DIY portable power station

A do it yourself portable power station for hobby's, camping or power outages.
(Always charge your battery outside your house or in your garage)

[smsservicesall]

Man you were ahead of the curve on everything that's hot right now

[joshdartist]

Precisely the reason I'm looking to make one of these as well! Amateur astrophotographer as well! :) Great idea, I'm gonna steal it!

[petebeasttexashomesteading]

Yeah you're definitely right there, even though the top cover of the battery box is vented I still take it off when charging.

[PhilCherry]

I just completed my portable power station last month.  It is very similar to yours Peter.  I originally went with a 400 watt inverter, but switched it out for an 800 watt unit.  I am powering my box with a 90 amp hour deep cycle battery.  I had planned to mount the inverter on the lid of the battery box, but like you, grew concerned that the off-gassing of the battery would affect the components of the inverter.  So right now I separate the two and attached the inverter just before I begin using the system.  I have tested the power station around the house a few times.  I have also used it in a remote location to power a rotary tool while working on a pet project.  The unit performed smoothly.  I use a Stanley Battery Charger/Maintainer to recharge the unit after each use and between uses.  I will eventually add a 100 watt to 150 watt solar panel as well as two 12 volt power outlets to complete my system.  The next time we have inclement weather, the family & I will be better prepared power-wise!

[petebeasttexashomesteading]

Thanks, Not sure what type of voltmeter you have but I would try an after market voltmeter from an auto parts store the type you would put on your dash board. It will come with instructions and I would also put an on off switch on it. Hope this helps

[terrycows]

Nice video and build. I have built a couple of these also one smaller and one bigger but added solar charging to it which can be cheap to add to your unit if you want which is great for longer power cuts, I have uploaded some videos of my builds along with running time tests of the larger Duel battery unit - solar is fun but can be addictive lol

[petebeasttexashomesteading]

I was going to try Velcro for the inverter but it would of wobbled a little, but yeah it would work too.

[sumitmane]

What is the material of battery cover? Which material will you suggest for durability?

[smoknhot]

Also how much did it cost you to make this power box. There was an off and on another guys box similar to yours. Does this power box stay on.

[juvi]

If you haven't put in the trickle charger yet, you could attach wires to the + and - of your battery to a couple bolts through the side of the box so you can just hook your current charger up to those and not have to open up the box every time you charge it. It would also be a quicker way to attach a second battery in parallel if you wanted to add more capacity.

[MrMoises]

Nice set up, I am building one similar to yours and I want to ad a gauge voltmeter to the front of the box but don't know how to wire it and it comes with a light bulb but without wires. Any ideas?
Thanks.

[smoknhot]

I really like this power box. I want to make one myself. However, your instructions are not really that clear and I can't see what what you plugged the side sockets into. Do have a set of instruction you could e-mail me. I am a single parent and we have power outages too much and this would really be great. I also would like to know when I get it up and running would it be safe just to leave it charging because you never know when these outages occur. Please advise.

[MrMoises]

That is the one I have and has no instructions, I already looked on line and can not find something similar to this one, but anyway thanks Pete.

[andrewbrown]

What's the approximate amount of hours you can get out of this power supply?

[Rocksolidhandyman]

Great video!
Why not use a deep cycle battery?

[DarkEnergyStudios]

Hi Pete! Fellow Astro Photographer here! Same line of thinking on my end about needing a portable power source in the field. I've used Anderson power pole connectors to utilize my 100W solar panel for recharging. Works great. I've also added some USB ports for Phones and tablets, etc. I think an on/off switch might be useful, but am unsure of how it wires in to cut all current going to other ancillary ports. Any ideas? Great video! Thanks.

[mikelboudica]

Hi. Is the inverter safer than using the cigarette style charger? I am asking because why not use the cigarette style outlet to power your laptop. I have two motorcycle batteries and I want to use them to make an emergency power supply, , I've seen ideas like yours but without the inverter. I don't know anything about electricity but your idea seems safer for some reason to run a computer. Any imput is much aprecciated.. thanks a lot

[teaberrywmn]

Great idea. How can you attach this to an auto battery to charge it while driving?

[andrelb]

How long would this thing charge for? I would use it to power a couple little laser light show toys and charging iPhones on a camping trip.  what do you think?

[theaceking]

can you explain the fuses? I have a similar set up but the wires (10-14 gauge) are heating up too fast, especially around the alligator clips connected to the wire at the base of the battery.