Yixiang 48V DIY Battery Kit - Easy and Cheap!

[@natesdiysolar]

UPDATE: They now send out non-conductive washers for the PCB screws. There is an issue with the PCB mounting screws that can cause a possible short in the BMS. They notified me of this and I noted it a couple times in the video @8:00 and at the end during my conclusion. They are working to resolve this. This is so far the best kit I have found. Its easy to build, and with cell prices, the way they are there is no better time to DIY! Be sure to watch the price 23:23 comparison segment in the video near the end. You will be SOCKED!! Get the kit here and tell them Nate sent you to get a discount! YIXIANG 280AH DIY www.alibaba.com/product-detail/YIXIANG-EU-Warehouse-Lifepo4-Battery-DIY_1601116528532.html

[@YXdiysolar]

Thank you, Nate, we will continue to strive to provide our customers with the best quality products

[@OP-fd4lh]

You all did a great product line Yixiang. I am definitely looking at this specific one now.

[@webmastercaribou7570]

Nice review. One suggestion, at the next barber visit, just say, buzz cut number 2. You aren't hiding anything. Speaking from several decades of experience. Great job.

[@natesdiysolar]

Lol.. I have that discussion every time I go lol

[@OP-fd4lh]

Nate, this equipment is exactly what I am looking for in that it's mostly done already. I also like that in the far future, I'll be able to replace the cells myself once they get to very low recharging capacity. I checked out the Yixiang's website and also liked what they had there not only in products but their help section. Thank you for your great video and giving us updates even now.

[@natesdiysolar]

Cool. Glad to help.

[@rtsrts2317]

Received mine today. Busbars and bolts broke through the bag. Shit everywhere. They need to package and secure them better. If you order the wheel kit, they just set the wheel box in there to bang around. Stupid. That's one of the reasons I didn't order wheels. Andy's garage ordered his with wheels. One broke out of the box and was slamming around in the case like a baseball, but heavier I'm just glad there's zero damage to mine. I've seen the horror stories with other companies. The shipping box looked in perfect condition (very rare these days) with the battery encased in the typical, dense foam that most battery cells ship are shipped in. I noticed that the one, potential, problem screw on the PCB was left off. Kudos to you for catching it. Cells are coming Saturday. Woo Hoo!

[@natesdiysolar]

Did they give you non conducive washers for the pcb screws. Yea, I saw Andy's video.. I made note of those bags as well in the build video. I'll screenshot your comment to them. They really need to fix that. I would use non conducive washers on all the pcb screws. What Cells did u get.

[@rtsrts2317]

@@natesdiysolar It has the metal washers. But I placed my order over a month ago. So probably before you let them know about it. Cells are LF280K V3. The "new'' version from 18650store.

[@natesdiysolar]

@rtsrts2317 nice. I'm getting another box w casters next week, so ww shall see

[@ChadAllenjj]

Just bought 7 of these, as well as 112 306ah cells from them. Looking forward to putting these together once they arrive

[@natesdiysolar]

Wow nice

[@AlfarrisiMuammar]

1:43 the best time before tariff

[@BradCagle]

That's an awesome kit. I need to try one of these.

[@adrianabshire]

Thanks for this! Great video and I may roll my own now!

[@natesdiysolar]

Awsome.. thanks for watching

[@DanBurgaud]

9:11 Either use Nylon screws or nylon standoffs

[@tiborchren]

This is the best battery box on the market at the moment together with the ELL DIY battery box with JK Inverter BMS, but both are not perfect yet. I don't like that the communication cable between the batteries placed on top of each other runs through the touchscreen in both boxes. ELL should fix this in the future. Also, two main plus and minus terminals would be better as one in ELL DIY battery box, just like Yixiang battery box has. Second PCB connectors in Yixiang battery box are not needed, the JK Inverter BMS has sufficient active balancer integrated into it.

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes they certainly could use improving. I wanted to try the pcb connectors and see how fast I can balance a pack. Even with the JK bms it took a day or so.. way faster then the seplos lol.

[@natesdiysolar]

Was it the ELL that had that junky bus bar to breaker configuration.. I do not like that.. give me a nut and bolt any day..

[@tiborchren]

@@natesdiysolar Yes, ELL cut the busbar width in half when going into the breaker. They should extend the end of the thinner busbar and then bend it back so that the busbar end cross section would be the same. But ELL basically follows the comments and improves their products based on what the community needs or wants.

[@user-sk3ck3oc5g]

Is the ELL battery box worth it? It looks like considering shipping the total cost of their product comes out cheaper.

[@dante9192]

I’m a bit confused. I tried your link to the product. I can place the order for the box but can’t figure out how to add the batteries to the cart, also the batteries I see don’t seem to be the same batteries you are using.

[@natesdiysolar]

It's easiest to contact Becky directly. Her contact info is on this page. www.natesdiysolar.com/where-to-buy-cells/

[@jamesheredia1591]

hi Nate I bought the battery bank charged it but can't get it to discharge any help would be greatly appreciated. I used the app to turn on discharge.

[@natesdiysolar]

That's odd.. if in the control section of the app you have charge and discharge turned on, it should discharge. are there any errors coming in the error screen. Send screen shots to my email please.

[@ParagonDIY]

These Box have defects leading to shock and short circuit and possible damage to the BMS. You should know it. Greet Leszek

[@ParagonDIY]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqnIp6Khac-Br7M

[@PhilippeCJR]

You need to explain details, otherway your statement doest make sense...

[@natesdiysolar]

If you are referring to the screws on the PCB, I mention that very clearly in two different times in the video. The manufacturer is resolving this by using non conducive washers on the PCB screws. I'll put this in pinned comment as well. There is more than one company using these PCBs.

[@PhilippeCJR]

@@natesdiysolar clear 👍

[@furgus5136]

What if you used sodium ion cells ? Do they supply CATL sodium ion cells ?

[@natesdiysolar]

I do not know of any distributor selling those... yet..

[@furgus5136]

@ The CATL cells are available on Alibaba and are being used in cars now. I believe they are the same size as the Lithium cells but are shipped uncharged . I'm in Canada and like the safety profile and they are ideal for cold .

[@AlfarrisiMuammar]

​@@furgus5136 sodium need Different BMS . Apart from the fact that sodium can be charged at a temperature of -10°C Sodium V is from 4.2V when 100% -2.8v when 0%.

[@hawkofthenorth4829]

How would someone use these box to make a 24v Pack? Is there a BMS that would work for this? I currently have 24v hybrid and 6 12v 100ah batteries, would love to eventually switch to larger cell battery in a bow like these as it looks so much better.

[@natesdiysolar]

You could put 2x 24v packs in the box. Just mount 2 separate bms wire to each terminal in parallel. Just order the box without a bms and get 2x jk 4-8s bms. I show the bms here. www.ebay.com/itm/284907203476?amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAkDibR3vkhGZCwCdAX%2B8yNFa%2F2ZRo4GpQUl1MtM%2BSP3soTu3JpznKBqL9vt85k81vU3jaihCSg1pbNxQP0AO1NHkkmYPJjj7t8H7uZko2s9dizaaKgXCxGrT8rD86RPQXPWvLkjSsSfEpEUDx7FkTIjpxp%2FOj6Lf9pAfyb1FWVqH27ov%2FIEmqGvV6EEandFJSOg%3D%3D&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5338977860&customid=&toolid=20012&mkevt=1

[@centralseac]

Excellent video. I have been in touch with your contact, extremely helpful with all info. The problem I have is space, so could I put them in a vertical position against the wall?

[@natesdiysolar]

I would not recommend it. The cells would apply a lot of pressure on the bottom cells due to weight. They do sell vertical boxes, and if you look at the cell orientation, you will see 4 rows of 4 cells stacked end to end on their sides to mitigate this.

[@centralseac]

@@natesdiysolar Thanks, will check it out

[@007silverwings]

Thank you Nate. Would you recommend this over the Seplos 280 V2/V3?

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes because the JK now has a new firmware update that fixes a lot of the problems but if you don't care about comms then either one works.. but only the v3 of seplos.. I like the display better on the jk over the seplos however.. don't get the v2 seplos it has a small balancer

[@007silverwings]

@@natesdiysolar thanks Nate 👍🏻

[@Z06norway]

Will it communicate and work with Victron systems?

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes, it will, but you want to be sure to update to the latest firmware or ask yixiang to do it. Off grid garage has several videos showing this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnm7i3Vsr6Z0acUsi=eSTgJfOcU2R3vCLP

[@tquinn63]

LOVE your videos - Many thanks! I'd like to build 3-4 of these battery kits and use them with either an EG4 18KPV inverter, or a Sol-Ark 15K-2P hybrid inverter. Do you think I should have any concerns about this new JK BMS being able to communicate well and interoperate with these inverters, or vice-versa? I can't get either inverter manufacturer to definitively say they support the new JK BMS, or any version of the JK BMS for that matter. Do you think I will run the risk of losing any important functionality with either of these combinations? THANKS!

[@natesdiysolar]

Unfortunately, I do not have a good answer for you as I am also wondering about the same issues. I'll tell you what I do know. If you can get the comms to work, the battery will tell the inverter how to charge it. Andy from off grid garage has some good videos on connecting the jk inverter bms to victron systems. I will attempt to connect to my mpp solar inverter at some point. The eg4 inverters seem to require battery communication, so if that's what you are planning on doing, please check with the seller if there is a user or stand-alone mode that does not require comms. If so, it should be fine just going based on voltage.. that's what I'm doing now.. both seplos and the jk bms. I would start with reading the jk Inverter Bms manual. I will try to get a page up on my website in the coming days with a link to the manual. Sorry, I don't have a better answer at this point. My buddy is currently building the same batteries with the eg4 18k . Send me an email, and if he ever gets it working, I'll let you know.

[@tquinn63]

@@natesdiysolar It is hard to imagine why the battery manufacturers and the inverter manufacturers don't just establish a communication standard/protocol for the base functions of a BMS. As a software engineer, I can assure you that it would save massive time and money for both sides and it would promote increased sales because they could avoid making all prospective customers worry about incompatibilities and shoulder the burden of uncertainty and risk. I suppose some inverter manufacturers that ALSO sell/make batteries might think it works to their favor to keep their BMS protocol proprietary and force customers to buy everything from them. I'm frustrated though by any inverter company that claims they are battery agnostic but doesn't publish their BMS communications protocol at minimum. The result is that the inverter company needs to be wildly better than its competitors if they effectively force you to buy wildly overpriced batteries to work with their inverters. It sounds like there is blame on the other side too. Why doesn't the company making the JK BMS do everything possible to work with the top 20 inverter manufacturers worldwide ensuring communications compatibility? Do you know who makes the JK BMS? I don't think it is Yixiang. Thanks for your thoughts...

[@natesdiysolar]

@tquinn63 funny, you should mention that.. I am a software developer as well, lol.. I have also thought the same thing.. both Seolos and JK have made efforts to support popular invetrer brands.. about 5 of them.. DYE : GroWatt : Victron : SME.. these are what I see in the Seplos app currently. JK is made by Jikong www.jkbms.com. I recommend checking out this page from Andy's off grid garage.. he's got the most info in one place.. links to manuals and software for both BMS. off-grid-garage.com/battery-management-systems-bms/

[@brentjohnson6654]

Thanks for the video. I wonder how wife (non-tech) friendly these diy battery boxes are. What I mean is if I am not around are they able to diagnose issues without a lot of volt meters and such? Thanks again for your video. I am deciding between server rack batteries and these DIY boxes. Cheap attracts me initially but maintainability will win the day. All the best from north Texas.

[@natesdiysolar]

Lol my wife helps me install stuff sometimes.. actally with the touch screen is very easy to get the info you need. The Circuit Breaker is clearly labled.. I don't see any reason for difficulties over remote troubleshooting.

[@brentjohnson6654]

@@natesdiysolar you are probably right. I love making things too complicated which is why the question. In reality the solar panels and inverters/charge controllers are more likely to need the simplified diagnostics. Sounds like I need to customize a graphic display if one is not available. I do like the look and the design of the box. Thanks again for the video.

[@evertking1]

Hey, im a noob but got enough sense to build one of these, im living on my property and do not have electricity until i get my solar up and running... I going to be using that eg4 xp6000 and one of these diy kits to get me going.. my question is, can i build it without balancing the cells?? I have seen some that say yes and some say no, that the cells will balance themselves. With no electricity im going to just have to build it and see, i guess.. but wonder what you thought. Glad i found your channel. Thanks

[@natesdiysolar]

If by no electricity, you mean not using a plugin charger or other AC power source, then yes, you can. You can just use your solar to do it, no problem. It's just easier to do with a steady power source like a battery charger. Cells will balance themselves, but once you get to the higher voltage range, it could take a very long time.. key is not to charge to high.. 55.2 is perfect. Just use your solar and keep an eye on the cell voltages once you get past 3.40 per cell or average cell voltage. You can do a natural balance, not using electricity by placing cells in parallel, but to do a top balance, you need to charge the cells, and that requires power of some sort.. the cells come from the factory charged to about 40% only. catch 22, right.. that's why some say yes some say no.

[@tquinn63]

I noticed the optional caster wheels. Can these units be safely used vertically once built? I want them to stand up against a wall vertically rather than flat horizontally . Thanks!

[@natesdiysolar]

They are producing a vertical unit. I don't have any details on it currently. I would not stand up the horizontal box upright as the cells are not supported on top. These boxes are made to be stacked..

[@rtsrts2317]

I understand that they can be used vertically. At least that's what was said on another channel.

[@tquinn63]

@@natesdiysolar I did find vertical units from some of their competitors, but I've heard what sounds like a legitimate concern when going vertical with these types of cells. That is vertically, the cells would be subject to significant and inconsistent weight and compression from the cells above them, likely allowing differential expansion based on their positions in the stack. To avoid this possibility and eliminate a potential point of failure, I'm willing to stay horizontal.

[@natesdiysolar]

@tquinn63 Yes, this is about the only concern there would be. That said, I do plan on doing a review and testing of theirs once it's available. Thanks for the info.

[@ricardophelps6323]

Seems to me there could be a temperature issue with these batt boxes. The cells are compressed together and the box is not vented, once that temperature builds up it will be difficult to lower it without forced ventilation like a desktop computer? and even then the cells will not cool easily because they are so tightly packed together. I see from the 280Ah+ spec sheets that cycle life is halved once temps get up to 45C compared to 25C. Is this an issue or am I worrying unnecessarily...

[@natesdiysolar]

Although ventilation holes would be a nice feature, it would not necessarily be for heat build-up. These types of cells generate very little heat themselves, if any. These cells are very commonly sealed in some type of sealed container like in EV cars, and they are sealed cells that do not vent unless some extreme rare circumstance (safety feature) and if that happens, the cells are probably ruined. The BMS will actually create more heat than the cells will, and that's only under high sustained loads. But even the BMS is designed to dissipate this heat. I would be more worried about outside environmental factors and ambient temp than I would the internal heat. In fact, if you are in a cold climate, it's recommended to keep the cells warm. I have a heated battery build video if you want to check out. Hope this helps. I actually thought about doing a video using PC fans and a temp controller, but this would be if you were going to keep the battery in some closet outside with direct sunlight heating up the cabinet. My batteries are in the garage, and I have an ac unit to keep the equipment cool, and the bms reports 30c max when the garage is at 89 to 92 degrees ambient temp... its actally cooler inside the box according to the BMS. The BMS has 4 temp sensors that will shut down the battery if the temps get too high. I'm talking 60 to 70c, and this is factory default.

[@ricardophelps6323]

@@natesdiysolar Okay that's interesting to know. My RE Cabin is air conditioned as I am in the South of Portugal it gets to 35 C similar to Florida. My current FLA batts are just outside the cabin in the shade and they tend to mimic the air temp around them so do get up to 40 C on occasions. Seems when I replace them with LFP I can get them inside and keep the cabin at 25 C max. Would they stack okay without the lids on? that would help dissipate any excess heat quickly. I would need x3 units about 45KW, with shipping would be less than €6K which is comparable with FLA. No worries about the cold here min is 10 C.

[@natesdiysolar]

@ricardophelps6323 There are alignment holes where the feet would prevent them from moving, so I suppose you could, but no reason to do so. I would be worried if something got in there... and caused a short. I have a 12v LFP outside as well in the shade, and it's been fine. I'll do a capacity test on it after the summer. Try with the lid on and monitor the temps.

[@ricardophelps6323]

@@natesdiysolar yes I believe your right we do have a lot of Gecko lizards here and they can get anywhere it would be an accident waiting to happen.

[@fryske.tynster]

could i use this battery for a boat? it has a 48v inboard elec motor

[@natesdiysolar]

You could as long as the power draw is less than 200a or about 9600w or less.. It's not rated for water, however, so it will definitely be a problem if it gets wet. They make sealed marine deep cycle batteries.. have you looked at those.. that said.. there is a woman on YT who goes by "digital mermaid" who is building an all electric sailboat with 4 or 5 diy batteries using homemade materials..

[@fryske.tynster]

@@natesdiysolar thnx for the answer ..

[@Ebbrush3]

could use a nylon washer on the PCBs

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes that would work great..

[@Ebbrush3]

love the vids and the links , thank you . could you talk about the connection and communication with the MPP lv6548s......comm setup ect. thanks

[@ronbown3836]

So I just ordered three of these these come with the batteries as well right end up costing me around $1,700 and That's for three of these.

[@natesdiysolar]

What.. $1700 each if ordered with cells, most likely. They do not come with cells.. they should ask you if you wanted cells.. 3 empty cases would be around $1700. They ship the cells separate. There is no way you're getting 3x complete batteries for $1700

[@ronbown3836]

@@natesdiysolar That's what I thought.

[@AlfarrisiMuammar]

In China the battery price has dropped very badly. 48v 300 ah power wall 10 year warranty sale for only $2.050 . Very Overcapacity

[@natesdiysolar]

Nice

[@DanBurgaud]

15:22 THAT cell missing one post?

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes lol good catch. It's a spare that I had.. next video, I will show what happened ..

[@jamesheredia1591]

what inverter did you hook it up to?

[@natesdiysolar]

I'm not using comms. Charging by voltage only. But I'm using mpp solar lv6548

[@jamesheredia1591]

what kind of charger do you use ? I ordered a kit and don't know how to charge it. I am a Battery noob.😂

[@natesdiysolar]

@jamesheredia1591 I use my solar inverter to charge to 55.2 then I use a 10a plugin charger for lifepo4. See the video about top balancing. I show it in there.. here is a link. Top balancing video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5vXpn1posaUd6c www.litime.com/products/48v-10a-lifepo4-battery-charger/?ref=XBwnqBoJfUkkE4

[@jamesheredia1591]

@@natesdiysolar Thank you very much sir

[@brianr.1378]

can you put a link to the batteries and the quantities?

[@natesdiysolar]

All the links are in the video description. If you have questions about cells and quantity, please contact Becky directly. Info in description.

[@j.j.alexander9542]

Buy yourself a torque wrench for doing up electrical fittings. You will strip them out

[@natesdiysolar]

Yea I need to get one.. any recommendations..

[@SolarMillUSA]

@@natesdiysolar for smaller "screws" like under 1/4" (6mm) a Wheeler "F.A.T." firearms torque screwdriver is (while not aerospace grade accurate) much better and consistent than by hand. For really large bolts a traditional, automotive torque wrench from any basic brand, heck even from Harbor Freight, is not bad. For a REALLY good in between, that is both more accurate and good for a range of small to medium fasteners and at the lower torque ranges more suitable for solar/elections, I prefer Wera (both in screwdriver and ratchet formats).

[@natesdiysolar]

@SolarMillUSA thanks for the info. Do you have a link to the product. Thanks

[@GarfieldHutchinson]

Where in USA I can purchase battery box???

[@natesdiysolar]

You can find Becky's contact info below . They just established a warehouse in TX, I'm told, but won't be stocked until some time in September. Would probably be the same time if you ordered from China and could save some cash as well.

[@GarfieldHutchinson]

Thank you.

[@GarfieldHutchinson]

Good morning I reach out yixiang company in China and say they don't have any warehouse in Texas however the reply I got yixiang ask you for Becky's information I need to order two battery boxes??

[@natesdiysolar]

@GarfieldHutchinson the wear house is actually in LA... I was wrong in the video. I don't think it is ready yet.. ask Becky about that... she told me in early September. You can find Becky's info here.. www.natesdiysolar.com/where-to-buy-cells/

[@GarfieldHutchinson]

Please send me full information email address or business phone number for Becky's a lot person are interested buying battery box

[@ovchannelag5238]

👍👍

[@patrickmckowen2999]

👍

[@rtsrts2317]

Their prices were all over the place when I purchased. No consistency. They advertised $419. They quoted me $429 plus all the associated shipping, fees and other BS. $608+ some other mystery fee of $17.65 they charged me a day later. Not exactly cheap, but whatever.

[@natesdiysolar]

Yes, they do quote the non shipped price. First box, I ended up paying $800! I was fairly pissed about that.. anytime you buy on Alibaba, you will get those fees. You end up paying around $550 total these days, and I think that's fair, considering you get a BMS and a quick and easy solution.

[@rtsrts2317]

$500-550 TOTAL is what I would expect to pay for these. It's a fair price considering the options from the other guys isn't really plug n play. One quote I received ended up closer to your $800 price. I had to negotiate for the price I got. Anyway, good video. Still waiting on mine to arrive.

[@natesdiysolar]

@@rtsrts2317 where did you order from.. @rtsrts2317 so the 800 price was from the first box I got last year.. different company... Other companies are now selling around 550 as well, but you have to build the thing. So currently, I think these guys have the best deal iv seen.

[@natesdiysolar]

@rtsrts2317 yikes yea I agree. 550 is what the price is now.. the 800 was from the first box last year, and yes, I felt ripped off, and that was for a "you build it" kit. Those should be even cheaper, say 450 to 500 as you have to build it.

[@natesdiysolar]

Where did you ship to.. that's the largest factor. And if u get the caster wheels, I think that's an extra cost..

[@MMMM2MMMM2MMMM]

Put the sticky on the plastics.

[@natesdiysolar]

Actally, that's a great idea.. it crossed my mind after the build was done.

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Surely the bare minimum the manufacturer could do ie the bms board screw potential short would be to send an insulated washer. This looks bush league, cheap price isn't everything when it comes to power packs!

[@natesdiysolar]

They told me they are now sending the insulated washers. I agree that expecting us to do it is silly. They also said they moved the location of the screws . Still a bandaid, in my opinion, I'd like to see a redesign of the pcb. I have another box coming.. we shall see. It's really the cell prices that make DIY attractive now, not necessarily the box.

[@SirHackaL0t.]

It must be horrible to have so many batteries.

[@natesdiysolar]

Lol. It's a struggle..