Most reacted posts

I dislike bashing a particular company. But this failure in the terminal connections wreak havoc on a s/p system. You all have educated me. My system rebuilds will only include batteries of matching voltage to the system, ie: 24 vdc units or 48 vdc units. No more series/parallel for MY...

Thanks for the advice. I'm learning after experiencing two 20yo solar power systems installed in homes on remote islands. They all looked like rat's nests when I began working with them. I certainly implemented such as you warn when I built a new system from scratch for my little cabina. I'm...

"One bad apple DOES spoil the whole bunch." One battery defeated the string of six. The two totally dead BB10012 are being replaced at NO CHARGE by Aaron and his manager at Battle Born. I simply pay the freight from Miami to Panama and I do not need to ship the dead ones back. THIS IS THE...

My old boat motor (40hp) had an electric start. Starter was dragging, cable showed zero resistance BUT had excessive voltage drop. I skinned the insulation only to find the copper conductor was black from end to end (salt water). Replaced it with a new length of welding cable and the starter...

The factory packaging should be sufficient for rough seas and impacts but I would buy a plastic tarp and wrap the box tight. Speaking from experience.

I'm far from being an expert but I live in the jungle. I made a few bus bars for a small system using copper tubing which I flattened and polished, bolted to a plycem (cement board) and wood strip. Here you gotta make do with whatcha' got.

Thank you. I plan to do that. I now have a Klein induction DC amp meter that I plan to use. I learn from life experiences every day. Life is a good teacher.

I simply posted this thread to get opinions regarding us poor slobs who "inherit" old systems and try to keep them dependable. As I watched a new neighbor from Califorlornia spend in excess of $60k for a brand new off-grid system, I realized the $8k I spent (+shipping) to re-power TWO old...

I have had this same problem as posted earlier here. If you look at the photo on my post, the B+ terminals were loose. I did correct a few and saved them. I noticed the terminals are firmly adhered to the "lid" which I cut off. The terminal is NOT bolted directly to the bus bar inside but it...

Sorry I ruffled your feathers. I joined here for the technical expertise. Oh, I retired here because I couldn't afford to live in the U.S. on my retirement funds. I trust we can exchange "war" stories as I lived in West Virginia as a child. (y)

They were loose alright. VERY loose. I followed the original design,simply unscrewed the nuts and bolts, cleaned everything shiny, assembled with an anticorrosive conductor fluid and tightened the nuts as a 50 year journeyman mechanic would. Zero voltage drop. Voltmeter showed 13.4vdc as soon...

I think a follow-up is helpful. I put four of the healthiest batteries in parallel (after individual balancing) for a few days. No change, they held 13.5vdc. So yesterday I connected them in series with brand new cables and got 26.97vdc. This morning they read 26.94vdc. I'm gonna leave...

Hello HarryN, Thanks again, details in my latest post.

They are just short junction blocks. I saw no voltage drop with them. It was a "spur of the moment" thought. Necessity is a mother.

After I repaired the loose B+ terminals on my BB10012s, I charged each one until at 14.4vdc, the amp draw was nil. Then I connected a Renogy 12v 3kw inverter with a cheap (but it works) Hall coulombmeter and drained each one until the inverter shut down. I used a home-made dehydrator that has...

Battery Monitor Hall Sensor Coulomb Tester DC 9~100v 100A/400A Digital Voltmeter Ammeter Battery Capacity Power Electricity AH Voltage Meter Coulometer for RV,Car,Golf Cart,Boat Brand: TKXEC I bought this inexpensive hall-effect meter off...

It's fascinating to watch the BB BMS do their job. I have three "resting" after disconnecting them from a parallel charge. They remained around 13.98, 13.97vdc for two days, now one has jumped to 14.14vdc overnight. I really need to get them all balanced before the new warranty-replacement...

This is why I came here to Will's forum. Brilliant idea which I will utilize in the six string 24vdc system at the other house. It will give me some peace of mind. I can easily monitor the eight 48vdc system here where I live but may consider your breaker here as well. This is a VERY...

Yes, charging current is to be less than 50% of the battery's capacity. I shut down when I saw 68adc, it was even dragging down THIS house's power. I have enough I can parallel them and reduce the amps, it'll also help with cell balance. I discovered another "loose" B+ terminal on one of...

How's this for a fitting thread title?

Thanks. I did this prior to connecting them together. The average for each individual battery was as low as 12.8vdc when I began gradual charging to each (almost a full day per battery). Once the charger draw was below a full amp at 13.6, I set it to 47.8 for each one until the charger amps...

This is my impression. The power goes out the - and comes in the + terminal. At least this is what I surmise.

I took the last three that were not evenly balanced,13.7, 13.6 and 14.1 and paralleled them and got 13.8. Connected a 10 amp 12v pump for one minute on diagonal poles and voltage went to 13.9 so I'm gonna leave them connected for a day. My logs are just scribbled values thru the days for each...

Thanks brother!

I was being simplistic. You are correct with the "constant flow." My thinking and from my limited experience with batteries in series/parallel is the individual batteries tend to become unbalanced, some having a higher SOC than others. I discussed this briefly with BB tech help. A semi-annual...

My BB post has a photo of the melted plastic sandwich: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/battle-born-victorious.64848/

I was a technician/mechanic all my life. I retired here about ten years ago. We built one house about twenty years ago that was equipped with sixteen poly crystalline PV panels (they don't even sell anymore) and two Outback controllers and an Outback 24v inverter charger. I guess this was...

What I do not understand is why the terminal is not bolted DIRECTLY to the bus bar with the equivalent sized hardware as the external terminal.

Sorry, my terminology may be vague. As a for-instance, a 24vdc of six BBs in series parallel there are two diagonal options. Should I change them occasionally? I have learned here that bus bars are the BEST way to insure continued balance, but in the meanwhile, is this or rotation prudent?