Posted on by Jonty

The Dog Box

This is a project to build a 12V leisure battery. The cells are manufactured by CATL and are made from lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). The cells are supported by a 150A BMS (Battery Management System). A suitable box was found locally at The Range and just about houses the battery, BMS and various gubbins. The Dog Box – our new ’pet’ – is ready for camping in 2022!

QuantityDescriptionSource
4310Ah 3.2V rechargeable lithium ion cells produced by CATLOgreen Lifepo4 Cell Store, Aliexpress.com
1QUCC 150A Smart BMS 4S LiFePO4 12V Battery Pack Protection BoardQUCC Official Store, Aliexpress.com
10Copper busbarShop9113349052, Aliexpress.com
54S 22AWG 100mm JST-XH Balancer CableHoenvesta Official Store, Aliexpress.com
–Single Core Thin Wall Cable – 10.0mm² 70A12voltplanet.co.uk
–Single Core Thin Wall Cable – 1.5mm² 21A12voltplanet.co.uk
–Copper Tube Terminals – 10mm² Cable
Stud Hole Diameter: 8mm		12voltplanet.co.uk
1Thermoresistant shink wrap kitHe Cheng World, Aliexpress.com
112V FuseboxCar Runing Autoparts, Aliexpress.com
150A DC Circuit BreakerG-products, Aliexpress.com
1200A DC Circuit Breaker G-products, Aliexpress.com
112V-60V 100A-300A Battery Isolator SwitchDynoracing Official Store, Aliexpress.com
1312091 KATSU 58W Soldering Station KitAmazon.co.uk
1AstroAI Digital MultimeterAmazon.co.uk
1DURATOOL D03233 18V, 3A DC Adjustable Regulated Linear Bench Power SupplyCpc.co.uk
1NOCO Genius G15000UK 12V and 24V 15 Amp Pro-Series Smart Battery Charger and MaintainerHardwarexpress.co.uk
1Multifunctional wire stripper and crimping tool, 22-10 AWGTC Quality Tool, Aliexpress.com
The LiFePO4 cells finally arrived from China after a 10-week wait. The QUCC BMS takes a further 6 weeks to arrive following non-delivery (and subsequent refund) of the first BMS (Daly) from a different Aliexpress supplier.
Check the voltage straight out of the box and, unfortunately, observe swelling in one of the cells. The voltage was monitored closely and remained stable so no further action taken.
Balance the voltage (cells in parallel) then build the battery (cells in series). The battery is clamped together using 18mm plywood, 6mm threaded rod, washer, nylon lock nuts and button head socket screws (all A2 stainless steel). The BMS is connected and the battery charged via the NOCO Genius charger.
1) BMS monitored via a bluetooth connection to Xiaoxiang BMS app on iOS , 2) DC bench power supply set to 12.4V

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