Hi All,
I'm in the process of converting a van to a camper. Regarding the battery, I was thinking of making it myself mostly for the following reason. I work in a bike shop and we have a nearly endless supply of recent broken e-bike batteries. Mostly, it's the software that gives in, not the cells. I could collect about five 36v 10ah batteries a week if needed. Cells are LGDBMJ11865. Given that I've got this steady supply, I thought it stupid not to try and make my own battery.
The details. I would skip using an AC inverter and try to run everything on DC.
The total 24h consumption would be about 255Ah at 12v, but in my case it's easy to scale up the battery. I would not skimp on capacity.
The maximum current would be 40A. This includes a fridge, an electric kettle, two water pumps, lights, chargers, fans, audio etc.
How do I go about designing the pack itself? Do I build a massive 7S 24v pack and step down to 12v with a converter? Do I only need a 3S pack and use a converter to step it up to 12V? What about current rating? I plan on using a breaker box to distribute the power around the van. And the battery goes straight into the box? What device would go in between the board and the battery if any? Or will the correct converter with the correct current rating simply provide the right voltage and regulate the current both ways?
I would also like solar charging and an alternator to charge the battery while driving.
I know my way around electronics a bit and know how to read schematics and symbols, but electricity is somewhat new to me.
Thanks in advance, you battery wizards!
Rico
I'm in the process of converting a van to a camper. Regarding the battery, I was thinking of making it myself mostly for the following reason. I work in a bike shop and we have a nearly endless supply of recent broken e-bike batteries. Mostly, it's the software that gives in, not the cells. I could collect about five 36v 10ah batteries a week if needed. Cells are LGDBMJ11865. Given that I've got this steady supply, I thought it stupid not to try and make my own battery.
The details. I would skip using an AC inverter and try to run everything on DC.
The total 24h consumption would be about 255Ah at 12v, but in my case it's easy to scale up the battery. I would not skimp on capacity.
The maximum current would be 40A. This includes a fridge, an electric kettle, two water pumps, lights, chargers, fans, audio etc.
How do I go about designing the pack itself? Do I build a massive 7S 24v pack and step down to 12v with a converter? Do I only need a 3S pack and use a converter to step it up to 12V? What about current rating? I plan on using a breaker box to distribute the power around the van. And the battery goes straight into the box? What device would go in between the board and the battery if any? Or will the correct converter with the correct current rating simply provide the right voltage and regulate the current both ways?
I would also like solar charging and an alternator to charge the battery while driving.
I know my way around electronics a bit and know how to read schematics and symbols, but electricity is somewhat new to me.
Thanks in advance, you battery wizards!
Rico