Build a universal lithium ion battery pack charger
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2016
- Let's take a Drok Voltage regulator
amzn.to/2aoBLLf (product link)
and a computer power supply and make a universal lithium ion battery pack charger. It's easy and you will be able to charge any lithium ion battery pack. Furthermore, you can regulate the voltage to undercharge and triple the life of your battery. Or you can reduce the amount of current to give your BMS a fighting chance to balance the battery.
If you enjoyed this video considering donating to Macklin's school fund. www.crowdrise.com/macklins-
Stumbled on your videos, Shawn. Many thanks for outlining the features of this "DROK" DC-DC converter. You've made my month !
Thank you Shawn for making everything clear enough for me, other people skip by the details and I'm glad you didn't. Subscribing to your channel. : )
I got one of these last week.
It's awesome and works pretty good.
It also has some great setup functions for working with solar panels.
Yes, it is good that it remembers it's setting and starts automatically whenever there is power- this is great for solar applications.
ahlidaptm
You answered my question...
Thanks!
great vid - I love drok's stuff but I always feel a need to 3d print cases for them( that's not a bad thing just an excuse to fire up the printer) Loved your vid on building a non BMS battery for e-biking, I am new to lithium ion battery building and your channel has been a wealth of knowledge - thank you!
Thanks Ben! I will soon be creating a video on the basics of troubleshooting a lithium ion battery. It is a needed video!
Oops- I was taking a nap- LOL. Here is a link to my free book on designing and troubleshooting a lithium battery.
batteryblocs.com/ebooks/
I have to replace my son's batteries for a 24v razor quad, these videos have been helpful thanks.
Thank you very much, I was planning to use 10AWG silicone stranded wire but I want to be sure.
A nifty device indeed. Was wondering if you have anything on using this or another for balance charging packs- especially ones greater than the limit on most hobby chargers I have seen at 6S. Thanks
Hey dude, just subscribed and very much looking forward to getting to know you and your work.
Thank you so much or sharing👍
Thanks Dean, I been messing around building batteries for years now and am glad to pass on my experiences.
+Shawn McCarty Shawn your. Crazy cat and look forward getting to know you
All lifepo4 cells now 3.7v for the 24v 200 watt motor do I need a bms ?Was thinking can use 8s4p pack plus 3cells extra that were in original case gettin 11.2v off the first 4s4p pack I built
Thanks great video I've learnt quite a lot from the two videos I've watched
Nice video Shawn. I have a question though: I have 3 x 12v 138ah LiFE bateries wired in series to give 36v for my small electric vehicle. I'm looking for a cheap way to charge the vehicle quickly. Could I use more than one of these units in parallel across the whole 36v battery at the same time? Two chargers would half my charge time, which would be very nice.
Hmmmm. The issue is that one Drok may read the voltage of the other and decide that the battery is fully charged and shut down- especially late in the charge cycle. But this should not be an issue as the remaining one would just up it's current... I think it would work. I have doubled up with ebike chargers before and that is what happened...
Very helpful Shawn. Thank you. I've been looking for a decent charger for my off grid 200W solar setup to charge a 10s10p with higher load BMS. This is perfect and checking on amazon in the UK, its decent price. Cheers!
Hi M, Yes, this thing is very versatile. It's great to have people all over the world watching these videos. BTW, my home and shop are off the grid too. My ride is powered by the sun. Yeah!
Good instructions thanks
Do you have any vids on Solar Charge Controllers?
Thanks
Thanks Bro,...I've made the decision to Totally Understand my Lithium battery/charger. your channel is invaluable.
Hi Dan, I salute your decision. Have you been to Battery University online? They offer tons of general information.
It's "Daniel"......(lol),...but "basic info" info is now unnecessary,...since my "intelect exceeds my knowledge",....it's only a matter of minutes,...till the subject is resembles a worn-out coloring book,...in the psychiatric ward
Lol ???
I get it. For me I should carry a warning label: "Warning- this person appears to know much more than they actually do." ; )
yes, LOL
Well explained gonna get me one
I have some Samsung 25r are these more powerful than 2600ah Samsung’s is it the discharge value ?
I have been looking for one of these. I was thinking of adding a bms and making it a balance charger. I have a 7s and a lot of paralled cells. Almost 200p Bank. I thought about the balance chargers. But they are not cheap for a 7s charger. I'd like to have a few of these. So I can charge from a 12v 150amp source. And use most of the that current! It would mostly be in an emergency when used. If it could do 250watts 28.5-29.4v. I want to charge to around 4.0-4.12v 4.15 max per cell. I'd like to keep it between 3.4-4.0 volts. To hopefully make the batteries last forever! Great video!!!
That is a lot of cells in each parallel group for an off the shelf BMS to keep in balance. You might want to check out my video on balancing big batteries: czcams.com/video/C-o3LAtkMUs/video.html
or:czcams.com/video/QwOpa8gT4Uk/video.html
cheers,
Shawn
Excellent ....but now how do manage balancing the battery with this? Use a balancing board if you are not using a BMS ...and use the BMS to maintain balance if in fact you do have one? Always good info from you ...thank you. I just subbed.
Hey Happy Guitarist,
Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated. Yes, you would use this to either power a Hobby Charger, do "bulk charge" a pack- charge to a lower voltage without balancing, or use it with a BMS. What do you want to build a battery for?
@@shawname2 I build batteries for personal use for a variety of reasons ....but also do build batteries for others ...which again ends up for a variety of reasons ...Ebikes, powerwalls, electric power tools, DIY robots etc. I also have large quantities of Boston Power Swing batteries at this time that I sell to others who build their own packs ...and for that matter may end up with good quantities of other manufacturer's batteries if the opportunity arises. So I am interested in all things battery related.
Great idea. Bought the 2 items from Amazon USA but a refurbished HP 12v 575w redundant power supply is only available and only male disconnect spade terminal can be connected to the output. What AWG wire should I use to connect between the power supply and the Drox device? Thank you.
Regards,
George
For 600 watts at 12 volts and a foot run, 12 or higher gauge would work.
i was wondering instead of the metal plates would it be ok to use the ring terminals and some fuse holders instead. and if so what size fuse would you recommend
Hi Mike,
Yes, connecting the BatteryBlocs with wires is perfectly fine. Do this when you need to build a distributed battery- for weight or space reasons.
I'd recommend just one fuse for the entire battery. It is extremely unlikely that a group of cells would short- and if they did, because of a defective cell, they would not trip the fuse anyway.
For a common ebike I use 25 or 30 amp fuses....
Wonderful video here. One question if I were to charge my 24v lithium pack but was using a 12 v solar panel if I hook up the panel will it navigate voltage changes from the panels? Let’s say a cloud came over the panel and the voltage dropped? So will it keep the output voltage constant or will it shift in reference to the cloud? Obviously the available current would change. Thanks.
Hi Solar,
Yes, the Drok will keep a constant voltage as the sun comes and goes.
Awesome thank you, this is exactly what I’m looking for.
Can you share the video of making of the whole setup
what is the point if it is only effective when the amp is down..!! the only reason i would want it is if i could use the whole 15amp at any voltage
nice video, do you have video that explains step down converters with same features ?
i have a 250 w solar panel, 58 voc ( volt open circuit ) i would like to charge 40 volt lithium battery on a electric bike.
maybe you have a link to a step down converter that can do the job ?
best regards from denmark
Hi Klaus,
You need a Buck converter. Try Ali Express. There are scores of them.
hi shawn, you seem to have the version w/ black PCB. what do you think of the green PCB ones on aliexpress? i've read somewhere that the green ones are crap...
Thanks for that info, I had not heard. Why not buy from Amazon? The price is low enough and they have a good return policy if it turns out to be defective and these parts are warehoused in the US....
Ok, lets say I have a 48v battery pack for my bike made of 18650 batteries. This can deliver to my pack the current and voltage required, but how can I keep it balanced? what design do you recommend for a 48v 18650 lion pack? thx!
Correct. You can use a BMS or a hobby charger to keep it balanced. On my channel I have a video talking about installing a BMS, and another talking about charging and balancing using a hobby charger.
Which one you choose is up to you!
Does it also balance the battery? If you charge a battery with a lot of amps, it charges fast but does it damage it in the long run?
It does not balance a battery. Lithium chemistry does last longer when charged more slowly. As a rule of thumb, you do not rate.want to charge faster then 1C. 1C means that a 10 amp hour battery can be charged at 10 amps for 1 hour. 1/2 C would be a good rate.
Hello. I want to regulate an unregulated battery voltage of 48-60 vdc to a constant output of 48vdc with a current up to 6 amps to supply power to cctv equipment. Are these types of devices meant for my application? Thanks.
could you also use this as a simple power supply if the need arises?
Certainly!
Can I connect 2 of them in parallel to double the current ? assuming I make sure the output voltage is the same
Yes, 95% certainty. Keeping the output voltages close is key- or else the higher voltage one could cause the lower voltage one to turn off...
amazing looks to be the li ion solution
Hi,
I am working on similar charging circuit. Can you please explain which topology is best for 10kW battery(30s32p) to provide a max current of 30A?
Best is what you have to work with. If all you have is a 6S balancer, you could use that by making five 6s packs. But if you have a 10S balancer you could build just three packs. The max current of 30 amps is not relevant to the charger... Does this make sense?
It's 900W boost converter, which is awesome. But max input current is 15A. 12V power supply, 85% efficiency. So max charging output is about 153W. For 6-7S battery it's fine, but for 13-14S is output current little bit low.
I bought same charging setup without noticing 15A input limit...
Ohm711 get a 36v power supply
I alredy have 12V server power supply. They are powerfull and cheap.
900W boost is worse than I tought. It died after first use and CC function is very weird. I replaced mosfet and it works againg, but I don't trust is.
I bought 1500W boost which have 30A input. It can Handle 35A without problem! So now I can charge my battery much faster.
Can only get 1.8amps from a 12v x 750w power supply very slow for a larger battery. Have ordered a 48v output power supply to see if I can get more amps out of it for my 52v 14s battery.
Something is wrong- a 750 watt power supply at 12 volts should deliver 62.5 amps. It is possible that the battery is nearly charged, and therefore the current has reduced. OR the DROK is restricting the current flow. Check again Stephen...
Shawn McCarty yeah checked it a few times even if I set it to 5 amps I can only get 1.8 this us when the battery is low. Have also tried different 12v output power supply. Got some feedback from the ES forum and the guys said I need more voltage output. I've tried a 250w, 350w and the 750w supply all give th e same 1.8amps . I get 4amps when I charge half the battery 7s x 7p
Shawn McCarty this what I got back and makes sense about my outfit.....your DC-DC converter can handle only 10A on input side, if you have 12V input, you can onlly use 12V 10A (120W of power) which is less than 2A at 55V. You will need 36-45V psu for 50-60V output
Stephen, you are right. Sorry if I was misleading. Thank you for the correction.
I am about to build some battery chargers using this power supply:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GFVI6R6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
With the 30 amp version you could get 360 watts out. Also, power supplies can be connected in series for higher voltages:
www.acopian.com/acopianPowerSupplies/entry.aspx?nsid=17
Many ways to get there- keep experimenting!
cheers,
Shawn
Shawn McCarty 600W 48V 12.5A Small Volume Single Output Switching Power Supply Transformers AC110V 220V TO DC SMPS for LED Strip Light CNC
I have this coming for a new build will add my own volt and amp meter. s.aliexpress.com/7RRb636n?fromSns=Copy to Clipboard
(from AliExpress Android)
1200W 20A DC-DC Power Converter Boost Module Step-up Constant Power Supply Module 10V-60V to 12V-83V LED Boost Module With Fan
Also a 1500w x 30 amp one on the way.....More Powerrrr s.aliexpress.com/yIjER36F?fromSns=Copy to Clipboard
(from AliExpress Android)
I have a more simple version of this using a CC CV Boost converter, but my packs all of BMS's on them. I'm looking for a higher current application - I'd like 12-16 Amps at 54.6v. Do you know of any boost converters that would handle this current?
Sorry, no I don't. At 600 to 800 watts most folks are using a dedicated charger...
Thanks for the reply!
I basically want to make my own dedicated charger. Most seem to cap out at 3Amps for E-bikes. This is to charge a Portable 3kWh battery pack as a backup to my House, Boondocking, and for use in a trailer or "Camping".
Check this out:
www.aliexpress.com/item/XINMORE-54-6V-15A-14A-13A-Lithium-Battery-Charger-For-48V-Ebike-E-bike-Li-Ion/32829858594.html?spm=2114.search0104.8.8.205e2a00dYH3YK&priceBeautifyAB=0
Hi Shawn. Really appreciate your efforts. I just ordered one to Turkey. I had a quick question. I have three solar panels each with Voc=25 Volts. I am thinking to connect them in parallel and connect them to the boost converter to charge my 13s6p battery (48V nominal-54.6V fully charged). Would that setup work fine? I am wondering does it tolerate the solar panel's changing volts and currents?
Thanks
Yes, it does tolerate changing voltages and currents. Turkey is a fascinating country- the crossroads of history.
best,
Shawn
Shawn McCarty
Thanks. How about the efficiency? In your opinion How would this voltage regulator compare with an MPPT charge controller?
The voltage regulator would be less efficient than a MPPT charge controller and it would have less capacity but it is cheaper.
You are right to compare it to a MPPT charge controller as both will adjust for differences in incoming voltage and current and output a steady voltage that you set- ideal for charging batteries from a photovoltaic panel...
Can't seem to find the link to the blocks you used for the batteries thanks.
Sure, it's my company BatteryBlocs. It's at www.batteryblocs.com Email from the site if you have any questions and thanks for watching!
could you use 2 OLD pc power supplies to get 24volt in to it?
Certain power supplies can be connected in series but you must break the earth ground---- Google it, there is lots of info about how to do it.
Hi Shaun so jehu says I should junk my vruzend kit .but I’m crap at soldering so how bout your kit have u got link to the 14s 5p kit or 14s6p was it .ive ordered 10more 25r Samsung .steve
Hi Steve,
You could use 7 of these 6P2S Blocs to build a nice high current 6P14S battery.
www.batteryblocs.com/groceries/split-twelvepack/
Shawn, is there a way to add balancing to the Drok when not using a BMS?
Sorry, No. But you could use the Drok to power a hobby charger. Or use 1 Drok for each parallel group......
Shawn McCarty ok, thanks for the video, great ideas!
One ebike guy said they had a lot of Samsung cells do this but mine were new should I just use more new cells is it ok to mix different makes same capacity like Panasonic an Samsung
Yes, it's OK to mix different cell manufacturers- you don't have a lot to lose! Put them all in parallel and charge at once to 4 volts...
hi shawn can I use a drok to charge my 0v cells slowly with low current like rhino does on youtube.so need variable powersupply or 12v supply and a drok?
I don't see why not. But I also doubt if it would work. When I try this my batteries just get warm. If you are able to recover and use 0 volt lithium ion chemistry batteries could you re-post here?
My question is, how does a device know on its on when to start charging in CC or CV
By watching the voltage. Battery chargers start in Constant Current mode. So they put out as much current as they can to charge quickly. The voltage then rises. When the voltage gets to the fully charged voltage the charger switches to Constant Voltage mode. Here it begins reducing the current to keep the voltage under it's limit. Finally, when the amount of current is only about 5% of the charger capacity, the charger calls it a day and shuts off.
Excellent video but I cannot purchase the Drok because it does not ship to Australia.
If you see an equivalent unit on Aliexpress or a place like that, please let us know.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/900W-Digital-LED-DC-DC-10-120V-0-15A-Step-up-Power-Module-Boost-Converter-F7X8-/262495791866?hash=item3d1df7eafa:g:6jwAAOSwmtJXa6KE
Did you try Amazon?
OK thanks it now ships to Australia from US Amazon and UK ebay.
similar item on aliexpress:
ru.aliexpress.com/item/BST-900W-DC-DC-CNC-Boost-Converter-8-60V-Step-up-10-120V-Digital-Control/32759291893.html
hi shawn ive just got a lifepo4 battery off headway superlight bike its my girls mums not been used a while.anyway i teested battery and it came on an span the motor ok then under load it dies.i checked cells there are 30 x 22650m 2250 mah.5 series x3 two of these joined up.they are about 3.6v each but one was 3.8v.could i use drok charger on these say 29v at 2to 4amps.she is using my old hoverboard battery for now.41v 18650 pack it gets her to supermarket and back nearly but only small.
I have seen it happen that a cell will show a good voltage, but when you put it under load the voltage plummets. That means the cells have massive internal resistance. In other words, it has no power to give because it can't get out of it's own way. Sorry, but I believe the battery is toast. Test it under load while monitoring the voltage and verify.
@@shawname2 i checked pack voltage out off case its 26v it lights up my led torch ok
@@shawname2 will connect torch and measure voltage again
@@shawname2 it was still 25v with the led torch on it is 8 x 10watt led gives 8000lumens light
Steve- Is it a 36 volt ebike? The low voltage safety on the BMS or the controller could be kicking in, shutting off the battery.
Hi Shawn, great videos. love em. Question. You said that all lead acid and lithium ion batteries use cc cv charge cycles. Is that inclusive of sealed agm batteries? or are these different chemistry? and would these batteries benefit from being slightly "under charged" to prolong their life? Many thanks in advance, keep up the good work
Hi Eric,
Yes, because AGM is a lead acid chemistry. No, Lead Acid chemistry does not benefit from being undercharged, it benefits from being overcharged or "boiled" on occasion to loosen the sulfates forming on the lead plates. Undercharging does shorten the life on them though....
Thanks for the reply Shawn, its surprising how many vloggers on here do NOT reply. Much appreciated, and nice to see that you reply to your viewers. thanks for the info. Eric.
You are welcome Eric, I try to reply to everyone except the provokers.
One last thing, the drok mentioned in this video, can it be used for a range of battery charging, from lipo packs, to li-ion and agm, aswell as standard car batteries? I have found that people are advertising certain chargers for certain requirements, but it seems to me that this one is pretty universal..?
What would you say would be the ideal voltage to go to when charging lithium ion cells (18650's) would it be 4.1v as apposed to 4.2?
Sir this output 21.6v - 5.2ah
These lifepo4 batteries are expensive and they still make them don’t they like for boats and vehicles they seem to be longer lasting than lithium ion usually and safer
Get then cheap at Battery Connection- online
This has not auto-shut off feature? This would require baby-sitting, or some sort of timer so you don't toast the batteries?
It's a CCCV charger- so the charge current tapers as the voltage rises.... SO that is the shut off mechanism- as is true in all chargers...
I'm at a crossroads of charger thoughts. 10s5p battery.
a) I-charger 1010b+ with no BMS, but use a cell logger.
b) Luna Charger with a BMS
c) Drok, DC power supply with a BMS
Side note, I sent you a message on your website asking for some dimmensions on the blocs. It's been awhile with no response. FYI
Could you please send the dimension request again? Sometimes I miss an email.
My choice would be the 1010B with no BMS and cell loggers. It's the most expensive but you would have a true instrument panel into your battery and could control the finish charge voltage...
That's where I was headed. I decided to go a different route on the battery. I am space limited, and don't believe the blocs would have worked for my particular project. Great idea though.
Hi, But will it completely cutoff once the amp is very low (below 5%) in the CV phase... basically like any auto Li-ion charger? Or you have to unplug it manually ?
How do you balance the batteries?
My go-to is active balancing these days. If the battery is well balanced, I will charge to 4 volts per parallel group with no balancing, then balance with a hobby charger when needed. Or you could combine active balancing with the overvolt/undervolt/over/amp protection that a BMS offers.
great video... Did you get zapped at 5:02 ???
how are you charging using this and into the sensor wires.
You are not charging into the sensor wires- they are used to drain voltage from the cells while the overall battery is being charged. I have been using systems like this for about 2 years.
so in this video you are charging the whole battery I see, and that is good enough, no worry about balanced cells. i rather go without a bms if this is all it takes
No, that would not be wise. You need some way of balancing a lithium battery or at the very least of monitoring the cells voltages to be sure you do not overcharge.
now we just need some beefy heatsinked module that will hook into balance leads and balance our cells to 3.0-4.25v of our choice
So it has to balance someway so why not use a imaxb6 mini and balance charge? Although there's no way to keep it balanced while using the power so what BMS idea does a person use?
Yes, I have a video to that effect. It is my most viewed one. I think it is a great idea if you are geek oriented.
Shawn I figured out a way to balance charge without a balance charger or a BMS for a 3S 12.6v use three of these in parallel on the input and 4.2 on the outputs neg/pos on each of the 3 cell series This way you can charge at 4.2v using a 12v car battery and lower than 4v www.banggood.com/LTC3780-Automatic-Buck-Boost-Constant-Current-Power-Module-p-990459.html?rmmds=myorder
You have come up with a great idea- a separate charging circuit for each parallel group. It is simple and robust. If there was a way of getting the cost of each charger down to a few bucks it would be a real winner, eliminating the balancing circuit and the charger...
Thank You, and you don't have to wait for the pack to balance and fully ready to use when charge ends. A balance charger will slightly over charge other banks to bring the under powered bank up to par and it takes precious time as well as the battery banks lifespan. this is working 100% on a 12.6v with 4 in each parallel multiplied by 5 so a total of 20 18650 in column one 20 in column 2 and 20 in column 3. A total of 60 in the pack and I know they're a bit pricey but no more worries, just plugin, charge and go and you can make a 1000v pack or higher because you only push 4.2v max per parallel group. Now I have to fuse this pack.
If the price is a issue, you can use a 5v wall charger or a 5 v DC to DC that supplies 3 or more amps or even 3 phone chargers connected to 3 TP4056 protected for $1.80 to $2.00 www.banggood.com/20Pcs-USB-Lithium-Battery-Charger-Module-With-Charging-And-Protection-p-1051619.html?rmmds=myorder then if you want you can use a cheap but effective sepic converter boost / buck so you can charge using a car battery or just about anything here for $2.00. www.banggood.com/10pcs-DC-DC-Boost-Buck-Adjustable-Step-Up-Step-Down-Automatic-Converter-XL6009-Module-p-1087605.html
I bought a DC to DC boost converter. Unfortunatey i'm not sure how to set it up to where I won't over charge the battery I want to charge as there is no cutoff!
You can overcharge two ways- too much voltage or too much current. To avoid over voltage charging, set the voltage of the charger to no more than 4.2 volts per parallel group, 4 volts if unbalanced.
To avoid over current charging on Lithium Ion, calculate the amp hours of your battery. Say it is 10 amp hours. Adjust the converter to put out no more than 4 amps. Keep the ratio of charge amps to battery amps less than half. That is a rule of thumb that will leave some wiggle room...
Thanks Shawn! So I can use this DC to DC device safely by doing that? www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-600W-10-60V-to-12-80V-Boost-Converter-Step-up-Module-car-Power-Supply-OY-/281797179064?hash=item419c6bb6b8:g:A-AAAOSw4SlV8uDp
Yes, you can adjust both the amps and volts on this model...
Great- So if I have a 36v 10A battery and I set it to charge to 36v at 5A and leave it overnight, I wont comeback in the morning to an overcharged/exploded battery? Thanks Shawn!
Is the battery lead acid or lithium ion? A 36 volt lithium ion battery when fully charged is 42 volts.... So if you charged to 36 volts, no danger. But you need to be mindful of the cell balance when charging Lithium ion battery packs. See my video on "How to build a better battery without a BMS for an overview.
Lead Acid doesn't need to be balanced.... So charge to about 42 volts...
IF you have time, charge at a slower rate, better for the battery. The rates I suggested are max rates.....
The power is in it shows 12v but it’s fixed can’t adjust
Yes, it is dead, return it.
hi my drok i bought from amazon wont adjust voltage will send video i use it to charge my lithium batteries so need to adjust charge voltage its supplied 12v from my adjustable power supply.steve in uk.its the one you use shawn
Hi Steven,
Return it. I(t is defective.... But check the fuse first.
ive messaged drok and they asked me for more info sent video and proof purchase only last october was from your reccomendation i used your name ok shawn did drok send you a free one?
No, they didn't. Do you think they might have got our address confused?
No amazon found my order eventually
Amazon.com
Actually a 300w charger will never output 300w.
Example: 60v battery it will be empty at 53v and full at 67v
When you plug the a 4a charger it will output 4.48a x 53v = 237w.
When it reach the 67v x 4.48a = 300w but just for a moment.
The current will start to drop until it goes 0.
So when you get a 300w charger, you never get a 300w charger.
What you should look is A.
if you have a 30Ah 60V (67V full) battery and you want to charge it in 10 hours get a 67v 3A output charger.
If you want to have a full battery in 3 hours get a 67v 10A output charger.
This is true- a good way of determining the size charger that you need.
In terms of rating the power of a variable charger like this one, watts is also useful..... It tells us that at 60 volts we are going to get 5 amps max- but at 30 volts we can get closer to 10 amps- which then helps us size the charger for the battery we are charging.
Thank you for your comment. It is helpful.
Yet another great vid! Thx!
Does it have to be a DROK? I got this model: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/900W-Digital-LED-DC-DC-10-120V-0-15A-Step-up-Power-Module-Boost-Converter-F7X8-/262495791866?hash=item3d1df7eafa:g:6jwAAOSwmtJXa6KE and I dont know if its a DROK or not. It's almost identical to yours but I think it is a buck/boost converter?
Hi Schinner,
Hey a Drok by any other name is still a Drok. It looks exactly like my "Drok" and has the same specs. It like my Drok is a Boost converter- it steps up the voltage, and will not Buck, step down the voltage...
Great! When I bought it I thought it could go both ways but that don't matter. Thank you for clearing that out for me!
Hi, again Shawn. I was thinking about building a bigger batterybank with 18650's. A 24v 200Ah battery pack. If I use your setup to charge this bank/pack I would only be able to charge the battery with 24V@15A, right? And that would mean a 13-20h charge time? Is it possible to wire a couple of DROK's in parralell in some way to get a faster charge time or do I have to make a higher voltage battery pack? I have a 800w solar array that I would use to charge the bank. Thx in advance! (Excuse my bad English)
Could you build instead a 12 volt 400 AH pack? Then you would just need four chargers, one for each parallel group, each charger set to 4.1 volts or so... You could use the Droks. So you would leave the four parallel groups wired in series to get the 12 volts, but charge each parallel group with it's own charger.
Of course you could do this with 24 volts, but it would mean 8 chargers.
Any other ideas?
Shawn if the Droks in the video are boost chargers how would they be able to charge at 4.1v for each parallel group if the input feed from the solar was somewhere 12-24v?
thats swell if you have lots of money. but most only have piles of junk to build one with.
I did it with Avasva plans.
Cmon, quit advertising for your website across my videos. Put your own videos up about what you have built.
Thank you for the video, very informative. I have two 200 watt solar panels that put out @ 60 V in full sun. I have a 13s4p Li ion battery that I would like to charge with a BROK. What happens if I have more voltage in than 52v charge ? Do I need a step down converter instead?
Thanks for the good question: The problem is that the max voltage is close to the max battery voltage of 54.6. It is very likely your panels put out a lot less than 60 volts most of the time. Also the open panel voltage drops under load. So the real life under use voltage is going to be less than 60. So you might need a boost circuit and a buck circuit depending on sun conditions. No go. So you could use an inexpensive inverter and a common 13S charger. This would work under high and low voltage conditions but would be inefficient- two transformers- which matters less as long as the sun is free!
Another choice would be a maximum power point solar charge controller with an adjustable charging voltage. At first glance I think something like this would work:
www.amazon.com/RioRand-controller-Regulator-Controller-Adjustable/dp/B01DTT7CH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471942460&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+panel+charge+controller+48+volt
If I were using something like this I would set the charging voltage to 52 volts- 4 volts per cell- to start to be sure it was accurate. It mentions it is for lithium batteries so we can assume it has a CCCV charge algorithm.
Good luck, it's a good project!