RDinNHand AZ
Active member
DIY WattBox LiFePO4 based power pack.
I settled on building a LiFepo4 based 700Wh storage unit which is size comparable between a Jackery 500 and 1000 or a bit cheaper than the smaller 500 Goal Zero. For my needs, I decided to have the inverter plug in, but I could have built it inside, same for the charger. Both will fit into my box if I want them along. Here is the finished product:
It is difficult to compare portable power stations as even the technical sections of their websites obfuscate the power output of these devices by reporting its output at 3.6 volts, 120 volts, inverter watts and occasionally as amp hours. If they all reported the internal battery’s output in watt-hours or in amp-hours at 12 volts it would be easy. Hidden in the specification sheet for these products is also the battery type. AGM lead acid batteries are heavy and cheap. Lithium Ion batteries are lighter and more costly but with comparable recharge life, from 500-2,000. LiFePO batteries are expensive, long lived, safe, and more expensive, and even when used hard return 4,000+ recharge cycles. All these power stations have some common features. Most include USB charging ports, one cigar type outlet, several SAE or other output ports, a solar controller and an inverter. This is a ~680 Wh unit, weights 23 pounds. It runs my refrigerator and some lights, electronics chargers, etc for 2 days w/o sun and runs everything continuously in decent conditions. I do not normally use an inverter. I carry one for my friends who don’t have a 12 volt power cord for their computers. Here are the components and prices:
I chose the input and output connectors to be similar to Jackery’s. The PWM controller works great with one solar panel and has features to wake up the BMS of the LiFePO4 battery and properly charges it. I could have saved a few hundred dollars by using a cheaper Li-Ion battery but in my opinion LiFePO4 is enough better to make the WattBox a superior product to those mentioned above. If you want to build this for about $300+- research Lithium Ion.
I also added a 100 watt solar panel that folds and stores in my truck and a very good Alpikool refrigerator CF35 which has proved to be up to the task.
This complete power unit with solar panel and refrigerator is close to the cost as a mass produced but poorer Li-Ion power unit by itself. Enjoy the build!
I settled on building a LiFepo4 based 700Wh storage unit which is size comparable between a Jackery 500 and 1000 or a bit cheaper than the smaller 500 Goal Zero. For my needs, I decided to have the inverter plug in, but I could have built it inside, same for the charger. Both will fit into my box if I want them along. Here is the finished product:
It is difficult to compare portable power stations as even the technical sections of their websites obfuscate the power output of these devices by reporting its output at 3.6 volts, 120 volts, inverter watts and occasionally as amp hours. If they all reported the internal battery’s output in watt-hours or in amp-hours at 12 volts it would be easy. Hidden in the specification sheet for these products is also the battery type. AGM lead acid batteries are heavy and cheap. Lithium Ion batteries are lighter and more costly but with comparable recharge life, from 500-2,000. LiFePO batteries are expensive, long lived, safe, and more expensive, and even when used hard return 4,000+ recharge cycles. All these power stations have some common features. Most include USB charging ports, one cigar type outlet, several SAE or other output ports, a solar controller and an inverter. This is a ~680 Wh unit, weights 23 pounds. It runs my refrigerator and some lights, electronics chargers, etc for 2 days w/o sun and runs everything continuously in decent conditions. I do not normally use an inverter. I carry one for my friends who don’t have a 12 volt power cord for their computers. Here are the components and prices:
I chose the input and output connectors to be similar to Jackery’s. The PWM controller works great with one solar panel and has features to wake up the BMS of the LiFePO4 battery and properly charges it. I could have saved a few hundred dollars by using a cheaper Li-Ion battery but in my opinion LiFePO4 is enough better to make the WattBox a superior product to those mentioned above. If you want to build this for about $300+- research Lithium Ion.
I also added a 100 watt solar panel that folds and stores in my truck and a very good Alpikool refrigerator CF35 which has proved to be up to the task.
This complete power unit with solar panel and refrigerator is close to the cost as a mass produced but poorer Li-Ion power unit by itself. Enjoy the build!
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