Portable Power Station || DIY or Buy

[@greatscottlab]

Do not worry about my voice in the video. I am not sad or depressed or anything like that. I just got over a cold and lost my voice there. That is why it sounds a bit different ;-)

[@Lexercise27]

I was worried you caught covid, but all good I suppose :)

[@OrinSorinson]

So that's what it was. Speedy recovery and good health!

[@mr.rubycarnation8325]

I understand, Get well soon Scott!! And Great Video 👍👍

[@aloobhatura2707]

i am big fan of your channel

[@ahmedmedani9147]

Stay safe!! We need you !

[@sayantanmaiti2513]

Looks like Great Scott now needs to DIY a camp truck to carry this huge enclosure for camping

[@gopher256]

YEESSS

[@greatscottlab]

Well, it definitely takes up some space. But it is still manageable.

[@sayantanmaiti2513]

@@greatscottlab yes that's right. You can still easily place it in the back of your car

[@charlie_nolan]

Camping Caravan || DIY or Buy

[@jebsaekam]

Where is Laura Kampf when you need her?

[@piconano]

Holly bananas! Never seen cells that size before! Great build. The thing about DIY is you can fix it if it breaks and every time you see it, you know you made it and pride washes over you... That's priceless.

[@greatscottlab]

True ;-)

[@neobreaker91]

Plus not having extra features, that you might not want. And the peace of mind of knowing, the quality of each component in the system.

[@mrwho30]

When you revealed your own batteries i had a Crocodile Dundee moment: "That's no battery" *Heavy rolling* "THAT...is a battery" XD

[@my3dprintedlife]

Now that's a knife!

[@jumpro5905]

Wait why is this comment one day old and the video only half an hour?

[@bitelaserkhalif]

@@jumpro5905 patreon users

[@jumpro5905]

@@bitelaserkhalif ok

[@mrwho30]

@@jumpro5905 Patreon supporters have access to his "hidden" videos before they get listed for everybody else.

[@hondacrx7829]

We have used the kzbin.infoUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!

[@borayurt66]

The military definition of the word "portable" says: Anything that does not require heavy machinery to move, is portable. :-)

[@38911bytefree]

IBM called the 5100 portable .....

[@TheShivABC]

@@Alexander-jr8nw If you put a handle on it sure! lol

[@themastereal8345]

So tvs?

[@rafiexperimental]

So technically ancient pyramid stones were portable?xD

[@carddamom188]

Also he forgot to put a cannon on top, for added measure...

[@ThePostApocalypticInventor]

Hey there. Nice to see you working on a portable energy source, since I just started to work on a similar idea. Good you already payed the 500 bucks to look inside one of those commercial units, so I won't have to do that anymore :D. Just kidding, great work as usual!

[@greatscottlab]

Thanks mate👍 Looking forward to your video about the subject👍

[@Produkt_R]

I have a feeling I already know where you are going to use your portable setup.

[@dazednconfused31337]

You could make it motorised and ride on like a 'Modobag' 👨‍🦼

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Hey a collaboration between you two would be fantastic - maybe something to think about !

[@stillrabit73]

Colab Colab Colab You're both German, so its possible you could live like 2 hours away from each other

[@shahabmos5130]

"Portable" Do we need to buy a destroyer to carry those torpedo size batteries or we can diy it as well ? Jk , im jelous .

[@emmoemminghaus6455]

i guess a PT-105 is sufficient :D

[@user2C47]

Might be cheaper to just build a hull around the battery.

[@DumahBrazorf]

You can bury a person in it.

[@greatscottlab]

It has wheels.....that means it is portable ;-)

[@andresouza2314]

@@greatscottlab it needs off road wheels

[@ToniPlays_]

So you made it bigger, better, and more powerful, my question is. "Can you actually take that with you when you go camping?"

[@greatscottlab]

If you are willing enough,.....yes :-)

[@kei2142]

You can go camp riding on it, I think that's a win.

[@f4tboy99]

@@kei2142 yeah! A portable power station can be a modified bicycle! 🚲

[@neobreaker91]

@@f4tboy99 That charges as you pedal, lol

[@eideticex]

@@f4tboy99 I use my truck as a portable power station. It's even self driving if you park it on an incline.

[@jpvoodoo5522]

The sunken cost fallacy is when you have invested too much into something and are reluctant to admit it was a waste of money. If you were only motivated by the amount of stored energy, you could have almost bought two and got twice the energy for what you put into it. But the the experience you gained and the public good of education generated for your audience (who cannot afford to buy foot long batteries) is priceless. This one could have gone either DIY or buy. It depends on whether having extra power was your only goal. Loved the video. Power independence is a favorite topic.

[@FoxMccloud42]

Putting all this stuff in to a l-Boxx or Systainer would make it very interesting. Especially if you have one of these systems for tools allready.

[@BeezyKing99]

one mistake you did in your build.... where's the vents for the inverter/battery compartment? you certainly don't want to trap heat in there.

[@Spooglecraft]

that's an "emergency wood cut" ;-)

[@greatscottlab]

I will monitor the temperature in the future through the BMS and add vents if necessary.

[@XXSefa]

when you take the definition of ''portable'' literally anything with wheels counts, but man that's sick! would be cool for camping or straight for Van builds

[@usarms149]

Great video! I did exactly this last year only, instead of charging from a wall outlet, I mounted a 100W Renogy solar panel to the top of the enclosure and included a Victron charge controller to keep the batteries charged. My setup was comparable to a Goal Zero model that costs several hundred dollars more and doesn't even include the solar panel.

[@kimmer6]

Great job! I vote for home built. I finished my battery compression box the day you posted this. The unit is up and running daily. It has 560 amp hour EVE cells, 3000/6000 surge inverter, 250 amp BMS, 30 amp MPPT, 75 amp on board lithium charger. It was built to run a big refrigerator and 2 chest freezers on 120 VAC power. We lose power more often in Northern California these days. Last year it was only out for 47 hours in August here, but much longer elsewhere due to wildfires and terrible winds. Its in a steel tubing cage on caster wheels but at 51 kilos, 130 pounds, its not portable. The 410 watt panel sits temporarily on the roof on the foam they shipped the cells in.

[@ahmedmedani9147]

It’s not the DIY or the buy who wins.. YOU win every time .. I studied electrics, but I can’t declare myself as engineer with your existence !! Stay creative and we love you!!

[@genericname3685]

At first I thought the reason for bringing portable power source is to charge your phone or use it for some low energy applications but the answer "bring out the jigsaw for an emergincy wood cut" got me there

[@avinashranjan9197]

I have seen now you are very regular with your videos thanks you made my day better

[@greatscottlab]

It's my pleasure

[@KevinDC5]

I LOVE IT!!! I’ve been subscribed for three years waiting for THIS video!!!im actually working on mine at this moment. Installed in a “Pelican” case. Wish I could share pics. You rock, love from Texas! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@RoyalTech_2024]

Hi great Scott, Thanks for your videos. Can you make a synthesizer with raspberry pi?

[@davidgunther8428]

I did a similar project and the core components are simple, but with all the safety and monitoring features gets quite complicated!

[@MartinBgelund]

That picture of you camping is iconic :-)

[@martinlabuda117]

I am super impressed with quality of your videos. And diy or buy episodes are the best in my opinion.

[@CantEatRS]

I recommend you should get a Impact driver

[@rajibulislam7835]

And DIY is the winner!! I wish to make one like this.

[@Tilasolfa]

Excellent, as usual. Some KZbinrs don't seem to work very hard, but you do. This is remarquable !

[@justdomore]

10:12 - when an electric genius does woodworking ❤ love it! XD

[@tonyborrill1789]

Complete opposite for me, I'm quite good with woodworking but my soldering skills are... well about as good as his woodworking.

[@arpitsri9631]

Hi baby I am arpit

[@anthonyvolkman2338]

Very well done, for the full 1kw of continuos power I would have used a set OFC 2 gauge wire, it is still extremely flexible and soft bit would allow for proper transfer. 85 amps continuos through 8 gauge seems a bit weak. That is my opinion however and I build for the extreme as well.

[@wv_]

This is a great example of why I only use Torx screws for wood :)

[@AustinSlack]

Dude you're handwriting is awesome and those diagrams are so satisfying to look at lol

[@chronobot2001]

Nice build. I did the same thing without an actual enclosure. I used a 1/2 inch wide plastic cutting board and mounted the inverter on one side and the charge controller and DC connectors on the other side. Its relatively light and portable. The battery is separate and must be connected to use. It is pretty much a small solar power system that can easily be transported in the back seat of your car.

[@forbiddenera]

Tip for soldering bucket ring terminals: hold with vice grips or vice, heat with torch, fill 1/2 way maybe 3/4 max with solder while still heating, dunk wire in solder, hold 'til solid. Perfect solid connection, though do remember the solder can, as always, wick up the wire thus strain relief is always a good idea.

[@forbiddenera]

Tip for soldering wires together straight: put wires together end on end, turn them about 45 degrees from each other which will allow you to wrap them around each other, creating a better mechanical connection before soldering as well as a perfect clean joint that you don't have to hold while soldering. Solder then, be happy. Called a western union/lineman splice.

[@samuelbudiyanto9719]

Actually for camping or Bushcraft activity we just need Battery Bank that can deliver; 1. USB charging port 5V and Quick Charging, 2. DC port for 12V or 18V, 3. COB LED for lighting. If we need power tools for drilling or grinding, cutting saw etc, make sure take 12V or 18V cordless power tools or make its corded with DC from our Battery Bank. This settings always enough to camping or bushcraft activity. Simple, elegant, cheap, durable, and ready for all occasions even for survival. Greetings from Indonesia 🇮🇩

[@MrBrelindm]

I have done a price analysis on building a DIY power wall - and in terms of the price per Kilowatt it is right on par with grid power usage fees! Which begs the question; why aren't more people DIYing their own power security? Great build! The laser labeling is a very nice touch too.

[@TinkerbatTech]

I have a couple of small 'power stations' here, inexpensive and LiFePo4 based. Pretty decent. But, as you noted, you have to take their idea of a suitable 'mix' of features, outputs and capacities, and they're rarely in accord with your wants. I also have my house critical systems (except refer/freezer currently) on a battery-backed setup using surplus scooter Li-Ion 36V packs. Now, the surplus quality Li-Ion and lately, LiFePo4 packs out there make a DIY solution way more compelling. You can find all the needed components easily and cheaply to assemble your backup system, or a power station like yours (love the wheels!) with capacity galore, all the inverter and/or DC power you want and the charging options to match. Just several hours to plan, assemble and build. Because there are so many great deals on 36V packs, I was able to find a couple surplus quality UPSes that work great, and under my keyboard right now is a 3000W sine 36V inverter, that'll handle the refer/freezer and microwave loads. And it was easy to use those DC-DC "lab" style power modules to arrange 42V/30A charging. (Using 42V Cisco router P/S as source. Think were 2 for $60? Soo cheap and way quality.) (But see my channel for how not to mount LiPo batteries. Very nasty when poked!) Anyway, if you factor in quality recycled cells out there, (And UPSes! Great quality inverters, low speed chargers and backup. Real cheap Ebay, usually shipped without the failed batteries, so cheaper/safer shipping, and very much life left! I paid about $70 for my 500VA and $90 for my 1000VA shipped. I don't even notice the power drops anymore, except the mini-split stops. Nice.) you can build a beast on a budget! Thanks! Stu (Too much blabbing. Sorry! Love your stuff, and it's great when DIY beats BUY! Stu)

[@dleivam]

I love your videos and your electronics skills, but oh boy, your woodworking skills on the other hand... That plywood cuts were an eyesore 😱

[@Zamn-NW]

REAAALYY Stretching the word portable on this one. I challenge you to make another build but this time keeping the size within 160% of the comparison Power station and adding more of the same ports and features.

[@dannystrachan475]

Tech tips: Always plug and unplug the dc power supply went its not powered by 110/220AC to prevent dc arcing. Same applies to laptops. Nice video...

[@marcelbe500]

As much as I like the build if you compare it with the ecoflow delta I would say buy is the winner it's more expensive but it has way more features an even bigger ac output power. Overall great build.

[@mohamedismail4155]

Sunday is completed with GreatScott! ...

[@striesDIY]

Yeah, a solar panel would be a great feature!

[@ambigu404]

I expect it smaller than that, but as always, Iove that detail explanation

[@Dr.DRW_91]

Maybe next time you'll also add a solar controller in order to be able to charge from a solar panel.

[@neobreaker91]

Was thinking the same thing!

[@jomhartayaben93]

I prefer DIY powerstation because I can easily fix it or swap defective parts if trouble occur, now I am making 90aH diy powerstation

[@lipelego22]

Maybe having a 1000W AC output for camping is quite an overkill, sarcastic if you will. The project looks pretty nice but I'd stick with the buy version, doing some work on the diy version like painting or protecting the wood from rain would be good great video man

[@SuperVstech]

Not a bad build! I used a toolbox, and small 32650 cells all spot welded together for mine. It’s got 2000ish Wh, but the same 1000W inverter. And I used a solar charger controller instead of a buck converter to charge... but I TOTALLY agree, DIY wins hands down.

[@haraldhimmel5687]

A really cool project. Just saw one of those 4KWh solar mobile charging packs earlier and wondered if one couldnt diy it. When paying 3-4k bucks for one of those there sure might be benefits for DIY. Assuming one doesnt burn the house down with it at least.

[@legominimovieproductions]

I like that the pcb and battery pack have xt-90 (or 60?) connectors attached to it

[@nubletten]

This video is the inspiration for what I want to make. A good upgrade or replacement for my e bike battery.

[@gr8survival]

Great video. For more portable options, you may want to consider a modular plastic tool box, cooler or a hard case luggage that you can modify. A pelican style case would also work. Hope this helps. Keep the builds up, you got a new subscriber here.

[@rGunti]

If you now ensure that loads can be powered from the wall and the batteries at the same time without interruption (UPS), you'd have a pretty cool multifunctional power supply at hand. No problem if the power goes out because the batteries are topped up and ready to help you get through a few days.

[@不知所错]

You videos are ALWAYS AWSOME !!!

[@ecaparts]

I had the same dilemma, but ended up buying the same portable power station about a year ago. I want to build a larger unit someday. Thanks for the video.

[@skulltronics3680]

Great Scott could you make a video topic - how to code

[@mattle3]

Please make a no compromise cheap lipo safe box!

[@greatscottlab]

What is that?

[@Kartoffelliebhaber]

@@greatscottlab a safe storage box for charging / storing lipo batteries

[@mattle3]

@@greatscottlab look up bat-safe, it prevents your house burning down when charging lipos goes wrong :)

[@spyghetti]

kind of like buying a big box store PC vs building.. you typically spend more but your component's are better and probably last longer, plus performance is typically better. I dig your build, I have a bluetti AC200 but I think with the battery options now, BMS, shunts, I probably would've been better served with something that I could replace everything myself vs all-in-one. Awesome video as usual.

[@VineethNarayanan]

The best part of DIY is you can choose everything like you can avoid the voltage conver to charge the battery by using a charger with right amount of voltage and you can entirely skip or downgrade or upgrade the inverter like 300w or 1200w.also you can choose what type of battery you need like Li-ion or Li fe po4

[@RippingJack76]

I think it would be very interested in building one of these. Something to have handy to place between solar cells and batteries. A box containing everything else for a solar power system.

[@vytautasvalikonis274]

I think diy is the winner too

[@nickwoo2]

I made a battery off of jehu's design. Probably wasn't as expensive as a commercial one but still expensive. Mine is 77 18650 cells in a 7s11p setup.

[@shouryajain6867]

Everthing is good but your inhale gives me chills 😬😬

[@yagneshpatel1183]

2 time on channel I heard diy is winner. 1 time is speed techno meter .

[@madhurakhedkar9369]

Finally DIY is the winner!!

[@giro2504]

At 4:52 You forgot temperature, since temperature is a pretty critical point for LiIon cells. Some standards as EN 62619 determine that cells may not be used when they are used out of their specification which also includes temperature.

[@soufathekiller6615]

i think this would belong in an SUV's trunk or one of those vehicle home it would be perfect thanks greatscott

[@madtoffelpremium8324]

I like the idea of this project, but these long cells aren't a graet fit. I think you could build something much closer to the bought powerstations size with prismatic LiFePO4 battery blocks.

[@emmoemminghaus6455]

@GreatScott Are you sure that soldering 220V "mains" is a good idea? (specialy for a "Mobile Device"...)

[@haqeekjavidshaikh9104]

Hey Scott ..... could you create a tutorial on how to make ESPhome a WebSocket device and communicate through WebSockets with Home Assistant ??

[@lostinferno339]

This is my first time see that giant battery 😆, anyway great job.

[@redsquirrelftw]

I made a small unit myself when I went camping but used some lead acid batteries. The lithium batteries are much lighter though lol.

[@88ElevenShop]

you are the inspiration for me to be motivated to produce my video ideas. really ! Thank you very much!

[@LuyolaAdams]

"Portable". Nice build as always

[@ehworkshop9922]

Must give it more industrial look and militarily grade specs like splash or water prove and some shock absorption and call it a day

[@KENCINGBERSALTO]

Hey GreatScott!, The closure is not good looking! But i got suggestion.... How about corporation with a case maker? You can make videos together!

[@ijh-92]

Awsome videos , could you make one for best thin gloves the would help in less electrocution, and less small pointy things that get under the skin......but still my favorite channel

[@andresvalverde5069]

If you can, buy yourself an impact driver, it makes driving screws into wood a lot easier. Nice job 👍🏼

[@PCbolt17]

Finally DIY is winner 😱😱😱.. I can't believe..

[@antipoti]

The box could have been more compact. Im also not sure about the cooling, and the output should provide more plugs. Only one USB? Other than this, it's a cool project, especially with those giant battery cells.

[@TheBigBadButler]

Only issue I see is that those Inverters can do about double, for a very, very short amount even triple the power (speaking of switch mode power supplies or starter currents) - that could mean that the relais could be underdimensioned.

[@ganid1889]

Great reasons to carry a portátil power supply to the woods jajajajajaja u r great Scott

[@GoatsOut4Justice]

You are a freaking genius! WOW!😮

[@dash8brj]

Funny you posted this, I'm building one myself, a bit more capacity (2.2kWh, same sized inverter, XT90's for 12V outputs, same (opposite gender) for solar input, and DC/Solar charging). Plus some USB sockets for charging phones and tablets.

[@kimmer6]

Post a video! I see the date he posted this video and in my log book it said that my cells were balanced and the compression box was complete. DIY is tons of fun!

[@CarlosHenriqueNoronhadeAguiar]

Watching by a different point of view... you can extend more and more the battery capacity by adding more cells, and add until the box permits.

[@Bhavesh_g20]

I thought that portable would be able to fit in a backpack But ... It's not Because you got even better idea for getting higher capacity Now that can do a lot of damage

[@Gamezone-sd3er]

For the fact he is not electronoom 😂🤣

[@AlbiinoBlacksheep]

I love how you excluded build differences between the DIY and the BUY where the DIY is a chunky big wooden box on wheels, while the BUY is a compact and carryable unit. Haha! All in on that Wh/eur!

[@venkatesanjayaraman2987]

Finally u found a prefect use of ur battery's 😅

[@longdongsilver4719]

I like the sweatshirt you wear on camping. Very cool.

[@verylongname8161]

0:06 captions say *bear with me*

[@alejandroalzatesanchez]

Now this is a nice sinousoidal wave

[@wimwiddershins]

The DIY would be good built into an old ammo box or touring crate.

[@jackorzechowski8101]

I have always wanted to use a jigsaw when camping.

[@user-ug9nn]

I think a cheaper and smaller version is possible. 1. Car battery, or AGM, Hybrid VRLA 2. Low voltage battery protection (for all devices connected to battery) 3. modified sine-wave inverter from cheap UPS - for charging electronics like laptops, phones, or even run electronics like a workstation with dual monitors 4. Car USB charger for charging your phones 5. Simple voltage and current indicator for consumption 6. extra staffs like 12v Car socket, switches for inverter start and USB Charger External chargers not in the pack 1. from solar panel MMP installed in car 2. from car battery DC converter with current limiter and automatic start wen voltage ritch a car charging value 3. from 220V 13.8V 10A (or any value from 3 to 50A) battery charger

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, dude! Really well done! 😃 There are some tips you could definitely use while making the enclosure (like using painter's tape to prevent splintering of the plywood)... But that's not the important part! Anyway... Stay safe and creative there! 🖖😊

[@cleandeskpolicy]

Hi! Great and insightful, but, I didn't understand why the DIY was the winner when the BUY was smaller and better looking. Wasn't that much difference in power besides the inverter on 1000W.:)

[@andreapolinedrio6705]

Very good project! Useful, professional and complete👍 Good job!

[@rhiantaylor3446]

I would argue for a target of 2000w so that you can power an induction cooking ring or a microwave oven for - say - 5 mins in your caravan or RV. Modern high discharge 18650 will give ~10wh each and will cope with a 5C discharge rate so something like 3x 36v 4ah power tool batteries would do it.

[@hungeco9626]

Long time no see. u look so difference. Stay create & i will see you nexttime

[@dineshmestri7908]

Sir please make video on external omni directional 4g antenna

[@samw931]

Can you make a video about pull up/down resistors ?

[@rif6876]

Could you use an off the shelf unit and use your own battery pack?