Post B6m6NpjzFf190q2ONU by Unixbigot@aus.social
(DIR) More posts by Unixbigot@aus.social
(DIR) Post #B6m6NorkVJdGIcf4q0 by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
All Right, Thudes, today on #KittingEdgeEngineering we're going to make a Power Tank. It's too big to fail. You might have a 2500mAh usb "Power Bank" in your handbag. You might sneak your "30,000" mmAh (marketing milli-amp hours, i.e. lies) monster bank onto the plane. Here's my 50 actual honest-to-Gaga Amp-Hour POWER TANK, that you can make from parts without even needing to solder. You will need these items (links later in the thread):1️⃣ Four "prismatic Lithium-Iron-Phosphate" cells. (Prismatic just means square, round ones work too). I used 50Ah cells for this project, and 100Ah cells for another one (not pictured). The seller should provide you the plates and nuts needed to connect them together.2️⃣ A Battery management system, I used one from Daly which has bluetooth built in. 3️⃣ A USB power delivery board that has switch-adjustable voltage settings .4️⃣ (Optional) one or more multi-channel USB power delivery boards5️⃣ (Optional) a solar power regulator if you want solar charging
(DIR) Post #B6m6Np9pQ65tCh7W1A by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
PowerTank part 2:Your normal-sized power bank is probably made from Lithium-Polymer pouch cells, or Lithium Ion cylindrical cells like the ubiquitous 18650. These require soldering or spot-welding to assemble. Surprisingly, if you go "up scale", things get easier and safer.LiFePO₄ cells (Lithium Iron Phosphate) are not quite as energy-dense as Lithium Ion, but quite a bit safer, and the big ones have screw terminals which make assembling multiple cells far more straightforward.I'm not going to link to the exact 50A cells I used because the seller stung me with a low price and then a customs processing fee on delivery. Here's the same product from the store where I got the 100Ah cells for another battery I made: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005033329819.htmlIf you buy a lot of four you should get all the nuts and bolts along with them.
(DIR) Post #B6m6NpScIF7g8xuWIq by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
PowerTank part 3:Now that you have a battery you need a Battery Management System, this is the circuit board which makes sure that the cells do not get overcharged, overdischarged, overheated or short circuited. I chose one that had built in bluetooth, which means I can monitor and control the battery from an app on my phone.See image alt text for description.Affiliate link that earns me $3: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c45FvHs9Direct link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002897035148.html
(DIR) Post #B6m6NpjzFf190q2ONU by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
Power Tank part 4: At this point you could be done if you just want to power 12v equipment (say your studio lights on location). If you work with USB, let's add a USB power delivery module which can also charge the battery from USB.There are many options here but I like this one because it can be adjusted via little switches for anywhere from 2-6 cells, and supports several different kinds of battery. No soldering is needed to adust it. Affiliate link that earns me $1ish: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3GScj7bDirect link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008401680912.htmlThis is a bidirectional board, it can deliver power from the battery, or accept power over USB to charge the battery.
(DIR) Post #B6m6NpyAOwMNiofiTo by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
Power Tank part five. If you just want to charge your laptop, you are done. If you want to charge a LOT of things, lets add a multi-port charging option.You can buy a whole raft of multi-port USB power supplies. I've tested many of them. Then almost all FUCKING LIE AN INCREDIBLE LOT.Here are two boards that I have torture tested to confirm they tell truth. I have a whole other thread about these. Four channel. USB-C: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006578600241.htmlFour channel USB-A: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4C2qEkt or https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007060327728.htmlIf you need more ports you can wire up one or more of either or both of these. I made this little unit which has 8 ports and can be powered from battery or mains-brick. Hit me up if you want the 3d files.
(DIR) Post #B6m6NqFXMMFqagnaYS by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
Power tank part six: If you charge at home, you're done. If you're going camping with this, maybe you want solar charging?Solar panels are tricky, you need to be careful not to suck too much power from them or they lose efficiency. The magic phrase is "maximum power point tracking". Here's a charging regulator that supports MPPT for solar charging. You can also use this regulator to step-up charge your 12v powertank battery from your car. It has a low-voltage cut off, which you can set such that it will charge when your car is running but cuts off when stopped (so you don't flatten your starter battery).Affiliate link, earns me 75c: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3cGHPIpDirect link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007067500466.html[thread ends]
(DIR) Post #B6m6ZVJn0YFZ9FLh3o by mirabilos@toot.mirbsd.org
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Unixbigot huh. I’d consider 2×A (≥2 A each) + 2×C sensitive…
(DIR) Post #B6m8J1JF0odFLuMNg8 by Unixbigot@aus.social
0 likes, 1 repeats
@mirabilos You might see something suitable in this¹ thread where I test a number of boards. That 4xC board actually accepts A sockets, so one could remove one or more Cs and add As to taste. I don't know if you can buy them mixed.https://aus.social/@Unixbigot/116135210085486382Edit: this one has 2xA and 2xC but is only 2-channel, that is you can only use A or C, not both at once. https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4kTltc7RT: https://aus.social/users/Unixbigot/statuses/116135210085486382