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Adding Second Battery _ DYI Building Power Station
JamesDow
Member Posts: 675
Want to augment my existing lithium battery capacity.
So, I spend some money on Black Friday items.
Plan on adding a 100Ah lithium battery to my existing 100Ah lithium battery on an as needed flexible basis.
Bought (or had) the following to start the project:
Lithium battery for $240.
Solar controller $37
400/800 watt power inverter ($50)
Build box $24
SAE Cables/adapters $30
Power cut master switch $20
Battery monitor $59
I will also need to purchase some additional switches, etc.
I am using the same solar controller as on my solar suitcase, so I will also have a matched backup.
My preference would be for a MPPT controller, but that will/may come later.
I ran across a battery review by Will Prowse (see YouTube link below) and researched the Li Time battery and found it on Black Friday Amazon sale.
I have always thought about a trolling motor so that may be in line for the future.
My plan is to combine the battery, solar controller and inverter into a box which can be used to double my existing T@G power supply or to act as a stand-alone unit for other types of camping. Will also be able to charge my e-bikes.
Maybe when all said and done my out-the-door cost should be under $560 and it will be built so that items can be easily changed or used for other purposes.
This will allow for longer off-grid camping experiences.
It will also provide other around the house uses, such as powering a small storage shed/outbuilding.
My T@G use would be simple.
Add the SAE adapter, plug my solar panel(s) in and plug my new power station box.
Should be very simple, double my battery capacity and allow for more solar panels if needed.
Added power station weight should be around 40-50lbs.
I will post additional information as I have the time.
Comments always welcome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAaThjkazkM&t=29s
Comments
OK, this project took a lot longer than anticipated due to a defective battery that needed to be replaced.
Finished putting it together today and my initial testing shows that all is working as planned.
This is a unique power station in that all items can be independently utilized and/or all used at once in conjunction with all the current lithium/solar setup that I use with my T@G.
So now I have twice the battery capacity if needed (100Ah+100Ah), second solar controller (Victron 100V/30A along with the Renogy PWM Voyager 20A solar controller.
I built into the new power station a 400-watt inverter, which can be easily swapped for a 1000 or 2000-watt inverter.
Currently the 400-watt inverter is enough to recharge both of my Lectric 3.0 bikes.
Everything included weighs 38 lbs.
I will post a parts-lists and schematic as I find the time.
I will be finalizing things and perform additional testing soon.
Feedback and questions are welcome.
@JamesDow - I know the MPPT must be mounted vertically, but is that enough ventilation for the device? Clever to contain all of that in a tool box!
Sharon - Westlake, Ohio | 2017 TaB CSS - Forum Administrator
Heat is a concern for both the solar controller as well as the inverter.
They are mounted on peg board to help facilitate air flow.
The inverter has an internal fan.
I already bought two small fans I was planning to install, but wanted to wait to measure the temp inside of the box first. I have a remote indoor outdoor wireless thermometer that I will track my ventilation needs.
I can always just open the box top.
My goal was to keep things as waterproof as possible.
The two fans I have will be easy to retrofit into my build.
Since I do a lot of desert camping, heat is a concern as well as blowing dust.
Camping temps alone are at the peak of the Victron specifications.
Bottom line, while camping, I can always fall back to my Renogy PWM controller which is part of my solar suitcase.
When heading out camping, I should be starting out with two fully charged 100Ah lithium batteries.
Those should keep my Nocold refrigerator in operation for 6-7 days even without sun.
I also have the idea to use this power station to power a small remote shed.
So far, I am pleased with the outcome, especially that everything worked the first try.
That was amazing not to have even one issue.
Good for you @JamesDow! Nice, compact set up.
Sharon - Westlake, Ohio | 2017 TaB CSS - Forum Administrator
I updated my self-built power station with a new inverter to gain some cleaner power and to increase my power output. I especially wanted to assure that I had clean power for my movie projector and speakers while camping and at home.
I removed my old Bestex 400/700-watt modified sign wave inverter and replaced it with a 500/1000-watt pure sign wave sold by Fit4Less. All the specifications of the new inverter tested out to be accurate. Output voltage consistently ran at 116-120 volts.
After replacement, I ran tests running an Angle Grinder, Jig Saw, 18” Industrial Floor Fan, (2) Lectric Bike Chargers, 3.3 Cubic Foot Compact Refrigerator, T@G Danby 5,000 Btu Air Conditioner, and a 4-Gallon Shop Wet/Dry Vacuum.
All items were able to run flawlessly using the LiTime battery and Fit4Less pure sign wave inverter, except for the Wet/Dry Vacuum. The Vacuum was able to start up, but the inverter went into fault mode after about 5 seconds. This outcome was expected, since the running power consumption of 559-watts exceeded the stated inverters capacity of 500-watts. Turning off and back on reset the fault status of the inverter with no issues.
To power the T@G air conditioner, I plugged the AC directly into my power station and bypassed the T@G 120-volt converter. All AC settings were tested. My Renogy monitor indicated that my 100Ah battery would run the AC for around 3 constant hours. The on/off cycling of the AC would be dependent on the ambient temperature, so a run time exceeding 3 hours would be anticipated. The AC ran at 443-watts, with an occasional transient peak as high as 550-watts.
Could I cool the trailer down using my power station at night while desert camping and recharge it with solar during the day? Time will tell, hopefully soon.
The 4-Gallon Shop Wet/Dry Vacuum had start up transient peaks as high as 696-watts, but it was the continuous draw which caused the inverter to shut down. That is actually a good thing, since that is how the inverter is designed to function.
Speaking of inverter. The one I purchased fit into my power station box without a hitch. I measured the no load draw at around 2.59-watts. The inverter has a small LCD display which measures things like input DC voltage, output AC voltage and battery status. Accuracy of the LCD was acceptable, but for true measuring, something like a shunt and monitor is far more accurate.
All in all, I continue to be happy with my power station. I have had no issues with excessive heat build up and am happy that it allows me to easily double my lithium battery capacity up to 200Ah. In the end, my self-made/designed system did cost the same as an off the shelf unit. The major difference is that mine comes with the functionality to run as a complete unit and/or to run any component (battery, solar controller, inverter) stand alone in a pass-through mode. As example, I can use my Renogy 100-watt solar suitcase, bypass the built in Voyger PWM solar controller and use the power stations MPPT Victron solar controller. The Victron controller allows me to run my solar panels (100-watt Renogy, 220-watt Ecoflow bifacial, Blluerise 60-watt and 50-watt Renogy) in any configuration I desire (Parallel or Series). Normally I would not include my two smaller solar panels for T@G charging, instead using those for phones, cameras, flashlights and rechargeable fans and power banks.
I can charge the T@G and/or the power station together or separate. The power station is also designed for a larger capacity (higher watts) inverter to be external to the power station, if I desire in the future. (Currently I have no urgent need)
For a simple long camping weekend, the extra power is really not needed. For trips 5+ days, it will come in handy. The charge up of my two Lectric 3.0 bikes while off grid is major addition that I was lacking.
The bonus of having power for my two 16’x8’ sheds and/or back yard has already proven itself useful.
___________________________________
When normally using the Power Station / battery bank I often have the lid partially closed. To date, I have not seen concerning high temperatures, but even ambient desert temperatures approach upper limits noted in solar controller specifications, which may begin to cause losses.
_____________________
Sharon - Westlake, Ohio | 2017 TaB CSS - Forum Administrator
In response to @GulfCoast question: "Have you had any overheating issues with all those components enclosed in that box?"
To date I have had no heat related issues with my power station. Generally, my testing is with the lid mostly closed and the box in the shade. During camping, I usually prop the lid open an inch or two. The max temperature I have read is on the cooling fins (heat sink) of the Victron solar charge controller has been <98°. Naturally this would be higher when the ambient temperature exceeds 100+°.
The only issue I have experienced with my power station is blowing the fuses (35Amp) of the 600-watt inverter. This occurred during testing of running the AC and manually switching the dials on the AC. I do not have the same problem using my 1,500-watt inverter.
As far as overheating, I do have a remote read temperature sensor which I can put in the box. In normal hot weather situations, I keep the power station in the shade and keep the box lid at least partially open. If needed, I have a USB 5" fan which I could place in the box to vent hot air. So far this has not been required. When I built the box, I did purchase two small fans to be installed. I held off on this modification in order to keep the box the most weather and dust proof as possible. Again, I have not found the need to perform this modification.
My findings have shown that the battery temperature show little variance during use.
Since I am not typically running more than 220-watts solar panels into my Victron 100/30 solar charge controller, I tax that very little and such the temperature does not get excessive. A 220-watt solar panel output is around one half of the max power rating of the charge controller.
As far as running my 600-watt inverter, the maximum temperature at peak output still remains less or the same as the solar controller.
So bottom line, I have not experienced any temperature related issues or concerns. I am glad my box is very weather and dust resistant.
The one item that does reach a high temperature is my Eco Worthy 10Amp battery charger. This charger is separate from the power station and plugs into a side SAE port. I keep this well vented during the charging process and add an insulating layer between the charger and what it rests in. Being just a 10Amp charger, it runs at full capacity for hours during an extended charging period. This is the same charger I utilize to get my T@G Renogy lithium battery up to 100%. So far, the charger has been holding up well and I would recommend for someone in the market for an inexpensive (<$60) lithium battery charger.
Would I recommend building your own power station? - yes/no
It really is not much cheaper than buying a commercially available power station.
The big advantage that I built in is each component can be run together or completely independent.
If I want to augment my current T@G capacity of 100Ah, all I need to do is plug a SAE cable into my power station and into the T@G solar tongue box SAE plug. While not balanced, it still can result in 200Ah of capacity.
The Victron solar charge controller can charge the power station battery, my T@G battery or both at the same time. Thus, if I want to easily change from Renogy solar suitcase PWM Voyager charger controller to the more efficient Victron MPPT controller, it is just a swap of existing MC4 connectors and cables.
My 600-watt inverter which is built into the power station, is mounted on a board which can be easily pulled up and removed from the power station box. Removing the two cables attached and screwing them into my 1,500 Giandel inverter gives me addition AC power output when required.
Living in rural southern California, we experience multiple Public Safety Power Shut Off events. Power can be off for hours or days. The power station can cover my needs keeping my tankless hot water heater in operation as well as powering my garage refrigerator.
When I found my LiTime 100Ah battery on sale, I purchased another for $203. I now have up to 300Ah battery capacity. I have two barn style sheds and may hook up one or two batteries along with my 1,500-watt inverter and some solar panels to give me remote power. This saves me from having to run a 100-foot extension cord to run a saw or other power equipment on a short-term basis.
Later this month, we are off on a cross-country trip. Should be gone for around 5-6 weeks. So far, we have the first three stays (Phoenix, White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park) planned out. Following that, we will make our plans on the fly. We are taking our small dog and will need shore power occasionally to assure the dog's safety.
I welcome any questions and wish all the best during this summer's camping season.