Most reacted threads

I asked Will to create this subforum so we could discuss real world and theoretical issues that may not be code compliant and will probably violate manufacturers warranty. I also hope for spirited discussions without anybody getting hurt feelings. It's ok to disagree I hope to advance knowledge...

Just finished my new 5.5 kilo watt LTO pack. I've been contemplating this for over a year and finally put it all together. I custom built 12 4x11 bus bars and 1 2x20 bus bar Plus the terminals are 1x4x6 solid aluminum tapped to allow set screws to clamp cables in. Topped the cells with 1/2...

So I spent the last week building this 2.4Kw ground mount array. Hopefully tomorrow the sun gods will smile and I can test it. I picked up 18 150 watt panels off of Craigslist for 350 bucks. The rack I built cost twice that but I think I am still way ahead at about $.44 per watt installed...

Hi all one of my battery suppliers has a decent price on 280 AH cells they are allegedly made new in 2020. I have been selling LTO cells on e-bay for a while now and have tested around 400 of them So I have a pretty efficient testing method set up. My thought is to bulk buy these 280Ah Cells...

As per request I am going to try and explain how I get the Chargery communications to send its data to my PC. Right now I can read data from the Chargery. I have not played with sending data to it. For me one of the biggest benefits of the unit is that It will display each cells individual...

I just finished milling the bus bars today after thinking about them for some months. This is a configuration I hope to deploy this week at my cabin. It is a 3p12s 120Ah 24V battery. Well almost finished. The big blocks of aluminum will get drilled to Accept 0 Awg cable and have bolts to...

Just want everyone to know that I will be going off grid backpacking from August 2nd to August 22nd. So if you try and contact me and I do not respond it is because I am hopefully high up on a mountain somewhere. For those who want to follow along if you are in to that sort of thing...

I first want to preface this by saying I am not encouraging anybody to use or not to use a Chargery even though I stock them and sell them to forum members at a discount. I only did this because they work perfect for my situation and I as well as some others liked the product. I noticed...

Hopefully tonight I will be able to test my SSR's I have 250 Amp and 500 Amp ones. Obviously the first test is weather or not they work. I was also going to run them under load and check temperature often to see how they heat up with and without a heat sink. Does anybody have any other tests...

So here it is Will dislikes the Chargery BMS. I don't disagree it's a bit quirky but. He proves how it is fully customizable even if it isn't for him. He does agree that once set up it works fine. I hope everyone who considers buying a Chargery watches this video. I am still a huge fan but...

Will made a great video about using a relay to shut down inverter if battery gets undervoltage. But there seems to be some discussion as to how long the relay will last and arc's and on an on. The victron battery protect will not work because the capacitators charge too fast when switched on...

I am currently trying to build my own BMS. The reason why is that I cant find any suitable products that allow custom cell ranges and networked communications that are not Bluetooth. I need WiFi or Ethernet capabilities. I posting this thread for other peoples ideas of what a BMS should...

So when I purchased my SCC the instructions recomended 2 pole breakers with the positive in one pole and the negative in the other. I see most people here using single pole breakers. What are the pros and cons off either type.

I was reading someone's thread and they were saying they needed a BMS with over current protection on both the charge and discharge side. I know this is a common request but WHY? . Obviously you need proper equipment such as not putting a 10Kw inverter on a 12v system which would draw 833...

Just had this question pop up on another thread. What are the advantages/disadvantages of a double pole breaker compared to a single pole breaker for use in our systems. I have been using double pole breakers because 3 years ago when I searched DC breakers that's what popped up.

So I have been talking to these car stereo guys who buy my LTO batteries. This one guy needs 18Kw of power for his system. I have no clue how he is going to move that much power but It will use 24 40AH LTO cells. I was thinking about another post in which a guy mentioned the average winter...

I am wondering how the external control inputs on the Victron multi plus units work. Can they accept a direct 12v signal from my Chargery or do I need to use an opto-coupler or something. With my Midnight classic the 12v signal works perfectly. I am trying to create a list of devices that...

If anybody has any DIY complete solar monitoring ideas or finished products lets discuss them here. The idea of this thread is to brainstorm ideas and discuss what works and does not work. The other forum members and I who decided to post this topic were mainly think Arduino or Single board...

I am assuming everyone else here in California is seeing about 10% output from their solar panels due to the level of smoke in the air. I was wondering if others were as bad as mine. With about 80% of new homes being built with solar I also wonder if this will increase the amount of brown outs...

I am looking at 2 different 16 amp circuit breakers one has a rating of 4.5kA and the other has a rating of 6kA I understand the 6kA breaker will hold back more amps but for solar or from our batteries to our inverter is the higher rating necessary or should they even be higher like 10kA

So I have been trying to build my own rudimentary BMS. Phase 1 is simply getting cell voltages from each cell in series. Im working with a 12S configuration. Long story short After different attempts using MOSFET's and relays to iterate through the cells I realized reinventing the wheel is...

So I picked up 20 150 watt panels for 400 bucks the problem is the MC4 connectors have been cut off. These are 100V 1.5 Amp panels What I'm thinking of doing is a 2S10P setup. I started to put new MC4 connectors on all of the panels then I said why am I doing this. What Im thinking of doing...

does anybody have a 200+amp Daly BMS in use that they can test with a 200Amp draw for up to an hour or so and report back how hot they get? I am looking for a reference point for my SSR testing.

I saw this at a Tiny Living Festival this morning. He is selling complete 3000w setup for 10-12 k. Not sure how many panels he includes or what type. His demo had 4 sunpower flexible panels.

Ok so here is the problem my off grid system at times may have weeks of snow and no sun at some point. This year after 2 weeks of clouds and snow my batteries are now drained to nothing. Obviously this is not a good thing not to mention I have solar panels attached to 4 Charge controllers...

So I'm trying to charge 12 cells in series. I recently installed a Chargery BMS which lets me know each cells voltage. It seems that the cells starting from the positive end of series decrease in voltage almost in a straight downward line so cell 1 is 2.8 volts cell 2 is 2.75 volts cell 3 2.7...