My Power Bank Rivals Commercial Ones?! Super Fast! (DIY or Buy)

You can get the shown parts here: (affiliate links)
Buy PowerBank:

In this episode of DIY or Buy we will be having a closer look at 100W Power Banks. Such Power Banks are great to have around to quickly charge up your big electronics like a laptop or tablet and they are also very useful when powering more current demanding electronics projects. That is why I properly tested a PCB from Aliexpress which allows us to create such a DIY Power Bank easily. And at the end we will see whether you should try such a DIY solution or rather stick to the Buy version. Let's get started!

Websites which were shown/used during the video:

Thanks to Onshape for sponsoring this video.

0:00 Why a 100W Power Bank?
1:31 PCB for DIY Solution?
2:04 Intro
3:03 Output Features of the PCB
4:08 Input Features of the PCB (Battery Pack)
6:25 Testing the PCB
8:46 Creating the Battery Pack
9:51 Completing the DIY Power Bank and Testing
10:31 Verdict

[Abishek_Muthian]

I appreciate that you still maintain the same format as from the beginning of the channel, Videos solely aimed at educating the viewers by sharing your experience and no unnecessary fluff added with channel growth.

[demm]

You going through the datasheet really brightened up things for me about these boards. Those definitely will be better for projects with higher cell count 4+ and safer than usual charging power adapters. Might add one of those to my speaker to finally have a reliable way of charging the 5s battery inside it.

[uzidore]

Not too long ago I've made my own modular powerbank using laptop batteries. With swappable batteries, and a buck boost converter it provides great results to a USB 3.1. I think I'll revisit it to give me USB C and some power monitoring.
Great Video (:

[forbiddenera]

don't forget that over 100wh not allowed on planes

[blackturbine]

I was searching for this kind of board for ages, thank you for the build

[jovaraszigmantas]

have looked at this exact pcb before as well as the manufacturer. Their stuff seems quality. The product which caught my eye the most was the DIY powerbank from them themselves, where you just add your own batteries. There are different models with different amount of battery holders for example 8, 16 and 24 cells. It uses the same chip IP5389 and in my opinion is the best case scenario because you get both high capacity and easy of use.

[MichaelScootNorwesh]

The issue is if you want to travel with a power bank, airlines limit power banks to 100wh. That’s why you tend to see most of the sold power banks below 100 wh

[nicholashamblin]

Thank you for making this video
I built an 18650 4s5p power bank.
These modules are excellent and I have 3 installed on battery. Perfect operation at 4s but I've noticed that if you want to hit the 100 watt max you must configure at 6s. Otherwise it will provide 3 amps in all voltages.
I installed a 4s flying capacitor balancer.
The board having a built in bms is super handy.
Thank you.

[phinok.m.]

6:00 You can just translate the PDF file in Google Translate
7:40 Would have been interesting to also measure the voltage on the PCB itself. I guess the voltage drop over the cable can't have been that bad, judging by the voltage at 4.6 A. But would still have been interesting to measure it.

[icantthinkofaname]

FYI when your spot welding cells it should not make any sparks, especially at the lower current levels required for just nickel strip. you might need to apply more pressure or lower your current. for just pure nickel strips I normally use around 30j.

[cppctek]

Wow that’s something I’ve always wanted to build with all the leftover 18650 cells I’ve scavenged out of old laptop batteries. Heck yeah that’s a nice build!

[nathan]

I think the company that makes the PCB has its own premade casing and wiring for it too. The only thing with maxing the thing is that you can't take it on a plane unless you can remove the cells, which you probably should've made doable

[GTari]

Hey Scott! I know for some of the PCBs you've created, you shared your blueprints in the description, but have you ever considered selling them already built either with/without components? I know you're busy making content, but I'm interested in buying some of your DIY PCBs you've created and successfully work better than store bought versions. It seems more logical to some viewers vs buying individual parts that sometimes only come in bulk. Thanks.

[edwardfletcher]

Longevity was not taken into account.

18650 cells have more than double the lifespan of the pouch cells used in most commercial power banks.

[demm]

Also I would like to warn anyone that doesn't know this, that the voltage regulator on the board is rated max 18V (me6210) and I've seen images of it burned crisp in 6p configurations. So, as long as the battery voltage is below that, it should be fine. So 4s configs are the best bet for this board, for now.

[s-informationatyourservi]

This is the post that convinced me to support on Patreon . Well deserved. Thank you for your dedication and contribution to learning

[randyhammer]

This is a very useful video. Thank you! 90W is indeed very good. I bought several Romoss Battery Banks and none of them quite live up to the advertising. I paid about $1.05 per watt hour. Would be super nice to add PD, USB micro and another USB-C port. Then your DIY version would be King. I guess you could even incorporate a display if you wanted to get really fancy. But I would be happy with your 90W model just as it is. Bravo !! BTW...my test of the Romoss 65W, 40, 000mAh unit gave about 27, 000mAh at 500mA, 4.91v discharge rate.

[RetroJack]

I'm not sure if it's your left-handedness or simply the angle of the camera, but I love seeing your paper notes/explanations; they are so easy to read!

[Roodster]

Any chance you could measure output ripple? Might also be worth mentioning that while IC supports up to 28 VBAT, the board in question is limited to 17V/4S max due to inadequate LDO.

[sheedyaja]

I just bought the same module, and I found your video with the same module!
What a coincidence!
Never thought you would cover this module. (ps : subbed you since 2015)