Articles and Resources
Check out our guides and thoughts on DIY battery building. We will update this page as often as we can with new content, guides, and news.
How To Calculate Powerwall Size and Capacity
If you are new to batteries and want to know how to calculate powerwall size, it can be an overwhelming task. If you choose too small of a battery, then you will run out of power when you need it most. If you choose too much battery capacity, you will end up paying much more for your powerwall setup than you have to.
Cylindrical Or Prismatic Cells
Cylindrical or prismatic cells? Which is the best option? When it comes to lithium batteries, there are 3 physical formats. There are cylindrical cells, prismatic cells, and pouch cells. The cylindrical format has been the most popular type of battery cell because it is the lowest cost and fastest to produce. There are several factors, however, that once taken into consideration, paint a picture of a prismatic future.
How To Replace Lead Acid/AGM With Lithium
If you have an older battery system then you may be wondering how to replace lead acid/AGM with lithium. Lithium-ion batteries are much more weight, volume, and cost-effective compared to lead acid and AGM batteries. So, it’s only natural to wonder if it’s possible to upgrade from the older lead acid and AGM batteries to newer, more efficient lithium-ion batteries.
Best Spot Welders For Battery Packs
If you are a newcomer to the field of battery building, it can be challenging to find the best spot welders for battery packs. This is compounded by the fact that different batteries for different applications have varying needs in terms of what type of spot welder is used for the job.
How To Spot Weld Lithium Batteries
Learning how to spot weld battery packs is a crucial step if you plan on building or designing portable electronics. Sure, you could always buy pre-built battery packs for your projects but they will never be as low cost as doing it yourself. Also, without knowing how to spot weld battery packs, you are left to the mercy of the quality, shape, size, and availability of pre-build batteries.
How To Balance A Lithium Batteries and Cells
If you built a lithium ion battery and its capacity is not what you expect, then you more than likely have a balance issue. While it's true that cells connected in parallel will find their own natural balance, the same is not true for cells wired in series. It's important to know how to balance a lithium battery pack.
Buck Converter Or Boost Converter Which Is Best
Buck converter or boost converter, which is best? When you have to change one voltage to another, this question can come to mind. Many of the devices that we rely on every day have some sort of boost or buck converter circuit built into them. This makes sense if you think about it. Things like hard drives, mp3 players, video recorders, laptops, and many other devices require voltages that are outside of the natural range of a lithium-ion battery pack.
How To Pick Best Cells For A Battery Pack
While it is true that batteries come in many different sizes, shapes, voltages, and chemistries, lithium-ion batteries are by far the most common type of battery cell that you will come into contact with. It is important to consider, however, that not all lithium-ion cells are the same. In fact, lithium-ion cells within the same sub-chemistry can have substantially different properties.
18650 or 21700 Cells, Which Is Best
When working with lithium-ion batteries, there are many types that you will come across. The overwhelming majority, however, will be either 18650 or 21700 cells. So, you may be wondering which cell type is best for your application.