Recent content by caesarv

I received my DIY kit and MB30 batteries a couple of days ago. I have not yet fully put it together as the lack of instructions has slowed me down a bit. My kit was ordered with the PC200 BMS. I have watched the 2 recent videos from Off-Grid garage. Two questions: 1. In a previous video, Andy...

I got my cells and DIY case today...much sooner than expected. Everything looks perfect so far, but it will be a while before I can test everything out.

I just saw that video yesterday. And today my 16 MB30 cells and DIY case arrived. I ordered the PC200 BMS and the front panel does have the cutout for the display. The BMS he is using has a much bigger display, so that may explain it. No instructions. It will be awhile before I can see how...

Ampster, any chance of getting the name of the engineer? I am in Santa Rosa and am just beginning to deal with all of this. I will have 12 ground mounted solar panels, and am using an EG4 18Kpv hybrid inverter. Any other hints you may have would be helpful.

Thanks to all who have responded. I will need some time to digest all this. Meanwhile I am going to visit my county center on Tuesday to see about permits. FYI, this is going to be a ground mount system with 12 solar panels of about 400W each...not that I expect to reach that 400W. Why would...

Last week I also ordered the DIY kit and 16 batteries. I also communicated with Ellie. I think I got a $60 discount (big whup!) I was not asked for any extra shipping fee but I am located just an hour North of San Francisco. I ordered the DIY kit with the PC200 BMS...I hope that was the...

I am new to solar and am beginning a mostly DIY installation of a system based on the EG4 18Kpv (no micro-inverters.) I am planning on about 15kW of battery backup. I am a retired electrical engineer, but do not know much about power systems. I am in California and will have to deal with...

When I was using the 120AH batteries, I used a 60A Daly BMS. I have since switched to 304AH batteries and am now using a 100A Daly BMS. However, even under full load for the SMT1500, it draws less than 50 amps, so either one would work. This system is still working flawlessly. We had a...

I work for a large high tech company where there are many of these APC SmartUPSs around. The SLA batteries all last about 3 years and then fail. They bulge out so that they are hard to remove. I have see a trend where people just give up and throw the entire UPS away...and do not get a...

I am confused by this statement: Lifepo4 cells have a hard life in a ups even if it has a bms connected... Why do you think this? In my situation, we seldom have power outages unless there is a fire or it gets very windy (unfortunately, a bit too often here in No Calif.) We do have the...

I just completed my upgrade to 304 AH batteries. I used a 100A BMS just in case, although the max load is about 50A. Under normal conditions, a BMS may never be needed...but you never know...and it can't hurt (except my checkbook.)

While I agree that some UPS models have crappy waveforms, the APC SMT1500 is a nice sine wave. I compared the normal line waveform to the UPS on battery and actually had to repeat it because the UPS output on battery was much cleaner than my line voltage, although that could be related to the...

I have done this with an APC SMARTUPS 1500. Yes, you should buy at least a 60 or 80 Amp BMS (about $50). See my post here: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/replacing-ups-lead-acid-batt-w-lifepo4.34621/post-455826

I have been using an APC Smart UPS 1500 for about 15 years to provide backup power to multiple devices. I removed the internal batteries and brought out the wires to two 12v car batteries. This worked well but lead acid batteries are a pain, require maintenance, should not be discharged too...