was a little more humid 😘👍🍺

[@Daraghfly]

People are just so good.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The people here on the channel are, yes!

[@frankz1125]

Aluminum is fine for high current busbars. 2"x1/8" will handle 200A no problem. Much cheaper then copper Also I would put cross support angles under the wood shelving. The wood will sag over time especially if the air is damp. Cheers

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Al is not much cheaper if you look into Al busbar quality. It's not the same Al you buy at your warehouse for building purposes. I compared and Al was 15% cheaper for a 360A bus bar. The shelve has 4 supports underneath but is certainly not the best solution for that.

[@frankz1125]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia I have build many systems with al. busbars. It works great. For 20 feet of 200a rated 6061 al. flat bar I pay $50. I hope you something under the shelves. I would weld them and get rid of the wood altogether. Just an idea to save you time. Hopefully you get years of use from them batteries without problems. Check my channel if you get time. Ill leave a link to my house system. 10kw inverter 60 kwh lifepo4 storage. Been running my house full time for over a month but usually I just use it for heat and backup power. Cheers

[@frankz1125]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia heres a video from a year ago when my system was turned on.......kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIqYi5SErsaJaZY

[@ShanakaAbeywickrama]

Great idea. Maybe add some caster wheels so you can move the rack around if needed.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I'm afraid it gets too top heavy with three battery banks and may tip when pulling incorrectly. I will screw it to the metal beam of the side wall.

[@55sunturbine30]

Sorry as I se others have made the same suggestion

[@budmartin3344]

Good video. Are you going to add wheels to the shelf?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I can hardly lift it now on one side with the 90kg battery on one shelve. I have planned to fix mount it to the metal horizontal beam next to the electrical cabinet.

[@monsieurd.6890]

How will you manage the fact that if a battery voltage is lower than other battery voltage current can go from one to the other and destroy the BMS if the current is too high (impossible to control the A going thru, the only way is to be sure at each time we reconnect a battery it has the exact same voltage than the others) ? It is my main concern now I have to plug a second battery.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

There will be no difference to any of the battery banks as they are all in parallel. Even if you would connect a higher voltage bank to a lower voltage bank, the current will be limited by the BMS. It would just shut off if the current gets too high. Just make sure the voltage is the same (as close as possible) and there will be no current flowing from one to another.

[@monsieurd.6890]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia the problem is when you switch off a battery for maintenance and when you switch it on back a long time later. I am not sure the BMS will switch off without dying if the current is too important. Daly were concerned about this trouble when I told them I use their BMS in parallel (impossible to switch on these piece of shit without a 60 v power source I am still waiting from China). If somebody wants to try lol. In fact I am OK it is important in that situation to be sure the voltage are very close. But what about an overisght (I am not sure it is the word I have to use here to tell we can forget, I am French, English is sometimes not so easy even if about 50% of English words are in fact French ones !) ?

[@hommerdalor6301]

Bonjour de Belgique. :-) Hello from Belgium. ;-)

[@Mr.X3D]

@@monsieurd.6890 , you should order the lightboard for the bms, it has a push-button for bms activation

[@monsieurd.6890]

@@Mr.X3D I did (I waited 2 weeks more lol, incredible a company could sell the power on button in option. It show how this company respects his customers...). But I knew it will be useless because the pin 6-8 shorting was not working before and the light board only short these pins. In fact Daly (or MGod shop that sells rebranded Daly products) just told me their BMS can not work in parallel mode and if they work like that they will burn if battery voltages are not the same. Even if I think it is not the problem (because BMS was not working before I use it in parallel). So now I can only wait for my 120v variable power supply to try to switch the BMS on giving him about 58v. If these BMS never wake up I will try to send them back to China. Worst thing I bought in China ever !!! ******* Dear customer, our protection board does not support parallel connection. If the protection board is used in parallel, once the voltages of the two battery packs are inconsistent, the current backflow will damage the board.

[@twsconsulting]

You do not need equal length cable for all the batteries if the cable is thick enough. You can use 00 or 0000 cable of different length per bank to cary 80 to 100 amps and the losses will be minimal. Then you can connect to a Victron LYNX or power in with mega fuses. This will be a nice and budget friendly alternative. I have this combination in my system and, with the inverter max out the current difference between the 4 banks is less than 1 or 2 amps….

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you.

[@roaxth]

Andy you are Great. As many others, I like your humor.. good overall Idea.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I appreciate that!

[@razvanduta3563]

Andy, I suggested using the Rack It shelving from Bunnings some time ago as they are highly customisable…you are not reading all comments 😁

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, you did, thanks for the suggestion. It seems to be great!

[@landonashby2029]

Love the New Shirt!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Stay tuned! 😉

[@KevIsOffGrid]

Can I suggest you re-think cable? But get 500A (or bigger) cable - its already insulated, you'd use ends anyway if you over spec the cable its like a bus bar so you wont need to match lengths. Will be neater and safer.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Won't be cheaper with cables in this size. Just messier...

[@BajanAlan]

Why not Aluminum busbar?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Aluminium has higher resistance and therefore needs a larger area to make up for the same conductivity. Aluminium bus bars do usually have metals mixed to it as well, to make them a bit more flexible and not as brittle as pure aluminium. This makes them more expensive though as this is a better quality aluminium for busbars in terms of conductivity (unlike the square bars you buy at the hardware store for building purposes). All in total alu busbars were like 15% cheaper then a compared tinned copper one but harder to get for me.

[@BajanAlan]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thank u. Elon is using Alu instead of copper in some motors!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@BajanAlan I know but I think this has other reasons, magnetic fields, weight, ...

[@RikHaanen]

Hi Andy, about the expensive bus bar: here in Zambia, I bought a strip of sold copper, drilled some holes and put it in an lunch box or plastic cable truncane. Much more affordable. And what about the guy that madethe small bus bars for your battery, can't he make someting more affordable for you. Hopefully this will save you some beers ;)

[@theonlywoody2shoes]

Are we over thinking the bus-bar issue? There is already a workable solution for parallel connecting 12v lead acid or AGM batteries ensuring an equal charge/discharge path: A pair of heavy duty (50mm) link cables for the battery positives (top to middle, then middle to bottom) and another pair for the negatives, BUT then take the system positive from the top battery/BMS and the negative from the bottom. Such a configuration would have a max of two lugs/connections per pole per battery - top positive: system out and link to middle, middle: links to top and bottom, bottom: single link to middle... etc. Lighter cable (25mm/35mm) from the top shelf controls to the inverter/charge controller box would be fine, but equal lengths and larger gauge cable to minimise resistance between the batteries would not be that expensive as you’d only need around 3m in total. Far cheaper than high current bus-bars.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I see what you mean. I made the calculations for that with some 400A busbars (4 studs, similar to what I already have). I don't want to fit 2 lugs under one screw so need at least on busbar for each incoming pos and neg. The same after the main switch again to distribute to the loads. So 4 busbars all in total at that amp rating are already A$380. I think the busbar alternative is cheaper and cleaner in the long run when I consider 3 banks in total for this cabinet.

[@kuhrd]

The equal resistance path thing is really only relevant if you are running the cable close to it's max rating or over long distances. Since he is talking about bussbars over 450A rating and each battery is pushing a max of 80A (often far less) that is 240A max (a bit over 12KW) if he was pulling full power from the proposed design. This means that the busbars would be specced for near double that so the actual resistance would be so low that the difference between battery strings would likely be lower than the actual connections to the batteries. Sure over the life of 2500+ cycles you might see a variation of 1 or 2 cycles over all of the strings when you add up potential micro cycling but it isn't going to amount to very much difference overall.

[@letsgetreal670]

Is there a wheel option for the shelving unit? Could be potentially useful, maybe?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The shelve may get too top heavy with three batteries in it. I would be too scared it may tip. 💥

[@wildez007]

Awesome idea! You are Genius 👍

[@wildez007]

I have seen another you tuber flatten copper plumbing pipe to make his bus bars 🧐

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Copper pipe is the worst. It's low quality copper and you never get it really flat. Might work for small installations and low currents.

[@wenhaowong5549]

i would go for cable instead of busbar

[@kevineaton9558]

I like the white shirt! 🇨🇦 Put me down for 2 medium.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Coming soon 😉

[@billpemberton3982]

Not that I'm trying to sway your decision Andy, but I can't wear white. I'm an old clumsy fart and I typically end up getting white tops dirty the unable to get them white again. But hey if you go with the new shirt I can always buy you a beer, maybe a Bitburger. You need to drink something different every now and then. ;-}>

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks Bill. That was my first thought too, when I opened the bag: A WHITE ONE!!!! 😬 We will have some different colour ones soon... I haven't had a beer for while actually. That needs to change 🍺

[@billpemberton3982]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Sounds good Andy. I'd be proud to wear one.

[@henrysangret5324]

Andy, I made my battery box from a used Hoffman electrical enclosure it’s a nema 12 and it’s 30x60x12 lots of room for my 2 48v 300 and 310ah battery packs

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, if you can get such enclosures, it's similar to the cabinet I have.

[@henrysangret5324]

I bought it for $200 on eBay. I am in michigan USA and we have cold winters so I need to heat the batteries to keep charging them when cold. I use RV 12V flat panel potable water tank heaters. .

[@Jennifer-007]

That t-shirt is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SyberPrepper]

Who needs a Tesla Pickup truck. You seem to be able to transport a lot of stuff in your current model. :)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It has the same cargo space as the previous Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV I had. Just the boot lid opening is terrible. The Model Y is much better in this regards.

[@ozarkarky]

I see you have smart viruses down under that know what time it is.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Apparently they can also differentiate between different colours...

[@jamalbreiss5439]

Hi,

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

👋

[@dredre9484]

Is there a way to put caster wheels just in case you have to move it

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It will be very heavy and due to the height, I'm worried it may tip.

[@dredre9484]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia true true

[@arnoldreiter435]

Love the shirt i want one!

[@bishwagit]

Great going..... I believe, you will ride off from your inverter encloser very soon.... By the way, my raspberry pi for venus os getting disconnected every day although lan/ wifi internet is ok. Any help Andy.....

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you. The electrical enclosure will stay but the inverter inside will go. Disconnected means? Just disconnected from the network or does the Pi drop out altogether? I would connect it with a cable and see if this makes a difference.

[@bishwagit]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Disconnected from network. Tried lan connection also..... Not solved

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@bishwagit what Venus version are you running?

[@bishwagit]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia v2.66

[@john_in_phoenix]

Nice shirt!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks! I love it.

[@monsieurd.6890]

Bus bars means no same length from a battery to another. Just use cables and the length is not very important (if you use big enough cables). Fixing cables ont the metalic structure will do a not too messy thing. And you will need cables at the end (so more is not a problem). And you will have to protect the bus bars with heat shrink tubes. Do not forget the goal is not to spend too much too. To link the cables you can use that : Terminal 50mm2 800V High Current JUT10-50/2 DIN Rail Mounted Aluminium Block Two Enter Two Come Electrical Connection Cable on aliexpress. A good product too (not related to battery) : Single Phase Din Rail ATS for PV and inverter Dual Power Automatic Transfer Selector Switches Uninterrupted 2P 63A 100A 125A

[@muzwest6905]

crazy music.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Is that a good or bad comment 🤔

[@richardtoth1273]

how about the victron bus bar power in. Its extends in length for larger systems.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

$$$

[@richardtoth1273]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Agree $$$ but its a clean finish and the fuses are built in so no buying fuse holders.

[@Do_the_Dishes]

Hey, I’m from New Orleans too! Where can I get one?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Soon...

[@jonasgranlund4427]

Interesting with one BMS per battery pack instead of a 3P solution if I understood you correctly? I have talked to a couple of the companies that sell BMS in the +300A range on Alibaba and none of them recommend to do parallel BMS, they all prefer parallell batteries connected to one BMS.

[@SpeakerKevin]

@Jonas Granlund When you are paralleling cells, the best way to group the cells is to: 1) measure the capacity of each cell, 2) organize them lowest to highest, 3) grab the lowest and put it with the highest, 4) put the 2nd lowest with the 2nd highest, 5) and so on, working your way in until you get to the middle 2 and combine them. Your pack will rarely go out of balance.

[@benengelbrecht5637]

Hi Andy! You have Been a Pro You Tube "entertainerteacherliposolarinvestigater and a Must watch channel operator.... Now you have the shirt to prove it. Thanks, I enjoy every video! . Greetings from South Africa

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you so much Ben! Much appreciated.

[@lyndonsia5868]

provide wheels for easy relocation of your shelf.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It gets too top heavy though.

[@opless]

40th! 😊

[@jasondevine6014]

Why not use steel busbars. Just make them big.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I thought about Al or other metals flat bars. The Cu 4m busbar cost me now less than A$250 and it's also tinned.

[@jasondevine6014]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia yes that is a good price. What sort place did you get it from? I am NSW but maybe I could find a similar place.

[@bobbypearson6258]

Use copper pipe and beat it flat and drill holes to mach!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Copper pipe is not clean copper and you never get it that flat.

[@pmacgowan]

Why not get a copper pipe and flatten it to make bus bar ... thats what I have done

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Copper pipe is low quality metal and you never get it really flat. Could work for low currents and smaller projects.

[@pmacgowan]

When you do get your custom bus bar, why not test its capacity against a similar sized flattened copper pipe(s)? What ever the outcome I think it would be valuable information and make a good video for your site

[@jjromba]

Geh zum Schrottplatz und guck da nach alten Cu Schienen

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Gibt's hier nicht, sowas ist Wertmetall und wird gleich verhoeckert. Das liegt nicht einfach so rum...

[@jjromba]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia schade.... fallsde nochmal cu schiene brauchst guck in meine Kanalbeschreibung,da is ne email, schreib mich an und wir werden uns iwie einig😉

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@jjromba ist bestimmt nicht das letzte Mal dass ich sowas brauch. Danke dir.