Battery pack... Beginner version

[Steve29045]

Just getting into E-biking and the field and have very little knowledge of a battery system, but I would love to try to make my own battery out of 18650 batteries that seem to be very popular

Can someone suggest a "how to" or beginner guide on how one goes about building thier own battery pack and having the ability to charge it without the fear of an explosion?

I guess a step by step guide of all parts needed and how to build it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[parabellum]

What is your background and tools accessible?

 

[Willow]

this thread - http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=54877

 

[Steve29045]

I am very mechanical, I understand automotive electric as I've worked on it and fixed cars in general for a long time... I have all the tools but I don't solder or weld and scared to do any house electric

I want to learn BUT I don't want to bite off more then I can chew or short something out and cause a fire... Wanting to play it safe and build a small one and then graduate from that point into bigger and better

 

[Steve29045]

this thread - http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=54877

Seems very detailed but I need diagrams and such of how wires get connected and what a BMS does and how to charge them and hook them up safely... A beginners guide if you would

 

[amberwolf]

Then you have an awful lot of reading to do. I would recommend starting in that thread, reaidng it thru, then searching for "18650" and reading the rest of what comes up.

In the process you'll learn what NOT to do, which is at least as important as knowing what TO do, and you'll also learn what all the other stuff is (BMS, how each kind works, etc).

If you're looking to be completely spoon fed on every detail, then ES is probably the wrong forum for you--we do expect people to read around and do some of their own research and learning.

 

[dogman dan]

Hmm, debatable whether a battery build is ever "for beginners" Dig enough and you can see what non beginners did.

I'd have to say the number one key thing is not soldering direct to terminals. You need spot welded tabs, then soldering to tabs might be done with some practice.

Which leads to thinking, why not a no solder pack? some decent ideas have been tried.

As for batteries burning your house down, that's mostly a problem with using RC drone batteries, abusing them, dinging them, or using those with defects that caused them to puff.

My advice, go straight to somebody who sells a decent 18650 cell pack. EM3ev, Grin, you know who, etc. Costly yes, but right now your priority should be riding this summer, not spending the whole summer building a battery.