Minimalism - Building a Battery to Power the Yurt
One of my primary Minimalism goals is to only use electricity harvested from the Sun or my truck's alternator while I'm driving it around. In order to pull that off I'm going to need a battery!
I decided to go with Lithium-ion for reduced weight and environmental impact. I also decided to learn how to make my own from scratch. I hope you'll enjoy this video showing the process of building my very first Battery Pack:
Lithium-ion 18650 Battery Cells
- I am using 18650 cells to build this Battery Pack. These are the same type of cells Tesla uses to power their electric cars! One cell has roughly the same amount of energy as a decent cell phone battery, and I'm going to use 48 of them!
Connecting Cells in Parallel
- In order to increase the amount of energy that my Battery Pack can hold, I need to wire cells in Parallel. This is done by connecting the positive side of a cell to the positive side of another cell, and then doing the same thing for the negative sides. Connecting 2 cells in Parallel doubles the energy storage. I'm going to wire 12 cells in Parallel which means my Battery Pack will have 12 times the capacity of a single cell.
Connecting Cells in Series
- I want the Voltage of my Battery Pack to be roughly the same as a car battery, so at least 12 Volts. 18650 cells are multiple times less than that, so I need to wire 4 cells in a Series to bump it up. Wiring in Series is done by connecting the positive end of a cell to the negative end of another cell. 4 cells in a Series is equal to 4 times the Voltage of a single cell, which is exactly what I need.
Assembling & Wiring the Battery Pack
- I opted to use the Vruzend Battery Kit to assemble my battery. This kit allows you to create a pack of any size which solidly holds itself together, and also does a large part of the wiring of the Battery Pack for you. The plastic holders are placed on the top and bottom of each cell and attached to nearby cells by sliding them together. Metal bars are then placed on threaded posts on the tops and bottoms to connect the cells. My pack's dimensions will be 12x4 cells - 12 in Parallel and 4 in Series.
Testing the Battery Pack
- Once the battery is assembled I checked the Voltage to see if it matched what I was expecting from running 4 cells in Series, and it was right on! I then tested to tested to see if it could charge my laptop... success! Now the big test - can it power a 150 Watt Heat Lamp running through an inverter? Heck yes it can, and for a very long time!
Be Careful Out There
- If you decide to try making your own Lithium-ion Battery Pack, please research it on your own until you feel completely sure you know how to avoid short circuiting your battery. A short circuit effectively releases as much power as the battery can discharge and the wire can withstand, and that can be a ton of energy! Once you cause a short circuit you can have a serious fire on your hands, and water is not going to stop the battery from sparking (it's like pissing on lava). Please be careful!
Products Seen in this Video
- Vruzend Battery Kit
- Panasonic 18650 Lithium-ion Cell
- Cigarette Lighter w/ Battery Clip*
- 300W Power Inverter*
- Digital Multimeter*
- USB Car Charger*
- Samsung Chromebook Pro*
* Affiliate - Using this link supports the creation of my future content.
I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I have enjoyed creating it! If so, please support the creation of my future content by Upvoting, Resteeming and/or Following.
Thank you for allowing me to share a part of my life with you. I look forward to engaging with you in the Comments section.
Cahlen Lee
Stumbled onto this post somehow. Really fired up by your content. Be advised that I shall be following you from now on. Watch your back -- for generous pats!
This was how the telegraph service got its DC power in the 1800's. Of course, you will get much more energy by using it in the ground and using copper tubing and 1/2" EMT pipe. Just type "Earth Battery" into youtube and lo k at other ideas people are using. Best of luck, and spread the knowledge!
What is this picture showing in the ice-tray? is that wet dirt in the cube holes?
Its a youtube video. click on it to watch it.
Oh. Oops. :)
Very cool. Now I'm going to have to try that out asap.
Wow, that's incredible! I'm going to spend some time researching this, thank you.
I have no plans of living in a yurt any time soon -- sorry, ever lol - but I see your excitement and admire your spirit of adventure.
It's definitely not for everyone. I'm glad to be able to share a part of the experience with those who might be interested in watching but not directly experiencing it themselves.
Glad to hear it. You keep posting and I will keep on reading :)
Wonderful to see the creativity. Thanks for sharing. Upvoted
I'm glad you enjoyed it @gardengirlcanada
One thing I would have added was a diode to each battery, this way if one of th cells shorts out, you will be able to keep the rest of the energy stored, and the failed cell will not drain the good cells. Another thing you ca do is build an "Earth Battery" using copper tubing and EMT electrical tubing, sawed into short pieces 6 inches to a foot in length. drive these into the ground and pour salty water around them, and they will produce free energy, enough to operate your LED lighting, and they are portable, like your yurt. If your yurt uses tent stakes, replace them with the copper and EMT tubing and reuse the piping and wiring when you move your yurt.
Do you have an article on this?
Nice work you have done, really appreciate you
This is absolute genius! I love your page btw. Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome @dynobryno, I'm glad you're enjoying the page.
It took me a while to catch a post such as this which talks about batteries and electricity. Hmmm, what if we put those battery bank to power up, say, a 3 watt LED lamp while at the same time charging another bank? STEEMIT will be the platform for these things I really think so, may you find me in my first STORY here about radiant energy stuff, with collaboration and teamwork as main goal. I just like it when I learn from others, and give back in return.
I am just encouraged by your post. And thanks, I am now your follower.
Can't wait to see your first post!
Thank you for this encouragement, indeed I just posted my first post here:
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@lightingmacsteem/lighting-for-everyone-the-steemit-way
Be encouraged!!!
a very nice project. I probably will get back to this post soon and build a similar one. this is a great post @cahlenlee. upvoted and followed.
Thanks! I hope you'll share the process with us when go to build your battery.
I love it. Do you have good mobile reception in that yurt? Maybe even LTE?
As long as I keep my phone elevated off the ground a few feet I have a good connection. I actually tether the phone to my laptop to give it access as well.