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It is a journey. Learning as much as you can and wondering if you will ever arrive. Would not be in this position if it weren’t for the unselfish and ever helpful members who frequent this site. While members have transitioned through the years there are still some who continue to help...

Last weekend I was lugging around a solar panel, trying to see what locations would provide good solar input. After lifting it for the xxx th time, I decided to make a cart, or dolly to move it around. It is not finished but I thought I would share progress as I go. The panel is slightly...

Ok. There are plenty of discussions on UL ratings and cost comparisons of DIY vs prebuilt batteries. What I want to know is who is still doing DIY and the reasons you chose this approach. I will go first. At first it was the only thing going. Later it was for the challenge and satisfaction...

Last update 3/31, last post This will be a work in process as I figure out the ins and outs of this methodology. Apologies if images are not visible to some, I am still learning. This is phase I of a two phase project. The first part of the project included building what amounts to a UPS. At...

A lot of time has passed since I first started this journey. I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Edison. "Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration". Here are some lessons learned from this project: 1. Use this forum for information. From a distance everything seems easy...

Wasn't sure where to place this. We all have a strong interest in solar and countless threads are written on the topic. I was curious what other interests and projects others have worked on that they found interesting. Recently I found myself learning the details of a modern hot water heater...

Often a member shares their aspirations to build a system. One piece of excellent advice that often comes up is to perform an energy audit. Having done this, I was humbled. Something as simple as a standard personal computer consumed more power than I thought it should. I could provide numerous...

OK. Perhaps I am the only one. I have more than one project going on right now. Between a bathroom remodel and a portable build I have tools distributed in creative places to help me get things done. As a result the neat and orderly has well, sort of lost its place. Currently looking for a wire...

I am in the process of building a "home" for my inverter charger, batteries, etc. I actually designed an enclosure I was planning on building this weekend. The challenge was where to place it. One location was more convenient but would require a much longer wire run, therefore more $$$. This...

Many of us came to this forum wide eyed and enthusiastic about the concept of solar. Many watched videos on YouTube and became intrigued about the possibility of converting sunshine to electricity. For many it has been quite a journey. We gathered our thoughts and shared them with the...

Had a small leak on kitchen ceiling. Turns out there was a crack in the plumbing stack gasket on the roof. This can happen when roofs have a few years on them. Found a helpful video from This Old House. Used a special adhesive and then added a new gasket formulated for this application...

I enjoyed the Mythbusters series. It was especially fun when they used different modeling approaches to check the feasibility of an idea. One approach I especially liked was the "proof of concept" model. Often something looks good on paper. If one utilizes a small scale trial however sometimes...

I have read the discussions on 24v vs 48 v. Smaller wires for higher voltage, availability of components (is improving for 48v) etc. The reason I ask is redundancy. While requiring larger wires, a 2x24 volt system has in essence a backup supply should one need to go down for repair. In parallel...

OK. I may be the only person on this planet who just learned this. However found it interesting. The following Youtube video from Midnight Solar discusses the direction the breaker should be placed. It starts at about 4:30 in the video. I then included a photo of the breaker. My question is does...

It never seems to fail. I buy extra lugs because I love DIY and I seem to go through them like there is no tomorrow. Just recently I used one of my last 1/0 lugs even though I recently bought more. I keep them tidy in separate bags for organization. Yet they seem to evaporate into thin air...

I wanted to share my journey to build a portable power station. The overall specs will be a DIY 8s 24 volt battery with the JK active balancer. The current plan is to mount this on a portable dolly and have it tie into a Victron Multiplus II inverter charger. In its current design it will be...

Being a DIY battery builder slightly tempted by the current sale. Granted it is only $10 per cell but $$ is $$. Anyone else utilizing this sale?

OK. I am not an artist, not even close. And I do not have a good drafting program on hand. However, I am organizing my thoughts for a Victron 24v system with a smart shunt, connecting bus bars and Cerbo. This does not have the nice Victron Power in or Distribution center in the design. However...

I opened a discussion a while back on this. I loved the "proof of concept" model used by Mythbusters. Often when I start a project, I build a model as a test. For instance, for phase II of my project, I will be adding solar input. I have an area that seems ideal for a location, however, when I...

We have all been there. Those moments of inspiration where the light bulb goes on. Perhaps that cup of coffee, or a walk to enjoy the outdoors. Perhaps you turned an item backwards or upside by accident when things came into focus. Perhaps it was through browsing the threads on this forum...

I first entered the computer world in the early 1980s. At that time there was a company called Radio Shack which sold a personal computer. A little later IBM released their version. Granted they had a huge company behind them and overwhelming marketing abilities. However, what set them apart is...

Yesterday we had a real life grid down situation for a several mile area. The reason? Squirrel damage. My BIL looked it up. Apparently it can be common. We have plenty of these in our area. They would have easy access to the solar shed roof install I am considering. Any suggestions on ways of...

This entire process has been a vast learning experience. I reflect back on my "innocent" days when this was "easy". Just do 123 and everything will go as planned??? I know models have been discussed regarding this. Very true. I have an up and running "UPS version". I am now in the process of...

This is not the first time this has been discussed. Just wanted to see if my reasoning is right. I will be building 2 24v batteries. Currently I am top balancing the first 8. Because of scheduling considerations my approach is probably slower than most. I first set the charger to the lower...

When I entered this group, I debated the server vs diy type batteries. I am finishing up the second diy pack. Both are 302 AH. From what I have learned, different capacities in serial are forbidden, but readings suggest that if there are differences in parallel that it is OK. The reason I...

This is old news to almost everyone in the group. I wanted to post this however for those who might be new to using battery cells for DIY projects. I recently received some CATL cells from refurbished EV packs. These were repackaged into "like new" cells. I am certain that this has been...

This is basic knowledge for anyone who has been building DIY batteries. However I decided to add this for those who are just beginning to build their own batteries. Others can please feel free to add their own tips for the process. Before attaching the positive leads, I like to double check the...

Recently I was trimming a piece of wire in preparation for crimping. I happened to notice a clump of dust that was stuck to the end. If I had missed it it would have been "secured" inside the lug. Not a desirable outcome. I decided to trim the wire a touch to remove any possible debris. I...

Good morning. I am capacity testing a 302 AH 8s battery pack. When I first started the test, I noted that it was set to the default 100 AH setting. I upgraded to the Iphone Pro version and updated the Total battery and capacity settings and sent these back to the BMS. Currently the BMS...

In reading the knowledge base of this group, I need to apologize in advance for the basic nature of this question. I am currently designing a basic system from scratch and other than a couple of panels and a couple of tools have yet to purchase anything. Currently I am considering a 24 volt...