Wolf
Moderator
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2018
- Messages
- 2,004
Hello all;
My Name is Wolfgang and I found out about this message board through youtube and google just by typing in 18650 .
I started my solar project with 3Deep cycle marine batteries and a 45 watt harbour freight solar charge kit. After i ran my AC unit for 3 hrs full boar with a cheap modified 3000 watt 12 volt inverter i was hooked. The process continued with 4 100 watt harbour freight kits for a total of 16 panelsand an updated PWM controller. This soon turned into a 48 volt system with MPPT controller and12 deep cycle marine batteries for a nominal 48 volt system. Then the solar bug really hit me. 12 250 watt panels and more MPPT controllers 8000 watt pure sine wave inverter, grid tie inverter, Battery balancing units chargers specific gravity meters etc. I was a flooded cell guru by the time i was done. Maintaining the flooded cells was a challenge though. Bulk, absorption, float and balancing charging and just plain old maintenance of the floodedcells was aggravating, dialing in the MPPT controllers for all the scenarios and at the end of the solar day making sure my batteries where at least 90% so they would not sulfate. I was looking for a different solution. So AGM, Edison batteries,Lithium Ion etc. came to mind. Wow did I just step into an enlightenment in battery technology and price. So I turned as most of us do to google and youtube to look at what other people are doing. Again more enlightenment. My background has always been electronics and mechanics. Played with Heathkits,Radio Shack 200 in 1 kits and erector sets when I was growing up and ended up being an automotive technician for 25 years, till I studied computer networking and am a systems engineer at present. Enough about me. So 18650 came up as a very viable and lower maintenance solution. Lord knows how many of these "good laptop batteries" I have tossed.
So I did what Average Joe and DIYPowerwall said on how to collect cells and wella almost everyone was extremely receptive to the recycling used laptop batteries for my solar power project. The only ones that didn't like the idea of me collecting used cells where the snobby independent Apple repair facilities. All in all though all the independent PC repair facilities where more than happy to help. I also instructed all my friends (all 2 of them ) no just kidding to ask their local transfer stations to keep an eye out for laptop and power tool packs.
AlsoSeveral battery recycling places and 1 major recycling facilityare supplying me with the raw materials. Soi have a steady stream of 18650s coming in and that only took about a week of footwork and word of mouth. So far so good. Now what? Ah breaking apart the cells.Gloves, strong wrists, and a pair of channel locks and after about 100 or so packs I had the system down. I can now field strip most battery packs in less than 30 seconds not saying that there are some that are damned tough. OK what's next. More you tube. Ah Voltage check and sort. OK Home depot containers 3V+ here, less than 3V but more that 2.5V here, and the rest here. The really dead ones go here so 4 containers. Plus the plastic and the charge controllers and nickle strips in their separate containers. OK That done, now what? More you tubing. Charging and testing. I see. I will post more details and pictures of my charging station build in the appropriate forum. Thanks for reading and remember if18 X 650 =2000 mAh than life is good. Picture of my System with flooded cellsat present attached.
Later
Wolf
PS I will update my profile info as soon as I figure it out how and to think I work on networks and computers. Sheees
My Name is Wolfgang and I found out about this message board through youtube and google just by typing in 18650 .
I started my solar project with 3Deep cycle marine batteries and a 45 watt harbour freight solar charge kit. After i ran my AC unit for 3 hrs full boar with a cheap modified 3000 watt 12 volt inverter i was hooked. The process continued with 4 100 watt harbour freight kits for a total of 16 panelsand an updated PWM controller. This soon turned into a 48 volt system with MPPT controller and12 deep cycle marine batteries for a nominal 48 volt system. Then the solar bug really hit me. 12 250 watt panels and more MPPT controllers 8000 watt pure sine wave inverter, grid tie inverter, Battery balancing units chargers specific gravity meters etc. I was a flooded cell guru by the time i was done. Maintaining the flooded cells was a challenge though. Bulk, absorption, float and balancing charging and just plain old maintenance of the floodedcells was aggravating, dialing in the MPPT controllers for all the scenarios and at the end of the solar day making sure my batteries where at least 90% so they would not sulfate. I was looking for a different solution. So AGM, Edison batteries,Lithium Ion etc. came to mind. Wow did I just step into an enlightenment in battery technology and price. So I turned as most of us do to google and youtube to look at what other people are doing. Again more enlightenment. My background has always been electronics and mechanics. Played with Heathkits,Radio Shack 200 in 1 kits and erector sets when I was growing up and ended up being an automotive technician for 25 years, till I studied computer networking and am a systems engineer at present. Enough about me. So 18650 came up as a very viable and lower maintenance solution. Lord knows how many of these "good laptop batteries" I have tossed.
So I did what Average Joe and DIYPowerwall said on how to collect cells and wella almost everyone was extremely receptive to the recycling used laptop batteries for my solar power project. The only ones that didn't like the idea of me collecting used cells where the snobby independent Apple repair facilities. All in all though all the independent PC repair facilities where more than happy to help. I also instructed all my friends (all 2 of them ) no just kidding to ask their local transfer stations to keep an eye out for laptop and power tool packs.
AlsoSeveral battery recycling places and 1 major recycling facilityare supplying me with the raw materials. Soi have a steady stream of 18650s coming in and that only took about a week of footwork and word of mouth. So far so good. Now what? Ah breaking apart the cells.Gloves, strong wrists, and a pair of channel locks and after about 100 or so packs I had the system down. I can now field strip most battery packs in less than 30 seconds not saying that there are some that are damned tough. OK what's next. More you tube. Ah Voltage check and sort. OK Home depot containers 3V+ here, less than 3V but more that 2.5V here, and the rest here. The really dead ones go here so 4 containers. Plus the plastic and the charge controllers and nickle strips in their separate containers. OK That done, now what? More you tubing. Charging and testing. I see. I will post more details and pictures of my charging station build in the appropriate forum. Thanks for reading and remember if18 X 650 =2000 mAh than life is good. Picture of my System with flooded cellsat present attached.
Later
Wolf
PS I will update my profile info as soon as I figure it out how and to think I work on networks and computers. Sheees